Evening star., 1953-04-26
By Colt HendIey, Jr.

Republican administration of
Herbert Hoover.
The 23-year-old law is known
as the Capper-Cramton Act. 1t
set up a method by which the
National Capital Planning Com
mission could carry out in an
orderly fashion its paper plans
for an outstanding park system
for the Nations Capital and its
environs.
Exactly what the Capper-
Cramton Act envisioned has
taken place. But this dream OF
an ideal park system is threat
ened now by the economy tactics
of the present Republican Con-
greSS.
Some sentiment has arisen in
the Federal Budget Bureau fol
scrapping the act to save money
For the last two years Congress
has appropriated no funds for
land purchases under the act
The budget for next year, as
passed by the House, again con-
tains no funds for park lands
Master Plan Realized.
To see just what the Capper-
Cramton Act has done for the
development of parks in Wash
ington as we'll as the nearby
areas of Maryland and Virginia,
The Star will examine the re-
suits in a series of three articles
This one on the District is the
first. There will be one on Mary
land tomorrow and on Virginia
Tuesday.
The original plan for Washing
ton prepared by Major Pierre
L'Enfant provided for parks and
open spaces near public build
ings in the old city.
From then until the creation
of the Planning Commission in
1924, the parks growth of Wash
ington was marked by hit-or-
miss tactics. The Planning Com
mission drew up master park
plan and the Capper- -Cramton
Act which followed in 1880 gave
it way to transfer these plans
into reality.
Present Status Outlined.
John Nolen, jr., director OF
planning for the Planning Com
mission, summed up the present
status of the city's parks as fol-
lows:
/. The program for the parks
in Washington is almost COM
plete. No more major ones are
to be started.
2. Land for all the major
parks has been acquired with the
exception of small tracts needed
to round out certain areas. Rock
Creek Park. for example, is COM
pleted except for two small lots
near Nicholson street NV.
8. The projects remaining or
the master plan involve neigh
borhood parks and Fairgrounds
All but three of the 26 planned
regional recreation centers have
been acquired. The remaining
three will be located in Cleve-
land Park, Georgetown and Pet
worth. A number of neighbor.
hood parks and Fairgrounds still
are unacquired.
4. Fort Drive is about SO pei
cent completed. The remaining
land to be acquired is expensive
but its acquisition is not urgent
Fort Drive is a project linking
the forts that circled the city
during the Civil War and viii
contain a parkway trimming the
downtown area some day in ad.
dition to it's recreation facilities
SIG Million Authorized.
The Capper-Cramton Act hal
sections dealing with the District
nearby Maryland and Virginia
and the George Washington Me
mortal Parkway. The act au
thorized SIG million for purchase
of parks and parkways in Wash
ington. All of the money mus
be repaid by the District tax
payers.
To date $12,118,944 has beer
appropriated by Congress undel
the authorization, leaving a bal
ance of 1881 ,056 to go. TIL.
District has paid back $10,936,'
735 so far of the amount ap.
propriated.
The Planning Commission i!
hopeful that the remaining $3,.
881 ,056, if Congress appropriate!
it over the next few years, viii
see the master park plan for tht
city through to completion. i
my take more money. It may
take less.
1888 Acres Purchase.
When the Planning Commits.
sion was created in 1924. an ap.
preparation of $4,950,O0O was
made for the purchase of park.
and parkways in the District
This was spent between 1924 anC
1884. Money appropriated undel
the Capper-Cramton Act brough
the total spent for parks since
1924 to $17,068.944.
Since 1924, the Planning Com.
mission has purchased 2,59:
acres of parks and parkways il
the city. 1t also acquired go
acres through transfers from
other Federal agencies 600 acre
in Anacostia Park, for instance
and through gifts from individ
ualS.
This additional land, added t,
what the Commission foun,
when it started work, brough
the park system up to it's presen
approximately 7,400 acres.
The goal is 1887 acres of par
land. About 307 acres of publ
property eventually will be trans
ferred to the park system to Gu
down to about 80 acres tn
amount Of land still to be pur
chased.
SwampS Reclaimed.