Evening star., 1941-05-04
Changes Bring Realization
Of Maj. L'Enfant's Plans
Section Was Marred During
Last War by Erection of
Temporary Structures
By John Claset Proctor.
By John ClaeeH Proctor.

Recently there has been talk of
putting some of the temporary Gov
eminent buildings to be constructed
on the Mall, but when we look back
to 1917 and our entrance into the
World War of that period, recalling
how long these buildings remained
there-and a few are still there-it
does seem that this same thing
should not be repeated again, and
the Mall disfigured with a lot of
Temporary" structures that, if his
tory repeats itself, will remain there
long after thousands of the present
Washingtonians have passed into
the great beyond.
Pierre Charles LEnfant did a
great job in designing this beautiful
Capital, and Alexander R. Shepherd
deserves great credit for the part he
played in making something out of
this plan when the opportunity pre-
sented itself President Washington,
above all, had vision when he Sc
lected the site for the Capital.
L'Enfant had vision, Shepherd had
vision, but it is a question in the
minds of many today how much real
foresight is being exercised by those
responsible for some of the public
construction work now going on
within close to mile of the White
House, which, in a general way.
would remind one of robbing Peter to
pay Paul, or, in other words, the
tearing down of unsightly buildings
to erect in their places buildings
which must be removed in decade
or two If this city is to remain the
Washington the Beautiful for which
1t is justly famed.
Better Elsewhere.
And so, with all the money that
has been spent on beautifying the
Mall, since Andrew Jackson Down
ing laid out these grounds in 1851,
and the great amount of work done
upon this noted park even during
the last few years, it does seem that,
with the many available sites in the
District. these temporary buildings
might more prudently be placed
elsewhere.
The writer has personal recollec-
tions of the erection of many of the
wooden buildings on the Mall during
the World War, and the cutting
down at that time of some of the
most rare and beautiful trees then
in the Smithsonian grounds, having
been most likely planted by Mr..
Downing Sc years before, only to
be ruthlessly-or maybe "unneces-
sarily''-removed when many equally
desirable sites could have been found
elsewhere.
To many, the Mall is just another
strip of land in the Federal Capital;
just another park, extending from
the Potomac River to the Capitol
Building: or just another pictur-
esque drive through the downtown
section of early Washington. But to
the older group of native Washing
tonians-of which there are upward
of 100000 by census count-Who
have known this beautiful area for
more years than most people have
lived, it is one of the dearest and
most fascinating spots in and
around the District of Columbia,
and should be even further i'm
proved and made even more beau
tiful, and certainly not marred-
surely not, unless the cause is abso-
lutely unavoidable.
Once Wooded.
History sometimes tells us things
we do not like to be reminded Of
errors We have made in life, for in
stance. But it is also kind enough
to record our successes, which nat
urally pleases us very much. And
80, as everything else has its his
tory, so has this old part of the
Nations Capital.
When the Government took title
TO the Mall in 1871, the Tiber flowed
along its northern boundary for
practically the entire length, where