Evening star., 1938-05-15

tiondl Capital. The merit article
,pill appear In merit Sundays Star./
BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN.
Departures from the original Len
FAINT plan for the development OF the
National Capital came as the years
sped by. with the Anacostia River
forming natural barrier against ex-
pansion to the eastward. The Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission today is studying pro-
posals to swing the trend Of growth
to the eastern part Of the city, as
L'Enfant had intended. Plans are
now in the making which will be laid
before the commission at its May ~
meeting here
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission believes that
by wise planning now the present
unbalanced growth Of the city" can
be overcome
Gen. George Washington and Maj.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant. who laid out
the city. provided for open squares
throughout, as we'll as circles. These
parcels Of park land, originally ac-
quired at cost Of only s67 per acre.
today would entail expenditure Of
millions Of dollars Of the taxpayers
money to buy. These "breathing
spaces" are one of the distinctive
features of Washington The Nation
al Capital Park and Planning Com
mission. in accordance with its COM
prehensive plans. has been acquiring
in the outlying undeveloped sections
large tracts for recreational purposes.
as we'll as Fairgrounds in the less
fortunate built-up areas.
Fort Dupont Park.
| Conspicuous in the eastern section
of the city is Fort Dupont Park. which
comprises about 400 acres and which
the commission acquired in recent
years, following gifts of 80 acres in
1927 by Charles c. Glover This is
now being developed as a public recre-
ational area.
L'Enfant's proposal was that the
first residences here should be built
around the squares" as he called
the circles Of today. so that from these
beginnings the city might spread
equitably. His squares" were spaced,
as far as possible, equal distances
apart throughout the old city.
In all. L'Enfant set aside Is of these
for state purposes. 7 of them shown in
the eastern section OF the original
plan. Further emphasizing the i'm
portance that L Enfant attached to the
eastern section of the city, two of the
five large fountains he proposed were
located in that part Of the future
metropolis.
Lincoln Park, half way between the
Capitol and the banks of the Ana
costa River. was laid out as a park
in 1870, following in general the 1898
plan of Dermott This was where
LEnfant projected his Itinerary COL
umn, from which he envisioned dis
tances throughout the Nation being
measured. A similar purpose is now
served by the Zero Milestone, just
south Of the White House Grounds
in the Ellipse
Planned Town Hall.
L'Enfant had made provision for
the town hall in East Washington,
where Garfield Park is today. but this
plan was doomed to failure, as the
years testified. The site was aban-
doned and the Congress in 1922
erected the City Hall at Four-and-a-
Half street and Louisiana avenue NV
This building, considered the finest of
the type Of early Federal architecture
in the city, now houses District Court.
The present District Building was
built in 1908 The proposed new
municipal center administration build
ing to house the District government
Is now projected between G street,
Sixth street, Indiana avenue and Third
street NV. Recently there has been
a plan to build an auditorium at Third
street and Constitution avenue NV,
taking up about one-fourth of the
area originally proposed for the mu-
nicipal center. but not now needed,
in the opinion Of officials.
For half century ferryboat gave
access across the Anacostia River.
This waterway was deemed a natural
barrier to eastward growth. President
Washington himself ordered that the
noted Cool Spring Of Col. Stoddert
be spared, and this accounts for the
irregular Job in the boundary line at
Fifteenth and c streets NE.
Bridge Built in 1904.
William r. Partridge, consulting
architect Of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, says a
bridge in the line of Pennsylvania
avenue was built about 1904 and
burned In 1914 by retreating American
forces. The reconstructed bridge was
accidentally burned in 1846 and this
was rebuilt about 1890.
Many noted private residences were
constructed in the eastern portion of
the city. but the 1890 construction
OF the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge
encouraged the opening up Of that
section, later aided by the building of
the Eleventh Street Bridge in 1912.
The Park and Planning Commits
sion believes that special efforts must
now be made to stimulate growth Of
the city to the eastward. Although
| eAAoo oSSVAOA ACAAoAiCO HULL III ACS
present status for a long period after
1900 the building Of the Supreme
Court and the Folger Memorial Ii
brary have set the pace for construc-
tion Of really permanent character
in that portion Of the metropolis,
the planners say.
Future Government buildings are
| indicated for the eastern sArtion ~
the city, officials believe. The Nc
MILAN Park Commission of 1901 gave
comparatively little attention to the
eastern section Of the city, beyond
the Fort Drive and Anacostia Park
and provided for no Government
(eee PLANNKRA Page B-2.)