Evening star., 1938-07-03

Vistas Were Supposed
to Be Formed. by
Avenues.
By Joseph S. Edgerfon.
n ENNSYLVAN1A and New York
- avenues do not center at the
White House because of an

- hVCI1UCS 40 I1OC CcNteT III LIlC
White House because of an
a economy plan Of George WASH
ington and there are no vistas through
the White House grounds from New
York, Vermont. Connecticut and Penn
syfvania avenues because of an Eng
lish-born lad for informal gardening
somewhere in the middle of the last
century.
These are among the interesting
facts revealed through the finding
of plans for the White House grounds
which may date from Washington's
time and through research into land
scape plans for the grounds.
The old plan. origin of which has
not been definitely determined, but
which it is thought may have been
the original Hoban plan developed by
the architect of the Presidents
House." was found among old files
of the Library Of Congress and turned
over 10 William T. Partridge. archi-
tectural consultant of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion.
The old planting plan shows that it
was the original intent of planners
of the White House grounds to con-
tinue the lines of New York, Vermont,
Connecticut and Pennsylvania ave-
nues as open vistas through the White
House grounds, giving uninterrupted
views of the Executive Mansion from
each of these avenues and at the
same time permitting views along
the lengths of the avenues from the
White House.
It was disclosed, however, that
L 'Enfant. in laying out the avenues,
did not project them from the center
of the Executive Mansion, but pointed
their center lines at the north portico
entrance and what was to have been
the south portico.
This arrangement meant that Penn
sylvania and New York avenues do
not exist as straight lines through
the White House, but are definitely
Offset or logged, fact which may
be noted in vertical aerial photo
graphs of the area.
AN INTERESTING revelation re-
sulting from studies of these ave-
nue. lines as projected into the White
House grounds. however, is that the
Executive Mansion today is not as
large q structure as had been planned
when L'Enfant laid out the avenues.
The center lines Of Pennsylvania
avenue from the southeast and New
York avenue from the southwest,
projected into the grounds, do not
meet at the south portico as do the
avenue lines from the north. Instead,
they meet at a point In the south
grounds a number of feet south Of
the present portico.
Although it now is known that the
White House building originally was
intended to extend southward to the
point of intersection Of the center
lines of New York and Pennsylvania
avenues, it Is understood that the
size of the Executive Mansion was
curtailed at the request Of President
Washington after the street lines had
been established, either for reasons Of
economy or to make the Presidents
House q less ostentatious affair. Which
motive Is not clear.
The newly discovered plan for the
White House grounds, which u re-
garded rs almost certainly Of the
period prior to 1890, when Hoban re-
stored the White House after its burn
ing by the British in the War Of 1912.
shows . number Of other interesting
features which had been obscured q