Evening star., 1937-03-22
Whole Plan of Jefferson
Memorial Disappointing
To the Editor of The Star:

Much disappointment is already in
evidence regarding the approved design
for the Thomas jefferson Memorial.
The verdict among architects and other
critics is that it is cold and common
place in appearance While purporting
to follow the Roman Pantheon it bears
not the least resemblance to that famous
building except in respect to having a
Seml-Spher1cal dome. 1t does look eX-
tremely like that old Girard Trust Co.
Building, Philadelphia, which is also
supposed to resemble the Pantheon.
Even the interior view of the memorial
is not at all like the supposed original,
and not nearly so beautiful or interest
ing. When it comes to the elaborate and
costly setting, disappointment increases.
The Tidal Basin is divided into four
basins, one might almost say ponds. The
net cost of this extreme rearrangement.
including new roads and bridges. will be
at least 100000, probably more, ex-
elusive of the cost of the memorial.
This would not be a valid objection if
the results achieved were worth it. But
are they? An examination of the pro-
posed changes indicates otherwise. The
most conspicuous object, the most be-
loved memorial is the Washington
Monument. This according to the ap-
proved scheme, is shunted off to one
side, hill and all The memorial is
arbitrarily placed on an axis" that is,
straight center line running due south
from the White House. On the plan, the
Monument shows as an inconSpicuous
small black square. AS a matter of fact
1t Will form an enormous lOpSided fea-
ture OF what is intended to be a SYM
metrlcal plan, with the White House
on the north and the proposed jefferson
Memorial on the south. Actually, Mon
ument Hill completely destroys the SYM
metry and obStruCtS the view making
the axis" with the White House purely
imaginary. The excuse given for this
by the Fine Arts Commission is that
LEnfant, the original planner of Wash
lngton, intended to develop a center of
interest exactly south of the Presidents
mansion. True, but L'Enfant did not
know that a monument 555 feet high
would be erected where it is now, one
that would be so commanding as to
dominate the entire city of Washington.
Doubtless LEnfant could he be con-
suited would be the first to demand that
the Jefferson Memorial should axis"
with the Monument, not merely pretend
to do so with the White House which
1t never can. Or maybe it is intended to
move the Monument and its hill, too?
The division of the Tidal Basin into
four parts is unfortunate Instead of
the sweeping curves SO much admired
by artists the principal basin is a harsh
square; the two west ponds" are of
irregular shape and would be far better
combined into one. 1t is to be hoped
that this defective and mediocre scheme
will be reconSidered. The Lincoln
Memorial does not ape any building, yet
is the finest Greek style We already
have one of the grandeSt Semi-Circular
domeS in the world, in the interior of
the Library Of Congress We also have
Pantheonic dome in the new National
Museum, and the architect for the
Jefferson Memorial proposes to put a
similar dome on the Mellon Art Gal
lery. Has originality departed from
American architecture? After his strlk-
ing success with the Archives Building
by far the best thing in the triangle
1t was expected that John Russell Pope
would also do something outstanding in
this instance. But even the best archi-
tects do not always hit it. If this is the
best offered, the committee would do
well to reject it and hold a competition,
as was so successfully done with the
Lincoln Memorial
M. A. BUONAROTTI.