Evening star., 1945-04-12
Grant Opposes
Lincoln Park
Stadium Site
Stand Is Explained
When Plans Are Put
Before Commission

"A SlSdQJlC SJdOlum 10 seat IUU,U
located in the vicinity of Lincoln
Park was proposed before a subcom-
mittee of the District Stadium Com
mission today. The plan Immediate
ly was criticized by Maj. Gen. U. S.
Grant III, chairman of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commis-
sion, who defended the Planning
Commissions East Capitol stadium
site.
The plan for the Lincoln Park area
was laid before the subcommittee,
with Commissioner John Russell
Young presiding. by two private en-
gineerS of this city, E. A. Burrows
and Phillip M. Julien.
The hearing Wss held in the SEN
ate District Committee room in the
Capitol and was participated in by
several members of the Stadium
Commission, including Chairman
Bllbo of the Senate District Com
mittee and Representative Lanham,
Democrat OF Teas.
Would Have Proof.
The Lincoln Park stadium would
have roof of aluminium sheeting
and would be taller than the Capt.
toll its sponsors explained. The
project would include an elaborate
system for underground parking for
automobiles in the area bounded
roughly by B street NE. and 5
street Sc. and Eighth street and
Fourteenth street.
The engineers also proposed to
fill in Kingman Lake at. the foot
of East Capitol street as a landing
field for visiting private airplanes.
Underground parking facilities also
would be provided for visiting air.
planes, they said.
Gen. Grant attacked the proposals
from several angles. He told the
committee it would violate the gen.
eral concept of the Nations Capital,
wherAit has long been the policy
to col slider the Capitol as the domi-
nent architectural feature.
VI uld Hold Capitol.
Asked a\ut the size of the pro-
posed stadium in comparison with
the Capitol, Mr.. Burrows declared
that the top of the dome would be
265 feet high from the adjacent
playing field and the structure
would be so big you could put the
Capitol dome and the whole Cap
itol Building in it."
Mr.. Burrows told the committee
that the elaborate system of under
ground parking and numerous exits
would permit 100000 people to get
away within 20 minutes.
Gen. Grant also criticized the size
of the Lincoln Park proposed project,
declaring that it would be too big
to give the customers in the back
seats their moneys worth and that
such a big place was not needed.
The proposal of the National Park
and Planning Commission to put the
StadirAr at the east end of East
Capitol street, Gen. Grant said,
seems the very best from all points
of view" He said it should have a
capacity of $4,000 to 10000 but could
be made larger if necessary by the
use of a double deck.
Calls Plan. Fantastic.
Maj Ray c. Thompson of the Bu-
reau of Public Relations of the Army
Air Forces told the committee that
the Burrows plan is fantastic be-
yond my imagination, although, he
added, he was not there to make any
specific attacks on that or other
sites proposed. The Army officer,
however, did suggest that he ia
vored a more centrally located site
for t4le stadium, such as Seven
teenth street and Constitution ave-
nue. or en- Constitution avenue be-
tween Twentv-third and Twenty
sixth streets, running northward 10
F street.
He agreed with Gen. Grant. that
the stadium proposed by Mr., Bur-
rows was entirely too big. When
questioned by Representative Lam
ham as to the maximum practical
size for a stadium, Maj. Thompson
said that his extensive study of
stadia led him to believe that such
a maximum would be 100000, or
with a double deck, 100000 at the
most.
Among others attending the hear
ing were Floyd Akers, chairman of
the Stadium Commission Building
Subcommittee; John Reilly, chair
man of the Stadium Commission
Finance Subcommittee; Thomas
Settle and John Nolen of the plan
ming commission; Capt. H. c. White
hurst, director of highways; Will
liam A. Van Duzer, director of We
hicles and traffic, and Milo F. Chris
tiansen, recreation superintendent.