Evening star., 1953-04-26
Park Fund, Cut From Budget,
Has Beoutified Capital Area

N0PIIU area
provided for the purchase of the
major part Of Rock Greek Park
in 1890. Reclamation work on
the Districts river swamps re-
suited in the creation of Ana
costa, East Potomac and West
Potomac Parks.
Meridian Hill and Montrose
Park were acquired in 1910; Sec
tions of Fort Dupont and Fort
Davis in 1912; sections of Rock
Creek-Potomac Parkway in 1918:
and part of the Glover-Archbold
Parkway as gifts in 1924.
OF to a Good Start.
AS soon as the Capper- Cram
ton Act was passed in 1880
Congress appropriated healthy
sums of money. This got the
Planning Commission of to a
good start.
The policy then was to buy
large tracts of vacant land be-
fore the land reached subdivi-
sion prices. Substantial savings
were made by this policy, which
continued through the 1930's.
Land in Oxon Run, for instance
was bought for $500 an acre
Now it probably is worth better
than $4,000 an acre.
Large sections of Fort Dupont,
Fort Reno and Fort Stanton
Parks were bought. The Ban
necker, Coolidge and Taft Rec
reation Centers were bought.
Turkey Thicket Playground,
Shepherd Park, large sections
of Palisades Park and the Pali-
sades Playground were bought.
Rock Creek Park was expanded
After that splurge, the Plan
ming Commission found itself
buying more and more expensive
land. In the past ten years,
many Of the purchases have been
for parks and Fairgrounds in
congested areas downtown.
Prices have been as high as
$150.000 an acre.
Part Of Park System.
The Planning Commission
from the land it bought, turned
over 315 acres to the District
Commissioners for use as city
Fairgrounds. The city recreation
system, administered by the Dis
trict Recreation Board, is both a
part of and outside of the city
park system.
The city recreation system
consists Of 81 units totaling 422
acres and costing $7.673,487 to
acquire.
A total of 81 of those units
were acquired as separate units,
totaling 314 acres. Before the
Capper-Cramton Act, 127 acres
costing $1,757.485 were pur-
chased. The other 1877 acres were
purchased with 1922, ,404 OF
Capper- -Cramton money.
Another 10 of the units,
amounting to 81 acres and cost
ing $513,444, were paid for with
Capper-Cramton funds and other
funds. They are part of larger
parks.
Three units, totaling Is acres
and costing $180,154. are being
acquired now with Capper-
Cramton funds still on HAND.
More Funds Needed.
OF the "a units, "a totaling
315 acres were assigned to the
Commissioners for administra-
ton by the Recreation Board.
The rest is park system land but
in the city recreation system.
The District got it's first play
ground in 1902. When the Plan
ming Commission took over in
1924 there were only II play
grounds in operation, totaling
46 acres.
The master plan. for the city
recreation system envisions 26
major recreation centers and 1877
neighborhood Fairgrounds. This
system would total 1900 acres.
Planning officials feel that the
master plan for parks and play
grounds can be brought to an
orderly conclusion If Congress
will both leave the Capper-
Cramton Act as it is and start
appropriating funds under the
act
The goal is in sight, they point
out, and it is a lot closer than
in 1880 when the Capper-Cram-
ton Act was born.