Evening star., 1940-05-04
Park System Toured
By Board Of Trade
Committee Of IS
Inspection Made in Light
Of Controversy Over
D. c. Appropriations

In line with their interest in the
current controversy before the Sem
ate subcommittee on District of Co.
lumbia appropriations, in which
they have favored unified park
and playground recreation system,
IS members of the Parks and Res
ervations Committee of the WASH
ington Board of Trade yesterday
toured the park and playground sys-
tenn,
In q special bus, with Thomas s..
Settle, secretary of the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission, as self-styled "spieler," !"
committee members left the Dis
trict Building in the afternoon
and swung through major parts
of the park and recreation sys-
tenn. With them also as guides,
philosophers and friends" were
Donald L. Kline, chief of the branch
of plans and design of the Office of
National Capital Parks; Norman c.
Brown, associate land purchasing
officer and appraiser of the plan
ming commission; T. C. Jeffers,. the
planning commissions landscape
architect; Carol Robb, engineer of
the Community Center and Play
ground Department, and Harry
English, assistant director of the
Community Center and Playground
Department in charge of white
units in the playground system.
Mall Progress Inspected.
The tour touched at the Mall,
where Mr.. Settle showed the COM
uittee members the progress made
toward realization of the L'Enfant
plan for that area; East Capitol
street, slated for extensive beautifi-
cation and development with fine
buildings; the site of the proposed
sports center and the District OF
Columbia National Guary armory
at the end of East Capitol street;
the new Sousa Memorial Bridge,
Fort Davis and Fort Dupont, where
a new golf course, picnic areas and
a section of the fort drive are being
built by c. C. c. enrollees.
Recrossing the Anacostia River,
the committee visited Langdon
Park, a play area which is part OF
the recreation system over which
the present controversy RACES and
which has been developed entirely
by the parks office; Taft Recrea-
ton Center, where C. C. C. enrollees
are nearing completion of another
unit in the controversial recreation
system; Turkey Thicket Playground,
Petworth Playground, both only
partially developed by the parks
and w. P. A; the site of the old
Sixteenth Street Reservoir, which
is being gradually whipped into
shape by the parks Office for play
center; Banneker Recreation Gen.
ter. where C. c. C. enrollees are
going full steam on development
work, and the old tuberculosis Hos
pital grounds, over which another
controversy is in progress as to
whether a new Abbott Vocational
School shall be placed there as well
as a new Wilson Teachers College,
thus obviating any extensive recre-
alton development of the area.
Mr.. Settle pointed out to the COM
mittee members how, in most cases,
the parks and schools had been able
to cooperate in building up the
areas, the parks taking over the
outdoor development and the schools
attempting to so place and so con-
struct their buildings as to make
them useful from a recreational as
we'll as educational standpoint.
Harvey L. Jones, chairman of the
committee, and Harrison Brand, jr.,
executive secretary of the Board of
Trade, as well as other members of
the committee, commented favorably
on the progress made in the areas
visited,