Evening star., 1940-01-29
Civic PIonnino

More than decade and half ago,
when much of the postwar public
building and parkway program for
Washington was still in the dream
stage, a group OF ward-looking
citizens organized the Committee of
One Hundred on the Federal City.
With the Nations Capital already
suffering from growing pains due to
the tremendous expansion Of gov
ernmental activities resulting from
the World War, the committee, of
which Frederic A. Delano was chair
man, appointed subcommittee to
study such problems of city develop
ment as zoning, architectural har-
mony, parks, highway improvement,
school and playground sites and
waterfront Identification. The COM
mittee offered its cooperation to
Federal and municipal authorities
in solving these ever-multiplying
problems.
At that time there was no official
park and planning agency such as
exists today, but this situation was
remedied the next year, 1924, with
the passage of the Gibson Act,
creating a National Capital Park
Commission and authorizing pur-
chase Of land for parks in the Dis
trict Of Columbia. Two years later
Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas
and Senator Ernest w. Gibson, then
a member of the House, sponsored
the noteworthy Capper- Gibson Act,
which created the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission. In
1880 another important act bearing
on the methodical esthetic develop
ment OF the whole metropolitan area
was passed-the Capper- -Cramton
Act, providing for the George Wash
ington Memorial parkway along the
Potomac River, from Mount Vernon
to Great Falls.
These were memorable milestones
along the path Of Washington's
amazing progress of the late twenties
and of the thirties. During that
epoch the sprawling, himsy tempo
rary war buildings in the Mall area
were replaced by imposing, columned
structures of stone and steel. The
Federal Triangle" which so long
existed only on paper, became a
magnificent reality. Great me-
MORALS, broad avenues, new parks
came into existence. All are fine
monuments to the foresight and de-
termined endeavors Of countless
citizens and agencies, both public and
private. Some of these civic plan
ners will review the accomplish
ments of the past and discuss pro-
gram for the future at a dinner
Wednesday night in the Willard Ho-
tel in honor Of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission. The
hosts will be the Committee Of One
Hundred on the Federal City and the
Board of Directors of the American
Planning and Civic Association. At
tending will be many of the persons
who have played leading roles in the
controlled development of Washing
ton in recent years. They have the
satisfaction of knowing that their
plans were we'll laid and that their
efforts have brought remarkable re-
suits. But they know, also, that
Washington will continue to grow
and that new problems constantly
will arise. An immediate concern of
the planners, for example, is the
overdevelopment of Northwest Wash
ington. The trend of expansion nat
urally is toward the east, where large
parkway and building projects are
planned. Such public spirited citi-
zens as those to gather here this
week must continue their vigilance
and their cooperative efforts if the
Washington of tomorrow is to con-
tinue to enjoy the orderly growth
befitting the Capital of the Nation.