Evening star., 1938-12-18
Fort Dupont Park,
Little Pub|icized,
To Be Elaborate One
Best 18-HoIe Golf
Course in City to
Be Built There

Be Built There
With the proposed acquisition Of
narrow strips of land widening the
link between Fort Dupont and Ana
costa Parks in East Washington the
city can look to future wherein
another great park unit, similar to
Rock Greek, will provide recreation
for Capital residents.
When the connecting link is es-
tablished continuous park totaling
more than 1900 acres will be thrown
together to serve the whole eastern
portion of the city and particularly
the one-third of the entire area of
the District which lies east Of the
Anacostia River.
National Capital Parks officials
said yesterday that acquisition of
only a few acres of land at the juno
ture Of Anacostia and Fort Dupont
Parks will form a recreational area
wherein will lie virtually boundless
facilities for recreation-golf, ten
mis-. field games, swimming, riding,
boating, picnicking and outdoor act
ing. with wide variety of scenery.
The public has been well ac-
quainted with the work proceeding
In Anacostia Park, which will stretch
eventually to the District line, but
attention has not been focused to
any great extent on adjacent Fort
Dupont Park, an area of more than
$50 acres lying east of Anacostia
Park, north of Massachusetts and
Alabama avenues Sc. and south of
Ely place and Ridge road Sc,
where stand the ruins of Fort Du-
pont. one of the city's major forti-
f1cations during the Civil War.
Best Golf Course In City.
The Office of the National Capital
Parks now proposes an extensive de-
velopment of this area featuring the
best 18-hole public golf course in the
city, handsome clubhouse, picnic
areas, play meadows and parking
facilities.
In the future, when the residen-
tial community near the park grows
larger, a small playground, equipped
with apparatus for children, will
be included
The first hole of the golf course
will start at the clubhouse and the
course will lead thence west to Ana
costa Park, through the narrow
strip linking Fort Dupont Park with
the latter and on along the river
to Pennsylvania avenue Sc, re-
placing part of the present Ana
costa golf course. The home
stretch of the course will lead back
to the clubhouse.
When this course is completed the
land now occupied by the Anacostia
golf course below Pennsylvania ave-
nue. Sc. will be turned over to
playing fields, courts and other rec
reational developments.
Plans for the park also envisage
an outdoor amphitheater in the
woods near the ruins of Fort Du-
pont. Adjacent to this, at the east
end Of the park, will be a large
picnic area.
This land is now occupied by the
home Of Clifford Lanham, superin-
tendent Of District trees and park
ings, and the District tree nursery.
The District government has q per-
nit for the nursery and Mr.. Lam
hams house from the ONCE of Ma
tional Capital Parks. but the land
will eventually be turned into the
park development.
Road tn Connect Them
The park is to be connected with
Anacostia Park and the Anacostia
parkway by a connecting road, parts
Of which already are completed. In
tersecting the park from north to
south will be the proposed Fort
drive, linking the Civil War fortifi-
cations of the city from Chain
Bridge to Fort Greble, on the bluffs
opposite Alexandria.
Parks ofncials have been consider
Ing the improvement OF this area
for some years, particularly as they
consider an attractive park area in
this section Of the city would hasten
the lapsed development of the whole
OF East Washington. They expect
land values will be materially i'm
proved as residents are attracted
to the heights above the Anacostia
by an attractive environment. They
have seen similar results from the
development of, Rock Creek Park.
The scenery and topography of
the section of the District are dis
tinctly beautiful but the heretofore
ugly approaches to the area have
discouraged its private development
as a residential area, parks officials
claim. They envisage an eventual
development along the Anacostia
and In East Washington comparable
In q measure to that in the North
west section, with Government build
ings, q sports center and a business
and residential section besides parks
and parkways.
Now Undeveloped.
Eventually, they point out, the two
parks IN the Anacostia area will be
linked with the George Washington
Memorial parkway both by the Fort
drive and the Anacostia parkway
and linked also with a superhighway
to Baltimore extending north from
Anacostia Park at the District line.
About three-quarters OF the pri-
vately owned land east of the Ana
costa River is now undeveloped
fields and heavily wooded hills and
valleys. with only major roads and
streets being partially completed.
The remaining quarter is largely
given over to residences of a more
or less low-income type.
Few persons realize, parks off,
cials say, the beauty of this little
known section of the District with
its panoramas of the Capital City
to the west and of rural Prince
Georges County to the east. The
view from the proposed clubhouse
will include the entire city as far
AS Ar1inctny, Ridua epd AEo,,ot c.