Evening star., 1937-05-05
KELLERPREPARES
MEMORIAL DATA
FOR HOUSE BODY
Report to Consider Revised
Estimates on Cost of
Landscaping.
1000 CHERRY TREES
ARE HELD AFFECTED
New Study Discloses 1900 in
Danger of Being Felled-800
Might Be Transplanted.

The war over the Japanese cherry
blossoms and the Tidal Basin site for
the Jefferson Memorial continued to-
day while Chairman Keller of the
House Library Committee was prepar-
Ing a report on the subject, which ne
said will be well worth while reading
for all those interested in Capital City
development
He hopes to get this report, which
he was directed by his committee in
executive session yesterday to write,
before the House this week.
This report will consider revised esti-
mates of cost for the landscape setting
for the proposed memorial, and revised
estimates of the prospective destruction
Of the cherry trees. The estimates
have been laid before the committee
since the public hearings were closed
Chairman Keller disclosed in execu-
tive session yesterday the committee
had before it an explanatory statement
by John L. Nagle, engineer of the Ma
tional Park Service, which tones down
the estimated cost for the laying out
of approaches and roads. typographical
changes and landscaping around the
proposed s3,000,OoO memorial.
Estimate of Trees Affected.
While Horace M. Albright, former
director of the National Park Service,
now head of the American Planning
and Civic Association, estimated that
about 1,700 trees near the Tidal Basin
would be disturbed, an actual count,
Just completed, reveals that more
than 2,000 trees would be affected
either through outright destruction
or transplanting. Actually, 1900
trees-cherry trees. elms and others
stand in danger of being felled, while
only 300 of them could be saved by
transplanting, the count discloses,
based on the plan of the Thomas JEFF
1erson Memorial Commission.
Albright wrote a letter recently to
Representative Boylan, Democrat, Of
New York advising him of his op-
position to the plans of John Russell
Pope, New York architect, for the
Tidal Basin memorial site.
After seeing in the newspapers the
rather bald and isolated statements
of cost of the Jefferson Memorial
that I made before your commit
tee" Nagle's supplementary testimony
stated, Il felt that a great deal had
been left unsaid. When several COM
ments came to me from others re-
garding the rather high estimates I
had mentioned, was convinced that
the figures should be put in their
proper context. Before your COM
mittee referred to the implications
of Mr.. Popes plans and it Is that
statement I wish to amplify.
Many Features Added.
After having worked on a number
Of Government improvement projects
In Washington during their prelim-
mary stages, have learned by expe-
rience that great many features are
added to the one central feature of the
project, but which themselves are no
necessary part, but are implied by the
project. Perhaps this WiA illustrate
what 1 mean: If county builds a
new court house, then clearly the cost
of the court house and the improve
ments of the court house yard is
proper charge against the court house,
but invariably the county seat, having
hrand-neW court house, will desire
to widen and pave Main street, or
the City Square, and the merchants
around the town will fix up their
store fronts. All of these improve
ments cost lot of money and were
occasioned by the building of the
court house, but their combined cost
cannot rightfully be said to be a part
Of the cost of the court house.
When any important new building
is erected in community, invariably
the vicinity of that building is i'm
proved. And whereas these improve
ments are implied by the erection of
the new building, the cost of them may
not rightfully be included with the cost
OF the building. AS an example of what
occurred here in Washington, I may
site the Arlington Memorial Bridge
project, that started out to be bridge
across the Potomac River, but before
1t was finished it included Constitution
avenue from the Capitol to the Po-
tomac River, and the very impressive
memorial entrance to Arlington Ma
tional Cemetery. The widening and
Improvement of Constitution avenue
cost about $2,500,0OO and the memorial
entrance to the cemetery about 81 ,3OO,-
600. These improvements were i'm
piled by the construction of the bridge,
but no one would say that their cost
should be added to that of the bridge
no more than one would say that the
cost of Constitution avenue should be
added to the cost of the new buildings
along that avenue.
Cost of Improvements.
In making my figures on Mr.. Pope's
plan I necessarily had by own expert
ence In mind and included a number
OF improvements which, in my judg-
ment, would or should be carried out
by that plan, which were implied by
that plan, but which were not neces-
sarlly involved in the plan itself. The
cost of these Improvements should be
charged against the improvements and
not against the memorial structure,
which forms the nucleus of this par
ticular improvement project.
1T is inevitable think, that when
this very handsome building is COM
pleted it will become the center of an
Improvement plan, the expense of
which no one may limit now. What
ever these improvements are they will
be worth all they cost and should be
their own justification. I think any,
one would hesitate to say that they
are all necessarily part of the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial The
figures which I stated include i'm
provements, which are not specifically
indicated on Mr.. Pope's plan. and in
: fairness to that plan I ask that this
statement be included with the other
testimony before your committee"
The new census of the cherry trees