Evening star., 1955-02-27
Imposing Landscape
Seen ImperiIed by
Congress Action
By Joseph Hudnut

authorized construction Of bridge
over the Potomac between Washing
ton and Virginia. The site proposed
and approved in general terms by
Congress lies parallel to the Arling-
ton Memorial Bridge and approx
mately 1900 feet to the north. II
built on this site, the bridge will
destroy the most beautiful civic
landscape in America.
A Civic landscape" is an area OF
land-or of land and water-lying
within or partly within city. Such
a landscape, even if not developed
by an architect, usually forms an
element in the pattern of city. An
example Is that part of Paris which
comprises the bridges and embank-
mentS of the Seine; another is that
part of San Francisco which IN
cludes the white beaches along the
Pacific and the Golden Gate Bridge.
These landscapes are integral to the
character of these cities, ennobled
by their eloquence.
In Washington. for nearly q mile
above Memorial Bridge. the Potomac
flows between banks covered with
meadows and woodlands. To the
east these screen the city; to the
west they are crowned by the hills
of Arlington Cemetery; to the north
lies the wooded island given to the
Nation as a memorial to Theodore
Roosevelt. Together these form a
setting of Incompatible splendor
for the Lincoln Memorial, placed on
its natural pedestal above the fine
arches of the bridge. For many years
this landscape lay at the western
edge of the city, but the recent and
rapid growth of Washington has
encircled the city with new suburbs.
many of which are to the west, in
Virginia. Soon this civic landscape
will be at the center of Greater
Washington.
Will 1t Be Beautiful?
1t may happen that the new
bridge laid directly across this ter
rain will be beautiful. 1t will not. of
course, be a replica of Memorial
Bridge, which is built of stone in
GllC ludIlIlCl VI 1SOlLlC ~
will be steel bridge-perhaps in
the form of ribbon of STEEL car
ried on the rhythmic progressions of
granite piers. Perhaps the breadth
and simplicity of its pattern and
the unaffected Serviceability of its
structure would make the new bridge
a fit companion to the older one,
which in its own way exhibits these
virtues, the cardinal virtues of a
bridge.
Nevertheless, there is a larger
sense in which no bridge, however
excellent in itself, could be beautiful
wien it is inappropriate to the
landscape in which it is placed
This new bridge. if built on the
site now proposed, would cut the
arena of the river into two parts
and leave to neither part any frag-
ment of the grandeur which the
whole now possesses. It's grandeur
lies In its WholenesS, in the breadth
and completeness of its perspective,
in the humane unity of the art
which glorifies these perspectiveS,
and in the sequences of history
which are gathered here. These
are indivisible. No felicities of form
or ornament could mitigate the
barbarism of a work which should
prevent this unique collaboration
OF nature, architecture and event.
Disagreement
This new bridge, if built, will
prevent that collaboration, and in
doing this it will overwhelm the
individual beauty of every element
in this conclave of beauty. Each
of these elements would suffer its
unique Disagreement.
Consider, for example, Theodore
Roosevelt Island. Lying to the
north of Memorial Bridge, it has
never been invaded by the city.
Reserved for woodland unspoiled by
man and for the wild life that was
dear to Theodore Roosevelt. it forms
the center of stunning views from
the bridge and from the river banks
to the south. The new bridge, ex-
tending from the western end of
Constitution avenue to a point q
little more than 1000 feet above
the eastern terminus of the Me-
mortal Bridge, would mask the
Roosevelt Island as seen from the
south, cutting from view the con-
vergent streams on either side of
the island. Crowded at its southern
point against the taut line of the
new bridge, the island would no
longer possess its romantic sep
arateness from the confusions of
the city or oppose to the firm
architecture to the south the con-
trast Of its natural lovelineSs. The
island. in short. would be erased
from the perspective of the river.
To the west, the long wall of Ar
lington Cemetery, forming above the
shores OF the river a serene back
drop for the city, would appear only
in fragments above new torrents Of
mechanical traffic poured over the
green slopes at its base.
To the east, the views from the
Watergate - whose impressiveness
depends upon their scope and va
riety-would be restricted to the
narrow region between the tense
lines Of the two bridges.
And to the south, the new bridge
would lie SO close distance to the
Memorial Bridge as to press upon 1t
and deprive it of that space and
freedom upon which so much of its
distinction Of expression depends.
Effect on Memorial
Nevertheless, these deformations,
however grave, would be of less con-
sequence than those deformations
which the Lincoln Memorial must
suffer If the new bridge is built. This
lovely and eloquent temple was not
meant to be seen merely from the
farr,,nl anoraanhar that liz tn tho