Evening star., 1937-11-21
By John Clagen Proctor.

of historic places and sites is
sacred civic duty, and one
4 which all the people should be
interested in. In Washington some
constructive work has been done along
this line. but, at the same time much
indifference has been shown by the
citizens and the Federal Government
by removing historic buildings that,
by all means, should have been pre-
served intact for the benefit Of present
and future generations.
Take, for instance, the fine old
homes once facing Lafayette Square,
which have been removed within the
memory Of many; razed, of course,
for the purpose Of replacing them with
modern buildings, such as the Belasco
Theater, the National Chamber of
Commerce and other more up-to-date
structures. deemed more desirable by
the owners Of the property. Naturally,
We admit this is progress. and accord
ingly we bow to it. though we do de-
plore the necessity-not alone because
of the desire to retain some old church
or home, perhaps, but also because, as
a general thing, its loss and subse-
quent replacement with more modern
structure to many does have a ten
dency to detract from the beauty of
picturesque Lafayette Square, itself
historic ground.
II we will get an old picture of the
east, west and north sides of this
square and compare its attractive old
homes with its present appearance, the
idea the writer is trying to convey will
be readily seen. for on the northwest
corner Of Vermont avenue and H
street, where now stands the Arlington
Building. headquarters of the Veter-
ans Administration, will be seen the
residence where once lived Charles
Sumner, Senator from Massachusetts
and one Of the most ardent anti-slav-
cry members Of the United States
Senate. Indeed. so thoroughly was he
set against slavery that upon one oc-
casion, during the discussion of the
Missouri Compromise in May. 1856, he
spoke SO caustically of Senator Butler
OF South Carolina that Preston S.
Brooks, member Of the House of
Representatives and nephew of Sen
ator Butler, assaulted him with
cane with such vigor and severity that
we are told Mr.. Sumner was unable to
appear in the Senate for nearly four
years thereafter.
1t was in this early building that
Senator Sumner died on March II,
1874. At one time Samuel c. Pomeroy
Of Kansas, another enthusiastic Re-
publican, lived as a next-door neigh
Dor to the Massachusetts, Senator, and
shortly after the Arlington Hotel was
built. in 1869, these two residences were
combined into one and formed the H
street entrance to the hotel, though
they were not a part of the main
building. Other residents Of the Sum-
rer home included Walter O. Gresham,
Secretary of State under President
Cleveland, and Henry c. Payne, Post
master General in Theodore Roose-
velts cabinet.
THE Arlington as originally built
was seven stories high and had
frontage of 100 feet. It was in front
of this building that the first asphalt
pavement in Washington was laid. in
1870, and 1t is said to have worn bet
ter and lasted longer than any pave
ment laid since.
Next to the Veterans Administra-
ton, on the H street side of the block,
facing Lafayette Park. is large dou-
BILE mansion, No. 1925, built by Mat
thew St. Clair Clarke, clerk of the
House Of Representatives from 1922 to
1894. Subsequently it became the
home Of Joseph Gales, editor of the
National Intelligencer, and later of
Lord Alexander Barring Ashburton,
when, in 1912, the Webster-Ashburton
treaty was drafted, defining the pres
ent Canadian boundary. This treaty
was later signed in the old State De-
partment Building, which once stood
at the north end of the Treasury
Building.
The Ashburton house was also the
home Of the British Legation while
Lord Dalling, otherwise known as Sir
Henry Bulwer-Lytton, was Envoy Ex-
traordinary and Minister Plenipoten-
tiary to the United States, 1s49-1852,
after having removed from Eighteenth
and streets. and it was at the H
street residence that his talented
nephew and secretary, Edward Rob-
ert Bulwer-Lytton. later Lord Lytton,
whose pen name was Owen Meredith,
began his celebrated poem Lucille"
not published, however, until 1860.
ON THE northeast corner of H and
Sixteenth streets stands one of
the most noted Episcopal churches in
the District Of Columbia, and because
OF the reverence many early WASH
tngtonians have for it it is called Old
st. Johns. It was originally in the
form of a Greek cross, the equal
transept perfectly proportioned to
the nave. It was completed in No
vember. 1916 and the corner stone
was laid September IA, 1915.
st. Johns is called the Church
Of the Presidents" because of the
many Presidents of the United States
who have worshipped there. James
Madison and Dolly, his wife, were
among the first, and when the lat
ter died where is now the Cosmos
Club, at Madison place and H street,
her funeral was held from this
church.
Other Presidents who attended di-
vine service here, but who were not
necessarily members of the church,
included James Monroe, John Quincy
Adams, Andrew jackson, Martin Van
Buren, William Henry Harrison, John
Tyler, Zachary Taylor. Millard Fill
more, James Buchanan and Chester
A. Arthur. The first Sunday after
Lincoln arrived in the city he at
tended service here, accompanied by
Mrs. Seward, and MIR. Wilson occa-
Eoually crossed over Lafayette Square
to be present With Mrs. Wilson at St.
Johns.
One Of the first prominent we'd
dinss to take place here was that Of
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