Evening star., 1938-07-31


Governments War Department, Social
Security and Railroad Retirement
Buildings to the District Municipal
Center. court buildings and schools
and from the new Anacostia and
George Washington Memorial parkways
to Fairgrounds and recreational CEN
ters within easy reach Of every District
resident.
Even more important however, than
the immediate construction of new
buildings will be the inauguration"
OF great long-term developments such
as the East Capitol street and East
Washington program and the new
Southwest Washington Federal building
program. These projects are expected
eventually to have tremendous in
nuence on the future trends of growth
OF the National Capital. correcting the
unbalance resulting from past lack of
planning and insuring future orderly
growth intended to relieve building
and tranc congestion in local areas.
Independence Avenue Plans.
As part OF the new Southwest pro-
gram. which will be anchored" by
the new $l4,250,000 Social Security
Board and Railroad Retirement Board
Buildings. the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission has ap-
proved the establishment of Inde-
pendence avenue, along the southern
boundary Of the Mall. as great monu-
mental thoroughfare balancing Con-
stttution avenue along the northern
boundary. The new avenue, which
promises in time to become one of the
worlds famous streets. Is to have a
width OF so feet, curb-to-curb, and
100 feet between building lines, from
South Capitol street to Fourteenth
street S.W.
The Planning and Fine Arts groups
voted approval OF the proposed Dis
trict Of Columbia National Guard
Armory, which Is to serve similarly as
an anchor" for the East Capitol
street development, and pledged their
support to the District Commissioners
IN an effort to obtain an immediate
ALLEGATION Of public works funds with
which to begin construction.
The Northwest Triangle. already well
established by building OF the new In
terior Department and structures along
Constitution avenue west Of the Pam
American Union, will be carried we'll
toward its final form as a result of
construction of the $l0,8l5,OO0 War
Department Building.
New Areas for Future.
AS these projects will serve to estab-
lish the great new building areas OF
the future in Washington, so will the
new park and parkway projects serve
to establish great new parks and park
way connections of tomorrow. Chief
among the parkways which are BEGIN
ming to take form this summer are the
George Washington Parkway, now in
the construction phase; the Washing
ton-Baltimore Parkway, beginning
With the first purchases by the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
commission Of land in Maryland, and
the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal project,
which will eventually provide a won
derful 1s6-mile public playground.
To gain any sort Of an idea of what
about to happen to the National
Capital and its environs during COM
ing months, 1t is necessary to review
national, local and State legislation for
the local area. Such a review was
presented to the Planning Commits
sion by its secretary, Thomas S. Settle,
as basis for the work of the past
three days.
First are the appropriations made for
the commission itself. These provide
So2o,O00 for purchase OF land within
the District Of Columbia and 5000 900
With which to acquire land in Prince
Georges County, Md.
Land Purchase Policy.
With the local funds the commission
will continue local hand purchases in
continuation OF its policy Of providing
recreational area Of from five to
thirty acres in size within a mile of
any point In the District of Columbia
and a public playground within not
more than a quarter-mile Of every
child in the city. Several particularly
important purchases already have been
completed or now are in process Of
completion. The District government
now is completing 100000 purchase
OF land in the square bounded by Sew
enth and Eighth, H and 1 streets S.W.,
Tor the long-needed Thomas Jefferson
Junior High School. The Planning
Commission is negotiating for the
purchase of land in adjoining squares
for playground purposes
The commission has just completed
purchase Of 20 acres at the site of
Fort Barnard, Eastern avenue and
Twenty-fourth street, for combined
historical park and recreational area.
This completes land acquisition at this
point, which eventually will become an
important link in the Fort Drive. The
commission also completed its acuui-
sition of land for the Rose Park Play
ground, adjoining the Rock Greek and
Potomac Parkway at L street NV.
There were many appropriations
which affect the plan of Washington
and its environs and therefore came
within the province of the Park and
Planning and Fine Arts Commissions.
Chief among them we're:
The Naval Medical Center. for which
S4,s50,000 has been provided. The
SoiiAAiA'oAoAi uppioFCu al StllSIdl
2l4-acre site, previously approved by
President Roosevelt. on the east side
OF Rockville pike north of Bethesda,
Md. Details as to the southern and
southeastern boundaries, involving
probable relocation of Jones Bridge
road, now are being worked out by
the commission staff in cooperation
with the Navy Bureau of Medicine
and Surgery. The commission has
asked that the Navy modify prelim-
mary designs for the first building
in the area, 6oo-bed hospital. to
meet objections to high central
tower which would have been a dom
mating feature Of the entire area.
Plans are being pushed for early land
acquisition and commencement of
construction.
Ground Plan Approved.