Evening star., 1939-03-09
Jefferson
Memorial
Restudy Asked
Fine Arts Commission
Files Report to
Congress

WHY uSSS
Sharply criticizing the proposed
Roman Pantheon design for the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial, now
under construction at the Tidal
s Basin, the Commission of Fine Arts.
+ In 33-page report, today asked
), Congress to reconsider the memorial
plans.
The commission asked that the
dome proposed in the present design
j. be eliminated and that an open
. circular colonnade be substituted.
: Iii letter accompanying the re-
= port, Gilmore D. Clarke, chairman
of the commission, said the facts
concerning the part taken by his
commission in its opposition to the
present memorial design have never
been fully understood" and added
''it seemed fitting and proper that
the members of the Congress be in
possession of the facts in connection
with the appropriation of additional
funds for the memorial"
I'm the judgment of the Commis-
sion OF Fine Arts" Mr.. Clarke said,
lit Is not too late to make restudy
of the design for the Memorial in a
manner to fit the foundations that
are already under construction.
Such change in the design, emitting
the dome and providing for an open
circular collonade of approximately
the same dimensions in plan as the
proposed pantheon, would provide
memorial structure of greater
freshness and insure uniformly sat-
isfactory materials of construction"
Wants Marble Interior.
Mr.. Clarke revealed that the
$3000000 appropriation proposed for
the Jefferson Memorial will be in
sufficient to provide an entire mar
BILE interior, in the opinion of the
architects.
Such situation, in the judgment
OF the Commission of Fine Arts,
would be exceedingly unfortunate,
resulting in a lowering of the
standards for great memorials
erected in the National Capital" Mr..
Clarke stated.
The commissions report shows
that one of the alternate designs
submitted by the Thomas Jeffer-
son Memorial Commission to the
Fine Arts group on February 3,
1888, provided for an open circular
collonade
This design the Commission of
Fine Arts favored over the Pan
theon, which it will be noted was
disapproved," Mr.. Clarke said.
The Commission of Fine Arts
respectfully urges the reconsidera-
tion OF this matter by the Congress,
to the end that the central COM
position of the National Capital
may be developed in complete har-
mony with the high standards of
excellence which have obtained in
the past"
Competition Question Raised.
In its report the commission
charges the Jefferson Memorial
Commission failed to seek the ad-
vice of the Commission of Fine
Arts before announcing to the press
IN February, 1887, the design they
had approved to occupy the last
great site in the central compost
ton of the plan of Washington. The
prototype for the design was the
Pantheon in Rome and was pre-
pared in the Office of John Russell
Pope, architect, of New York"
At that time, the commission re-
ported, the question was raised "by
many architects and others" as to
why a design competition had not
been held for the memorial
up until the time that the plans
for the memorial by Mr.. Pope
were published in the press early in
February, 1887" the commission
says in its report, "the members
of the Commission of Fine Arts
were of the opinion that a compe-
tition would be held.
Finally, but only after public
announcement of the plans, the
Jefferson Memorial Commission de-
,clded to present the design for the
memorial to the Commission of
Fine Arts and the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission"
the report continues. The COM
missions met jointly to consider
Mr.. Pope's scheme on March 20,
1887, and to quote from the min
.autes OF this meeting, The design
submitted by Mr. Pope, which
called for pantheon type of me-
mortal, was not approved
Press Disapproval Pointed Out.
The public press was unanimous
IN expressing disapproval of the
pantheon. The Garden Club of
America, through its Washington
representative, Mrs. Frank B.
.Noyes, protested against the de-
.struction of many Japanese cherry
trees to make way for the memo
rial. AS a result of the unfavor-
able publicity, the Jefferson Memo
rial Commission remained quiescent
Tor almost year"
On February 3, 1888, the Jeffer-
son Memorial Commission presented
to the Commission of Fine Arts
modified plan, which included a
Pantheon similar to the original,
but smaller, it was reported. The
dome, however, was 81 feet higher
than the Lincoln Memorial, and
again the plan was disapproved by
the commission, which expressed the
belief that "any building designed
after the Pantheon would not ap-
propriately fit the site chosen"
Following this disapproval the
memorial commission on the same
day submitted to the Fine Arts and
Park and Planning Commissions, in
Joint session, two alternative de-
signs, the first circular building
about the size of the Pantheon, but
without dome; the second "a
scheme consisting of two semi-cir-
cular colonnades open in the CEN
ter with a portrait statue of Jeffer-
son on the axis"
!. Both of these schemes received
favorable comment by the two COM