The Washington times., 1937-04-08
BACKS CHOICE
OF POPE AS
ARCHITECT
Tidal Basin Site Foes
Called UNIFORMED
and Unreasonable

Members OF Cle JelleISOIl NC
mortal Commission are getting
ready to answer critics of the com
missions decision to build the
memorial at the Tidal Basin
changing it's contours to do so.
They are also determined to de
Fend their choice of John Russell
Pope, of New York, as the archi
tect for the memorial. and his de
sign for a Greek temple similar in
character to other memorials and
public buildings approved here by
the Fine Arts Commission.
Their decision was made known
today by Representative John J
Boylan CD of New York, chair
man of the commission, who said
he soon would prepare a formal
statement giving the commission S
side Of the story.
Voices Indignation
He came out of a meeting OF
conferees on a pending appropria'
ton bill long enough to voice his
inclination over a mounting tide
Of criticism he regards as unfair,
unreasonable and unintormed
He said:
"There is something back Of
IL which l have not been able to
get at. 1 don't know what it Is.
But there is SOmething-SOme
influence which keeps stirring
up this criticism. There are al
ways people who are ready to
see evil in everything, who Sus-
meet there is something wrong
with every decision. 1t may be
that this is at the bottom Of it.
at is all 50 unfair. The COM
mission did not act with snap
Judgment in deciding on q site
for the memorial, nor in chOOS-
ing Mr.. Pope as the architect.
II was the result of two years
work. Everything that was done
was done in consultation with
the National Park and Planning
Commission and the Fine Arts
Commission. They approved
everything. 1t was really the
Park and Planning Commission
which selected the site.
"Under the L'Enfant plan
for development of Washington
there are five main points to
be occupied by great public
buildings, memorials or centerS
of government. Four Of these
are now occupied by the Capitol,
the White House, the Lincoln
Memorial and the Washington
Monument. The Jefferson me-
mortal is to occupy the fifth,
thus completing this part of the
plan. It is appropriate historic
ally and intellectually to locate
it at the Tidal Basin.
CRITICS UNINFORMED
"Current critics m shows
clearly that the critics are unin-
formed as to just what the me
mortal will mean in the changes
to be made in this area. They
say, for example, that it will de-
Stroy the cherry trees around
the Eidal Basin. That Is not
true. We have gone into all
that. Government hOrticultur-
lists tell us, for instance, that the
cherry trees have q definitely
limited life of about 30 years.
1--WE appropriate money every
year for replacementS. These
appropriations will have to be
continued. Other trees must be
kept coming along to take the
place of those which die or 20
back, and have to be removed.
So that the memorial will not
destroy q large number of trees
with an indefinite life.
"AS a matter Of fact, we are
assured that under the plan as
developed there will be room for
more cherry trees than there are
now. They will be set around
the rim Of the Tidal Basin, in
part, Overhanging the water as
they do now. The design Of the
Tidal Basin was never intended
to be permanent. It was re-
garded as temporary when It
was laid out. The engineers
and architects of the planning
commission are authority for
this statement. So that in chang
ing the contours Of the basin
We would not be destroying or
modifying q permanent plan for
the development Of the Capital
BASIN LITTLE SMALLER
"Then the critics say the me-
mortal would do away with the
basin. The fact is that the
water area would be only 2 per
cent less than it is at present.
The decrease would be so small
it would never be noticed. And
the finished plan, when worked
out as the memorial is COM
pleted, will be more beautiful
and impressive than it is now.
'sNOr. will the jefferson Me.