Evening star., 1943-05-19
Postwar Washinqton

Inc LSC OF postwar pTOJeCCS 1Or
Washington, submitted to the House
Appropriations Committee by H. P.
Caemmerer, secretary of the Com
mission of Fine Arts, constitutes a
broad picture of the physical devel-
opment of the Capital that will begin
when we are able to release our
resources and energies from the de-
structive efforts of war to the con-
structive building for peace.
It is an interesting, but by no
means inclusive, collection of prof.
ects which have received the benefit
OF thorough discussion and ALLEGATION
by the planners, within the Washing
ton Plan. That it eventually will be
carried out, with the notifications
and additions shown to be wise, can
be taken for granted. AS Mr.. Caem-
merer pointed out, postwar periods in
the past have witnessed Inauguration
of new stages in Capital City develop
ment. The rough estimate of cost of
the new program is comparable with
the $500 100000 program authorized
by Congress during the Coolidge
administration after the First World
War.
We are in a better position now to
plan for postwar development than
we were In the last war. We have the
agencies, with the men and the ex-
perience, to project the needs Of the
Capital into the future and to make
careful plans for meeting them. We
have the examples, as shown In the
development of Washington during
the past two decades, of the benefits
of orderly planning and we also have
the examples Of the difficulties and
problems created when emergencies
caused departure from such orderly
planning.
But 1t Is unfortunate that we still
are unable to take full advantage OF
the facilities for planning and that
we still are inclined to put more
emphasis on planning, as an end in
itself, than In adopting some orderly
system for putting those plans into
effect. We would be very fortunate
indeed If the end Of the war would
find the planning agencies in the
position of being able to present to
Congress the completed blueprints
of where we 60 from here, leaving to
Congress the approval Of what is to
be done without the long delays
which ensue between the original
authorizations and the beginning Of
construction.
There are, fortunately, several
important local projects which had
received the approval of Congress,
which were completed as to plans
and, in some cases, were under con-
struction when the war cut them off.
There may be mentioned, in this
connection, the South Capitol Street
Bridge; some s1,186,832 worth of
school buildings, and the completion
VI oAlO ullA ASC Wl1lSo VI WIG IlCW ScIlUIdl
Public Library Building, the first
wing Of which was hurriedly finished
to house a Federal agency. Captain
Whitehurst, director of highways,
has the completed plans, and even
the financing, ready to begin on the
K street elevated highway, providing
new approach to the Key bridge,
as soon as materials are available.
There are some other items in the
same category
It is interesting to note that the
flrst project listed by Mr.. Caemmerer,
indicating its Importance if not the
order OF construction, is the great
development of East Capitol street
to the Anacostia River, an under
taking which will do much to restore
the architectural balance of Wash
ington, overweighted now in the
western part of the city. This long
needed development, with others,
should be ready, as far as complete
planning goes, for the time when
the end Of the war makes possible
the realization of old dreams.