/ La,t. Capitol, 3&:.3,3,lSf. Lon^.- 0= 0. f the CITY WnfoFv of Columbia, ) ■r/ed hyfbe. Stahe.t of ^. — ^j,-^ I A and MATIYLA:N^D □□cnN =raacnnl II H ^ :"^nr-ir \\f /heir GOVMBNMENT, MD^CC. ■. 0BSE]R1^TI0]S"S explanatory^ of the A* 1 HE licsittms fvr the Ji^rcnt £difices, imtil fm- tht several Sauatfs or. Jreas of diMrciit jhapes, as thcif an la dtnciij icere first detcniiined on tfie most advantnijrciis i/n rommatiduiii Ifu nwst rxtensnv Ij rasptcts, and die lielterst pfsHc/i iiiiurmeiiients, as eilfirr use or cniaiiient mail rnlljir -U.« -LjJNMjS or^lvemus of direct coiiimunicnfttui have to coiuirrt Hir sc/iarntr mid most distant oh/ecfs iiit/i /? and to ijirseive tlircnw/i tJic inJiole arecivicciii/ofsiifju I ilfenfirii /las iee/i?,/aid to tiie yjafsiiiy of those leiidiiin. H'e ini's/ /riicinlileijioiind^'iiJirsjert and ccnienience. II1.»<- ' yOJt'lM mid Smith fines intersected by others miin fffsl, iniike the JistrihMrii if the City into Streets, Sei lutes hiire t'een so ci'iiiljine-d us Ip meet eit certain tji, diirri)eiil..dreiiiies, so as tofcriii on Itie ^aces Jiist delich fto/.' of the Streets. le/i Streets as lead immediately to Jmhlic •idr, and mini he irmriiienlh/ divided mid n rnrriiif/e iraif- Scale of Pole, 'Die rthtr Si reels Mr ELLICOfl' dim ei true Meridional ■li die . h-ea iiifeiiilcd for the ■k tbcrdiic East and tiest, ii'hicLfMfks dnmif oceiii-alehj measured, and made (he hnsis on led He ran all ibc lines ly a fi-ansit Jusfru r.fm/rs h/ actual measumUenl , and le/t roni,,a/.i -^ 56 2 56th Congress, 1 SENATE. /Document U Session. / I No. 94. PAPERS RELATING TO The Improyement of the City of Washington, DISTRICT OF COLUxVIBIA. Compiled by Glenn Brown, Secretary of the American Institute of Architects; with an introduction by Charles Moore, Clerk of Senate Committee on the District of Columbia. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. I 90 I . \ rrr.L ^ l\ nr.\ nrr—' nr:nr-f (; K o R (; K nrinrnr^r-X T o w x I — irrrrrr-ir^\v-r~rri- rPtv; ... ^ . _,. . o^y r,^ j/*5l»w./.T.V-. Uyi/,-/ltr lint ) 1^^ i -f ^^.FDE/EEli. r ^F~ r^p/^rrrFrrrFrrr f-[ nTr^ir^r/^rnrRrpr-FFrr^r^r^ ■■ ^~^ /^FrrFrFFFFmr—^, r^^ t^r^r-rrrPFFFFFFfTr^R FRiy^bT F^FFFFFFFFr-r^nF^P v^_..^ ■■■•■^ vf^-FFFFF^^(qFlh^l^r.--MRfeRynM, OlJNKIlVATIONS <'X|)li\iia(<)rv oC ifu an. •^ '"' "^FFiF^,:::;rT-'^'"'r^F-^F-'":'Fr~iF^r-L"^ S'^Fr'FI^FPFr>i^MF:^F^f,][ —^'^FFFFFFFFFlh^'- C.mBFPH m II. //. ^7. e if. TV ^f the CITY ©f- Virginia rtud Marvlajvd an^ vtf mt.m e/zocri -^ — -^ - v~r -o SJE.4T of thrir GOVKHNaMENT, ^ MD^CC. TB!!S^^SIS..™i!IMiUJ..i filial- i}ft. ,t,m,. „r,r firs, ,l/ ,,.,^M h.r. ,«/...w,^ w*,.. ,„,.,,^.,,, ^^v,,, „ //«r,f /}„,, Ar.« .^ m«A,««/ ,„ A. ,„„f „f „,^^^ f" Scale ok Fol±:s. %xtiM) of the Streets. 7 f/K fjmiiil ■ tiriiilf'i, ^ ^ Improvement of the City of Washington. 6r which is similar to the former view on Pennsylvania avenue. By the omission of one or two trees, this view would be en- hanced and the end aimed at by Washington attained. There has been a proposition for several years to obstruct and mar this view of the Capitol by the erection of a Supreme Court build- ing on a site similar to the one selected for the Congressional lyibrary. If new buildings had been so placed, or of such a character as to give the same effect or a more pleasing one than the original buildings, the view of which they mar or completely obliterate, no one could complain ; but the selection of their sites precludes such views, even should we consider the buildings as objects of beaut}'. They are so placed that we only catch their corners, in most cases an unsatisfactory^ view, destroying the brilliant idea of the original scheme with its contemplated vistas. We must acknowledge that the portico of the Treasury, by T. U. Walter, is effective, although it destroys the vista of the Execu- tive Mansion. The original plan of the city contemplated a monument to George Washington on the intersection of the east and west axis of the Capitol and the north and south axis of the President's house. When a monument to our first President was com- menced, some fifty or sixty years ago, it was located about loo feet south of the axis of the Capitol aiid 500 feet east of the axis of the Executive Mansion. I have been unable to discover a reason for this change in the site. The most notable suggestion for building sites on the map of L' Enfant is the line which forms the north and south boundary of the parks between the Capitol and the Monument. (Map No. I.) The more the scheme laid out b}' Washington and L' Enfant is studied, the more forcibly it strikes one that a modification of this scheme will make the most satisfactory solution of the pres- ent problem. It is eas}^ to imagine the magnificence of a boule- vard beginning at the Capitol and ending with the Monument, a distance of nearly a mile and a half, bounded on both sides by parks laid out by a skilled landscape architect and adorned by the works of capable artists. Looking from the boulevard across the park a continuous line of beautiful buildings was to have formed the background. They were not to have been deep enough to curtail either the natural or artistic beauties of 62 Improvement of the City of Washington. the park, or to encroach upon the people's rights to an air space. B}^ this time such an avenue would have acquired a world-wide reputation, if it had been carried out hy competent architects, landscape artists, and sculptors, consulting and working in harmon}^ with each other. The parked portion of the Champs Elysees (fig. 27) in Paris, which is approximately 1,300 feet wide and three-quarters of a mile long, would not have compared with it in magnitude or grandeur. The original plan (map No. i) can be commended for other reasons than those of beaut}'. It has everj- advantage in point of economy, maintenance, repairs, supervision, intercommuni- cation, transportation, and accessibilit}' of the departments to each other and the public, as well as to the railroads and wharves. The 5'ear 1900 is the one hundredth anniversar}- of the estab- lishment of the seat of the Federal Government in Washington City. In taking suitable measures to commemorate this event a committee from each State held a meeting in Washington in the spring of 1900 and determined to advocate a boulevard through the Mall. The plans which were favored appear to be most unfortunate. It is proposed to run the boulevard diagonall}^ through the Mall to the proposed site of the Memorial Bridge, which is to cross the river to Arlington on the line of New York avenue. This plan would cut the Mall in a most unfortunate manner. Far worse, it appears to be the idea that the Government build- ings should in future be located along this boulevard in the park, destroying the beauty of the park and making practically another street without balance, symmetrj^, or good vistas. A few of the unfortunate effects produced hy the thoughtless location and character of the structures placed in the parks may be mentioned. The Army Medical Museum, with the rear and utilitarian portions of the building directlj^ on the principal driveway, suggests the back yard of a machine shop or factory (fig. 23), disagreeable in outline and color, marring permanently this beautiful portion of the park. It has been the habit as the departments have grown, in manj^ instances, to erect professedly temporarj^ structures, which, in fact, remain as permanent objects in discord with their surroundings. If such structures are necessarj^ they should be designed to be in keeping and form parts of the parks in which they are placed. In many ''^'".-^' '' ^■- '-^ ( -'/ •'^'; '^ Fig. 28.— pleasing VIEW OF CAPITOL DOME. Improvement of the City of Washington. 63 instances they are brick structures of a permanent character. The illustration gives an example of this character of archi- tectural treatment. The effectiveness of the parks and surroundings in connection with the buildings is shown by two views which are taken from the Capitol and Executive Mansion (figs. 17, 21, and 28). These views do not show the charm produced by the colors of the foliage and sky in connection with the buildings. The unfortunate effect of placing the buildings directly on the street line is shown b}^ a view of the Interior Department (Patent Office) and old United States Post-Office (fig. 29). We ma}^ mention in this connection the new post-ofiice at an angle to Pennsylvania avenue, a permanent object of regret. I have sketched out a general plan (map 4) with the idea of simpl}'- calling attention to the fact that a scheme for a boule- vard will not necessarily destroy the park, but enhance the effect and bring into harmony many of the beautiful structures already in existence. This plan contemplates the purchase of the property between the Mall and Penns3dvania avenue on the north of the park, and the purchase of the squares facing the park on the south. On this purchased property buildings could be erected facing the Mall on the north and south and facing Pennsylvania avenue on the south. Then a boulevard could run through the Mall from the Capitol grounds to the Monument, with the Capitol as the vista on the east and the Washington Monument as the western vista. Leaving the Monument, the boulevard could extend to the river and cross on the new Memo- rial Bridge to Arlington. The views (fig. 30 and 31) show the line of the suggested boulevard from the Monument to the river and from the Monument to the Capitol, while fig. 18 shows the character of the park from the Monument to the Executive Mansion. The Monument not being on the central axis of the Mall when the property on the north and south, sides of the park had been acquired by the Government, it would be necessar}' to change the lines of B street on the north and south, so as to make the buildings on each side of the Mall equally distant from and parallel to the principal axis, thus making the streets parked driveways. JNIap 3 shows the Mall, together with the present location of roadways and Government buildings scattered in all directions, ") 64 Improvement of the City of Washington, in which there is not the sHghtest effort to obtain grandness of effect by massing these structures. In map 4 I have made a suggestive scheme of what could be accomphshed or of what might have been already accomplished if the money spent in the scattered structures had been used in carrying out a well-devised plan. Beginning at the foot of the Capitol grounds, first are proposed two groups of monumental fountains, then two squares are de- voted to statuary and monuments within formal gardens. The boulevard is intended to have a gradual rise and pass over the railroad tracks on Sixth street and the portion of Armory lot of which the railroad has possession. Over Sixth street and the adjoining park I would propose a colonnade of detached columns, together with thick planting, so as to screen the railroad and traffic from visitors in the park or upon the boulevard. Groups of statuary and commemorative columns along the boulevard would form appropriate ornaments on a stately avenue. The Monument at present, although an object of beauty in size, color, and proportion, when seen in connection with the changing aspects of the sky lacks ornamentation and interest, as well as something to give it scale when viewed from a near standpoint. I would propose a grand circular colonnade, 800 feet in diam- eter, surrounding the Monument, but detached therefrom, leav- ing a plaza between the colonnade and monument of more than 700 feet in diameter. The colonnade contemplates seats around its whole circumference overlooking the plaza which surrounds the Monument. In this plaza formal parades, presentations. Presidential reviews, games, and other spectacular events could be viewed by the populace. The colonnade would seat from 20,000 to 25,000 people. At the four roadwa5^s through the colonnade to the plaza, triumphal arches are placed, decorated with groups of statuary and emblematic carving (fig. 32). Flanking the triumphal arches on the east and west are placed two columns with appropriate figures on top. After passing the monument the scheme proposes to continue the boulevard with its statuary on either side to a point near the Potomac River, where another circular plaza surrounded by groups of statuary would form the entrance to the memorial bridge which it is contemplated will be built across the river to Arlington. This scheme changes slightly the proposed location of the bridge so as to bring it on the axis of the boulevard. The &i P ^?>^r^-^---- ^-^^ /7 » ■'^ *id i^ js: >r3 ^. y , \ %;^\ Fig. 32.— suggested COLONNADE AND PLAZA AROUND THE MONUMENT. ^' 5S«;^g^\t^^r~fi^^|P!?^^^^^:^^^^^ s^^oSiV. *-M-:J^uiiJ^jj:i^.'-'^-^"'v-^: Fi3. 33.— SUGGESTED RAILROAD CROSSING. Improvement of the City of Washington, 65 location selected hy the commission in charge of the proposed bridge was approved because the starting point was on higher ground. I think all will agree that the bridge, starting from a lower level, as proposed in ni}- plan, wnll be improved in appear- ance, as in this way it can gradually rise until it reaches its highest point near the center. By this treatment a graceful curved line to the top of the bridge will be obtained, the straight line being one of the deficiencies of the proposed design. The length of the bridge and the point from which it would start will give an ample opportunity for a gradual rise to its highest point. The vista down the boulevard with the Monument in the foreground and the Capitol with its beautiful dome as the end of the vista, flanked on either side by green trees and shrubbery, monuments and statuar}', could not but give a charming view. The shrubbery and trees immediately on the boulevard should be low, so as not to cut off the view of the objects of art along the parkway, but so placed as to give the color value which it might be considered desirable to obtain. The grounds of the Smithsonian Institution and the north por- tion of the Agricultural grounds, with their beautiful trees and shrubs, would not be tampered with except where the boule- vard ran through the center, thus leaving intact the most in- teresting features of these grounds. In other portions of the Mall which have not been planted, except to a limited extent, it would be proper to lay out the grounds in a more formal manner. The Government buildings located as proposed would each be in a park detached from the others, surrounded by grounds, thus giving an opportunity for all to view them and their approaches. This method would also give light and air to the occupants, and at the same time afford pleasing views to the workers within. The buildings would be near enough together to allow of quick communication and transportation betw^een one department and another. It is suggested that all buildings should be low and classical in design, to harmonize with the Capitol and Executive Mansion. It will probably be noticed that the National Museum, Med- ical Bureau, the Agricultural Department, and the new post- office are not shown on the sketch. Although the proposed scheme would not interfere with these buildings, it is felt that in any artistic grouping these structures would have no place and that they would eventually be removed. S. Doc. 94 5 66 Improvement of the City of Washington. Several streets on which electric cars run, and which are used principally for traffic, must pass through the park. To cut off these disagreeable features it would be necessary to raise the boulevard slightl)^ and lower the streets a little at the points of •crossing. At the points where the boulevard would cross this ■could be accomplished without great difficult}'. It would then be an eas}^ matter to screen the view of such streets b}' low walls and close planting of trees and bushes, as has been suggested in the plan shown. The tidal reservoir which is now located on the reclaimed ground would be turned into a formal basin, treated on three sides with a balustrade. In the northern portion could be placed a large group of fountains and statuary-, while the smaller basin could be treated in a classical design with steps and platform, which for six months in the year could be used as a swimming pool, and in the winter as a skating park. One of the most difficult problems in the artistic treatment of the Mall consists in the fact that the Pennsylvania Railroad with its numerous tracks runs through the grounds on Sixth street. It appears to be useless to attempt the removal of the road from its present position, and a bill is now pending which gives it a much wider slice from the park. The suggestion of elevating the boulevard and carrjnng the tracks under it, at the same time screening this disagreeable feature b}' a colonnade (fig. 33 ) and dense planting, is not in accordance with the idea of the railroad, which contemplates carr3dng the cars over the Mall on an elevated structure. To prevent such marring effects and destruction of the vista it would appear to be practicable to carry the tracks under the boulevard at their present level and allow them to rise gradually to the elevated structure which is contemplated in the southern part of the city. Another method presents itself, that of placing the depot on the south of the boulevard with an entrance at the Boulevard level and other entrances below on the street level. Then all street-car lines, cabs, and heavy traffic could pass down Seventh street, turn under the boulevard, and out through Sixth street. The road might be given more space in width and less in length, with a low colon- naded structure as a depot on the boulevard and the rear por- tion screened by planting. In this case the general effect would be but slightly marred and the convenience of access to the .station not affected. Fig. 47.— fountain DE MEDICIS, LUXEMBOURG GARDEN, PARIS. Improvement of the City of Washington . 67 The effectiveness of vistas and intelligent grouping is well illustrated b}^ some of the results attained abroad. The har- mon}' of buildings and their surroundings are shown in the I^ouvre and the Place du Carrousel (fig. 34), in the Place de la Concorde and its surrounding buildings (fig. 35), La Place Ven- dome with its column and buildings (fig. 36), the Trocadero with the Seine and bridge (fig. 37), and in the garden of the Palais Royal (fig. 38). A remarkable and harmonious grouping of the classic with the picturesque is shown in the treatment of the parks and valley in Edinburgh, Scotland (figs. 39 and 40). The beauties of a combination of fountains, statuar}', and formal gardening are well illustrated in the views of the Place de la Concorde (fig. 41), the fountains of Versailles (figs. 16 and 49), one from Cologne (fig. 42), and a terrace unknowni to the author (fig- 43)- The beauties of extended avenues are shown in the Champs- Elysees (fig. 27), and in the parked way leading from the Lux- embourg (fig. 44) as well as in the magnificent parked openings leading up to the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau (figs. 16 and 48). The beauty of a combination of architectural fea- tures of beaut}^ and interest add wonderfully to the effectiveness and interest of the landscape, as is shown b}' the Colonnade in Park Monceau (fig. 45), the Temple d'Esculapio, Villa Borghese, Rome (fig. 46), and the Fountain de Medicis in the Luxembourg Garden (fig. 47). Many of these views show how the introduction of water in the form of lakes, streams, and cascades enhance the beaut}' of the scene by selection of the foliage and architectural features, as well as by the graceful lines of water jets and the life and music of moving water. Adjoining the Mall on the south and on a line with the Monument the Government has acquired, by reclaiming marsh land, a park area of about 700 acres. From the Mall roadway's would pass directly into this riverside park. With its broad sheets of water on either side and the unbroken views from its shores of Virginia and Marjdand, this park would lend itself to a treatment of broad and quiet effects — large, unbroken surfaces in connection with the water views, treated in a natural manner. Passing from the Mall on the north, at the point of the proposed memorial bridge, thence along Twenty-fifth street, which could 68 Improvement of the City of Washington. be parked, the street could make a drivewaj^ to Massachusetts avenue. At this point the roadway could descend into Rock Creek Vallej^ and along this valley to the National Zoological and Rock Creek parks. The combined area of these parks is something less than 2,000 acres. The picturesque qualities of this valley are not surpassed b}' any similar area adjoining a city in this country. It has bold and rugged cliffs, magnificent trees, bits of rolling country, a limited number of large, open, comparatively level tracts, and Rock Creek, a beautiful stream, runs through it for a distance of about seven miles. Figs. 50, 51, and 52 show natural views in the Zoological Park. Running as it does through a country in which are numerous outcroppings of rock, this stream forms many and picturesque rapids and falls as it passes over bowlders and between and around rocky cliffs. As a contrast, however, it often spreads out into broad and calm sheets of water, which reflect the varjdng colors of the trees and foliage upon its banks. I think nothing should be allowed in the Zoological or Rock Creek Park of a formal character; all artificial work should conform and harmonize with nature; the opening of paths, roads, and vistas, so designed and arranged as to display and enhance its natural beauties, is the ovXy treatment that should be allowed. To illustrate my idea on this portion of the sub- ject I give a few illustrations of artificial work which I have had the pleasure of designing and executing, in an effort to make them harmonize with the surroundings, and in as many cases as possible make the artificial work appear as natural outcroppings of nature (figs. 53, 54, 55, and 56). To sum up the foregoing suggestions: I. Group in a more or less formal way all new buildings for the Government on the north and south of the Mall, with a for- mal Boulevard running through the center, on which, or visible from which, shall be all fountains, statues, and memorial work, with the Capitol, the Monument, and the memorial bridge as the three points of principal interest, thus making a memorial boulevard. Preserve all vistas and make others so they will not interfere with ones already existing. Build sufficient Govern- ment buildings, so that unsightly temporary or rented struc- tures will not be necessary on the park or scattered throughout the cit5\ II. Treat the riverside park, which has been reclaimed, so Fig. 50.— natural SCENERY, NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. X Fig. 55.— log BRIDGE, NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. Improvement of the City of Washington. 69 that the broad effects of river and distant views will not be belittled b}^ trivial landscape work or buildings. III. Treat the Zoological and Rock Creek parks onl}' in the most picturesque manner, so the people can see and enjo}' their man)' natural beauties, manj- of which can be easily destroyed by careless road making, badh' designed bridges, and retaining walls. These parks will require man}' such artificial structures in opening them up so that the people ma}' enjoj' them. To bring about a satisfactor}^ result it appears to me that a carefully selected commission of architects, sculptors, and land- scape architects should be given charge of the subject — men in love with art and nature and having pride in the capital of their country. SCULPTURE IN WASHINGTON. By H. K. Bush-Brown, Sciilptor. In considering sculpture in Washington our limited time will permit us to treat of onl}^ its relations to the monuments and architecture of the citj^ We shall, therefore, not attempt to speak of its other interests, however important they may be as part of the art of our country, and we shall consider only the outdoor aspect of things as we would have them. It is not strange that until recently sculpture has had a pre- carious and ill-favored existence in this country. When we see what has come from the chisels of the granite cutters at the quarries, and some of the bronzes of the commercial foundries, it is quite natural for the discriminating mind to turn from their contemplation with an impression that there is no artistic feeling among our people, and that American subjects can not be treated in a monumental way. Fortunatel}^, we have a few examples of good sculpture that have illumined the barren wastes of the past and shed a bright ray of hope over the path of the future. I will not mention them. The good things will abide with us, and the bad things we should try to forget in our efforts to bring about a better understanding of the func- tions of sculpture, and a better appreciation of the motives of the profession. The ideals are what make life worth the living, and, taken as individuals or as nations, those people who have the highest ideals attain the greatest results, and, I believe, the most happi- ness. We erect monuments to keep alive in the mind of the community the ideals that have moved the souls of men in the past, lest in the enjoyment of the present blessings we forget the valor and self-sacrifice which alone made their attainment possible. Public monuments, then, are intended to have a sacred 70 Improvement of the City of Washington. 71 moral influence, which, if properly expressed, will endure so long as bronze or stone may last, and the soul of man remains responsive to eternal love. In other words, the value of a work of art is measured by its moral effect. Good art is a means of education and elevation, and its influence is dependent on the conception of the idea and the manner in which the artist expresses his thought. This leads us to call attention to the relation that monuments should bear to history. Since, as we have said, the use of mon- uments is to educate the people, it must follow that in the selec- tion of subjects for public monuments we should choose the important and inspiring events to be commemorated, and also arrange them in groups to form a coordinate and complete whole. In other w^ords, they should illustrate the important* events of our history by beautiful and inspiring creations of form or color. Commendable as are the monuments in Washington, do we find that any plan of selecting subjects or grouping them has been adopted? No; quite the contrar}-; both of these funda- mentally important things have been left entirely to chance. The result is before us; the important things of our historjr have been neglected and the unimportant made prominent,, while the distribution has been so free as apparently to have no other object than to fill the vacant spaces. The cit}' is itself a monument to the Declaration of Independ- ence and the Constitution, and by its very name commemorates a high ideal of manhood. It is among the verj" few — I was go- ing to say it is the only city in the country that was planned with the idea of having its public buildings well placed. Unfor- tunately, some earl}' and some later mistakes have been made in placing public buildings b}' which the harmon}' which might have been attained has been lost and some spaces that have been reserved for monuments have been unwisel}' used. Let me illustrate what I mean. The State, War, and Navy Department is the home of three Executive Departments, with no sculpture on or near the building to give it a distinctive char- acter. On the other side of the cit}' is the nav3'-3'ard, where one may see a phase of the work-a-day life of the Navy with no sculpture to make the place anything more than factory-like in its appearance. In the residence quarter of the city are isolated statues of army and na^-y heroes, the placing of which have 72 Improvement of the City of Washing to7i, little relation to each other or their surroundings, and at the end of Penns3'lvania avenue, at the main approach from the city to the Capitol, we have a monument to honor the Ami}" and Navy, known as the Peace Monument. Without reflecting on its merits, it is safe to say that that particular spot is not the place for that kind of a monument. This approach to the Capitol should be treated as such in a way to add dignity to the building behind it, and be a proper feature to what is prac- tically a terminus to Penns3'lvania avenue. Assuming that this monument is all that could be desired, and that it occupied a suitable place, then grouped about it in some way might be statues of all the great statesmen and commanders who brought about the peace which the monument commemo- *rates. Of course, this maj^ not be the best thing to do in this particular case, but it is sufficientl}' characteristic of the general needs of Washington to illustrate vay meaning. Washington, more than any other cit}' in the world, is a city of homes. Commerce and manufacturing never have had, and probably never will have, much of a footing here. For this reason it has greater opportunities for embellishment than an}" other cit3\ However picturesque some features of industrial equipment may be, factory chimne3's and their surroundings do not generall}^ contribute to beautify the modern world. In this respect, then, Washington is unique, and has possibilities that are quite her own. I^et us look about a little and see what use has been made o'f these possibilities. Aside from the decorative groups on the Capitol, and some of the other buildings, our monuments are mostly military. Although it ma)- well be said that in militar}" prowess we have proven ourselves second to no other nation, yet it is in the arts of peace that we excel all other peoples. First of all our experiment of government has proven the most successful of any yet tried, and has modified man's social relations in all civihzed cotintries. As I have said, the cit}" itself, with its Capitol, is the monument to those ideals. But Avhere are the monuments to those American creations that have revolutionized the world — the railroad, the telegraph, the cotton gin, the reaper, the sewing machine, the marine cable, and the telephone, etc.? In the field of science have we had oijl}^ Benjamin Franklin and Professor Henry and De Gross worthy of commemoration Improvement of the City of Washington, 73 in our capital city ? And where are the monuments to our great statesmen that should find their place with those of Webster, Lincoln, and Garfield? American poets and historians have had great honor accorded to their memor)' in other than their own countrj^ and capital. Turning now to examine our militar}^ monuments in detail, we find that more than half of them commemorate events of the civil war. While the)- are all deserving of the attention be- stowed on them, should we not also have a care for our earlier histor}' ? In seeing the Farragut statue we naturally inquire, where are those of Paul Jones, Decatur, and Hull? We have a monument to Lafa5'ette, but he was not a more important personage than Steuben, and of our American born Revolutionar}' heroes onl}- Washington and Greene have been remembered here. We might spend much time on this question of subject, but we must say something for architectural sculpture; some of the earl)- efforts in this direction, as seen on the Capitol building, can not be said to have done much for the glory of American art. The new lyibrar}- building, however, was the greatest chance our generation has had for decorative painting and sculpture. The)- have made that building the great attraction of Wash- ington, and with all due respect to the architectural profession, by far the larger part of the interest that the public has in the Librar)^ is centered in the sculpture and mural decorations. This interest is out of proportion to the cost of those decora- tions, which was only 7 per cent of the total. I wish to make a point of this, because it is customary to economize on the decorations of our public buildings, whereas this 7 per cent of the expenditure is really a most important part of the whole outla5^ Since this one good example of architectural embellishment has been placed in Washington, the architects will find it easier to obtain such for the public buildings of the future. Its appreciation is an evidence that our people now recognize that sculpture and painting vitalize architecture and interpret its meaning and motive to the public. Now, we should have a word for the relation that one monu- ment should bear to another. The mind receives a more lasting impression if ideas are presented to it in some consecutive order. The best artistic effects of public monuments and buildings have been produced by proper grouping, so that one thing enhances 74 hnprovemejit of the City of Washington. the value of another by its proximity. Just what sort of group- ing should be adopted for Washington, so as to maintain the existent monuments in their present positions, it would be difficult to sa3^ without giving it very careful study. It is evident, however, that some plan of a very definite character should be adopted so that ultimately a better arrange- ment may be developed. An}^ such plan must aim at either chronological order or grouping as to subject, and perhaps for both of these. If the suggestion for a new avenue should be carried out on the scale that has been demonstrated, it would present an oppor- tunity that would forever solve this problem and bring order out of chaos at once. No other city in the world, so far as I know, could boast of anything so impressively beautiful as this might be made. The Champs-Elysees has no such building as our Capitol to fill the vista. This greatest of buildings has a right to have a monumental approach. Washington has a right to the finest avenue in the world. The American people have a right to it by reason of what they are ; and, lastly, by reason of what they have been, we can draw on American history for the inspiration that will make its sculptural decoration most artistic. Desirable and pleasing as it is to have sculpture in the public squares and open places of a city, this general plan for the im- provement of Washington permits of greater possibilities for the sculpture of the future. It is in having the buildings so grouped and designed and the surroundings so planned as will allow the placing of the monuments that they may form a part of or be adjuncts to the architecture. Both would be enhanced in value thereby. From a purely business standpoint it is possible to demon- strate the investment value of monumental art of any country and any city. For a national capital there is a higher and nobler motive for making it beautiful. It is the official home of the people. Its capital city should be an expression of their ideals of patriotism and humanity, their courage and aspirations. Art made Athens and Rome and Florence and Venice, each in turn, the center of the world. In our own day art has made Paris the great center of attrac- tion, and now Berlin is becoming its rival. What art may do for Washington we have only begun to realize. Fortunately we Improvement of the City of WasJmigioti. 75 began aright, and in the Capitol and its situation we have the finest building of its kind in the world. We have in Washing- ton one of the finest city plans in the world. Now in the thresh- old of its second century, with assured peace and prosperity, it becomes a duty of our people to take advantage of all its natural and artificial resotirces and make it the grandest city in the world. As the United States leads the nations in all other things, it is natural to suppose that she will ultimately lead the world in the realms of art also. It depends much on the attitude of the Gov- ernment toward that side of our national development. At the Chicago World's Fair the workers in the allied profes- sions of architecture, painting, and sculpture demonstrated that we have in America untold latent strength for artistic expression. This has manifested itself again in the Naval Arch in New York, and when the nation invites the artists to create for Washington a more logical and artistic appearance, I am sure they \\\\\ prove themselves equal to this greatest of opportunities. Before closing, I want to say a word for the relation of the artist to his emploj^er. Sculpture has suffered much in this country from misdirected good intentions. With the best motives in the world, a committee having charge of funds for a monu- ment starts out to get the best the3' can for the money, and usually confess they are in no waj^ capable of judging of w'hat is good art. They are wise if they spend a j^ear or more in educating themselves, and the^^ usually do this at the expenditure of time and thought on the part of a few, or many, artists, as the case maj' be. The result is as uncertain as the mind of the committee. So far as the Government is concerned, the}' have relegated the management of their sculpture to the War Department, simply because the placing of foundations in public grounds in Washington comes under the jurisdiction of the Engineer Corps. Military men and statesmen of distinction may justly be con- sidered as authorities in their own separate fields of thought. To judge of military- tactics and national policies requires long years of training and experience. Is it too much to assume that art is worthy of the same consideration? The principle that all contracts should be accessible to every citizen has resulted in competitions, yet it is the consensus of opinion among the artists that the best work is not obtained in this way. 76 Impt'ovement of the City of Washington. The sculptors whose reputations bring them all the work thej^ can do have neither time nor inclination to enter into competi- tions, however wise the judgment of the merits of the work submitted ma}^ be. The principal justification is in the oppor- tunity that competitions give to an unknown genius to show "^vhat he can do and perhaps gain recognition. It seems to me it should be so arranged that every man who had attained the first rank in the profession would have one chance to make an important work for the national capital. Would not this one opportunit}', which would come to each com- petent individual when he had attained his best strength of mature years, be a greater thing to work for and wait for than the brilliant winning of a competition in the earl}^ j'ears of pro- fessional life? On the other hand, would not such an arrangement result in greatl}^ improving the artistic standard of the monuments of this cit}^ by reason, not only of having the best men employed, but also because it would be the greatest opportunity of an artist's life, and offered in such a way as to leave him entirel}^ free to do his best? Michael Angelo once competed with Bandinelli for the privi- lege of making the statue of Hercules for the cit}- of Florence. Bandinelli had the social influence and obtained the contract, but I doubt if there are three people in this room who can call to mind his group that stands on the Piazza Signoria in "Flor- ence. The terra-cotta sketch that Michael Angelo made for it is in the British Museum, and, though it is only lo inches high and has lost its head and arms, it is artisticall)^ worth a thou- sand times more than the lo-foot group in Florence. It was after someone else had failed that Michael Angelo was intrusted with the marble from which he cut the David. I only mention these two cases to illustrate that others besides Americans in this age have suffered from the bad effects of competitions. Recently we have had a number of competitions among the architects for important Government buildings. Frequently over twenty men of acknowledged talent worked many months on their plans, and more than once have these competitions ended in considerable bad feeling over the decisions. It seems to me that men of their ability ought not to be asked by the Govern- ment to waste their energies on chances of being successful over twenty competitors. The Government is doing work enough to Improvement of the City of Washington. 77 employ each one of them at some important building before many years pass. This, however, is out of my field. The Tarsney act, under which these competitions were held, is a great improvement on the methods that obtained before, and I know that many architects are contented with it because the results that have been obtained by its application are, as yet, quite satisfactory. The time ma)- come when the architects are sufficiently strong and sufficiently united to enforce a better way for the Govern- ment to seek and find men of talent. The spirit of our civiliza- tion would suggest that the selection of artists for Government employ might be by vote of a large group of thg prominent men in the profession for one of their own number. The group to be changed each time. Or it might be left to the vote of some well-recognized society like the x\merican Institute of Architects, the Sculpture Society, etc. , as the case might require. An effort has been made latel}' to improve the situation by having an art commission appointed which would have full juris- diction over all public buildings, monuments, and coinage designs. It was all very carefulh" arranged, but just lacked being practical for the reason that the duties of the commission would be very heavy, practicall}- occupying its whole time, and, as they were to be men otherwise actively employed, and to serve without pay, it would have been too much to ask of them. Perhaps some modification of this maj- be put in force to give to painters and sculptors at least a better footing than the}' now" have. In this connection I would like to call attention to the fact that the sculpture and painting of the Congressional I^ibrar}- is truly representative of the best art of its period, because it was not obtained b}' competitions but was let by the architect to representative artists in the countrj^ through the advice, I believe, of the presidents of the mural painters and sculpture societies. However, some method should be found by which we ma^' secure for the national capital the best art that our people can produce. Every nation has its owm responsibilitj^ for the presentation of its best work, and everj- American citizen has a right to expect the Government to secure, for public buildings, monuments, and painting, the best art that each generation can produce. In this way onl)^ can Washington be the true capital and the true representative of the genius of American thought. [Discussion following the papers read before the Institute.] GROUPING OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND DEVELOP- MENT OF WASHINGTON. By Cass Gilbert, F. A. I. A. Order and s^^stem, a high state of organization, are elemental conditions of government. These conditions pervade all phases of the service. The relation of departments is not fortuitous, but definite, organic, and in a sense mechanical. The city is part of the mechanism. The departmental buildings, the Cap- itol, the White House, are details of this machinery. Their excuse for existing is that they are so. The arrangement of this machinery should not be left to whim, chance, or to the incident of temporarj^ control. The founders of the Government recognized this, and Washington himself was foremost in putting it into effect. It needs no argument; it is self-evident when stated. Nor does the acceptance of such conditions impl}- naked utilitarianism. On the contrary, they are the first elements in anj^ grand scheme. The prevalence of a definite and organized plan does not imply that it shall be so fixed in its details that it can not be changed. It should, in fact, be so broadly conceived that there w^ould be room for development. It should be pliable and elastic, not rigid. A city planned on such a noble scale as that of Washington is rare in the w^orld. It is almost unique. One hundred years of use has demonstrated its merit. The plan of its founders should be maintained as the basis of future development. That it could be improved in some directions is doubtless true, but as a basis from which such improvement shall begin it is admirable. 78 Improvement of the City of Washington. 79 I think all will agree on the following general principles of design : First. Main vistas should not be too great. Mere distance is not fine. The width of a street or avenue should have a pro- portion to its length or to the distance between its main points of accent. A due proportion must be maintained to the height and length of the structures which come within the scope of any vista. (The south end of the Treasury', as seen from the Capitol, is an example. I^arge as it is, it is still too small to count from so great a distance.) Second. A grand scheme with great focal points is not alone sufficient. There is room for infinite variet}^ of treatment on the minor axes. Third. A curved street offers relativelj^ as fine effects as a straight one, but should be broader. Fourth. Var3'ing grades form no real obstacle to architectural beauty. Fifth. Buildings should be grouped, not scattered. Sixth. Buildings should be placed on streets, boulevards, or public squares, not in parks; but all buildings are enhanced by foliage, and by suitable approaches in which gardening is an important part. Seventh. The buildings should be monumental and serious in type and preferabl}^ of so-called classic style. Eighth. The height of a building should bear a relation to the length of its facade, and all buildings should be proportioned to the width of street or avenue. When placed in succession along a great street, the height of buildings should be uniform. There should be established points of accent and the length of buildings should be duly proportioned to the length of the vista. (The Ringstrasse in Vienna and the Rue de Rivoh in Paris are good examples.) Ninth. Buildings of necessarilj'- great prominence or height should be placed as focal points on ' ' axes ' ' of streets, and should form definite composition with other buildings. Otherwise they mar the scheme, because intrusive, and destroy the scale of all around them. (The Washington post-office exempHfies what should be avoided, irrespective of its bad design.) Tenth. The n^imber of stories in a montimental building should be limited to three, if possible; never more than four. (The Capitol itself is a good example.) 8o Improvement of the City of Washington. Eleventh. Color is almost as important an element as form. Light and shade not less so. A building of brick in a street of granite or marble, unrelieved by foliage and without transitional color, is a note out of harmony, and conversely. Either may be fine in its proper environment. Twelfth. Massive masonr}^ approaches to buildings are effect- ive only in relation to facades of great extent, like the west front of the Capitol. (The masonry and steps in front of the Congressional Library are too complex and too extensive. ) The approaches to a residential building like the White House should be less formal, and should not be composed of great masses of masonry, though outlying terrace walls and balustrades may well be used. The foregoing statement of "principles" involves no new idea, but may serve to guide in the general consideration of the subject. The accompanying sketch plan will serve as a sugges- tion of what might be done in the general plan of development. (Map No. 5.) Taking the Capitol as the main point of interest, I would preserve the park-like character of the Mall, except at the west end near the Monument. I would construct a great boulevard extending from the Capitol to the Monument. The great dis- tance from the Capitol to the Monument would permit the swinging of the axis of the boulevard so that the Monument would be central on this axis, and it would not be noticeable that the boulevard did not approach the Capitol at an exact right angle, especially if the boulevard were made wider at the westerly end, so that its converging lines would conduce to the optical illusion. I would frankly accept the fact that the Monument is off axis with the White House, and would place at an equal dis- tance from its axis a low but very large important monument, richly adorned with sculpture of grandiose scale and acting as a foil for the Monument itself. This might be assumed to com- memorate other great founders of the Republic, and grouped around the base of it should be monuments of great scale, but of lesser proportions, forming memorials of heroic deeds and of great men. I would then terminate the vista from the White House by a group of buildings to be used as military, naval, and historical museums similar in purpose, perhaps, to the museum of the Hotel Des InvaHdes in Paris or the Zeughaus in Berlin. 1. ( 2 1 3 4 5. N 6. ( 7. 1 8. .' 9. I 10. I 11, i 12. I 13. I 14. ; 1-5. i 13. . Cipitol. Library of I'ongress. White House. Treasury. War. State, and Navy. Coreoran tiallery. Wa.shingtou Moiiument. Smithsonian Institution. Memorial Bridge. Proposed new ^Vllite House. Proposed new Department buildings. Proposed monument to Founders of Republic. Propi>sed scientific and educational buildings. Proposed Historical Museum. Proposed Reviewing Ground. Sit yznuL ^/ II 1 czic- THIZDCZDCZ: "IZICZD CZDCT Study for Grouping of Buildings, CITY OF WASHINGTON.DX. Cass Gilbert, Archffech ill Fifth Ave. N.Y. Sca/e: SOO 1000 2000 3000 -fOOO 3]n "ID □ a Gsa / Mi/e. A\_ :Da UBL NSa^SH 3 ZP\ c^ -^1 o. in PB^ suBisyugU rrnaai — >i^ "^i! itSBii — ii — ir^v53i=n:np^ ^ Q UL ssnoSiJ 5^. W °& ^SM\M HDHDDCSSaBy gaDDQ'a -rnnnr^f m .^_^ Ji_r-J- J» t^ K ♦ t N N •■ tv Cr^upe lon^itudmala sjr T^ 1^, Fio. 59.-PLAN OF PARIS EXPOSITION. 1SS9. Supjilkiinont du MonJi it!us!rc, n" S Doc --^-^--.56 2 EULE DE I SS9 Fig. 71. SD00..^.^..B6 2 ■5; Vnitn SUrisn S*?,' % :''Jf![^^.5^ i^ *t fv li«*^ ^' V ^nr^v^r J'T^^.StRlCMX^ Jc/ S Doc-^.4f_..56 2 5 QS^^'^' '-^ □ cz] t!::] S^ D a tAS' c*»- 5 ^ '^A'^' J D o^ Hi/ 1 1 \ n I II I n Fig. 8 5 ^S'tu^y for- the. ^roujoiny of PuJjUc £iu2Uin^S ZTi, th& Ctii/ of '^^Vask-un.ffton. D. C Prepared, bi^ Paul J Pebc. arckiieci McTThbar Moa.rd of Tra.de.. Jaru^ji^uy 190/ 8. STREET n =\ Dr^ nUDDD _[ii]DDn _rz] J_l o nn nn v^ FAV^r JTT^.St^uA^ JW S Doc ..^^„-. 56 2 Improvement of the City of Washington. 8i Assuming the old White House to remain as the center of the executive business of the Government and to be used as the office of the President, I should locate the departmental build- ings near it, in the order in which the business of the various Departments would be most convenienth- accommodated. Plac- ing the executive branches of the Government on the east side of Fifteenth street and thence down to. the Mall, I would form a great group of such buildings around a grand square at the west end of the Mall, and connect these buildings so as to pro- vide, as far as possible, for the convenience of business. The flanking masses of these structures, thrown forward and inter- rupting the vista at either side as one looks from the Monument to the Capitol, or to the White House, or vice versa, in either direction, would be effective in the general composition. On the west side of Seventeenth street I should form a spe- cial group of buildings for the scientific and educational depart- ments of the Government, extending from Seventeenth street opposite the Executive grounds to New York and Virginia avenues. The memorial bridge should be placed on the axis of New York avenue. The deflection from this axis, proposed in recent plans, would be most unfortunate in appearance. The space from the Monument to the river should largel)^ be taken up by a great open place suitable for military reviews and public fetes, with colonnades at the west end, providing sheltered prome- nades with views of the river, bridge, parade ground, and through the vista to the east toward the Capitol. No buildings should be placed within 500 feet of the Monu- ment, and even a greater distance would be preferable, as its great height would certainly disturb the scale of any structure placed nearer it. I deprecate any attempt to change the old White House. It is a historic monument, and should it be changed we would lo.se it as such and impair the value of the proposed improve- ments. A new White House is needed and should be built. Such a project as the development of Washington can not be determined without months of careful thought and studj^, and should be under the charge of an able, intelligent board of men especiall}^ fitted for the work — men whose training would lead them to consider the aesthetic as w^ell as the material and economic conditions. S. Doc. 94 6 82 Improvement of the City of Washington. The discussion of this subject before the American Institute of Architects is of great interest. We find that the views of men who are speciaHsts in architecture, sculpture, and landscape work are, after all, harmonious, and that they are working to the same end. The practical result of such discussion is in- creased when men who are experienced in the working out of such great problems come in contact with the men who deal with them from the legislative and administrative standpoint. All citizens of our country have a pride in the capital city, and are sincerely interested in any project which would make it more beautiful. They equally resent anything that would impair or destroy the beautj^ it now has. Public opinion readily and safely forms itself on the knowledge it receives from specialists, and, as a rule, men in responsible positions — the law- making power — seek such information, and are ovXy anxious that it shall be from authoritative sources and free from selfish interest or prejudice. See with what eagerness Washington himself, accomplished engineer that he was, called to his aid the services of ly' Enfant and Hallet, thus in the very founding of the city seeking the best professional advice available, and adopt- ing the noble scheme upon which the city is planned. We hope that the example of Washington and his collabora- tors will not be overlooked b}'' this later generation, and that what they founded will be nobly perpetuated. EXPOSITION ARCHITECTURE IN ITS RELATION TO THE GROUPING OF GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. By George Oaki^ey Totten, Jr., A. M., A. A. I. A. There are few examples in the historj^ of the world where any verj" con.siderable number of government or municipal buildings have been erected upon a preconceived comprehensive plan. The reasons for this have been either the lack of fore- thought as to the necessity of preparing such a scheme, or, where one has been devised, its lack of realization during the lifetime of its originators; the succeeding generations losing sight of the original idea, or, in the light of their own superi- ority, abandoning it for some new one of their own. We find here in Washington a case in point — the original idea of the founders of the city was for a long time forgotten. It is true that in Europe manj^ of the great cities have admirably arranged groups of buildings — as, for instance, those on the Place de la Concorde at Paris; still these are few in number as we conceive our great vision of the coming America. The many other cases that could be cited are but little more extended. Consequenth', experience can be drawn to but a limited extent from existing precedent, and it is to the schools of architecture that we must turn for study, notably to the drawings of the Ecole des Beaux Arts and the Grand Prix de Rome. Another course has, howeVer, been recentl}' opened to us, where much more serviceable and far more practical experience is to be gained. It is in the stud}^ of the modern expositions. While the great international and interstate expositions are pri- marily commercial enterprises, they have developed to such an overwhelming extent that their housing and setting has become, certainly to the architect and the great mass of people as well, of far greater importance than their wonderful exhibits. ■ 85 84 Improvement of the City of Washhigton. These great exhibitions have done more than anything else toward opening the ej'es of the world to the necessity of a pre- conceived and properly studied plan for the arrangement of an}^ group of buildings whatsoever. This has come as timely expe- rience for our new and undeveloped countr}', since it has given us an opportunity for study and experiment hitherto unknown. In our Chicago experience we learned lessons — what vistas meant, what uniform scale meant, how effectively broad ter- races, balustrades, and other accessories become, how the value of architecture is enhanced hy reflection in suitabh' arranged water basins — and later, at Omaha, the value of a fixed modulus. The grouping of government buildings would, though in a more restricted sense, follow the same natural laws as in the grouping of exposition buildings; the more important ones would be made the more monumental and dignified and given the most prominent locations— vista terminations where possible; lesser ones arranged along avenues somewhat according to their needs and uses, leading up to the former or to other monuments of special interest. From what has been done in exposition planning, the advan- tages of the hollow or open cotirt, over an arrangement with a monument of some size in the center seem conclusive. Thus we see the great court of honor of Chicago with oxAy a lake in its center — a mirror reflecting the beauties of its surroundings. This is in reality an open court, for the side toward the lake is closed only by a colonnade. The same scheme was carried out at Omaha, while at Buffalo this court is preceded by one — whose axis is at right angles to it — much more open and magnificent in scheme than either of the others. The difference in level, too, adds to its impressiveness. If the grand effects of the White City were not equaled at Paris last summer, it is hardly owing to defects of planning. A direct comparison of the two expositions is impossible — it is the comparing of things unlike — a 25-foot city house, for instance, with a countrj^ house open on all sides. At Paris there was given an irregular site with so many feet of floor area for exposition purposes demanded. How could the arrangement have been more rational? The formal build- ings, as far as possible, were put upon the great squares, the lesser ones along the Seine, crowded from necessity, but picturesque withal. Improvement of the Oily of Washington. 85 If such enormous floor areas had not been demanded, the great open court palace on the Champ de Mars could have been broken up into smaller ones — attached only \iy colonnades or otherwise — the counter horizontal lines, always pleasing, would then have been apparent. But this was not possible, practicall3^ The next best thing, however, was done. The court was diminished in width at different points as it receded, thus increasing the per- spective. The vista thus afforded was terminated at the end by the gorgeous chateau d'eau. The vista in the opposite direction, that toward the Trocadero, recalls another and most important point in monumental plan- ning — that of levels. Variations in levels of a new site should not be a cause of regret; the}' open new and varied possibili- ties, which should be seen and grasped. Grades should not be slurred over, but accepted, accentuated, and formalized by means of steps, terraces, and balustrades. How much finer this Tro- cadero vista, beautiful as it is, would be with a few resting places or platforms and some formal treatment of steps. Theoreticall}' the palaces of the Esplanade des Invalides are well planned, but in reality thej^ seem so close together as to almost touch. This is not the case with the Palaces of Fine Arts on the other side of the Seine — the two palaces complement each other. The scale of parts throughout is well preser\'ed, except in the overwhelming mass of roof of the Grand Palais. In point of plan and arrangement, however, all this part of the exposition is ver}' beautiful. Attention can onh' be called in passing to the great and beau- tiful part the landscape gardening must play in any grand group- ing of buildings. The exquisite taste and care shown b}' the French landscape gardener at the Paris Exposition can not be too highly praised, and is well worthy of careful study. The earlier exhibitions are more especially interesting in show- ing the strides that have been made in exposition architecture. The various materials used for exposition buildings and the smaller and more picturesque grouping being irrelevant, we can not touch upon here. But to return for a moment to Washington. What an irrep- arable loss it was to our citj^ and the nation not to have held the great Columbian Exposition here on our Mall and river front. It would have given us a chance to experiment with full-size models on the verv sites chosen bv the founders of the 86 Improvement of the City of Washington, city for our great public buildings. It would have been the grandest of object lessons, and would have immediately assured the fulfillment of the original preconceived scheme. But ly' Enfant had not the data in his day to more than indi- cate or outline his scheme. It is handed down to us in a very undeveloped condition, and those of our friends who are talking of a grand boulevard through the Mall are taking, it seems to me, but a partial view of the situation. It is perhaps fortunate that the great scheme was for so long a time forgotten, as it leaves the problem still open. Our country has passed the first struggling period of its infancy, and in the second century of its existence it finds itself in a better position to grasp the magnitude and grandeur of the problem than at any period since its foundation. It finds, too, within its doors a host of talented architects, trained and educated by foreign travel and study in the great schools of the world. What would be a more auspicious moment than the present — during this centennial year — for the revival and proper develop- ment of this great scheme? The appointment of a commission and the opening of a mere boulevard is not enough; it is the moment to consider and plan more broadly; to institute a great national competition so far-reaching and magnanimous in its con- struction as to inspire the best efforts of our most talented men. This general scheme would include all that ground between Penns54vania and Maryland avenues and the river front. American architects, let it be remembered, were responsible for the arrangement of the expositions at Chicago, at Omaha, at Buffalo— these were mere passing shows. How much grander and more impressive could a grouping of substantial, dignified Government buildings be made. A magnificent opportunity is before us. Let us work and make it a realization. In closing I beg to acknowledge my indebtedness to the inspiring writings of Mr. Glenn Brown. It is to Mr. Brown, I believe, more than to any other one person we are indebted for the revival of Major ly' Enfant' s beautiful scheme. The accompanying sketch is but an elaboration of the original scheme, and following Mr. Brown's idea of placing the boule- vard on the axis of the Capitol and Monument. It is not, however, a finished study; it is but a hasty sketch based upon the architecture of the exposition, and is intended only to show one of a thousand treatments which might be given the subject. THE GROUPING OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN WASHINGTON. By Paul J. Pelz, F. A. I. A. The problem of the grouping of public buildings in the national capital is of necessity intimately connected with the study of the public parks and reser^-ations. As a citizen of Washington, I have followed with great interest the different schemes suggested since the close of the civil war, and join in the general sentiment of my townsmen that the present system of parks is none too large and should not be curtailed, and that for sites of future public buildings new acquisitions should be made with a view of appropriate grouping. Last winter (1899-1900) a strong movement was started b}" the Washington Board of Trade and supported by the local press advocating the purchase of all that portion bounded b}- Seventh, North B, and Fifteenth streets and Pennsylvania ave- nue, which since the civil war had degenerated into a veritable ' ' partie honteuse ' ' of our fair city, and for which there seemed to be no prospect of redemption by the normal progress of improvement, which showed a tendency away from it. Pur- chase by the General Government for the purpose of the loca- tion of the public structures needed in the near future seemed to be a ver}' proper solution of a most perplexing problem. Pennsylvania avenue has been and will alwa5'S be the most important street of the capital as long as the Presidential exec- utive ofl&ces are retained in their present location, of which there seems to be no doubt, even if the President w^ere to occupy a separate dwelling in another part of the District of Columbia. S7 88 Improvement of the City of Washington. A step in this direction has already been taken by the Gov- ernment in the placing and erection of the City Post-Office, although in doing so no account was taken by those who directed it of any possible relations of this building to other future public structures in the same neighborhood. As a member of the Washington Board of Trade, and wishing to assist in giving shape and tangibility to the proposed scheme, I prepared a study of the possibilities of this site, which is here- with shown. It would seem, however, that to complete the problem of ameliorating Pennsylvania avenue, the further acquisition of the blocks south of it, between Seventh and Third streets, would likewise be necessary. The new Pennsylvania Railroad-station building, supposing it to be a structure of architectural merit, should have a free plaza to the north of it. The buildings on the squares east of Sixth street are anything but ornamental and dignified, and had better be replaced to make way for pub- lic structures, or be turned into plain parking with trees and lawn. Much can be said against the squalid and undignified princi- pal approaches to the Capitol grounds, where more room is needed, and where proper arches, arcades, and porticos would be in place to prepare for the Capitol building, which has a fine setting of terraces, although the design and material of the double flight of stairs is open to criticism. I would like to see the Mall extended in its full width to meet the lines of the Capitol grounds by extending B street, which should be widened to i6o feet, and by converting the blocks from Third to First streets into approaches and parks. The two B streets converted into wide avenues with central rows of trefes and promenades, with seats and fountains, would be an agreeable feature in their parallelism to the general city plan of streets. In regard to the United States Capitol, I wish to recall from the forgotten past a scheme for the creation of a capitoline acrop- olis, by the acquisition of the squares north and south of the great park and plaza, and the erection thereon of public buildings such as the growth of the country would require about the Capitol. The creation of more than fifty committee rooms in the subter- ranean casemates of the Capitol terraces, the purchase of the Iviprovement of the City of Washington. 89 Maltby House for like purposes, etc. , shows that provisions in that direction for growth must be considered, and I think the late General Meigs was possessed of a clear vision when he made the suggestions. The Capitol and the Ivibrary are already in close relationship; a balance building wall soon be built to form a trine of principal structures. As the Capitohne hill falls rapidly to the north and southward from the two C streets, an acropolis effect would indeed be had by the creation of such a group of seven or nine buildings, of which the Capitol would be the dominant feature. As shown on my plan, the Capitol itself would be the westerly pronounced head, dominating the avenues leading to the princi- pal portion of the city, while the easterly portion would be the body of dependencies to the principal structure. The probability of the Pennsylvania Railroad occupying the strip of land between the two B streets. Sixth and Seventh streets, by a huge station building, which would not be too large for their business during the next fift}^ years if it occupied the whole area granted, is not conducive to the development of the Mall into a unit of design. It will bisect it, and it remains to be seen what the railroad authorities will give us, and then only can an intelligent idea be formed as to future possibilities. With this contingency in view I should think that the best way will be to leave things as they are as to present parks. Room may be created for more public buildings to the south- ward by the acquisition of the squares between B street south and Maryland avenue for a grand group and system of national museums, the present structure being too small now and cheap looking, including the United States Fish Commission. Relieved of their encumbrances, the Smithsonian and Agri- cultural Department could be retained in their present locations. The latter, of course, should be rebuilt and enlarged, but on account of the fall of the land to the northward, I doubt the propriety of creating balance buildings in that direction. In fact, owing to this topographical condition, which could only be overcome artificially at great cost, the massing of public buildings in the Mall on the center line due west of the Capitol as an axis is of very doubtful practical aspect. A grouping from the White House outward to the south, on the contrary, is highly desirable, as the slope to the river is on a. regular plane favoring such a disposition. S. Doc. 94 7 90 Improvevient of the City cf Wasliington . The group now existing in the White House, with the Treas- ur}' and the State, War, and Nav}^ Departments building, forms a balance in plan, but the last structure is altogether out of scale with the two former ones. Both Fifteenth and Seventeenth streets should be widened out to give the Department buildings a proper setting and vista. Widening Fifteenth street would greatl}^ help the cit}^ traffic. Now as to the particular plot of which I prepared a more detailed study last j^ear, I will say that it appeared to me neces- sary to retain a number of streets north and south as a means of communication, in which opinion I was amply sustained b}' the president of the board of trade and the members of my particular committee, and the only proper way to my instinct as well as reasoning was the placing of the buildings in the general directions, i. e. , north and south of the city plan of streets, at varying distances from the avenue. An examination of the configuration of Pennsylvania avenue to the northward will show that this s^^stem prevails on 50 per cent of the avenue extent on the intersections of C, D, and E streets. The present Post-Office building, a hard fact, is placed that way. Two or three buildings would face the White Lot, to which the Corcoran Art building and one or two Government structures might form a balance to the westward. One of the Fifteenth street buildings might be an annex to the Treasur)' Department, containing the Treasurers' offices with better facilities for the keeping and shipping of public moneys than exist now, and other offices to relieve the present structure from the impending danger of defacement b)^ an attic story. The other building could be the Department of Justice, to relieve the Attorney- General from his dilemma. To the east- ward the site of the present Center Market structure might be occupied by hall of records. This is a most central site between the Capitol and all the departments, and most admirably suited to the purpose. Let the municipal building go on the site of the two squares between Louisiana and Pennsylvania avenues, Ninth and Tenth streets, taking in C street, where citizens of the Dis- trict can reach it from an^- where at a single fare by the two principal car systems which here intersect. A new Post-Ofhce Department should be given to the Improvcmcnl of the City of Washington. 91 unfortunate Cabinet officer who had to leave one of the finest classical structures of the cit}- to be with his official family lodged in the upper lofts of the cit}' post-office. This building I would center on Thirteenth street. It does not require much imagination to see in one's mind the pleasing vistas and perspectives of a group of classical structures thus located, the onl}- disturbing element would be the uncouth mass of the citj' post-office, but as it is not entireh' fireproof it is possessed of the merit of affording Jupiter Fulminans a chance for much-to-be-hoped-for relief. In a strictl)' ultilitarian sense nothing could be better for the General Government than the acquisition of all the blocks south of Pennsylvania avenue and between the Treasury Department and the Capitol for public building sites, as the proposed struc- tures would be located on the principal thoroughfare of the cit}', which is the natural location for them, and therefore the most economical one in the long run. ^estheticall}-, Pennsylvania avenue would b}' this measure become a park avenue second to none of the great streets of European capitals. Whatever will be done in the near future, this is the most important measure to be considered and advocated by all who have the welfare of Washington at heart. O -^ n I 8 Doi- f/-. &6 2 m □ddssqd "> ^^ rf 'J fl ^ ■ ' «.) oft: >^ 5: 1 A U ^ u \ ^. Q be ■Vo i -s^ i r "" **"■> '«'«•• to »<„»,„.„ LRBFe23