Evening star., 1938-05-08

COMMISSION, SET up py congress, WIN
broad powers, indeed, to Choose To-
cation. pick an architect and design,
and proceed to construction Of the
memorial. Its opponents say that
other commissions were required to
report back to Congress on their find
ings, but not SO this one.
Had it not been that so much OBJ
lection was hurled against the COM
missions projected memorial at the
Tidal Basin site, it is quite probable
that funds would have been appro-
priated without question. But the
Congress that holds the purse strings
has thus far failed to make any ap-
preparation for launching the work,
actively, in view of the criticism from
various quarters.
The enabling act gave the commits
sion permissive authority to consult
the Fine Arts Commission, which had
been set up in 1910 to cope with just
such problems. But, according to
Maj. Gilmore D. Clarke, chairman
of the Fine Arts Commission, the
memorial commission apparently did
not seriously heed their advice, which
was to the effect that objection was
made to closing the vista south of the
White House by the construction of
such a memorial as proposed in the
Pope plan.
THE National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, which Con-
gress set up in 1926 to deal with prob
lens Of major development in the city
and its environs. was not even men,
toned in the enabling act of the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commits
sion. Both the Fine Arts and Plan
ming Commissions are of record in
saying that they have no objection to
a memorial south of the Tidal Basin,
but do not like the form of the present
design.
The 1901 commission picked the site
for the Thomas Jefferson memorial
as the location for great memorial
probably to the founders of the Re-
public.
The Army engineers conducted bor-
ings at the site projected for the
Thomas Jefferson memorial and found
that bed rock was located at 80 to 100
feet down. While the legislation set
ting up the memorial commission
authorizes the expenditure of s3,OO0,-
600 for the memorial, there are those
who say that it will cost upward of
S6 ,000, 900, because of the deep founda-
ton problem that will be encountered
The famed Japanese cherry trees,
threatened in Pope's original designs
for the Thomas jefferson memorial,
were planted around the Tidal Basin
in West Potomac Park in 1912, and
have increasingly become a major
attraction here
IN VIEW of the hurricane of criti-
cism that has beaten around the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commits
sion and its selection of the Pope
design and the Tidal Basin site, many
counter-proposals have been put for
ward to remedy the situation. The
commission itself considered other
plans-for the end of East Capitol
street, on the banks of the Anacostia
River; in Lincoln Park and on the
south side OF the Mall, across from
the Archives Building, for the me-
mortal
Some would like to see a stadium
constructed here in honor of Thomas
Jefferson that would bring thousands
upon thousands to the banks of the
Anacostia River. on land that is
already in public ownership. With
the parade ground development, oppor-
tunities for aquatic sports and DEM
onstrations and pageants, the sponsors
of this project say that here is a real
program to give the public something
that is sorely needed instead of erect
ing useless pile of marble.
Some would like to see great audi
torium built in the National Capital
dedicated to free speech and named in
honor of Thomas Jefferson. Secretary
Ickes' National Capital Auditorium
Commission has recently reported in
favor of a $9,0O0O0O auditorium to be
erected at Third street and Constitu-
tion avenue NV. on land now owned
by the District government.
Others would have the Thomas JET
ferson memorial take the form of
scholarships to deserving young women
and men in consideration of Jefferson's
own great love for learning and his
keen interest in education.
There are yet others who would like
to see the Federal Government take
over Observation-Disclosures old home
near Charlottesville, Va.-build a mod
ern highway to the top of the noun
tain and place it under the jurisdiction
OF the National Park Service of the
Interior Department, to be preserved
IN perpetuity as an American shrine
And what more fitting one could there
be, they ask, than this home he built
himself and where he spent his fruit
ful years and where he lies buried?
JEFFERSON wanted to be remem.
bered as the author of the Declara-
ton Of Independence, of the Virginia
statute for religious freedom and as
the father of the University of Vir-
glnia. 1t is related that he used to
use telescope, in advancing years, to
watch the building of the University
OF Virginia, which he designed, down
in the valley in Charlottesville, from
the heights Of Monticello, one of the
magnificent views of America.
Architecturally, the original build
lngs OF the University of Virginia are
linked to the Pantheon and to the
Maison Carree, the historians assert
Named for all the gods of ancient
Rome is the Pantheon. Built in the
Eternal City, it was begun by Agrippa
IN ~ Be. and Hadrian completed it
in its present form.
The dome Of the Roman Pantheon
is IA feet in diameter and it is con.
structed of brick-a massive structure,
For nearly 1000 years. they say, it has
peen used as place of worship. After
Christianity had dissipated the pagan
gods Of Rome, the ediice was dedi-
Gated in AID. 608 as the Church Of
Saint Maria Pnt11nAo oooo,SS-~ =