Evening star., 1934-01-07
DELAYED Mall Development.


From The Star of March IT. 1888:
In the southern part of the
city the Mall, cleared of railroad tracks
and enlarged by the addition of several
hundred acres of reclaimed flats, will
make magnificent park and furnish
a famous driveway by which the visitor,
having swiftly traversed historic Penn
sylvania avenue from the President S
house to the Capitol, may return to his
starting place by way of the Botanic
Gardens Monument lot and
White House grounds, winding through
trees, flowers and well-kept turf and
passing buildings of great public inter-
est, historic monuments and statues.
To the other end of the city Rock Greek
Park will furnish a breathing place,
with its thousand acres of surface, its
beautiful winding stream and its wild,
diversified scenery.
When that was written railroad tracks
still cluttered the Mall The build
ings "of great public interest" existed
only in the Imagination, as did the
most historic of the future monuments
the Lincoln Memorial the site of
which was then in the course of
being reclaimed from the Potomac
River. Rock Creek Park had been
created, but its extension into Mary
land and the future parkway that
would link it with Wes. Potomac Park,
were not even parts of the plan. Nor
did the writer realize the significance
of his prophecy Of how swiftly the
visitor could make the circuit from the
White House to the Capitol and back
again. For the automobile of course,
was yet to come.
But some Of these later develop
ments-Rock Creek Park extension, the
Lincoln Memorial and the automobile
all have played part in revising the
Mcmillan plan of 1901 for Mall develop
ment Work will begin this week in
bringing to long-delayed realization one
of the most important parts of that
plan. This has been made possible
through the wisdom and foresight of
the public works administrator, Seere-
tary Ickes, in making employment
giving funds available for the work.
Readers of The Star saw a photo
graphic reproduction of the Mall pat
tern last week. From the Capitol to
the Monument will extend an unob-
structed vista of greensward, bordered
by trees. The single remaining man
made obstruction to this vista now is
the so-called Mall group OF temporary
buildings, housing the cafeteria, heat
ing plant and snokestack for the nearby
temporary buildings, &C." ''E," d. and
and "F." The heating plant smoke
stack and cafeteria, it is hoped, can be
razed in the immediate future, the re-
manning buildings to be temporarily
plant Others of the whole group will
be razed when room for activities CEN
tered there now can be had in the
triangle buildings nearing completion.
Some trees must be cut down. But
the authorities are making every effort
to preserve those that can be moved
and replanted. Other trees are to be
planted on each side of the four new
SLIcSIS W IuI1--lNO VA CoNil oA0S VA pAAS
Mall-from the Union Square, at the
foot of Capitol Hill, to Fourteenth street
It is desirable that the trees be of some
uniformity in age and development.
Many of the old trees now on the Mall
are said to be rotting from improper
care and might not last much longer.
The demands of traffic have altered
original plans somewhat. But the pre-
dominating motif of the completed
Mall will be greensWard, flowers and
trees-not, as feared at one time, a
ribbon or series of ribbons Of white
concrete. The four parallel streets
some day to pass level over sunken
Fourteenth and Twelfth streets-will do
much to lessen east and west traffic
congestion. The pleasing, restful vista
between the Capitol and Monument is
to balance the now completed vista be-
tween the Monument and the Lincoln
Memorial.
Work to begin this week will be con-
cerned with the grounds lying between
Fourteenth street and Union Square.
and the two inner roadways will be. built.
Union Square Cbounded by Second
street. Pennsylvania avenue, Maryland
avenue and Third street, is now being
designed by Frederick Law Olmsted,
the Surviving member of the Mcmillan
Commission. The Grant and Meade
- %v.,o ~ hat
day will contain third monument. The
Botanic Garden has been moved, the old
site is to be cleared. OF the buildings
on the Mall, the National Museum is
the only one completed on the north
border. On the south side the Smith
sonian will some day be moved back to
the line of the Freer Gallery and the
Department Of Agriculture. But across
Constitution avenue from the Mall son-
struction is rapidly bringing to cors-
pletion the fine triangle group of new
buildings.
The word sketch of future Mall de-
yelopment in The Star of forty-six>
years ago required considerable imag-
ination. The Mall developers of today
are also looking forward and building
for future generations. Fifty years
hence there will probably be even
more grateful appreciation of green's
ward and trees than there is today.
Such considerations furnish some
slight consolation to the tree Movers