Show washington to be beauty spot an Ehi elaborate borate beautification project may cost millions fl washington ashington beautification of the national capital Is 18 in progress on an elit elaborate borate scale says arthur crawford in the chicago tribune building and other projects already under construction or authorized will involve an expenditure of government money amounting to more than the contemplated program in the district of columbia may event bally cust as much as president hoover has approved the plans which are taking shape under the direction of secretary of the treasury mellon the projects which have either been commenced ed or on au theorized thorl zed include a new department of commerce building costing a new internal revenue building costing a new archives building an addition to the 04 house office building costi tig as new buildings for the department of agriculture costing and a new supreme couri court building costing land in triangle purchased land Is being purchased in chalis what Is known us as the triangle south of penti penn eyl sil vanla avenue and extending from the treasury treasure toward the capitol costing enlargement of the capitol grounds Is estimated to cost other projects which will contribute to the beautification of the city in include the arlington memorial bridge which Is being constructed at a cost of the mount vernon memorial highway which Is to be completed within the next two years at a cost of and a number of othe costing smaller amounts the building program Is in harmony with the original plan of george washington and lenfant the young french engineer lenfant planned the locution of nil all public buildings in appropriate architectural settings grouped along a parkway known as the mall mail connecting the capitol and the white house mckenley reviewed plan development under the plan pinn inn ian gullli ed for nearly a century the space between pennsylvania avenue and the mall becoming tilled filled with various buildings out of harmony with the lenfant program at the time of the one hundredth anniversary ot of the establishment of the seat of government in the district of columbia resident president mckinley brought about a revival of interest in the lenfant plan and ana what was known as the mcmillan commission was created congress authorized the creation of the one line arts commission in 1010 1910 und inter on a zoning commission and a national capital park paik and planning were formed daring the world war it was necessary to erect numerous temporary buildings which helped to mar the architectural unity of the city for a time after the war expenditures for public buildings were held down under the economy program hut but in the 1020 1026 public building act congress authorized the construction of new nev buildings jn the district of columbia to cost over a five years period besides build ings outside the district to 0 o cost IX Subsequent 1 legislation provided proved ed tw for llie lie purchase of land in the lie triangle ard 11 tal alie tion fo for r buildings outside tile the district dish 0 by 1 in separate pieces of i legislation other projects such as the arlington memorial bridge which connects linein II linc neIn ln monument with arlington national motional cemetery the con construction struL tion of an addition to the house office building and the mount alo vernon memorial highway were authorized beautiful boulevard planned representative L 0 cramton rep mich ranking member of the house appropriation committee hua has visualized the physical physic nl change which Is to take place in the city south of the capitol a new unit will match the present house office building to the east the new supreme court building will rise adjacent to the congressional library said mr air cramton to I 1 ahe lie north the capitol grounds will extend from the union station to B street M N W and along R street to the arlington bridge and on to arlington or to mount vernon this boulevard and the new pal center to be erected by the dis erict government will clear away from the north side of pennsylvania avenue from the capitol to sixth street the cheap lodging houses the question able able resorts the chinese emporium and the tattooing places which now give that conspicuous area a character of its own better to be remembered than endured war shacks to go the union square and the mall come into their own the grant memo mini may be better appreciated the botanical garden Is removed and will blossom more gloriously elsewhere the world war temporary shacks which have so long outstayed out stayed their welcome will vanah the agricultural building steps back to the proper alignment and becomes an architectural asset instead of a liability for the north boundary of the mull mail the lenfant vision of stately public buildings properly landscaped will succeed the present strange mix the useful and the tolerated in commercial architecture which now reduce this heart center of the capital to the level of hundreds of it other cities properly unsung to add to worlds Glo glories rigs from the white house to the capitol the south side of pennsylvania avenue where have traveled these mahy many years chosen leaders and loved heroes will be the ingle imposing federal buildings of the trl program not competing with each other in varying forms of architecture tec ture but each contributing to a beautiful whole that will add something thing to the worlds architecture As benfant and washington would have it the Cap capital lial city will then present to the world a clean file face with beautiful features and gone will be all the marks of tattooing the stains of chop suey euey and the plague of room rent signs edward n bennett chicago architect has figured prominently in the development of the building program us as chairman of architectural consultant of the treasury department mr air bonnett bennett gives this picture of the future washington as aa planned by the architects As one proceeds down pennsylvania vania avenue toward the capitol on the south side will be a succession of beautiful and harmonious buildings all of a design in keeping with the semi classical traditional so well established in washington on the north side vistas will be opened up so that groups of buildings such as the beautiful district of columbia courthouse on john marshall place shall be brought into the be general plan of pennsylvania avenue park spectacle to be presented at the same time the mull mall will viii present the spectacle of a great park bordered on one side by the new boulevard lined with beautiful buildings a wide parkway of greensward with its four rows of trees its drives and walks statues and reflecting pools all arranged in such a way that long vistas will be opened up for views of the capitol in one direction and ol of the washington monument and lincoln memorial in the other to realize the force of this arrangement ran gement one must see it after dusk sounds of the activities of the city will be heard in the distance but the mall mail with its three great structures the afie capitol the monument and tho the lincoln memorial aglow and reflected in the pools will be silent and convey a sense of strength the strength and confidence of a nation |