Evening star., 1938-09-05


this country. More than 4,500 acres,
one-ninth of the entire land area Of
the District of Columbia, is included
in the city's recreation program.
More than 1000 acres of this land
are set aside for active recreation
areas, while the rest is park land. A
total of 152 areas is included in the
recreation program. Practically all
this has been acquired.
Question of Attraction.
But now the question arises as to
whether the Capital has failed to
keep abreast of land acquisition with
regard to recreation equipment, land
scaping, supervisory personnel and
recreation programs. Has the city
merely accumulated space, without
providing adequate attraction to lure
children off the streets and away from
the traffic that has taken the lives Of
is youngsters since January /?
Investigation shows the space ques-
ton can be raised only in the teem-
ing central portion of the city
bounded by Massachusetts, avenue,
Florida avenue, North Capital street
and Eighteenth street NV. A sur
vey shows this area is entirely barren
Of Fairgrounds in the true sense of
the word.
Only school laygrounds-narrow
dirt or hard-surfaced courts with a
or so, few seesaws and sand box or
two exist. They are at best little more
than courtyards where school chill
dren take the air at recess.
Thomson School Playground, Twelfth
and L streets NV, is typical. 1t fails
even to live up to the above descrip-
ton. In a picture accompanying this
article few children are attempt
ing softball game. Around the
corner youngsters ride scooters and
play ball on the streets.
Map Shows Play Areas.
A map showing all the play areas
open this summer with circles of
quarter mile radius drawn around
them was drawn up in the Office of
Lewis r. Barrett, co-ordinator of rec
reation for the District, for study of
the Commissioners committee.
The circles on the map are thick
est in the central portion of the city
where nothing but school yards are
available. The circles overlap in many
cases.
The map assumes, however MIR. Bar
rett said yesterday in explanation,
that the areas shown are of sufh-
cient attractiveness to draw children
to them within quarter 1mile radius.
This is obviously debatab1e when the
nature Of the areas is examined.
More child traffic deaths have re-
suited in this area than in any other.
But there is an explanation for this
situation. When the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission was
organized under the Capper- -Cramton
Act in 1926 it was decided to acquire
land first in all outlying portions of
the city before conditions there be-
came similar to those in the central
portion of the city. Afterwards it
was planned to work inward and al
leviate conditions in the rnid-city
area whore land prices are high and
the limited funds at the commissions
disposal go only a short way.
This leaves all genuine full-sized
Fairgrounds and even larger recrea-
ton centers for the more remote
parts Of the city. And a survey of
the situation shows that plethora
Of space exists.
Even here, however. it is question:
able whether full advantage has been
taken of the opportunity to attract
children of the streets.
Banneker Center Typical.
Typical of large play area al
ready acquired is the Benneker Recre-
alton Center for colored, Georgia
avenue and Euclid streets NV. At
present it has fine pool and eight
tennis courts, but the rest of its more
than IL acres lies recreationally fall
low. Its playing fields and temporary
cinder track are grass grown, rock
strewn and uneven. Its field house
is unheated and unfit for winter use.
Plans for its improvement lie un-
used in the new Interior Building.
One look at them shows it is intended
to be a virtual recreational paradise
with an adequate field house, more
courts. well-groomed playing fields.
q clean track, well-marked baseball
diamonds, park planting, walks, sand
boxes, etc.
At present, users of the center
"play tennis, swim, or else"
Other similar areas are in a like
state of development. Takoma Recre-
alton Center, Fifth and Van Buren,
streets NV, has only tennis and
swimming facilities. The rest of its
IA acres are absolutely barren. Plans
exist for it, too.
Nothing on Petworth Ground.
Petworth Playground. Third and
Hamilton streets NV, is more than
five acres in area, but has absolutely
nothing on it at all.
Francis Recreation Center, for
colored, Twenty Fourth and N streets
NV. along the border of Rock Creek
Park, has swimming pool. The rest
resembles Arizona badlands. Adjoin-
ing 1t on the north an already &C
qulred white playground area, both
at street elevation and in Rock Greek
Park just below the P Street Bridge. is
in . similar condition. Plans call
for changing the course of the creek
to make the land one area.
In Southwest Washington the main
colored recreation center is the RAN
dali. South Capitol and H streets S.W.
Its original area formerly Cardoza
Playground, one of the first three
playground areas bought in the Dis
tric) is now occupied by the Randall
Junior High School. Another section
is occupied by the dog pound and a
third by impounded cars of the Metro
politan Police. The rest is virtually
barren with . small shack for a field