Evening star., 1938-08-28
BY WILLIAM PARTRIDGE

BY WILLIAM PARTRIDGE.
ocnsultins Architect. National Capital Park
and Planning Commission.
This Is the third OF series OF
articles IN the development OF East
Capitol street. written for The Star
by Mr.. Partridge.
On the original plan for East Capt.
'ol street four distinctive features. or
accents, are indicated In its sweep from
the Capitol to the Eastern Branch:
/. An enlarged formal entrance where
the street Tor begins) ends at the
Capitol grounds.
2. The Square" where IAN historic
Or itinerary column" was to be erected
3. circle at the intersection of
seventeenth street east
4. At the extreme eastern end, a
large plaza with a bridge spanning
the river
The many changes in the design of
the Capitol influenced the plan for the
surrounding grounds, which were in
% creased in order to keep pace with
process the formal entrance shown on
LEnfants plan was lost sight Of
The designers Of the present Lin
coin Park ignored the original plan
and missed the latent architectural
possibilities presented by the many
radiating avenues.
The circle was shifted and finally
discarded and the bridge plaza was
abandoned In Ellicotts revision Of the
original plan, although the bridge was
retained.
Setting Redesigned In 1878.
In 1878, Frederic Law Olmsted, ST.,
redesigned the Capitol setting and,
while we are indebted to him for the
mastery treatment Of the western
terraces at the Capitors base. we re-
gret his sighting the approach from
the east as we'll as completely ignoring
the north-south axis. The impressive
treatment Of the new grounds sweep
ing northward is blocked by mass OF
foliage before it event gets started.
The millions asked for an extension
of the east front in order to remedy
an architectural defect apparent from
only q few viewpoints and, at that.
only to a trained eye. might better be
spent in improving the setting OF the
building which is now almost invisible
from it's bordering streets. The Ohm
stead design carries East Capitol
street deep into the grounds them
selves and fails to mark the arrival
Of that street at the boundary OF
the Capitol reservation. 1t ends so
close to the building that an impress
sive view is impossible. The visiting
pedestrian is further handicapped
when. upon reaching this western end
OF East Capitol street, he is confronted
by sea of parked automobiles and
must find his way across to the main
entrance of the building as best he
can.
The planning of formal entrance
to this monumental street OF the fu-
ture Is made more difficult by the lack
OF xyr metry both in the locations and
masses OF the Supreme Court and the
Library of Congress Building.
Library Disregards City Plan.
The Library was built in utter dis
regard OF the existing city plan. Penn
sylvania avenue southeast was con-
sidered at that time to be the back
yard of the city and the vista of the
Capitol was calmly blocked by build
ing for National Library, whose de-
sign was inspired by the Grand Opera
House OF Paris. The elaborate dome
surmounting it not only completes with
that Of the Capitol but is festive
enough in its detail to crown the main
building of State fair. 1t is, however,
. record Of the taste of its day. A per-
manent record, unfortunately-one of
those architectural epidemics to which
we have been subjected
When the Mcmillan Commission of
1901 studied the arrangement of that
group OF legislative buildings surround
ing the Capitol. it was decided to con-
slider the blocking of Pennsylvania
avenue as mistake which must not
be repeated. and. therefore. they re-
tanned the existing plan to the north,
preserving the Maryland avenue vista
While the preliminary studies for
the Supreme Court were under way,
both Chief Justice Taft and his archi-
tect, Henry Bacon, died. The design
for the new court was then placed in
the hands Of Cass Gilbert. The Ma
tional Capitol Park and Planning
Commission. desiring to arrive at the
best group planning solution, asked If
Mr.. Gilbert would make studies for
a more balanced composition even at
the cost Of the blocking of Maryland
Avenue. Justice Van Devanter. then
in charge Of the project refused point
blank to consider for moment anv
departure from the late Chief Justices
plan.
The only solution at this moment
for q formal entrance to this new
monumental street appears to lie in
q semicircular plaza which would face
the Capitol grounds and at least mask.
to some degree. the existing conditions
at First street.
avenue Of States" Proposed.
This form would prove advantageous
to the Capital front of the Supreme
Court grounds for 1t would center the
entrance to that building on First
street. Any change within the Capitol
grounds is for future consideration.
Charles W. Eliot, I'd. to whom the
idea Of An Avenue of States" must BE-
accredited. proposed that Lincoln Park
sf0a1ld become An Independence