Evening star., 1937-07-31
SAVING OF TREES ,
At GALLERY SITE
|LAUDED BY BOARD
EIms to Be Placed at Cor.
ners of Mellon Structure,
Planners Told.
NEW EXPRESS HIGHWAY
TO CAMP SPRINGS TOPIC
Land at Sixteenth and Lamont
Streets Transferred to Play. =
ground Department.

A decision OF the commission
charged with erection Of the National
Gallery Of Art. saving row of fne
old elm trees on Missouri avenue from
destruction In connection with land.
scaping plans, was praised by the Nax
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission yesterday afternoon as an
example of fine civic spirit"
The commission was informed that
a comprehensive landscaping plan was
being prepared for the gallery which
Andrew w. Mellon, former Secretary
OF the Treasury, is building for the
National Capital on Constitution ave-
nue. between Fourth and Sixth streets.
Members Of the Federal planning
group are authorized by law to ap-
prove the approach to the art gall
lery.
Thomas S. Settle, commission secre.
tary, explained that eight large elm
trees would be removed from one side
OF Missouri avenue embraced In thap
gallery site and instead Of being de.
stroyed would be planted about the
four corners of the building.
This will give the gallery a very
| fine setting he said. 1T is very en-.
couraging to the Park and Planning
Commission to realize that the fns
civic spirit displayed by the commits
sion in charge of the gallery has re-
suited in the saving Of these trees. It
| Is an example that should be EMU
| lated by others, for there Is a too-fre-
quent tendency on the part of many
| builders not to prevent the unneces-
| sary destruction of trees"
Before the Planning Commission
closed its tvo-day July session, it
studied plans for an express high
way to the proposed airport site y
Camp Springs, Md; transferred ney
northwest playground site to the Dis--
trict and cleaned its states of a mum.
Der of various local problems. 1t ap-
proved also the landscaping for the
Police Court Building in Judiciary
Square prepared by Nathan c. Wyeth.
municipal architect.
New Playground Ordered.
The commission recently was given
legal possession of large vacant lQAf
at Sixteenth and Lamont streets, after
a court battle. It is in a congested
area and near the Powell Junior High
School and several apartments This
land was ordered transferred TO the
| District for the use of the Playground
Department.
| The disposition of small triangle
OF % acres, sliced off the northwest
corner of Fort Myer by the Lee boule-
ward will be taken up Monday, after.
noon with the Arlington County au.
thorities. The Secretary of War has
agreed to turn the land over for what.
ever park purposes may be decided.
| While Congress has taken no final
action on the airport problem, the
commission reiterated its stand in op-
position to filling in the marshy lagoon
for the enlargement Of the Washing
TOM Hoover Airport. 1t felt graf ED"
that the House Military Affam A.
mittee had agreed also to y
| this plan
| In studying the airport question tE.
commission was interested in a repox1(
from Walter Wood of New York, a
authority, who submitted comparative
scale drawings of various airports.
Wood informed the members that the
great airports in Paris, London and
Berlin had quickly outgrown their ca
| pacity and are being doubled in size.
For this reason the commission felt
| that the Hoover Airport was made
| quate for the future but Settle pointed
out that it is not opposing enlargement
Of the airport pending the establish
ment of large aviation field ample
to meet futuxe needs. -
Express Highwf
! Because Of the distance to Camp
Springs, one Of the sites being con-
sidered, the commission gave detailed
study to several plans for an express
highway.
With such highway, similar to
the Mount Vernon highway between
Washington and Alexandria, the dis
tance to Camp Springs could be trav-
eled very quickly and conveniently"
Settle explained.
| Another problem which was takenl
up dealt with the remaining Of streets\
i in the Mall. The commission reiter-
ated its stand against changing the
names of small drives-Madison
| Washington, Jefferson and Adams
because of the historic associations OF
| those names with the immediate sur
roundings, including the Capitol and
the Supreme Court Building.
1t will inform the chairmen OF the
Senate and House District Commit
tees that the commission will be glad
to confer with them on the question OF
restoring the names of Ohio, Maine,
Missouri and Oklahoma to other
streets.
The Peace Cross at the intersection
OF the Defense Highway and the Bla-
densburg boulevard also was dis
cussed. 1t was decided to cooperate
with the Maryland Park and Plan
ming Commission to arrange for I'M
provement at the intersection. @
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