Evening star., 1937-05-02
RESTUDY SURCED
ON SHRINE SITE
Consideration of Whole Area
South of Washington Mon
ument Advised.

ument ADVISED.
restudy by the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission of the
whole area south of the Washington
Monument, and the seeking in the
District of Columbia and its environs
Of IAN entirely suitable site" for the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial were ad-
vocated last night by the American
Planning and Civic Association.
In statement. the association said:
Before any wholesale destruction
Of the Tidal Basin area is undertaken,
we need a thorough restudy by the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission to know what should be
the finest permanent plan for the
area south of the Washington Monu-
ment most of which has been re-
claimed from the Potomac River.
In the meantime, by all means let
us protect the park values which we
have, and seek in the District Of Co.
lumbia and its environs an entirely
suitable site for memorial to an L.
lustrious founder of the Republic-a
site which will not involve destruction,
but improvement And let us realize
that in so doing we are not violating
the L'Enfant plan. in fact or in spirit.
and that it is time for the National
Capital Park and Planning Commis-
sion Of 1887 to restudy all past plans
and adjust them to present day con-
ditions.'
Delano Board Chairman.
Frederic A. Delano chairman OF
the Park and Planning Commission,
is chairman of the board Of the asso-
citation and was formerly its president.
Reiterating its opposition to con-
structing the Jefferson memorial at
the Tidal Basin site, the association
declared:
There is no violation of the Len
FAINT plan involved in banning the
Tidal Basin site for the Thomas
jefferson or any other memorial"
The statement was occasioned by
public assertions which the associa-
ton said referred to banning the
Tidal Basin site for the memorial as
setting aside" the L'Enfant plan and
the plan of the Mcmillan Commission
in 1901. The association pointed out
that none of the editions of the
L'Enfant plan indicate any monument
south of the White House except the
Washington Monument
'L'Enfant did not indicate the site
for any monument south of the WASH
ington Monument, which was not
placed quite as he directed, but
slightly off both the east axis from
the Capitol and the south axis from
the White House." the association
continued The spirit Of his descrip-
ton would indicate gardens. If Con-
gress, in its wisdom desires to protect
the parklike development which has
been fostered for the last 36 years in
West Potomac Park, it would Ger
tainly be acting within the spirit Of
the L'Enfant plan.
Park Plan Of 1901.
"The Tidal Basin site was shown on
the park plan of 1901, which has been
carried out in many important par
ticulars, and which gave to the people
of the United States a restudy of the
L'Enfant plan and q broad outline for
future development. But 1t should be
remembered that when the park plan
of 1901 was made, the MI in East Po-
tomac Park was not complete, and the
Tidal Basin had only recently been
made to serve the utilitarian purpose
OF flushing out the newly dredged
Washington Channel There was then
no beauty to protect. In the years
that have passed, it has been neces-
sary to modify the plan of 1901 in some
particulars.
In the decade during which the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission has been studying the
LEnfant and Mcmillan plans, and pre-
pairing a comprehensive plan Of the
entire region, existing conditions have
changed" said the association
Construction of "a new, modern,
model maternity hospital as the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial" was pro-
posed yesterday by former Represents
tive Thomas L. Blanton Of Texas, now
practicing law here. His plan was
contained in q letter he addressed to
Col. P. M. Ashburn, superintendent Of
Columbia Hospital, in which he said:
while Washington now has ade-