Evening star., 1935-11-10
Bv WHliam 4. MHleu.


that existed on the site of
Washington l45 years ago,
~ how would designer of cities,
equipped with all the modern con-
veniences. lay out the mother city for
q nation here today?
Exactly the same as Maj Pierre
Charles L'Enfant, the French engineer
who created the plan for Washington, u
replies William T. Partridge. consult
ing architect for the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission.
Then, forgetting the L'Enfant plan,
Mr.. Partridge set to work to design
city here, imagining himself in
L'Enfant's shoes-assigned by Gen.
George Washington, hero of the Revo-
luton and the new Nations first Presi-
Gent. to accomplish the task
Washington himself fixed the point
for the Presidents house, almost on
the waters of the Potomac River, on
higher ground than at first located.
From that postulate city was to be
created, with the Capitol, on jenkins
Hill, dominating the scene.
Mr.. Partridge deems it but natural
that the Capitol should be placed on
that eminence. A line between the
Presidents house and the Capitol
gave the backbone for the whole
scheme-Pennsylvan avenue-down
which each Chief Executive has rid
den to his Inauguration.
With the central points in the plan
and the Monument to Washington
Mr.. Partridge then marked off his
new city in natural squares, as any en-
gireer would-and arrived at the same
result as L'Enfant And the French
man planned when the United States
comprised 13 States and 100000 peo-
pie and in these days, with 48 States
and 25,000,000 population, the Nation
has not realized all his dreams for
the Federal City.
Squares, large open spaces, among
the city's buildings, were placed at
fixed points, the avenues running in
diagonals to afford easy access be-
tween the great distances and fine
views. And so, the twentieth CEN
tury designer, who made the exhibit
of the City of Washington for the
Century of Progress at Chicago, for
the Saf. Diego Exposition and other
great exhibitions over the Nation,
reached the same conclusions as LEn-
FAINT.
And how is the L'Enfant plan work.
in. out today? 1t is far from the
musty document that some might con-
ceive it, for it has vitality and direc-
ton in this third decade of the twen-
tieth century. The National Capital
Park and Planning Commission and
the Fine Arts Commission regard it
as the Bible" for city planning, here
Its full realization is being approached,
but even with the strides that WASH
ington the City has made-more in
the past 10 years than ever before in
its nearly a century and a half #
being-many of the plans projects
remain to be fulfilled.
7 'ENFANT'S plan provided for an
Upper Capitol Square. which lies
to the east of the National Legislature,
bounded by the new Supreme Court
Building and the Library of Congress.
The Capitol today is where he set it
down atop Jenkins Hill. His cascade
at the west side of the Capitol has its
erest present-day approach in the
8artholdi Fountain, in the new Bo-
tanic Garden.
The famous French city planner
envisioned canal, west of the Capt.
tol, using the waters of Tiber Creek,
and while this existed for great
many years, with the decline of water
transportation it has bowed of the
stage. The canal port and market
L'Enfant foresaw near midway down
the Mall. on the north side, are not
in being today. The old Center Mar
ket was demolished to make way for
the new public buildings program.
His plan comprehended residences
for foreign ministers, with gardens,
on each side of the Mall. Instead,
there are now the great public build
ings OF the triangle.
The Presidents Park that L'Enfant
drew upon his plar is here today, in
the Ellipse. His itinerary column"
is now found in the Zero Milestone,
south of the White House. There is
still a chance for the erection of his
Naval Memorial at Seventh street and
th- Potomac River front, in the opin-
ion Of Mr.. Partridge. His Grand Ave-
nue. is the Mall of today. On his plan
he left spaces for monuments and the
problem now is not that he had too
many, but too few, as memorials to
deeds and men crowd In upon the
city.
About Eleventh street, on the south