Evening star., 1943-06-18
Planners Favor
Gift Statue. Of
Blackstone
Park Commission
Backs House Bill
To Accept Offer
BY NELSON M. SHEPARD.

BY NELSON M. SHEPARD.
Approval of a House bill authoriz-
Ing the acceptance of a statue of
Sir William Blackstone. famous Eng
lish jurist, to be placed on the north
side OF Judiciary Square, was voted
today by the National Park and
Planning Commission.
The statue Is the work of the late
Paul w. Bartlett, well-known Wash
ington sculptor, and was offered as
gift to the Government by his widow.
The Planning Commission also in
structed its Legislative Committee
to secure funds from Congress to
make a detailed study of plans for
new bridge across the Potomac
from Shepherds Landing on the
District side to point near Alex
andria.
Discuss Bridge Relocation.
The proposed relocation Of the
Highway Bridge at Fourteenth
street, for which the District has
initial funds. also was considered
Owing to the many problems in
volved, however. the matter was re-
ferred to the Co-ordinating Com
mitted for detailed study.
This committee includes admins
trative heads of the District govern
ment and the National Park Service
as well as the United States district
engineer.
The Planning Commission ex-
pressed the opinion that the present
highway bridge Is too old and mar.
row to handle adequately the in
creased traffic due to the thousands
OF Government workers in the Pen
tagon Building and other ofices in
that area.
Trees to Be Removed.
TO remove a hazard to the Boiling
Field runway, the Commission au-
thorized the Army to cut down a
grove OF trees in the Shepherd park
way closeby. 1t provided, however,
that the Boiling Field authorities
should landscape the terrain.
The District Commissioners also
were advised to select another loca-
ton for the permanent Patterson
school that is to replace the tempo
rary structure at Nichols avenue
and Chesapeake street Sc, border
ing Boiling Field. The present site
was deemed too noisy for a school,
Final action was taken today ap-
proving the boundary lines for ex-
tending the Anacostia River park
way No. 2 from Bladensburg to
Greenbelt, Md. Minor adjustments
also were approved in the boundary
lines Of the Suitland parkway.
Approves Statue Site.
With respect to the Blackstone
statue, the Fine Arts Commission
also has approved Judiciary Square
as the best available site. The two
commissions felt that the gift of
the statue would be "a distinct con-
tribution to the National Capital"
The late Mr.. Bartlett was engaged
several years ago by the American
Bar Association to sculpture a
statue of Blackstone for presenta-
ton to the British Bar Association
He was paid S50,000. The statue
was so huge, however, that it proved
unacceptable. Mr.. Bartlett later
made new bronze statue which is
9 feet inches tall.
Certainly no more eminent per-
son could be honored with a statue
in the National Capital than Sir
William Blackstone. who made such
notable contribution to the laws
of both England and America" the
Planning Commission said in in
dorsing it. Judiciary Square is the
ideal location for such statue"
First Proposal Dropped.
When the bill first was introduced
it was proposed to place the statue
ultimately on the site of the pro-
posed memorial park to the late
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes of the
Supreme Court. That idea was
abandoned, however, because it was
thought it would detract from the
Holmes memorial
The Chief Justice of the United
States and the chief justice of the
Court of Appeals have approved the
site at Judiciary Square. Members
OF the Planning Commission recently
inspected the statue in the Bartlett
studio.
After an inspection trip along
the old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
yesterday the planning officials said
this scenic route would be re-
stored to wartime recreational uses
as soon as flood damages are re-
paired.
Funds are now available to re-
store the canal between George
town and Brookmont. When water
is flowing IN it again, probably by
the end of the summer, the once
popular barge trips will be resumed
on Saturdays and Sundays.
Members of the Planning Com
mission motored out to Great Falls,
making a careful study of the dam
age caused by last years food.
They were accompanied by Donald
E. McHenry, naturalist of the Ma
tional Capital Parks.
Impressed by Beauty.
1t was the consensus that the
canal right of way fits into the rec
reational uses Of the George Wash
ington Memorial Parkway.
I'VE were greatly impressed with
the natural beauty of the route, -
said Secretary Thomas S. Settle.
'The commission is especially anx-