Evening star., 1936-04-12
PARK PLAN CRITICS.
TOLD TO HOLD FIRE.
Gartside Explains Projects
and Says Results to
Please Public.


will not brook short answer.
It is true several of the parks are
call torn up." as the protesting citi-
zen points out, and 1t is equally true
that screeching steam shovels have
disturbed havens of pastoral beauty,
and that raw, red earth has replaced
meandering walks and beds OF flowers.
Wide walks Of concrete base are
being laid, trees moved, shrubbery up
rooted and carted away and lawns
torn by the heavy feet of workmen.
Straight lines are being substituted
for curves on scale to suggest the
query, "Is geometry displacing SYM
metry?"
"a bunch of New Deal schoolboys
are tearing up the park system" say
the objectors. why take the Glacs,
the roses and the pansies out Of the
midcity parks? That is the only
place many Of us can see them Con-
centration of flowers in one place will
deprive us of enjoying them. Besides,
they did that at the pansy bed In
Potomac Park and along came the
food and wiped out the pansies.
Object to Concrete.
parks shouldn't be such formal
places with walks as straight as a
die and trees planted like soldiers
at attention, but coZy spots, where one
may rest.
And these broad walks! We don't
want our parks concreted. All that
surface will draw the Summer heat"
Says Acting Supt. of National Cap
atal Parks Frank T. Gartside: Wait
until we have finished and see the
result before you criticize. Capable
men have prepared our plans. You
will not be disappointed in the fin
ished product. If there is differ
ence of opinion when the project is
completed, we will be glad to talk
things over with the public"
Financed by Public Works Admins
tration funds, some 70 projects now
are going forward with the inten-
ton of providing more orderly and
economical maintenance through re-
arrangement of existing material. In
addition, many parks are receiving
much needed reconditioning and re-
pair after years of neglect.
Young Men in Charge.
The program was prepared in the
Branch of Plans and Designs of the
National Park Service, which assign
ed a unit to the National Capital
Parks, under the local superintend.
ent, c. Marshall Finnan. Molcolm
Kirkpatrick, resident landscape ar
chitect of the National Capital Parks,
is in charge. His associate landscape
architect is John L. Paolano. Most
Of his assistants are young.
The plans they prepared received
the approval of Finnan and Arno B.
Cammerer, director of the National
Park Service. In addition, the Fine
Arts Commission gave its appreciation.
John Nolen, jr., director Of planning of
the National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, initiated a number
of plans himself. and the commission
inspected the plans and did not object.
The District Commissioners were told
what was to be done.
Gartside explains to those who voice
their objections to him that many
things the public never sees, such as
underground water supply and drain
age systems. now are being installed.
Some of the sewers have become
clogged with silt or the roots Of trees
and part Of the system is so years old.
The exhausted soil must be replenished
with fertilizer or new top soil.
Since maintenance funds have
Jagged for many years, officials feel
particularly fortunate in being able to
get P. w. A. money for work which
will reduce upkeep materially in the
future.
Results to Last 20 Years.
"Mr. Finnan spends nearly as
much in maintenance and operation
as we are spending on this program.
the results of which probably will last
20 years." declared Kirkpatrick.
Generally, flowers are being con-
centrated in large beds, park walks
widened so that benches may rest
upon concrete, thereby avoiding dam
age to lawns, and many existing
plants replaced by material which will
thrive at little expense. Rearrange-
ment of walks has necessitated trans
planting of trees. Walks will have
a concrete base and black tops to
avoid glare.
Elimination Of the lilac bushes in
the triangle bounded by Eighteenth
and H streets and Pennsylvania ave.
nue., has caused much protest. The
reason is lilacs are hard to grow this
far South, it is said. Hardy horn
beams and white and pink Towering
hawthorns will be substituted.
The little sycamores in the triangle
have been moved out so that larger
sycamores may be planted. Other
rows OF sycamores and privet hedge
are being planted to screen parked
cars on Eighteenth and H streets. A
12-foot walk with benches and an
ornamental wrought-iron fence will be
Installed.
Work in Lafayette Park.
In Lafayette Park, the other reser.
vation where activity Is most notice.
able, the double central walk, run.
ming north and south, and the ellipti-
cal walk are being preserved. The
urns have been moved 100 feet, one
to the east and the other to the west.
All the flowers have been taken from
the six beds and will not be re-
placed; neither will the spirea and
mock orange. A japanese yew hedge
will be planted around the jackson
Statue and sufficient oaks will be
added to line both sides of the double
walk. No trees have been moved out
Of the park.
Franklin Park soon is to be re.
5uvenated. The entire walk system
and the pool are coming out. -Four
flower beds will be removed and not
replaced. Groups Of shrubbery in
poor condition will be moved. The
plan calls for planting Of nine vii
low oaks, 800 European hornbeams,
$50 rock cotoneaster, 900 Japanese
yew and 1000 wintercreeper. The
plan was evolved after four different