^' .-J^ ■v* ■^^ * o H ° " ^V -^ Vol *_" ^oV" .0 ^°-'<^. ■ "°^-?^-'*/ V'^\/ "°^'-'r-%o^ "*^, 6 -iss^,*- °^ -■ ,^^ '. "v^. A-^"^ -:iii5 i- 1 L me nded to be taken as necessary for new parks and park connect REPORT OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. M R. McMillan, from the Committee on the District of Cohmibia, on the 15th day of January, 1902, presented the following- report: The Committee on the District of Columbia, acting- under instructions of the Senate embodied in the resolution adopted March 8, 1901 — Resolved, That the Committee on the District of Columbia be, and it is hereby, directed to consider the subject and report to the Senate plans for the development and improvement of the entire park system of the District of Columbia. For the purpose of preparing such plans the committee may sit during the recess of Congress, and may secure the services of such experts as may be necessary for a proper con- sideration of the subject. The expenses of such investigation shall be paid from the contingent fund of the Senate — respectf ull}^ report ; The desirability of a comprehensive plan for the development of the District of Columbia has long been felt by Congress. During- the past Necessity of a com- ^®^ years particularl}^ questions have arisen as to the prehensiTe plan. location of public buildings, of preserving spaces for parks in the portions of the District beyond the limits of the city of Washington, of connecting and developing existing parks by attractive drives, and of providing for the recreation and health of a constantly growing population; and, in the absence of a well-considered plan, the solution of these grave problems has either been postponed or else has resulted in compromises that have marred the beauty and dignity of the national capital. I. The action of the Senate in ordering a comprehensive plan for the development of the entire park system of the District of Columbia is ^^ ^ , ^ the resultant of two movements— one popular in char- The Senate orders ^ ^ the preparation of a acter, the Other technical. In October, 1898, the plan. citizens of the District of Columbia began to arrange for the celebration, two years later, of the one hundredth anniversary 7 8 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. of the removal of the seat of government to the District of Colmnbia. The project, being- national in character rather than local, was brought to the attention of the President, and by him was laid before Congress, with the result that a joint committee of the two Houses was appointed to act with the citizen's committee in planning the celebration. In December, 1900, commemorative exercises, held at the White House and at the Capitol, were participated in by the Governors of the States as well as by the officials of the General Government and the representatives of foreign powers; and the celebration was brought to an appropriate end by a reception and banquet given by the Wash- ington Board of Trade in honor of the Congressional committee and the distinguished guests. The keynote of the celebration was the improvement of the District of Columbia in a manner and to an extent commensurate with the dig- nity and the resources of the American nation. Senators and Con- gressmen vied with Governor after Governor in commendation of the idea put forward by the local committee, that the time had come for the systematic and adequate improvement of the District of Columbia.' While the centennial exercises were in progress the American Insti- tute of Architects, in session in this city, was discussing the subject of improving Washington; and in a series of papers making sugges- tions for the development of parks and the placing of public buildings, the tentative ideas of a number of the leading architects, sculptors, and landscape architects of the country were put forward for discussion.' As a result the Institute appointed a committee on legislation, and consultations between that committee and the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia were followed by the order of the Senate for the preparation and submission of a general plan for the development of the entire park system of the District. II. On March 19, 1901, the subcommittee of the District committee hav- ing the matter in charge met the representatives of the American , / , , Institute of Architects and agreed to the proposition The appolntnieiit of j> r^w a Commission. of the latter that Mr. Daniel H. Burnham, of Chicago, Illinois, and Mr. Frederick Law Olmsted, jr., of Brookline, Massa- 1 Senate Document No. 210, Fifty-sixth Congress, second session. 2 Papers relating to the improvement of the city of Washington, December 19, 1900, ordered to be printed by the Senate. THE PARK COMMISSION. 9 chusetts, be empioyed as experts, with power to add to their number. These gentlemen accepted the task, and subsequently invited Mr. Charles F. McKim and Mr. Augustus St. Gaudens, of New York City, to act with them in the preparation of plans. ^ The committee con- siders itself most fortunate in having- secured the services of men who had won the very hig'hest places in their several professions. As Director of Works at the World's Columbian Exposition, held in the city of Chicag'o in the year 1893, Mr. Burnham was instru- mental in securing the adoption of a scheme of construction which placed that exhibition in the very front rank of international exposi- tions; and by the display of rare executive abilit}^ he brought about and maintained the effective cooperation of the architects and artists who then and there gave to American art both a new direction and a tremendous impetus. As the architect of the Boston Public Library, tne Rhode Island capitol, the new buildings and the fence at Harvard University, and other structures of monumental character, Mr. McKim is recognized in his profession as without a superior among American architects, his work being especially notable for its simplicity, directness, and scholarly qualities. Mr. St. Gaudens, by common consent, stands first among American sculptors; and among architects and artists his criticisms have the authority of law. Mr. Olmsted bears a name identified with what is best in modern land- scape architecture in the District of Columbia. He is the consulting landscape architect not onl}^ of the vast sj^stem of parks and boulevards which make up the metropolitan park system of Boston and its suburbs, but also of large parks in various cities. To Inherited taste he adds the highest training, both practical and theoretical. At the call of their professional brethren and at the request of this committee these men virtually put aside their large and profitable pri- vate work and for nearly a year devoted their time, their experience, and their technical training to the service of the nation. These sacri- fices they have made without pecuniary reward, and at a time in the professional careers of the majorit}^ of them when success and fame were already secure. Not only is the nation fortunate in having obtained the ripest talents of three such distinguished men, but also ^ The full report of this meeting is to be found in Park Improvement Papers, No. 3, printed for the use of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia. 10 PAEK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. it is a matter for satisfaction that the fourth member of the Commis- sion enters upon the work at an age when he may be expected to have a part in directing- and shaping the development ot the ^.lans from the beginning to the end. III. At the first meeting between the experts-who for convenience have been named the Park Commission-and the subcommittee of the Dis- trict committee^ the problem was stated to the Commission by the chairman substantially as follows: The District of Columbia was created as the seat of government ot the United States, and Washington was laid out as distinctively a capital city. The first consideration m its planning The problem stated. ^^^ ^^^ location of the public buildiugs and the gromids relating to them. In determining these locations each site was selected in reference to every other site; the lines of communi- cation between the various Departments were studied, and care was taken to provide not alone for convenience but also for beauty and dignity. The original plan of the city of Washington, having stood the test of a century, has met universal approval. The departures from that plan are to be regretted and, wherever possible, remedied. The reclamation of the Potomac flats has added to the public grounds a considerable area, one portion of which must be treated as a con- tinuation of the Mall and the Monument grounds, while the section lying in the river opposite the Washington Channel is susceptible of individual treatment. . j i a In 1889 Congress provided for the purchase of one hundred and seventy acres of land in the valley of Rock Creek for the purpose of establishing the iNational Zoological Park; and the next year a special act was passed authorizing the purchase of two thousand addi- tional acres extending from the northern boundaries of the Zoological Park to the District line. The amount of land actually acquired under the provisions of this act was one thousand six hundred and five and nine-tenths acres. This territory, beautified by nature, is undevel- oped, save for a few roads, the location of which was obvious; and before the public can realize fully the advantages of the purchase Rock Creek Park must be improved according to a systematic plan prepared by landscape architects. _^______ ^This subcommittee consisted of Senators McMillan, Gallinger, and Martin. See Park Improvement Papers, No. 3. PKOPOSED PAEKS AND PARKWAYS. 11 The Anacostia flats, comprising about eleven hundred acres, impera- tivel}" demand reclamation, in order to free the eastern portion of the city from the malarial conditions which for years have seriously retarded the development of that section and have constantly impaired the health of those persons who have been compelled to live within the miasmal influences. Congress, recognizing the deplorable condi- tions to which thousands of people either in its employ or under its care are thus of necessit}^ subjected, caused to be made a surve}^ and estimates of cost of the reclamation of these flats, ^ and it is believed that the time has now come to enter upon this work with the view to create a water park. In this manner can the park needs of the District best be subserved, and at the smallest expense. The valley of Rock Creek from the mouth of that stream to the Zoo- logical Park is unsightl}^ to the verge of ugliness. Congress has had the situation studied with a view to finding a solution of the difiiculty, either b}^ covering the creek entirely or by creating a parkway through the valley. The need of a definite plan of treatment is shown in a striking manner by the fact that on the line of Connecticut avenue a bridge is in course of construction; while on the line of Massachusetts avenue a culvert is building, the obvious intention being to fill the entire valley southward to the mouth of the creek. A decision should be reached as to whether the creek is to be covered or is to remain open, and also as to the treatment of the space in either case. The development of Potomac and Eock Creek parks, the creation of a park along the Anacostia, and the increasing use of the Soldiers' Home grounds for park purposes, all call for a study of connections among the parks, so as to bring into one S3^stem the diversified attrac- tions which these public spaces will offer when adequatelj^ developed. The positive squalor which to-day mars the entrance to almost every public park is too apparent to need discussion. IV. Aside from the pleasure and the positive benefits to health that the people derive from public parks, in a capital cit}^ like AVashington The original plan of there is a distiuct use of public spaces as the indis- M'ashington. i , £ ' • i- •. j^ /^^ pensabie means of giving dignit}^ to Government buildings and of making suitable connections between the great ^ House of Representatives Executive Document No. 30, Fifty-second Congress, first session, report of Lieut. P. C. Hains, and House of Representatives Document No. 87, Fifty-fifth Congress, third session, report of Col. C. J. Allen. 12 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. departments. When the city of Washington was planned under the direct and minute supervision of Washington and Jefferson, the rela- tions that should subsist between the Capitol and the President's House were closely studied. Indeed the whole city was planned with a view to the reciprocal relations that should exist among public buildings. Vistas and axes; sites for monuments and museums; parks and pleasure gardens; fountains and canals; in a word, all that goes to make a city a magnificent and consistent work of art were regarded as essentials in the plans made by L'Enfant under the direction of the first President and his Secretary of State. Nor were these original plans prepared without due study of great models. The stately art of landscape architecture had been brought oversea by royal governors and wealthy planters; and both Wash- ington and Jefferson were familiar with the practice of that art. L'Enfant, a man of position and education, and an engineer of ability, must have been familiar with those great works of the master Lenotre which are still the admiration of the traveler and the constant pleasure of the French people. Moreover, from his well-stocked library Jeffer- son sent to L'Enfant plans "on a large and accurate scale" of Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfort, Carlsruhe, Strasburg, Orleans, Turin, Milan, and other European cities, at the same time felicitating himself that the President had "left the planning of the town in such good hands." The object of the present investigation is to prepare for the city of Washington such a plan as shall enable future development to proceed along the lines originally planned — namely, the treatment of the city as a work of civic art — and to develop the outlying parks as portions of a single well-considered system. V. The nature and scope of the work having been outlined to the Commission, they entered upon their task not without hesitation and misgivings. The problem was both difficult and com- The work broadens. i -, r i i plex. Much had to be done; much, also, must be undone. Moreover, no sooner was the membership of the Commis- sion announced than their aid and advice was sought in relation to buildings and memorials under consideration, so that immediately the range of the work broadened. Thus the importance and usefulness of the Commission were enhanced. The cordial reception which the Commission have met from the OPINIONS OF CABINET OFFICERS. 13 highest oificials of the Government and the opportunities of useful- ness that have been opened to its members are alike significant and gratifying, n With the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Treasury, the Supervising Architect consulted the Commission at every stage in the selection of an architect for and the location of the new building for the Department of Agriculture.^ The Secretar}^ of War, under whose supervision the public buildings and grounds of the city come, was moved to say in his latest annual report: The many duties of the War Department in relation to the pubUc buildings and grounds of AVashington and to the statues and memorials authorized or proposed lay Congress have brought the Department into frequent conference with the Com- mission selected by the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia to prepare plans for the development of the park system of the District, consisting of Messrs. Daniel H. Burnham, Charles F. McKim, and Frederick Law Olmsted, jr., w'ho have now associated with them Mr. Augustus St. Gaudens. In admirable spirit that Commission seeks to restore and develop the original designs of President Washing- ton and L' Enfant, and the plans which they are about to present for the work to be done hereafter in making the capital city more beautiful have the hearty approval and symjiathy of the War Department, and will, if they shall happily be adopted, have that Department's cordial cooperation. The Attornej^-General, in referring to the proposed building for the Department of Justice, says in his annual report for 1901: No building should be constructed except such as will meet the just expectations not only of the present but of future generations. The building should be worthy of the purpose to which it is to be devoted and of the Government whose dignity it in part represents. In this connection due regard should be had to the general plan for the adornment of Washington, which is now under consideration by a competent Commission. Washington has become a city not only of cosmopolitan dignity but of exceptional beauty, and no building should be so constructed or located as to mar the symmetry of its development. The Commissioners of the District of Columbia and the officials connected with their office have given repeated and cordial assurance of their interest in a systematic development of the park system of the District, not only b}^ consultations, but also by placing the resources of their office at the disposal of the Commission. In their annual report the District Commissioners say: An important expression of the new feeling in Congress respecting the District of Columbia was the creation, at the extraordinary session of the Senate, in March last, ^The Park Commission, acting with the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, approved the programme of competition, named ten firms of architects who competed, and made the award, selecting the design submitted by Messrs. Lord & Hewlett, of New York City. 14 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. under the authority of a Senate resolution, by the Committee on the District of Columbia, of a Commission of eminent architects and landscape engineers to prepare a general plan for improvement of the park system of the District of Columbia. The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have been glad to act in cooperation with this Commission, and trust that its project for beautifying of the national capital will be adopted by Congress as the working plan for the years to come. For years the Commissioners of the District of Columbia and other public officers, and the citizens of the District, have been hoping that such a comprehensive scheme of improvement of the park system, and therefore of the whole District, would be adopted, in order that its sesthetic development might be made harmonious and complete and in accordance with the best ideals. To the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the Superintendent of the Coast Survey, the Officer in Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds, and the officers of the Corps of Engineers engaged on the improvement of the Potomac River Front the Commission are under obligations for assistance and information without which their labors must have been prolonged indefinitely, if not entirely defeated. The representative bodies of the citizens of the District of Columbia and the press also have given encouragement and support to the work, and have furnished suggestions of great value because based on expe- rience of the needs of the people. VI. After a detailed examination of the topographical features of the District of Columbia, the Commission drew up preliminary plans. They were then forced to the conclusion that an ade- The railroad problem. , , i i J.^ quate treatment of the park system depends upon the exclusion of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad from public grounds, so as to allow that dignified approach to the Capitol for which the Mall was originally designed. The occupation of the Mall by the railroad dates back to 1872, at which time, in order to secure competition in freight and pas- senger traffic, the then local government of the District of Columbia granted the lands, and subsequently Congress confirmed the grant.' In extenuation of the original occupation, it may be urged that the space was then no better than a common pasture and that the railroad 1 The board of aldermen and the board of common council granted the Mall site to the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad on March 20, 1871. See Evening Star, March 21, 1871, for report of proceedings. This action by the District authorities was confirmed by act of Congress approved May 21, 1872; chapter 189, Statutes at Large, Forty-second Congress, second session. THE RAILEOAD PROBLEM. 15 but took the place of the canal which it paralleled; so that conditions were improved b}'^ the change, as undoubtedh' proved to be the case. Be that as it may, the railroad holds the right to use the property by a title good in law and in equit}^; and by virtue of a recent act of Congress the railroad space has been enlarged, in consideration of the surrender of street trackage and the proposed elevation of the tracks within the citj^ of Washington. It so happened that the chairman of the Commission, Mr. Burnham, is the architect of the Pennsylvania Railroad's new station at Pittsburg, and he had also drawn for the Pennsylvania Railroad the preliminary plans for the Baltimore and Potomac station in Washington. After consultation with the subcommittee, Mr. Burnham proposed to the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad that the station be built on the south side of the Mall and lands adjoining. The architectural and other advantages of the proposed site were set forth with such vigor as to command serious consideration. There the matter rested for a time. The Commission, in order to make a closer study of the practice of landscape architecture as applied to parks and public buildings, made a brief trip to Europe, visiting Rome, Venice, Vienna, European studies. Budapest, Paris, London, and their suburbs. Atten- tion was directed principally to ascertaining what arrangement of park areas best adapts them to the uses of the people, and what are the elements that give pleasure from generation to generation, and even from centur}- to century. The many and striking results of this stud}^ will appear in the discussions that follow. It was during the stay of the Commission in London that President Cassatt announced to Mr. Burnham his willingness to consider the question, not of moving the Baltimore and Potomac station to the south side of the Mall, but of withdrawing altogether from that region and uniting with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Compan}^ in the erec- tion of a union station on the site established by legislation for the new depot of that road, provided suitable legislation be secured to make compensation for the increased expense such a change would involve, and provided, also, that the approaches to the new site be made worthy of the building the railroads propose to erect. Subsequent examination convinced the Commission that, from an aesthetic standpoint, there are insuperable objections to the depot site provided by law. The chief objection is that were the The union station. . . station to front on C street a train shed eight hundred feet wide would be thrown across Massachusetts avenue, one of the 16 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. great thoroughfares of the city. Not only would the vistas be blocked by a commercial building, but also the street would be carried under- neath this enormous structure in a tunnel so long as to cause the avenue to be avoided bj^ traffic. The Commission thereupon proposed a site fronting on Massachusetts avenue, and again the officials of the railroad company consented to a change of location. The plans call for a station eight feet and eight inches longer than the Capitol, the building to be of white marble, the fapade to be Roman in style of architecture, and the construction and arrangements to be so planned as to make this station superior to an}^ structure ever erected for railwa}^ purposes. Facing the Capitol, and yet not too near that edifice, the new station will front upon a plaza six hundred feet in width and twelve hundred feet in length, where bodies of troops or large organizations can be formed during inaugural times or on other like occasions. Thus located and constructed, the union depot will be in reality the great and impressive gatewa}^ to Washington. It should be said here that in considering the views of the Commis- sion, and in reaching his decision, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad looked at the matter from the standpoint of an American citizen, saying in substance that he appreciated the fact that if Con- gress intended to make of the Mall what the founders of the city intended it to be, no railroad should be allowed to cross it; and that he was willing to vacate the space provided the matter could be arranged without sacrificing the interests of the stockholders of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad.^ VII. This conditional consent on the part of the railroad removed the one great obstacle to the preparation of adequate plans for the improve- ment of the city. Lesser obstacles, such as the lack of survevs of the oldest parks in the District and the difficulties of getting together the widely scattered data, have been surmounted. On the other hand, the work has been much lightened by the excellent topographical maps of the District outside of the city, prepared by the Coast and Geodetic Surv^e}". The plans prepared by the Commission and submitted to the Senate with this report are the most comprehensive ever provided for the The character of the development of an American city. Every portion of P^*""*- the District of Columbia has been studied; in the out- lying sections those spaces best adapted for parks, both small and 1 See Senate bill No. 4825, Report No. 982, Fifty-sixth Congress. t-^ wawi— NO. 34 —MODEL OF THE MAUL. SHOWING PRESENT CONOlTrONS. LOOKING EAST. COMPREHENSIVENESS OF THE PLAN. 17 larg'e, have been marked; the most convenient and the most pictur- esque connections between the various parks have been mapped; the individual treatment which each particular important park should undergo is recommended; an extension of the park svsteni to Great Falls and to Mount Vernon is discussed; the development of the Mall receives detailed and elaborate treatment; the location of new T3ublic buildings, whether legislative, executive, or municipal in char- acter, has been arranged according to a rational system of grouping; and those memorials which mark great epochs or great crises in our national history have been brought into harmonious relations with the general scheme of development. As a result of this comprehensive treatment every considerable undertaking within the District may be brought into the general plan and made to contribute its part to enhancing value of the whole. More than this, no such undertaking should be allowed to invade, to mutilate, or to mar the symmetry, simplicity, and dignity of the one great composition designed to comprehend the entire District of Columbia. VIII. In working out the plans the Commission found it necessary to have prepared two models, one showing the existing disturbed condi- Modeis and iUustra- tions in the scction from the Library of Congress westward to the Potomac, and the other showing the arrangement proposed. These models, constructed with the utmost attention to the details of topography, are accurate maps of the section they so graphically depict. Not only are they absolutely essential to the designers, but they are also the guides in carrying the plans to completion. So that, as the years pass, those persons who may be charged with the task of improvement will be under no uncertainty as to the particular treatment intended,^ A third model, representing the Monument garden, shows with nice elaboration of detail the terraces, the buildings, the fountains, and the approaches designed to furnish that august structure its appropriate setting.^ In order to present in graphic fashion particular features of the plans, the accurate architectural drawings have been rendered in color by a number of the most famous illustrators of the day, and by means ^ These models were made under the direction of George Carroll Curtis, geograph- ical sculptor, of Boston. ^ The Monument garden was modeled by Mr. Merz, of New York City. NO. 34.-MODEL OF THE MALL. SHOWING PRESENT CONDITIONS. LOOKING WEST. 18 PAEK SYSTEM OF THE DISTEICT OF COLUMBIA. of these pictures a clear and distinct idea of the appearance of the completed work can be obtained/ IX. The plans as prepared call fo]- systematic, continuous work, which of necessity must be prolonged through a considerable number of years. The park system of the District of Columbia Concentration of au- - ^ i p i r^U ' ^ -P thority. is placed by law under the control ot the CJiiet ot Engineers of the United States Army,' but individual portions of the system are subject to separate control. It is essential to the harmoni- ous and successful development of the improvements that there shall be a greater concentration of authority, and the constant employment of professional advice. No work should be entered upon without the preparation of detailed plans, to be approved by the highest possible authority as being in accord with the general system. Obviously it is impossible to make even an approximate estimate of the cost of improvements which are to be completed in an indefinite future: nor is such an estimate necessary. From time The question of ex- ^ j j. j. i.u pense. to time new buildings must be constructed to meet tJie constantly increasing needs of the Government, and as appropriations come to be made the buildings should be located so that each new structure will fit into its appropriate p lace in the great scheme. Year iFrom January 15 to February 25, 1902, the models and pictures were exhibited at the Corcoran Museum of Art, the trustees of which institution very kindly having placed several rooms at.the disposal of the committee for the purpose of the exhibi- tion. Later the entire exhibition was removed to the Library of Congress, where it now is displayed in the Division of Prints. For a list of the illustrations presented see Appendix K. ^'See act of July 1, 1898, entitled "An act to vest in the Commissioners of the District of Columbia control of street parking in said District." Section 2 provid^es: "That the park system of the District of Columbia is hereby placed under the exclusive charge and control of the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army, under such regulations as may be prescribed by the President of the United States, through the Secretary of War. The said park system shall be held to comprise: (a) All public spaces laid down as reservations on the map of eighteen hundred and ninety-four accompanying the annual report for eighteen hundred and ninety-four of the officer in charge of public buildings and grounds; (b) All portions of the space in the streets and avenues of the said District, after the same shall have been set aside by the Commissioners of the District of Columbia for park purposes: Provided, That no areas less than two hundred and fifty square feet between side walk lines shall be included within the said park system." THE NEED OF COOPERATION. 19 by year lands must be secured for Government or municipal institu- tions, and by foresight and good judgment these purposes can readily be made to enhance the beauty and utility of the park system. As the finances of the District will allow, the parks are bound to be developed and those facilities for enjoyment which civic life increasingly demands will be supplied. So fast as provision may be made for these improve- ments, let the work be done in accordance with plans at once simple, adequate, dignified, and comprehensive. By the patient and steadfast cooperation of all those persons charged with the upbuilding of the District of Columbia, a result may be The need of cooper- attained such as has been reached in no other capital **'""' city of the modern world. The task is indeed a stupendous one; it is much greater than an}^ one generation can hope to accomplish. The ver\^ hearty and intelligent cooperation that the plans have been received b}^ the officers of the Government, the com- mittees of Congress, and by the public generally makes it reasonabl}' certain that the development of the National Capital will be prose- cuted along the general lines proposed; and that the city which Washington and Jefferson planned with so much care and with such prophetic vision will continue to expand, keeping pace with national advancement, until it becomes the visible expression of the power and taste of the people of the United States. REPORT OF THE PAliK COMMISSION. MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. DANIEL H. BURNHAM, Chairman. CHARLES F. McKIM. AUGUSTUS SAINT GAUDENS. FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED, Jr. 21 ^YashiTlptl1n CO] I,l,„(,ln M-ninri,.l Executive Kroup < 1 r,.-|~lHlUr unilll, ,.| l.ull.lilm. NO. 36.- MODEL OF THE MALL, SHOWING TREATMENT PROPOSED. LOOKING WEST. Executive group of buL REPORT OF THE PARK COMMISSION TO THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. SIR: The Commission appointed by the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia to prepare a plan for the development and the improvement of the entire park system of the District of Columbia respectfully report* I. The city of Washington differs from all other American cities in the fact that in its original plan parks were laid out as settings for public buildings. Even its broad avenues .were arranged so as to enhance the effect of the great edifices of the nation; and the squares at the intersection of the wide thoroughfares were set apart as sites for memorials to be erected by the various States. Parks, in the modern sense of large public recreation grounds, there were none; but small areas designed to beautify the connections between the various depart- ments of Government were numerous. During the nineteenth century, however, the development of urban life and the expansion of cities has brought into prominence the need, not recognized a hundred years ago, for , large parks to preserve artificially in our cities passages of rural or sylvan scenery and for spaces adapted to various special forms of recreation. Moreover, dur- ing the century that has elapsed since the foundation of the city the great space known as the Mall, which was intended Changes in the Mall. i /-^ • i j to form a unified connection between the Capitol and the White House, and to furnish sites for a certain class of public buildings, has been diverted from its original purpose and cut into fragments, each portion receiving a separate and individual informal treatment, thus invading what was a single composition. Again, 23 Washington Common. NO. .U. Mom I o( IKI MALL, i.HOWINO IHtAIMtNl PHOPOStO. LOOKING EAST. 24 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. many reservations have passed from public into private ownership, with the result that public buildino-s have lost their appropriate sur- roundings, and new structures have been built without that landscape setting which the founders of the cit}' relied on to give them beauty and dignity. Happil}", however, little has been lost that can not be regained at reasonable cost. Fortunateh^ also, during the years that have passed the Capitol has been enlarged and ennoblecl, and the Washington Monument, wonderful alike as an engineering feat and a work of art, iniproveineiits ae- ^^^ been constructcd on a site that may be brought compiisiied. jj^to relations with the Capitol and the White House. Doubly fortunate, moreover, is the fact that the vast and successful work of the engineers in redeeming the Potomac banks from unhealth- ful conditions gives opportunit}^ for enlarging the scope of the earlier plans in a manner corresponding to the growth of the countr}^ At the same time the development of Potomac Park both provides for a connection between the parks on the west and those on the east, and also it may readily furnish sites for those memorials which history has shown to be worthy a place in vital relation to the great buildings and monuments erected under the personal supervision of the founders of the Republic. Now that the demand for new public ])uildings and memorials has reached an acute stage, there has been hesitation and embarrassment in locating them because of the uncertainty in securing appropriate sites. The Commission were thus brought face to, face with the prob- lem of devising such a plan as shall tend to restore that unitv of design which was the fundamental conception of those who first laid out the cit\" as a national capital, and of formulating definite principles for the placing of those future structures which, in order to become effective, demand both a landscape setting and a visible orderly relation one to another for their mutual support and enhancement. To the unique problem of devising a way of return to the original plan of the city of Washington, was added the task of suggesting lines The original plan of ^^^ ^^® development of those large parks which have Washington. been obtained in recent years either by purchase or by reclamation; of advising the acquisition of such additional spaces as are deemed necessary to create a modern park system; and of select- ing for purchase and improvement suitable connections between the various park areas. EETUEN TO L ENFANT PLAN. 25 II. If Washington were not a nation's capital, in which the location of public building's is of the first importance, and if the city itself were not b}^ its ver}" plan tied to a historic past, the problem would be less complicated. The very fact that Washington and Jefi'erson, L'Enfant washin-toii as a ^"^ Ellicott, and their immediate successors, drew capital city. inspiration from the world's greatest works of land- scape architecture and of civic adornment made it imperative to go back to the sources of their knowledge and taste in order to restore unity and harmony to their creations and to guide future development along appropriate lines. Indeed the more the Commission studied the firs t plans of the Fed- eral City, the more they became con- vinced that the greatest service the}" could perform would be done by carrying to a legitimate conclusion the comprehensive, intelligent, and yet simple and straightforward scheme devised by L'Enfant under the direction of Washington and Jefferson.^ L'Enfant's plan ^ shows that he was familiar with the work of Lenotre, ^ Through the courtesy of the Hon. Lyman J. Gage, former Secretary of the Treas- ury, the Commission were enabled to visit those historic towns and estates on the Potomac and James rivers and on Chesapeake Bay among which Washington passed his life, and which exemplify the principles of plan and design for which the seven- teenth century was famous. Meager and slight as these examples of formal landscape treatment seem when compared with their European prototypes, they nevertheless possess a simple dignity and stateliness, and they evince an acquaintance on the part of their designers with the fundamental principles of art. ^ The L' Enfant' s plan was in charge of the Commissioners of the District of Colum- bia from 1791 to 1802; of the Superintendent of Public Buildings from 1802 to 1815; of the Commissioner of Public Buildings from 1815 to 1850, and since 1850 to the present time, of the Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds: The map is largely illegible, but has been reproduced by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. No. 148. — Water jets of the great terrace, Vau.x-le-Vicomte, work of Lenotre. 26 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. whose examples of landscape architecture, not only in France but also in Ital}^ and England, are still the admiration of the world. We know, also, that L'Enfant had the advantage of those maps of foreign cities, ' ' drawn on a large and accurate scale," which Jefferson gathered during his public service abroad, and we learn from Jefferson's letters how he adjured L'Enfant not to depart from classical models, but to follow those examples which the world had agreed to admire. In order to restudy these same models and to take note of the great civic works of Europe, the Commission spent five weeks of the summer of 1901 in for- eign travel, visiting London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Yienna, Budapest, Frankfort, and Berlin. Among the many problems with which the Commission is called upon to deal there is not one which has not been dealt with in some one of the cities mentioned, and by way either of example or of warning the lessons of the past have been brought to bear upon the present work. III. On beginning work the Commission were confronted by the fact that while from the first of October till about the middle of May the climatic Climatic conditions couditioiis of Washington are most salubrious, dur- in Was ing on. ^^^^ ^j^^ remaining four and a half months the city is subject to extended periods of intense heat, during which all public business is conducted at an undue expenditure of physical force. Every second year Congress is in ses- sion usually until about the middle of July; and not infrequently it hap- pens that, by rea- son of prolonged or special sessions, during the hottest portion of the sum- mer the city is filled with the persons whose business makes necessary a more or less prolonged stay in Washington. Of course nothing can be done to change weather conditions, but very much can be 1 \ , ■!>■ ! ■ if ' ■ M »?- 1b \i H IIP"' ^■^ ^:: .. "-■*'iii(iii. — View of Terrace from base of Monumuiil. THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL. THE area extending westward for a mile from the Monument to the bank of the Potomac — land reclaimed from the river flats — remains to be considered. For the most pai't this area from New York avenue to the river should be treated as a wood, planted informalh^, but marked by formal roads and paths, much as the Bois de Bologne at Paris is treated. If the plans as laid down by this Commission shall be observed by the army engineers in the remaining work of flats reclamation, and b}^ the District engineers when the}" come to complete the sewage-disposal system, this portion of Potomac Park can be made ready for planting without appreciable expense. The central portion of this area, still adhering to the Mall width of sixteen hundred feet, has a special and particular treatment. From the Monument garden westward a canal three thousand six hundred feet long and two hundred feet wide, with central arras and bordered b}^ stretches of green walled with trees, leads to a concourse raised to the height of the Monument platform. Seen from The canal. , -^ r i ^ i • • -i • i the Monument platform, this canal, similar in char- acter and general treatment to the canals at Versailles and Fontaine - bleau, in France, and at Hampton Court, in England, introduces into the formal landscape an element of repose and great beauty. At the head of the canal a great rond -povnt., placed on the main axis of the Capitol and the Monument, becomes a gate of approach to the park system of the District of Columbia. Centering upon it as a great point of reunion are the drives leading southeast to Potomac Park and northwest by the Riverside drive to the Rock Creek system of parks. From this elevation of forty feet the Memorial Bridge leads across the Potomac directly to the base of the hill crowned b}^ the Mansion-house of Arlington. Crowning the rond jxrint ^ as the Arc de Triomphe crowns the Place de I'Etoile at Paris, should stand a memorial erected to the memory of 51 NO. 49.— VIEW SHOWING THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL SITE, SEEN FROM THE CANAL. 52 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. that one man in our histor}^ as a nation who is worthy to be named with George Washington — Abraham Lincoln. Whatever may be the exact form selected for the memorial to Lincoln, in type it should possess the qualit}'' of universality, and also it should have a character essentially distinct from that of any monument either now existing in the District or hereafter to be Type of the Lincoln ©rected. The type which the Commission has in mind Memorial. j^ ^ great portlco of Doric columns rising from an unbroken stylo bate. This portico, while affording a point of vantage No. 32. — Section of Lincoln Memorial. from which one obtains a commanding outlook, both upon the river and eastward to the Capitol, has for its chief function to support a panel bearing an inscription taken either from the Gettysburg speech or from some one of the immortal messages of the savior of the Union. The portico contemplated in the plans, consisting of columns forty feet in height, occupies a space of two hundred and fifty feet in length and two hundred and twent}^ feet in width; it is approached by flights of stairs on the east and the west, is embellished with appropriate groups of sculpture, and is surmounted by a central crowning group of statuary. At the head of the canal, at the eastern approach to the memorial, it is proposed to place a statue of Abraham Lincoln, while surrounding the memorial and framing it are linden trees, planted four rows deep, to form a peristyle of green, from which radiate various avenues centering upon the memorial itself.^ ^On June 16, 1902, the House of Kepresentatives passed the Senate bill, introduced by Mr. Cullom, of Ilhnois, as follows: Be it enacted, etc., That the chairman of the Committee on the Library of the Senate, tlie chairman of the Committee on the Library of the House of Representa- tives, the Secretary of State, and the Secretarj^ of War, and James D. Richardson, a member of the House of Representatives, be, and they are hereby, created a com- mission to secure plans and designs for a monument or memorial to the memory of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States. Sec. 2. That the sum of $25,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry out the provisions of this act. Sec. 3. That the said commission shall report the result of their action to Congress as soon as practicable after a decision has been reached. THE MEMORIAL BRIDGE, AJSTALOSTAN ISLAND, AND THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AT ARLINGTON. S. Rep. 166 9 53 THE MEMORIAL BRIDGE, ANALOSTAN ISLAND, AND THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AT ARLINGTON. ON the occasion of lajdng the corner stone for the extension of the Capitol, on the Eourth of Jul}^, 1851, Daniel Webster, in the course of an impassioned plea for preservation of the Union, which in his prophetic vision seemed even then on the verge of dissolution, exclaimed: Before us is the broad and beautiful river, separating two of the original thirteen States, which a late President, a man of determined purpose and inflexible will, but patriotic heart, desired to span with arches of ever-enduring granite, symbolical of the firmly established union of the North and the South. That President was General Jackson. The struggle which the orator and the statesman were powerless to avert brought about the perpetuation of the Union; and to-day the survivors of that war, both those of the North and those of the South, using the words of President McKinle}^, urge the building of the Memorial Bridge as a monument to American valor. For the past seventeen years the Memorial Bridge project has been before Congress constantl3^ In response to the Senate resolution of Maj^ 24, 1886, Major Hains, of the Corps of Engineers, reported in favor of a bridge of four spans, each about three hundred feet in length, to extend from the Washington bank of the Potomac to Analostan Island, the island itself and the bed of Little River to be crossed partl}^ b}^ an embankment and partl}^ b}^ an open trestle, the cost for the entire work to be about $650,000. About the same time Captain Symons submitted a plan for a more elaborate structure, to extend from Observatory Hill to the National Cemetery and Govern- ment estate at Arlington, at a cost of 11,500,000. On February 20, 1890, the Senate again called for a stud}^ of the subject, and in response Colonel Hains proposed a bridge four thousand live hundred and eightv feet in length, extending rrom New York avenue to the Arlington estate, at a cost of $3,591,000. 55 56 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Subsequenth" several reports were made on bills to provide for a Memorial Bridge, but the first legislation on the subject is found in the sundry civil act approved March 3, 1899, which appropriated $5,000 "to enable the Chief of Engineers of the Army to continue the examination of the subject and to make or secure designs, calculations, and estimates for a Memorial Bridge from the most convenient point, of the Naval Observatory grounds, or adjacent thereto, across the Potomac River to the most convenient point of the Arlington estate property," Acting under the authority so conferred, four bridge engineers, Messrs. L. L. Buck, William H, Burr, William R. Hutton,and George Bruise designs suii- ^- Morrison, wcre invited to prepare plans. These '""'"'^''- plans were submitted to a jurj^ composed of Lieutenant- Colonel Charles J. Allen, Major Thomas W. Svmons, Captain D. D. Gaillard, of the Corps of Engineers, and Mr. Stanford White and Mr. James G. Hill, architects, who reported in favor of a combination of the designs submitted by Professor Burr. The cost was estimated at $4,860,000, and the structure proposed was a highly decorated bridge eighty-four feet in width, adapted for street-railwaj" tracks, and fitted with a steel bascule draw. These plans were submitted to Congress by the Secretary of War on April 9, 1900, but thus far no action upon them has been taken. ^ Up to the time this report was submitted no study had been made for the development of the Potomac Park, and for this reason, doubtless, favorable consideration was given to bridge plans which contained in themselves features unusualh^ elaborate. The studies which the Park Commission has made for the improvement of Potomac Park, and the , introduction in the park proper of memorials of the largest type, have led the Commission to recommend certain modifications in both the location and the character of the Memorial Bridge. The proposed Lincoln memorial, located on the bank of the Potomac, on the axis of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, and occup}^- ing an elevation forty feet above the level of the water, makes a start- ing point for the bridge that becomes especial)}^ convenient when this rond point is considered as the point of divergence and reunion of the driveways leading to the Rock Creek park S3^stem on the northwest and the Potomac system on the southeast. Moreover, the establish- ^House of Representatives Document No. 578, Fifty-sixth Congress, first session. I MEMORIAL BRIDGJJ, ANALOSTAN ISLAND, NATIONAL CEMETERY. 57 mentof this concourse allows the bridge to cross the river at the angle most convenient, taking- into consideration both the channel of the river and the main objective point — the mansion house at Arlington. Inasmuch as the comparatively flat topograph}^ of the country makes undesirable a high bridge under which vessels could pass, the decreased Lensth of bri(ii,'e length of bridge required under the new plans is in desirable. itsclf a Weighty Consideration. At the same time the necessity of placing a draw in the bridge calls for such a treatment of the spans as shall not result in an apparent weakening of the structure at its central and vital point. All these things considered, the Commission recommends that the Memorial Bridge proper begin at the proposed Lincoln memorial and extend to Analostan Island; that the supports be masonry piers of monumental character; that the spans be so arranged as to prevent a uniform appearance, the character of the draw used being such as to bring about this result. Also, that a concourse suited to memorial treatment be established on Analostan Island, and that the extension of the passageway from the island to the Virginia shore be distinctly subordinate to the bridge proper. The competition already mentioned having resulted in the selection of one of the leading l)ridge builders of the country, it is not con- sidered necessary to do more than to have the subject restudied in the light of the new conditions and to have such modifications made in the plans as shall adapt them to the principles above laid down, all of which may be accomplished under the direction of the Secretary of War when the necessary appropriations shall be made. Such moditi- cations would call for the removal of the central ornamental towers, which would conflict with the proposed Lincoln memorial, and which are not considered as in themselves desirable features for the central portion of a bridge structure. In connection with the Memorial Bridge, the acquisition and devel- opment of Analostan Island becomes an important consideration. The Development of All- i'^l^ud pi'opcr is about eightj^-cight acres in extent; aiostan Island. ^ud to this should be added the flats at the eastern end, which must be reclaimed eventually. The western portion, sep- arated from Georgetown by the narrow channel of the river, is in part covered by trees and in part b}- sedges and water plants. Form- ing an important and beautiful part of all the views over the Poto- NO. 50.-PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF LINCOLN MEMORIAL SITE, SEEN FROM RIVERSIDE DRIVE. 58 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. mac, the island should not be permitted to come into disagreeable occupancy, but at the earliest convenient opportunity^ it should be purchased and developed as a river park for the use of that por- tion of Georgetown which is now entirel}" without park facilities. Inasmuch as the island will be crossed by the Memorial Bridge, it will be accessible, and at its present offered price it would form a very desirable and inexpensive addition to the park system. The broader and simpler the treatment of the bridge to Arlington, the closer will be the connection between the reservations now sepa- Treatiiieiit of Ar- I'^ted b}^ the Potomac, and the more vital will be the """*""• relation between the Potomac Park and the Arling- ton estate. Such a result becomes desirable in the highest degree when one considers the immense numbers of people who resort not onl}^ to Fort Myer, but also to the Arlington Cemetery. The interest excited by the drills at the cavalry post, the superb view from the heights, and the feelings of patriotism awakened by the vast field of the hero dead, known or unnamed, all call for such a treatment of the entire reservation as shall not diminish but rather enhance the effect produced on the visitor. There is nothing that needs proper supervision and planning more than the modern cemetery, for there is certainly nothing that suffers more fromvulgarit}", ignorance, and pretentiousness on the one side, and grasping unscrupulousness on the other; and instead of being a place to which one may go with a sentiment of respect and peace, as into a church or sacred place, the e^^e and the feelings are constantly shocked by the monstrosities which dominate in all modern cemeteries. There is no doubt that the feeling which pervades the majority of people who erect monuments to their dead is one of the tenderest; a sincere desire to do nothing even in the simplest form which is not fitting and in entire harmony with the feeling that prompts the erec- tion of the memorials. This feeling, if properl}'^ protected and guarded, would lead to the harmonious and sober treatment so necessary for such places. A great example of the effectiveness of such restraint and guidance is the extraordinary dignit3^ impressiveness, and nobility of the Soldiers' Cemetery at the Soldiers' Home in this city, and also in that part of the Arlmgton Cemetery set apart for the privates and unknown dead. This is not attained by any large monuments, but hj the very simplicity and uniformitj^ of the whole. MEMORIAL BRIDGE, ANALOSTAN ISLAND, NATIONAL CEMETERY. 59 The trouble is that the majorit}^ of monuments now in the ceme- teries are produced b}' tirms who make it merelj" a business afi'air, the Cemetery nioiiu- g'^'^ater portiou of them having- not the slightest idea "'•""t**- of what is good » or bad, and possessing' not even an elementary knowledge of architecture or even good taste. To remed}'- this it is absolutely necessary that the designs for all the monuments in all the cemeteries, from the most niodest to the most costly, should be made by or subject to the approval of a commission composed of two or three architects and a landscape architect of the highest pos- sible standing. The}^ should lay out and design the cemeteries and establish rules for their proper supervision, and should control the designs for future monuments in the cemeteries already existing. Nothing could be more impressive th.an the )"ank after rank of white stones, inconspicuous in themselves, covering the gentle, wooded slopes, and producing the desired effect of a vast armv The soldier dead. in its last resting place. Those spaces reserved for burials of officers and their families, however, exhibit all the hetero- g-eneous forms which disturb those very ideas of peace and quiet which should characterize a spot sacred to the tenderest feelings of the human heart. In particular, the noble slopes toward the river should be rigorously protected against the invasion of monuments which utterh" annihilate the sense of beaut}^ and repose. This is one of the most beautiful spots in the vicinity of Washington; it should not be defaced or touched in an}^ wa}^, and a law or rule should at once be passed forbidding the placing of any monument on this hill. THE GROUPING OF THE BUILDINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 61 THE GROUPING OF THE BUILDINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. THE location of the buildings connected with the Legislative and Judicial Departments of the Government having been dis- cussed in another portion of this report, attention should be given to the buildings of the Executive Department. Of these the first to be considered is the White House, the corner stone of which was laid on October 13, 1792, and which was first occupied b}^ Presi- dent and Mrs. John Adams in 1800. The building was burned b}'^ the British in 1814, and both its construction and reconstruction were superintended by its architect, James Hoban. For a number of years past the White House has been overcrowded by reason of the rapid increase in public business, which has encroached seriously upon the private apartments of the President. The larger receptions and other social functions are now so inadequately provided for as to cause serious discomforts to the guests, and a consequent loss of that order and dignity which should characterize them. State dinners can not be served adequately; and all the conditions surrounding the home life of the President are primitive to the last degree. Three methods of overcoming the present unfortunate conditions have been suggested: First, the enlargement of the White House by additions on the east and west of the present building. The plans and model prepared for such enlargement prove conclusively that the historic White House can not be enlarged without destro^dng its individuality, thus causing the loss of those characteristic features which endear the edifice to the American people.^ Second, it has been urged that the White House be given up entirely to public business, and that a residence for the President be built on one of the command- ing hills overlooking the city. This plan, however, has not as yet ^ Celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Establishment of the Seat of Government in the District of Columbia, compiled by William V. Cox; address of Col. Theodore A. Bingham, pp. 61-71. 63 Memorial Bridge. Executive group. ^"s'i'jp^i^- Wiir OnlloRe uiiil Enffineers School. NO. 21. -BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF GENERAL PLAN, FROM A POINT TAKEN 4,000 FEET ABOVE THE GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE. 64 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. commended itself to popular opinion. The third alternative is that the Executive offices be removed from the White House, and that the Presidents House (as the White House was termed officialh^ until about 1860) be devoted entirely to residence purposes. This latter plan is favored by the present Chief Executive; and to the Commission it seems to be the best solution of the problem possible at this time. The location of the building to contain the Executive offices is a more difficult matter; but the Commission are of the opinion that while temporary quarters may well be constructed in the grounds of the White House, a building sufficient in size to accommodate those offices may best be located in the center of Lafayette Square. This suggestion must be taken in connection with the full development of the plan outlined below. There is a present and pressing need for new buildings for existing Departments. The Department of Justice is without a home, and the site selected for a new building (a portion of the square opposite the Treasury Department) is admitted to be inadequate for the erection of a suitable structure. The State, War, and Navy Departments, now housed in a single building, are in so crowded a condition that they are occupying additional rented quarters. For the sake of convenience these Departments should be accessible to the White House, which is their common center. The proper solution of the problem of the grouping of the Executive Departments undoubtedly is to be found in the construction of a series of edifices facing Lafayette Square, thus repeating for those Departments the group of buildings for the Legis- lative and Judicial Departments planned to the Capitol grounds. Certainly both dignity and beauty can best be attained by such a dis- position of public edifices. The execution of this plan ma}^ best begin by erecting on the entire square bounded by Pennsylvania avenue, Jackson place, H, and Seven- teenth streets a building for the use of the Departments of State and of Justice. The square opposite the Treasur}^ Department will be required before many years by the Post-Office Department, now most unvvorthil}^ and inadequate!}" housed in rooms over the local post- office; and b}^ the Department of Commerce, soon to be created. It is quite possible also that the Interior Department may find it most con- venient to give up to the growing needs of the Patent Office its present noble building, and to come into closer physical relations with the other GKOUPING OF BUILDINGS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 65 Executive Departments. The Ag-ricultural Department, however, being- the nucleus of a g-reat number of laboratories requiring a maxi- mum of light and air, may properly have its new building located, as at present proposed, on the grounds in the Mall, now set apart for its uses. Such a group of buildings, with the Executive offices for a center, as the Capitol is the center of the Legislative group, will result in a composition of the greatest possible dignit}-^ and impressiveness.^ ' Since this report was made the President lias placed Mr. McKim in charge of the reinstatement of the White House; and plans have been prepared for the construc- tion of a temporary office building in the White House grounds on the west; and for the restoration of the President's house in such a manner as to increase the available space therein by about one-half. THE AREA SOUTH OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE. S. Rep. 166 10 67 THE AREA SOUTH OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE. DURING the past two decades a sentiment has develope'd both among- the residents of the District and also in Congress, that the area between Pennsylvania avenue and the Mall should be reclaimed from its present uses b}^ locating within that section important public buildings. The avenue itself is one of the historic thoroughfares of the world, a preeminence attained b}^ reason of the fact that it connects the Executive Department with the Legisla- tive and Judicial Departments of Government, and so has become the route of those processions which celebrate great occasions in peace and war, or which from time to time mark the change of Adminis- trations. Although within recent years imposing buildings devoted to business purposes have been erected on the north side of the ave- nue, nevertheless, for the most part, the thoroughfare, spacious as it is in itself considered, is lined by structures entirely unworthy of the conspicuous positions they occupy. The upbuilding of Pennsyl- vania avenue, therefore, must of necessity have consideration in any compi'ehensive plan for the treatment of Washington. The extension of B street north eastward to Pennsylvania avenue, and the inclusion within the Mall of the space south of that street, as extended, will in part solve the problem. Furthermore, the present location of the city post-oflSce and of the great central market, together with the fact that the business of the city is concentrated largely along this avenue, both suggest that within this area the public buildings of tho municipality, as distinct from the General Government, may well be located. The Commission have the more confidence in making this recommendation for the reason that, bj^ common consent and by positive action as well, a site for a District building was set apart in front of the present Center Market, and for nearly thirty years the District of Columbia virtual!}" has been paying an annual rental for that site, in the 69 70 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. decreased rents charged the market compain^ in consideration of the relinquishment of a portion of their propert}" to be used as the site of a municipal building. Inadequate as to size, the location of the site is especially adapted to the end soug'ht. Occupying a position midwa}^ between the White House and the Capitol, situated at the point of convergence of wide avenues, located in the very center of business activity, placed on a line with the dignified building of the Department of the Interior and of the new Carnegie Library, the site selected would give to the Dis- trict building and to the municipality^ it represents a distinction and a dignit}" all its own. No other site would so assert the individualitj^ of the District of Columbia. This individuality would be still further enhanced by grouping within the same general area other buildings municipal or semi-municipal in character. In this connection the axial relation existing between the proposed site and the present loca- tion of the District courts should not be overlooked.^ The location of the District building at the point named would bring about a much-needed change in market conditions. As at present con- ducted, a large portion of the market business is conducted in public thoroughfares, to the inconvenience of travel and to the disturbance of municipal good order. Congress having retained an option of pur- chase, the market may well be removed to a location west of the present one, where could be provided a sufficient area, within which territory the business could be conducted within the market itself without encroaching upon the public thoroughfares. This new market should be constructed with streets running through it, as is the case in the admirable examples at Paris, Budapest, and other cities of continental Europe. Within the same general area should be constructed an amory suf- ficient in size to accommodate the brigade of District militia; and since the inauguration of the President of the United States is regarded as a municipal and not as a national function, the armory should be of a character to accommodate the inaugural balls now, given in the Pension Bureau, to the disturbance of public business. Also the much-needed new police court, the police and fire head- quarters, an enlarged emergency hospital, and other like divisions ^ The omnibus public buildings act of 1902 locates the munidipal building on the site between Thirteen-and-a-half and Fourteenth streets south of Pennsylvania avenue. THE AREA SOUTH OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE. 71 of civic administration should tind local habitations in immediate proximit}^ to the District building. In such manner, gradually, and as municipal needs become insistent, the entire space should be occupied, transformed from its present un worth}^ conditions into a section haying a distinct character, and also being closeh^ related to its environment. Bulfinch Gatepost, formerly on Capitol grounds. OUTLYING PARKS AND PARK CONNECTIONS. 73 THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PARKS. ENCIRCLING the cit}^ of Washington on the west, north, east, and, if the Potomac River be included, on the south also, are situated the areas in which are the paries of the District as dis- tinguished from the city squares and grounds appertaining to public buildings. For the most part these areas are in their natural state, with hills and valleys, plateaus and ravines, as yet untouched by the pick and shovel of the improver; but along main lines the building is advancing at such a rate as to make it certain that within a few decades city blocks and asphalt paving will occup}^ the areas already marked out on the permanent system of highways. Whatever of natural beaut}^ is to be preserved and whatever park spaces are still to be acquired must be provided for during the next few years or it will be forever too late. Fortunateh" the larger areas necessar}^ for an adequate park system have either been acquired or are awaiting reclamation. What remains to be done is to select and acquire those areas which are best fitted for connections between existing parks; to provide for the preserva- tion and improvement of certain spots of exceptional beaut}^, like the chain of abandoned forts encircling the District; to bring into use for pleasure purposes the wild and picturesque banks of the Potomac, and to secure many smaller spaces in order to extend the park sj^stem of the city to keep pace with the extension of the streets and avenues. In order to make clear how the above-mentioned tracts relate to the city and to each other it is necessary to explain the topograph}^ of the region in which the}^ lie. The District of Columbia, extending for ten miles along the left bank of the Potomac, is divided into three distinct parts by two tributar}^ Natural conditions streams, the Auacostia River to the southeast of the of tiie District. center, and Rock Creek to the northwest. Both val- le^^s are deep and are flanked by high hills; but the vallej^^ of the Ana- costia is broad while that of Rock Creek is narrow and abrupt. The 75 76 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. southeasterly section, beyond the Anacostia River, consists of a series of long- connecting- ridges, ranging from 160 to 300 feet in height above the river, comparatively flat on top, but cut up by small vallej^s on their flanks into innumerable projecting points and minor sloping ridges. The northwestern section is a more solid mass, rising- abruptly from the Potomac to a height of 100 feet or more, sloping up to an eleva- tion of 300 feet within half or three-quarters of a mile and reaching to over 100 feet in the middle of the area. The mass is dissected, like the Anacostia ridges, by numerous steep-sided valleys, some flowing east into Rock Creek and some south into the Potomac. The steep- ness of the declivities and the considerable height of the hills in both of these sections constantly present extensive and impressive views. The central section is subdivided into a northern, outer, hilly part, similar to the sections alread}^ described, although not so abrupt in its topography, and a southern or inner part, forming the point between the two main valleys, of gently undulating surface and occupied by the main bod}" of the city of Washington. It was this inner portion, admirabl}" adapted to urban development, that was originally selected and laid out as the Federal city, with an area as large as the areas of densel}^ built European capitals of a hundred years ago, but quite insuflicient for a modern city of large population. The three outer sections of the district, healthful and charming- as country, are very ill adapted for ordinar}^ urban occupation, and their use for such pur- poses involves many difiicult problems which have not all been suc- cessfully solved as yet. The most important feature of the Washington climate, so far as it affects the park problem, is the oppressive summer heat which the Government officials and employees and other residents must for the most part undergo — a factor which seems to call strongly for several palliatives: the maintenance of shade, the preservation of many hilltops where breezes ma}^ be caught, the preservation of man}^ of the deep, shady valleys in which the cooler air appears to settle on summer afternoons, and the liberal use of fresh running water all about the cit}" and its parks, whether in the form of springs and brooks or of fountains and basins. If the present distribution of park lands within the boundary of the old city of Washington is, as we believe, no more than reasonable, and if the distribution of parks in and around the capitals of other great EXISTING LAKGE PARKS AND PROPOSED ADDITIONS. 77 nations and our own large cities is not unreasonable, it is evident from a glance at the accompanying- diagrams that a considerable increase in ... the number of parks in the outer part of the District The need for adni- i i tioiiiii parks. jg absolutely requisite if provision is to be made for the needs of the immediate future. It is true that the resident popu- lation of Washington at the present time is much smaller than the population of such capitals as London and Paris, or such American cities as New York and Boston, with which its park area is compared in these diagrams, but even in proportion to its present population it would not compare verj^ favorably with Paris as to park area; and it is to be remembered, first, that Washington is growing very rapidly with the growth of the nation in numbers and prosperit}^, and. second, that its parks, like its public buildings, are not to be considered merely in reference to its resident population, but in relation to the millions of citizens from far and near who come to Washington expecting, and having a right to expect, that here, at the seat of government, they shall find not merely what is considered "good enough " in their work- aday home cities, where most of the citizens' energ}^ must perforce be spent on commercial struggles, but the very best that is to be had. In considering what might wisel}" be added to the park system, we have not iixed upon any arbitrary proportion to area or to estimated population, but have selected onlv those places which from their natural conditions, whether because of steepness, inaccessibility, or difficulties of drainage, or from their peculiar and exceptional natural beauty, seemed likely to bring a smaller return to the community if used for the ordinary purposes of private occupanc}^ than if used for parks. In order to have a sound basis for our conclusions, we have made careful personal examinations of nearly all parts of the District. This examination has been guided and supplemented hj the use of the admirable topographical map of the District made b}' the Coast and Geodetic Survey. When our general conclusions were reached, the proposed additions were plotted on the map; and, after carefully con- sidering their relations to the highway extension system and other proposed improvements, we examined the lines on the ground with map in hand. Before coming to definite conclusions, and, indeed, throughout our investigation, we consulted with the District Commis- sioners and their assistants, with the ofiicer in charge of the Potomac Flats improvements, and with other officials, all of whom were most con- siderate in giving information and advising with us. TREATMENT OF THE MINOR RESERVATIONS. WITHIN the old city limits no additional small reservations are needed, but in the remaining f our-tif ths of the District there are practically none, as against 275 in the cit}". Distributed with the same wise foresight as was shown by the founders of the city, and with equal liberality, there should be some ten or twelve hundred in the outlying district. Without adopting any such arbitrar}^ rule, we can say that considerable numbers of these minor spaces ought now to be secured while much of the land is selling at acre prices. In many cases there is no strong ground of choice among several good areas in one neighborhood, and the final determination must depend very largel}' upon the prices at which the several parcels are offered by their owners. Aside from a few particularly agreeable groves, the points that are singled out by natural conditions as especially worthj^ of preservation are mainly hilltops from which extensive views ma}^ be obtained. It so happens that most of these hilltops from their commanding- positions were occupied by forts during the civil war as part of the defenses of Washington, thus adding historical associations to the reasons which would otherwise suggest their acquisition. As the small areas thus specifically recommended for purchase are shown on map No. D-288 and are enumerated in detail in Appendix I, it will suffice to say here that the}" number IT and amount to a. total area of 364 acres. To these should be added a much greater number of small pieces, which can be selected more wisely bv a board authorized to negotiate with the landowners and obtain options. One other point to be borne in mind in choosing these reservations is that the future will call for schoolhouses in all parts of the District, and that it will be of the utmost value to secure in advance well-distributed schoolhouse sites having adequate area suitable for playgrounds. S. Rep. 166 11 79 80 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTEICT OF COLUMBIA. There are within the cit}^ 26 squares, circles, etc., between one acre and 25 acres in extent, and 275 ranging from one acre down to 405 square feet, making a total of 301, with a total acreage of 166.93.^ Most of the larger of these areas occupy well-chosen and important positions suggested b}^ the lay of the land, and the original street sys- tem of the cit}^ was adapted to them so as to recog-nize and emphasize their importance, while most of the smaller areas are pieces left at the intersections of the streets thus determined. They are distributed quite uniformly throughout the original city, but practically" none have yet been provided for the remaining f our-hf ths of the District. With the exception of one, temporarily fitted for use as a play- ground, those that have been improved^ have been treated in accord- ance with one general ideal, although exhibiting some variet}^ in arrangement and de- tail. The treatment adopted aims to pro- vide an agreeable appearance to pass- ers-b3\and shade and pleasant suri'ound- ings for those who resort to the squares for recreation. To these ends they are generall}^ planted with trees, turfed, more or less deco- rated with shrubs, flowers, and sculptural monuments, often defined and protected by curbing or fences, and when of sufiicient size provided with paths and benches. Unfortunatel}" for the general effect, the sculptural decorations have seldom been treated as a part of the design, but have been inserted as independent objects valued for their historic or memo- rial qualities or sometimes for their individual beauty, regardless of the effect on their surroundings. Treated as they are, these well-distributed areas are of the utmost ^A detailed list will be found in Appendix G. Tables I and II, page 153. ''About 35 per cent of the total number have been "improved," and 2-4 per cent "partially improved." Water basin at the Villa Medici, Rome. TEEATMENT OF THE MINOE RESERVATIONS. 81 Playgrounds. value to the eit}^, contributing- largely to the cheerful and comfortable character by which all visitors are struck and attracted; but we believe that without the sacrifice of this effect it would be possible to intro- duce a greater variety of treatment, giving each area a more distinct individuality and providing- for more special forms of recreation chosen with a view to the surroundings and capabilities of each particular area. One such special use to which several squares should be devoted in different parts of the city is that of playgrounds; and these, too, should be considered individually and not in an}^ wholesale or uniform way. In some cases they should provide especially for little children, with smooth protected lawns, with swings and teeter boards, with sand courts, and with safe and shallow wading pools in view of sheltered seats for the mothers or nurses. In some there should be regular outdoor gymnasia, with apparatus for jumping, vaulting, climbing, swinging, and the like, with tracks for running and spaces for the lesser athletic con- tests, such as put- ting the shot and quoits and bowling; in others there should be provision for the larger games, whether the schoolboys' games of tag and pris- oners-base and scrub, or the organized games of baseball and football between regular teams. But even within the limits oi more passive recreation there might well be some specialization; some areas, for instance, arranged as shady con- cert groves, with little or no turf, for the comfortable accommodation of large crowds at band concerts; one oi more places arranged for night illuminations with electric fountains, and for the display of fire- works on the occasion of national celebrations; one or more squares treated with a series of basins for the display of the brilliant aquatic No. 165. — Open-air restaurant in the Prater, Vienna. 82 PAEK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. flowers; some devoted especial!}' to evergreen winter efl'ects; and ver}^ many arranged in all their details with a ^'iew to giving the maximum refreshment in the hot smnmer weather by means of shade well dis- tributed and by means of gushing, rippling, sparkling, living water — not in a series of repeated commonplace forms, but infinite in its varia- tions, and when wisel}" used alwavs full of a new charm and refreshment. The amount invested in the land of these squares at current prices amounts to several million dollars, and to secure a fair rate of interest in recreative value requires the application of as much purposeful ingenuity and well-trained judgment in design and management as is needed in the conduct of anj^ business enterprise of similar magnitude.^ ^The existing parks are sliown on map No. D-287; the proposed additions are shown on map N^o. D-288; the positions and boundaries of the several areas dis- cussed in this report can be followed most readily on the combined map No. D-289. THE LARGER PARKS AND THEIR CONNECTIONS. IN discussing- the larger parks and their connections we shall begin at the western end of the Mall, and take the western, central, and eastern sections of the District in order, ending* with the Potomac Park on the south. Beginning at the site of the Lincoln memorial, at the westerly extremity of the Mall as extended to the Potomac, a parkwa}^ should skirt the bank of the Potomac to the mouth of Rock Creek. A broad, paved quay or landing place should extend the shore line out to the deep main channel and present to the river a smooth, con- tinuous wall, instead of jutting piers which retard the Potomac (juay. current and tend to cause shoaling. This quay should be on a level with the adjacent land, which„ is likel}^ to be occupied in the future, as at present, by various industries using bulky water- borne freight — such as coal yards, gas works, paving- concerns, and the like — to which the material can be transferred from the quay by wagons, tram cars, or belt conveyors, much as it is now handled hy the more enterprising abutters. The park drive and promenade should be carried through at the landward side of the quay proper, between it and the commercial establishments, but at a higher level with frequent arched openings underneath for the transfer of goods, and possibly, also, for storage purposes. Separated by the difference in level from actual conflict with the pleasure travel, the activity of the water front would really add to the interest of the parkwaj^ and give a character to it possessed by no other in this country. In several European river cities, notably Paris, Vienna, and Budapest, there are such combinations of a com- mercial quay with a promenade at a higher level, and they form, in many cases, the most popular and delightful resorts for the people; but in no case, we believe, are the conditions so favorable as at Wash- 83 84 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. ington, for elsewhere the abutting private land and streets arc invari- ably at the higher level, thus necessitating the transfer of goods up occasional inclines and across the promenade at grade, whereas, in this instance, merchandise can be readil}" transferred at any point without the least interference between business and pleasure. This qua}^ treatment is proposed for the entire stretch between Potomac Park and the Pennsylvania avenue bridge across Rock Creek, as the lower portion of the creek is a part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and is as much a part of the commercial water front as the i&j -f -;5; '^ s: r F No. 10. — Typical treatment of Potomac Quay. Potomac itself; but above Pennsj^lvania aA'enue entirely different con- ditions prevail, and another treatment must be adopted. Moreover, it is to be understood that the accompanying section for the qua^^ is merely typical, and would be modified at various points to meet local conditions — at places b}^ the omission of the street on the inner side of the drive, at places by different arrangements of the levels, at places, perhaps, b}" the omission of the inner retaining wall and the substitution of a bank. The precise line, moreover, of the quav front and of the taking line can be fixed only after a detailed survey, with soundings and foundation tests; but in the main the project here set forth is unquestionably practicable, and would provide at once the most convenient and the most agreeable treatment for the connection between the parks and for the commercial water front. It would be possible, if it should ultimately be thought wise, to continue a similar treatment along the whole frontage of Georgetown Harbor, and thus to arrange a continuous drive along the river from Potomac Park past the Aqueduct Bridge and by a rising grade to the upper Potomac drive, but such a construction would be so costly that it has not been seriously contemplated, the more so as the diffi- culties in the way of such an undertaking are not likelj" to increase with the passage of time. S. Rep. 166 12 THE LARGER PARKS AND THEIR CONNECTIONS. 85 Two radically different plans have been suggested as alternatives in the treatment of Rock Creek and its accompanying Eoek Creek Parkway. t-> i • parkway between Pennsylvania avenue and Massa- chusetts avenue: First. To build a large covered masonry culvert or sewer for the creek, and to fill around and over this structure so as to obliterate the valley and raise it to the level of the adjacent lands, constructing a parkway or boulevard upon a portion of the filled land and subdivid- ing the remainder into streets and lots for sale.^ Second. To improve the present open channel of the creek, regrade its banks, and improve them for park purposes, and to construct roads and paths within the park thus formed, spanning the vallev by fre- quent street bridges to provide close connection with Georgetown.^ No. 12. — Typical section of Rock Creek Parkway — Alternative project with covered channel. The general character of the two projects is indicated by the accom- panying sections. The Massachusetts avenue crossing over Rock Creek has been designed and is under construction as a culvert and fill upon the assumption that the first plan will be carried out, but although this fill will interfere with the perfect: execution of the open valley plan, we feel compelled to recommend the definite adoption of the latter on grounds of economy, convenience, and beaut}". An explicit state- ment of the steps which led to this conclusion would burden the report needlessly and is therefore confined to Appendix D, page 135. ^ Discussed, except as to construction of jiarkway, in Senate Mis. Doc. No. 21, Fifty-second Congress, second session. ^ Proposed by committee of Washington Board of Trade, December 15, 1899. See Park Improvement Papers, No. 7. 86 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTEICT OF COLUMBIA. We may point out, however, that the park drives and paths under the open-vallej^ plan would be separated by grade, like those of the Georgetown Harbor quay, from conflict with the commercial traffic of a busy district; but while the activity of the water front is inter- esting- to look down upon, the sights of the inland region between Pennsylvania avenue and Q street are for the most part mereW shabby, sordid, and disagreeable. It is therefore a very fortunate opportunity that permits the seclusion of the parkwa}^ in a valley the immediate sides of which can be controlled and can be made to limit the view to a self-contained landscape, which may be beautiful even though restricted. North of Q street the valley becomes very attract- ive and takes on something of the sylvan character which it has in its upper portion. A branch drive should lead to Sheridan circle, and the main drive should rise along the easterly side of the valley so as to No. 11. — Typical section of Rock Creek Parkway — Treatment recommended. get a plunging view and so as to pass just under Massachusetts avenue, permitting an easjr connection with it. From this point to the Zoo- logical Park there are no serious difficulties, and the problem reduces itself to one of careful and judicious detailed adjustment of the con- struction to the topograph}^ and vegetation of the valley. The boundaries shown on the map are determined below Q street so as to include onh^ what is needed for the proper regrading of the val- ley sides and other essential construction. Above that point they are determined partly for those reasons, but in places so as to include some exceptional!}^ fine hillside woods that now form an important part of the -valley landscape, and if cut down and replaced by houses would utterly change its character. In so far as it was practicable, without essential injury to the parkway, we have followed lines already fixed for streets on the highwaj^ plans and elsewhere have provided for new boundary streets. I I < I 5 z O < THE LAEGEE PAEKS AND THEIE CONNECTIONS. 87 The Zoological Park, 170 acres in extent, lies along* Rock Creek about 2 miles from its mouth and directly northwest from the central part of the city. Although regular!}^ open to the Zoolosriciil Park. ' , . public as a place ot recreation, the purpose of the park is distinct!}" specialized, namely, to preserve and exhibit a collection of living animals under agreeable and natural surroundings. The health of the animals and the convenience of the public in seeing them must be the controlling considerations here, and the natural landscape of the park, although of recognized importance, must necessarih' be modified and adapted to the provision of numerous buildings, fences, roads, and paths, and the need of bare ground or pavement that is caused b}- crowds of people and herds of animals. The natural condi- tion of rugged S34van wildness could not, therefore, consistently be maintained in this park, but the steep topograph}^ and the passages of untouched woods suggest a picturesqueness in the style and arrange- ment of the artificial constructions which has been followed for the most part successfully. In the future development of the park there are two dangers to be guarded against — the introduction, on the one hand, of buildings or other constructions or plantations of a highly organized and formal character, out of harmony with the character already adopted; and on the other, the confusion due to the scattering of numerous structures and features without any method or massing. There is always the danger, too, in attempting picturesque and rugged effects in a place resorted to by large crowds that the accommodation for the crowds will be made insufficient through fear of making the paths, roads, steps, and the like, too conspicuous, with the result that the crowds overflow the places made for them and reduce the whole park to shabbiness. One of the most important points, therefore, in the continued improve- ment of the Zoological Park is to watch its use carefull}-; to forecast its future use b}" larger crowds, and to provide such accommodations that the people will be led always to concentrate their wear and tear on the places prepared to withstand it, leaving the remainder fresh and wild looking, to give character to the whole. Certain additions are very essential to the proper treatment and maintenance of the park, and we can not urge too strongly that these be made without delay. A statement of them, with the reason for each, is to be found in Appendix I. 88 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTEICT OF COLUMBIA. Rock Creek Park occupies the valle}^ of the creek from the Zoolog- ical Park northward to the District line, including- an area of 1,605.9 acres varying in width from less than 300 j^ards to a little over a mile, with a total length of about 4 miles. The valley is crooked and narrow and flanked by steep, high, and thickly wooded hills. In the southern portion of the park some of the hill tops are comparatively level, but with the exception of these limited plateaus and a few narrow strips of bottom land along the creek the whole area is hilly in the extreme. Most of the land is tim- bered and much of the wood is of considerable age and beauty, espe- ciall}^ in the narrow and gorge-like portions of the valle}", offering some very beautiful S3dvan scenery. This has recently been made accessible b}^ a macadamized . road, known as Beach Drive, along the creek from the Zoological Park halfway to the northern end, connect- ing with the Military road at that point, and continued by an earth road along the remainder of the creek. This road, which was very skillfully laid out, has brought a large number of visitors into the valle}^ to enjoy the beauty of its scenery, and, as the road is of limited width, there is danger that it may soon become overcrowded; if so, a very serious problem in the development of the park will arise at once. Narrow as the present road is, and skillfully as it was built, there are several points where it has very appreciably injured the scener}^, and to widen it b}^ any considerable amount would be a calamity. It is true that the value of the park scenery depends absolutely upon making it conveniently accessible to the people, but nothing can be gained if the means of access destroys the scener}^ which it is meant to exhibit, and we believe that as wide a road as the future population is likely to demand would injure the character of the valle}' irreme- diably. Possibly the solution is to be found in the ultimate construc- tion of another and wider drive, or drives, high enough on the valle}^ sides to leave the wild svlvan character of the stream at the bottom of the gorge uninjured, but 3"et within sight and sound of the water and seeming to be of the valle}". Such a road would doubtless require more grading, would cost more, and would destroy more trees and more square j^ards of pretty undergrowth than a road of equal width in the bottom of the gorge, but the damage of the latter would be done at the vital spot. It would be the pound of flesh from nearest the heart, while the former would compare with the amputation of a leg. We discuss this point, not because we wish to urge this par- THE LARGER PARKS AND THEIR CONNECTIONS. 89 ticular treatment, but in order to make clear that the peculiar topog- raphy of Rock Creek Park, while giving a great share of beauty, renders its development as the principal park of a populous city a matter of great perplexity, requiring the most careful study. After the completion at its present width of the road along the creek, we would advise most urgently that no further work of development be attempted until careful studies have been made for the comprehen- sive treatment of the whole park, and, if the park is to be made avail- able, such studies should be promptly undertaken. This applies not only to matters of construction, but to the treatment of the vegetation. Should certain open areas be planted in order to block certain unde- sirable outlooks? Should certain other areas now growing up with young trees be cleared out for the sake of the views, or, if not, which are the trees to be encouraged in each instance? Hundreds of such questions ought to be asked arid answered before the maintenance and improvement of the park can be directed intelligently and economically toward the best future results. As a rule, the boundary should be upon such a line as to permit the construction of a border street, which will separate the park from the adjacent property, causing the neighboring buildings to face upon it, making it easier to police, and in general adding to its dignity. PartW in order to provide for boundary streets on reasonable grades and partly that the crests of the overlooking hills may be under the control of the park authorities so as to prevent objectionable structures from being obtruded into the landscape, a considerable number of additional purchases are requisite, as set forth seriatim with specific reasons in Appendix I. These additions are of varying degrees of importance, but several of them are more essential to the future value of the park than adjacent land already acquired, and provision for their purchase is one of the most pressing needs of the park sj^stem. THE SECTION WEST OF KOCK CREEK. \ S an important entrance to Rock Creek Park and in connection /\ with the high western section of the District, we propose that ^ ^ a parkway- be formed in the vallej' of Broad Branch, which enters the park at its most western point. The valley is in part gentle and open, with scattered trees, and in part steep sided and heavily wooded. The treatment would be in efiect that of an elongated park contained between two boundary streets and including a sufficient width of natural valley scenery to give agreeable surroundings for the main drive, bridle path, footpaths, etc. In the rough portion next the park the character would be somewhat as indicated by the section on page 92, but in general it would be more open and gentle. The width between boundary streets would vary from 200 to TOO feet. The course would be a little north of west to Connecticut avenue, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile. The main drive would pass under the avenue, but a branch road would connect with it at grade, thus putting the parkway in touch with Chevy Chase and the main line of transportation. Beyond Connecticut avenue the branch of the valley followed by the parkway turns to the southwest and reaches Fort Reno. The site of Fort Reno, now occupied by a reservoir, is the highest point in the District, 425 feet above tide level, and commands remark- ably wide views in all directions. It is highly desir- Fort Reno Park. , , . . ■, i c i • able that this summit be preserved from exclusive private occupation, and we recommend the acquirement of a sufficient area to protect the view against obstruction by houses of ordinary height on the adjacent slopes. A circle 2,000 feet in diameter would attain this end and its boundary would permit the construction of a border street at good grades. A short link of parkway w^ould connect Fort Reno along the ridge to the soutli with Tenley Circle 92 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. at the junction of Nebraska avenue and the Tenleytown road. This circle is the point of junction with another important line of parkway. To the west of Rock Creek the only considerable tract of public open land is that at the receiving reservoir, in the extreme corner of the District overlooking the gorge of the Potomac. This has therefore been taken as the main objective point of the principal parkwaj^ on the west, which follows almost the shortest line between the two reservations. The Soapstone Branch, which enters Broad Branch where the latter joins Rock Creek, about a mile below the end of Broad Branch Park- way, flows through a rather narrow, well-timbered, Soapstone Parkway. and beautiful vallej^, heading in open land near Fort Reno and Tenleytown. This valley is crossed by Connecticut avenue at a point where it is flanked by two high wooded peaks or knuckles No. 13. — Typical section of one of the Valley Parkways, such as Piney Branch, Soapstone Creek, and Georgetown Parkways. rising to an elevation of over 300 feet. Simply as a western entrance to Rock Creek Park from Connecticut avenue the lower portion of this valley seems quite essential. It is so steep sided that it w^ould be costly of development for building purposes, while nothing could be better adapted to use as a park entrance, as it afiords an easy grade and pleasant scener}^ within narrow limits. The two knuckles immediately west of the avenue ought also to be preserved, on their own account, as interesting topographical features rising high above the streets, and affording to those who will climb them extended views toward the east and toward the Monument. As part of a through parkway, the valley offers an opportunity for the drive to pass under Connecticut avenue with its heav}^ and swift suburban electric cars, and to rise through the opener and broader stretch to the west, reaching by a slight turn on an easy grade one of THE SECTION WEST OF ROCK CREEK. 93 the spurs of the hig-h ridge in which the western portion of the Dis- trict cuhiiinates. From this point, at an elevation of 340 feet, is to be obtained another extensive eastern view down the valle}^ and over Rock Creek Park to Soldiers' Home, a view that might well be marked by a terrace or concourse, especially as the character of the parkwa}- would change at this point from the informal t3^pe appropriate in the wooded valley to a formal avenue across the high plateau, the terrace thus making a strong terminus for the latter and emphasizing the drop into the valley. The formal section would be a widening of Yuma street, laid out but not constructed, and would lead directly to a circle at the junction of Ne- braska avenue and Wisconsin avenue, commonl}" known as Tenley Road, within 2,000 feet of the proposed Fort Reno Park, the highest point in the District of Columbia. In con- nection with Nebraska avenue extended, a branch drive on eas}^ grades can easily be pro- vided to Fort Reno, thus bring- ing it within easy reach of Rock Creek Park and the city. From the Tenley circle, con- tinuing on the widened Yuma street, a distance of about 1,000 feet brings the line to the western escarpment of the narrow plateau, where the land falls rap- idl}^ and steadily from its elevation of 410 feet, disclosing a view that sweeps due west over mile after mile of rolling country in Maryland and across the river to Virginia. To descend from this height it would be possible, b}^ cutting at the top of the escarpment and filling heavily as the bottom, to avoid excessive grades, but to do so would be to ignore the opportunity^ here offered by the topographic conditions. Instead of so doing, we should advise carrying the park- way level out to the ver}^ brink, there ending it in a projecting con- course commanding in its perfection the sunset view, preserved from the intrusion of future buildings by the acquisition of the slope in No. 154. — Terrace, Villa d'Este, Tivoli, showing how a declivity commanding- a view is used and empha- sized, not disguised. 94 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. view below; then, turning the road, it can be carried down upon a veiy easy grade bj^ means of two reverses on the hillside, giving the opportunity at some future time of developing a splendid series of terraces facing the view and the mile-long continuation of the park- way to the reservoir and the District line. The receiving reservoir grounds, 281. T5 acres in extent, situated at the westerly edge of the District, close to the Potomac Eiver, lie partl}^ in the State of Maryland. That portion in RBCoiviiiff rcsprvoir. ' the District is heavily wooded and the land is of a basin -like formation. No views of any importance are to be had from this land except that portion which touches the palisades of the Poto- mac. From this portion, however, views up and down the river are to be had, and in the remainder time and care will develop some very beautiful woodland scener}^ to which the large pond-like reservoir will give great interest. This land should, therefore, be treated consist- ently with a view to its ultimate development as a park. An adjacent block of land, including the site of Battery Vermont, purchased by the District for a girls' reform school is no longer needed for its origi- nal purpose, and ma3^be grouped with the receiving reservoir for park purposes. At the receiving-reservoir grounds is reached the gorge of the Potomac and the popular Conduit road, which provides the only way, except b}^ trolley cars, to see the gorge from above. Potomac Drive. .. ,. ••ij_j^j.i-i.ii As its construction was a mere incident to the installa- tion of the water supply, the location of the Conduit road was not fixed with regard to aesthetic effect, but from the fact that in many parts of No. 14.— Typical section of Potomac Drive, a slK.irt distance above Aqueduct Bridge. its course it follows near the edge of the declivity, presenting very fine views, and because its grades are generally good, it is more resorted THE SECTION WEST OF ROCK CREEK. 95 to than ai\Y drive leading- out of the District, except the one to x-Vrling- ton. We believe that permanent provision should be made for the ends that are tilled in a temporary and partial manner by the Conduit road and that this provision should take the form of what might be called a cliff drive along the Potomac, including in the holdings, in order to prevent objectionable occupanc}', all the unoccupied steep land from the top of bluff* down to the river. At the upper or landward edge would run a street for traffic and for house frontage, next below would run the trolle}^ line, altered in places from its present location, and then, in the best position to present the changing panorama of the river, would come the pleasure drive and the promenade, fitted to the steep and irregular hillside by well-adjusted slope and wall. Still farther down comes the picturesque canal and its bordering roadway, and in places there might be call for a road No. 16. — Typiea!! .section of Potomac Drive below the Chain Bridge. close down by the river's edg-e. The arrangement of these several parts would var}- with the varying conditions of the bluff', as is sug- gested in the accompanying typical sections, but alwa5^s the effect would be picturesque and always the plunging views from the upper lines would be fine. Merely to provide for a street at the top of the slope is not enough, for, although the land is for the most part too steep to have much commercial value, yet here and there ugly and offensive buildings are likely to creep in, as the}" have done somewhat in the past, unless the slope is all acquired with a view to a consistent treatment. Years ago New York showed the wa}" in the Riverside drive, and it is high time that the example should be followed here, at least so far as concerns the acquisition of the land. But such a treatment of the river side logicallj^ ought not to stop at the District line. Indeed, the best of the scenerj^ lies beyond, espe- cially in the neighborhood of Cabin John Bridge and in the region 96 PAKK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. just about and below the Great Falls. The Great Falls of the Potomac, considering their proximity" to the capital, are quite as well worth pres- ervation for their grandeur and natural beauty as the greater passages of scener}^ in the national parks of the West. Even at present, when the onl}^ means of approach is by canal or over the hilh" detour bv which the road is carried around the most interesting scenerj", the Washington public goes to the Great Falls in sufficient numbers to maintain the pay bridge to the islands, erected by private enterprise, and with increased facilities of access the place is likely to become a deservedly popular resort. The falls form one of the greatest cataracts of our Atlantic watershed, and while they themselves can not be injured, 3^et the great trees that once clothed their banks have been cut, and in private hands the surroundings may be so injured as to detract greath' fiom the beauty and grandeur of the scene. Without interfering with the future utilization of the water power, the sur- roundings of the Great Falls on both sides of the river should, in our opinion, be converted into a national park, to be connected with the city b}" a continuous river drive. The beauty of the scenery along the route of this proposed noble river-side improvement is so rare and, in the minds of the Commission, of so great value not only to all Washington, but to all visitors, Ameri- can and foreign, that it should be safeguarded in every way. No build- ing should be allowed between the drives and the river, and no change should come to pass in the character of the canal that will tend to transform its primitive character and quaint beauty. The canal has a charm of its own, as, half disclosed and half revealed, it winds among the trees; and not the least part of this charm, so desirable to be pre- served, is the slow, old-fashioned movement of the boats and of the people on and near this ancient waterway. Already the canal is used, aside from the navigation of commerce, by pleasure seekers in canoes, and by excursion parties in various craft. More and more will the canal be thus used as an attractive route between the populous cit}^ and the natural charms of the picturesque region between Cabin John Bridge and Great Falls. The preservation and continuance of the canal in its original character will thus add elements of gayety and life to a scene much to be enjoyed by the passers-by on the neighboring and upper roadways. Beyond the canal lies an area of lowlands, here and there bowlder-strewn and set with clumps of trees. It is now available in part for pasture. As a whole it is in keeping with the THE SECTIQIS" WEST OF EOCK CREEK.. 97 uncultivated hilltops of the Virginia Palisades, and would best be left without formal treatment. One of the boldest of the hills rising- to the north of the Potomac Palisades is that occupied by Fort Kemble. On account of the extent of its view to the southward, and still more on account Fort Kemble Park. of the beautiful valley sloping toward the Potomac over which this view is to be seen, we recommend the acquirement of a park of about 17i acres, serving as a southern terminus of Nebraska avenue and connecting it by a park drive in the valley with the road along the Palisades. The boundaries are fixed rather closely bj^ the need of preserving the views intact and securing border streets on reasonable grade without excessive cut and fill. On a neighboring hill, the site of Battery Parrott is but little less important as a view point and local park. Its boundaries, including an area of about 1.82 acres, are fixed by the streets Battery Parrott. "^ of the highway plan and include what is needful to preserve the best views. To bring the upper Potomac into direct connection with the city and to provide an approach from Georgetown to the Zoological Park Georgetown Park- ^"^ Rock Creek, a parkway is proposed from the end ^'*''* of Potomac drive at the valley of Foundry Branch, half a mile above the Aqueduct Bridge, to Rock Creek parkway near Massachusetts avenue. The valley of Foundry Branch must be spanned by a viaduct a little north of the present electric railway trestle, and as the valley is deep, narrow, and picturesque, it would be well to preserve it as a part of the parkwa}^ between the New Cut road and the river. From this valley the line would cross the ridge upon the end of which stands the Georgetown observatory, and run on a direct line by eas}^ grades to the gap south of the Naval Observatorj^ In passing through the lands of Georgetown College, which are likely to remain alwaj^s agreeable and park-like, the width might be reduced to the minimum requisite for a single drive and paths. Beyond New Cut road the arrangement should be similar to that indicated on the alternative section for Rock Creek parkway on page 85. In crossing the ridge at Thirty-fifth street and the Tenleytown road the central drive would be depressed below the side streets, both for the sake of an easy gradient and in order to pass beneath those two busy streets. East of this ridge the takings should widen out so as to pre- 98 PAEK SYSTEM OF THE DISTEICT OF COLUMBIA. serve the charming valley scenery which extends from this point to Rock Creek. Here the parkway would be of the type indicated in section on page 86. A branch similar in treatment should connect with the Naval Observatory grounds. The boundaries are so fixed as to provide for border streets on rea- sonable grades, including the best of the valle}^ scenerj" and permitting the construction of a central drive, paths, and so forth, without destroying its beauty; but, in addition to these absolute requirements, a projecting piece of land of about 13.5 acres is included in order to provide a dignified and convenient entrance to the park system from U street. Georgetown, and at the same time to aflord a much-needed local park and playground. THE SECTION EAST OF ROCK CREEK. TURNING from the western to the central section, it is of the utmost importance to secure aii agreeable park-like connec- tion between Rock Creek Park and Soldiers' Home as bringing into organic relation two of the largest and most beautiful places of recreation l.ying within reach of the principal residence district of the city, and considered in relation to the proposed new holdings such a connection would form one of the links binding the eastern and the western parks into a comprehensive S3^stem. Starting from the Pinej^ Branch entrance of Rock Creek Park at Six- teenth street, the line would continue for some distance in the valley of Piney Branch, thus taking advantage of one of the most charming- passages of natural valley scenery in the District. This leads to the grounds of the Municipal Hospital, which will always be maintained in a park-like and attractive fashion. Rising from the vallej^ by an easy grade along the southerly side of the hospital grounds, which the parkway takings would round out and complete, the route would enter a formal plaza to be created at the Seventh street entrance to the hospital, where there will be a convergence of streets, according to the adopted highwa}^ plan, from eight diiierent directions. Between this point and the Soldiers' Home it would be eas}^ to form, by widening Savannah street, a magnificent formal boulevard 4,000 feet in length, terminated on the west by the new hospital buildings and on the east by the Soldiers' Home itself. While the present buildings of the latter do not lie exactly on the axis of Savannah street, the projected new building, if placed so as to complete the quadrangle already par- tially formed, would come precisely at the head of the proposed boule- vard, forming, with the hospital, a composition of great dignity. Swinging around the new building of the Soldiers' Home to the north, the continuation of the parkway would pass south of the two S. Rep. 166 14 ; ,' ■ 99 100 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTEICT OF COLUMBIA. cemeteries and would follow the valle}^ along the houndaiy of the Home to Harewood road. To secure good grades and preserve the beaut}^ of the valley" certain additional lands would have to be acquired and thrown into the grounds, compensating for some of the boundary strips that would elsewhere have to be taken from them. Following Harewood road the parkway would skirt the beautiful open valley to the west, and near the southeastern corner of the grounds would turn within the edge of the woods into the valley and follow its course, No. 17. — Section of Savannah Parkway. thus avoiding a grade crossing of the electric cars and surface traffic of Michigan avenue, which now crosses the valley in till and would pass over the parkway by a suitable bridge. The Soldiers' Home grounds are a highly developed tract of land, 502 acres in extent, heavily treed in some sections, and in others hav- soidiers' Home ^^^§' ^" ©pen mcadow-like appearance. An extensive Grounds. road svstem is alreadv constructed, and there are a number of large buildings. These grounds are set apart as a home for old soldiers of the Regular Army, and are maintained out of the pro- ceeds of fines imposed for breaches of discipline; but by court es}^ are usually thrown open to the public, forming in effect a most beautiful park. If thev were to be considered simply from the point of view of the casual visiting public, the grounds might be improved by some rearrangement of the road s^^stem, lessening the grades and doing awa}' with some of the abrupt turns on certain main lines which would then attract the greater part of the travel and thus relieve the other roads, many of which, for vise by large numbers, ai'e crooked, narrow and steep, although in themselves very jjicturesque and attractive. It is to be hoped that the future will see the continuation ^ K:VVy\.Y, S E D 1=5>\ R K SOLDI E R S PARK SYSTEM ■JS , NEW VORK 3TED,JR.j BROOKLINE STREET- STPSEETT \ P1_.^1M SHOVv'IiMG, PROPOSED 3 yK"V.^K M W .^ H 1-:^.^ R K Vv"y\ Y , FORMING THAT F^ORTIOM OR THE PROPOSED P^rk SYSTEM BETWEEN MUNICIR/" far from agreeable in appearance, and it is hardl}" to be expected that it will become a first-class part of the city, because natural growth exerts no pressure in that direction. The tide of development can often be deflected hj park and street improvements, but it can very seldom be reversed. A parkway, there- fore, built according to the first plan would probably be lined by fac- tories, tenement houses, and the like, on a level with the drive and separated from it only bj^ the width of a street and four rows of tree trunks. A formal urban boulevard is very dignified, impressive, and interesting when it presents an agreeble aspect of city life, but when it presents a disagreeable aspect of cit}' life and remains, as it must, just as intimately a part of that life it ceases to be satisfactory. Under the second or open-valley plan the broad main drive accom- panied b}^ paths would run along a little above the creek, somewhat as does the new drive through Rock Creek Park. The present valley, which has been narrowed by the constant dumping of earth over its edge, would be widened by excavation at the restricted points to a semblance of its original form and clothed with turf and trees, while the necessar}^ provision for business traffic and for building frontage would be made by border roads on a level with the existing .streets. Along these border roads the same factories, tenements, and the like would doubtless be built as in the other case, but with the traffic roadways from 30 to 40 feet above the park drive such occupation would not intrude itself forcibly upon the attention, even if it were not entirely cut off from view. Besides secluding the parkway from direct and intimate association with an unattractive part of the city, the higher elevation of the regu- lar streets would permit them to cross the parkway above grade by bridges spanning the valley, so that the busy and growing traffic of pedestrians, wagons, carriages, and especiallv electric cars would not be brought into conflict with the pleasure travel. From every point of view this is to be desired. For the driver of a spirited horse, for the wheelman, even for one strolling afoot along the parkway, the necessit}^ for crossing a busy thoroughfare at every block, together with several electric-car lines, would serioush" mar the ease and com- fort of a pleasure excursion, while the obstruction to business traffic by grade crossings of a thronged parkway is not to be ignored. In the cit}' of Boston recently the objections to a long diagonal crossing APPENDIX D. TREATMENT OF ROCK CREEK VALLEY. 141 of a traffic street with the principal parkway were felt to be so great that the city went to a large expense to provide a second street for traffic and electric cars, less direct, but passing under the park drive. An advantage of the street-level boulevard that would offset, at least in part, the obstruction which it might offer to cross traffic is, that it would permit more connecting streets across the valley than would be reasonable or feasible with the open valley plan, where each cross street would have to be carried on a bridge. But with half the streets carried across on bridges, as is perfectly feasible, the inter- ference of the valley with cross-town travel would be very slight. It is not a question of a uniform tide of travel from one side of the valley to the other; it is a question of travel between various regions somewhat remote on either side — travel which naturally tends into a few main arteries. If the valley were converted into a uniform plain the bulk of the travel would still continue to flow on a few principal lines, and if these be well provided for by bridges the absence of a few intermediate crossings will be of little consequence. Objection has been made to a valley parkway secluded in any degree from the streets b}" difference in level — particularly if the seclusion be increased by trees and bushes — on the ground that it would be very difficult to police in such a region as that bordering upon Lower Rock Creek. This raises a problem not to be lightly pushed aside; but if carried to its logical conclusion, it means that we are to have in the poorer quarters of the city no parks in the least degree retired from the streets or materially differing in treatment from their bald and sordid surroundings; for any park is more liable to abuse than is a street. The answer to the objection is that we can not have good things in this world without paying for them and that part of the price of parks is the policing of them. The attempt to secure the policing of parks as a mere incident of street policing is not a wise policy and must in any large city give way to a regular and system- atic policing of the parks. Moreover, in this particular case the difficulty may easily be exaggerated, for the fact that the sides of the valley cut off the sight of adjacent streets and houses from the main drive and paths does not necessarily mean that the valley itself is to be filled with dense thickets and somber groves. It may, indeed, be open and sunny, with but enough trees to give desirable shade. It would appear, then, that the open- valley project would afford the more satisfactory parkway and that its cost would certainly be much S. Rep. 166 18 142 PAKK SYSTEM OF THE DISTKICT OF COLUMBIA. less than that of the culvert plan; but there are still other points to be taken into consideration, of which the most important is, perhaps, that the culvert plan would add a considerable area to the building land of the city, from which in time a large income would be derived in taxes. The same argument may be raised against the withdrawal of any park land from commercial occupancy, and it is merely a ques- tion whether in this case the value of the park-like borders to the drive and its partial seclusion from disagreeable surroundings would be worth the loss in taxes. In our opinion it would be, especially when it is considered that the potential purchasers of this land are not likel}^ to be lost to the District as taxpayers, but will simplj^ pur- chase other private land, increasing its value by improvements and paying the same taxes upon it. This raises the question, too, whether it is a wise policy and in accordance with our principles of govern- ment for the public authorities to go into real-estate business in com- petition with the citizens. There appears to be at present no lack of land for sale in Washington, but rather a lack of sufficient market, and for the Government to put additional land upon that market would seem a questionable blessing. If the Government is not to go heavily into real-estate speculation in competition with the landowners of the District, the co^t of the culvert project becomes so enormous as to be utterly out of the question. It is our conclusion, then, that the Rock Creek parkway should be treated as an open valley, crossed as often as may be necessary by handsome and substantial bridges, flanked by traffic roads connecting on a level with the adjacent city streets, and including at a lower level near the stream a drive or drives and such paths as may be needed. APPENDIX E.— BOTANICAL COLLECTION. r Vy HE advantages to botanical science, to horticulture, to forestry, I and to landscape architecture, of a great systematic collection of living plants under the direction of the Department of Agri- culture, are too great to need argument. The Department has already found itself compelled to make partial collections for study and experi- ment in special fields; but from lack of funds and because of the limited purposes in view in each case, these collections have been quite unrelated one to another, and have been unavailable for general purposes. The investigations of the Department and others who have occasion to stud}^ large groups of plants for any purpose, have no such collection of living and growing specimens at their disposal as have been got together by the Government authorities of England, France, Holland, Germany, and Russia. They have been compelled to rely mainly upon the dried specimens of herbaria, supplemented by a very few collections of living plants maintained by educational institutions. Although of immense value to the purel}^ scientific, systematic bot- anist, the dried herbarium specimens are of very limited use in studying the general character, appearance, and habits of the plants in nature; and it is in order to meet the practical requirements of the people at large, who want to use the plants intelligently in farming, gardening, forestry, and ornamental planting, that the living plants should be brought together so that they can be examined with economy of time and travel. The existing collections, of which the Arnold Arboretum at Boston, the Shaw Botanical Garden at St. Louis, and the New York Botanical Garden are the most important, are limited in their ability to supply this need, not only by reason of the space required for a com- plete collection and the cost of the work, but because of local climatic 143 144 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. conditions, for in the climate of Boston, New York, and St. Louis thou- sands of plants of the utmost value and interest to large sections of the country can not be grown at all. A great and adequate national botanical collection will necessarily be a slow growth, and its organization and arrangement must be the outcome of long study and gradual development; but as suggestions to guide the steps that may first be taken toward its establisliment, the following conclusions of the Commission may be helpful. They are the result of some familiarity with the present arboreta and botanic gardens and of discussion with several botanists of eminence. It is obvious that all the plants native to the territory of the United States, to say nothing of desirable exotics, can not possibly be gathered together in a single place and grown there. Their climatic require- ments range from the arctic to the tropical; and even within the main continental territory of the United States there are difi'erences quite as radical, if not so striking, as between Alaska and our tropical islands. We should therefore look forward to the ultimate establishment of several working collections, probably in connection with certain of the invaluable experiment stations of the Department of Agriculture, in a few localities having typical climatic conditions fairly representing the whole range of United States territory. It would doubtless be possible to arrange for utilizing such valuable existing collections as those of the Arnold Arboretum, the Shaw Botanical Garden, and the New York Botanical Garden as the stations for their respective sections, supplementing their present activities and resources by governmental cooperation, bringing them into closer touch with one another, so organizing their aims and efforts as to avoid needless repetition and waste of energy, and providing for the prompt and full publication of the results of study at the various cen- ters. This branch of the undertaking would require but little expend- iture in proportion to the results, for it would in the main but pro- vide for the wise and orderly direction of the existing local activity of wealthy communities; but it is quite as important to the welfare of the country that there should be similar working collections for study and experiment in less developed sections, where local activity can not be expected for very many years to establish them, where far less is known as to the possibilities of plant life, and where such knowledge would be of immense advantage to the development of the country. APPENDIX E. BOTANICAL COLLECTION. 145 Washington is the appropriate place for the station representing the climatic region of the Middle Atlantic States, and southward to the beginning of the subtropical section, and it should be provided with a large working collection of the flora, both native and introduced, of the region which it represents. Like the other working collections that at Washington should be placed and arranged with a view, first, to the successful growth of the plants under fairly normal conditions, second, to convenience in caring for them, and studying them as indi- viduals and botanical series, and only third, to the appearance of the collection as a whole. It is a business proposition, and not a matter primaril}^ of public recreation. As stated, however, in the body of the report, it is desirable, as a matter of popular instruction and enjoyment, and also for the sake of presenting in a clear and forcible manner the greater and more funda- mental aspects of systematic. botan}-, that there should be in addition to this large working museum, a synoptic collection representing all the more important botanical divisions by those species of each group having the greatest interest, whether economic, artistic, or purely scientific. Such a collection as this, which might well be placed in Potomac Park, should be selected and arranged not only with a view to the successful growth of each species of tree, bush, and herb, and to their conven- ient inspection, but with the most scrupulous regard to the pleasing character of the resulting landscape, a motive that could not be fol- lowed with great success in the unlimited miscellaneous collection for experimental purposes. In such a synoptic series, for example, the seventy or eighty species of oaks of the United states would be represented only by the kinds of greatest importance, which are certain to grow at Washington into great and beautiful specimens of an aspect that will fit in harmoniously^ with the proposed landscape of the park; the sixty or seventy species of hawthorn would be represented b}^ a few of the commonest and most beautiful varieties, upon whose appearance when grown it is possible to count with reasonable certainty, and which therefore can be so placed as to produce a pleasing result; and similarly with the smaller brushes and herbaceous plants. With the two latter especially the results of cultivation can be indicated in a beautiful and striking manner by choosing a few of the genera that have responded most successfully to garden cultivation and exhibiting them very perfectly, 146 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. presenting, for example, every one of the almost countless varieties of lilacs, of clematis, of peonies, or of poppies, and of a few of the more interesting economic plants, such as grapes. A few such col- lections, grouped each by itself in a retired garden or bay of the wood along the easterly side of the park, if well planned with that end in view, need in no way interfere with the quiet simplicity of its general landscape, and would afford an immense amount of enjoyment as well as instruction. APPENDIX F.— LIST OF THE DRAWINGS, DESIGNS, AND MODELS ILLUSTRATING THE REPORT OF THE COM- MISSION ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE PARK SYS- TEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. [Exhibited at the Corcoran Art Gallery, Washington, D. C, January 15 to February 26, 1902, and now on exhibition in the Library of Congress.] GALLEKY. CENTRAL GEOUP. 1. Map of District of Columbia, showing existing public spaces. 2. Map of District of Columbia, showing' existing and proposed public spaces. 3. Map of District of Columbia, showing proposed additions to park system. 4. Diagram of the parks of New York. 5. Diagram of the parks of Boston. 6. Diagram of existing and proposed parks of Washington. 7. Diagram of the existing parks of Washington. 8. Diagram of the parks of Paris. 9. Diagram of the parks of London. 10. Typical section of Potomac Quay.^ 11. Typical section of Rock Creek Parkway. Treatment recom- mended. 12. Typical section of Rock Creek Parkway. Alternative project with covered channel. 13. Typical section of one of the Valley Parkways, such as Piney Branch, Soapstone Creek, and Georgetown Parkways, show- ing the preservation of existing natural scenery. ^ The sections Nos. 11 to 17 were rendered by Sears Gallagher and Percival Gallager. 147 148 PAKK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 14. Typical section of Potomac Drive, short distance above Aqueduct Bridge. 15. Two panoramic views showing present conditions. 16. Typical section of Potomac Drive below Chain Bridge. 17. Section of Savannah Parkway. 18. Plan of Savannah Parkway. MALL DIVISION. 19. General plan, describing area included between Capitol and Lincoln Monument, White House and Potomac Park. 20. Birds-eye view of general plan from point taken 4,000 feet above Arlington. (Rendered by F. L. Hoppin.) 21. Birds-eye view of general plan from point taken 4,000 feet over Insane Asylum, Anacostia Heights. CAPITOL DIVISION. 22. Plan of Capitol grounds (L'Enfant) 1791. 22a. Plan of Capitol grounds (Thornton) 1803. 23. The Capitol. West elevation, showing proposed Terrace, resto- ration of the Bulfinch gates and boundary fence, fountains and approaches. Rendered by A. R. Ross. 24. Section through same, east and west. Rendered by A. R. Ross. MONUMENT DIVISION. 25. Plan showing proposed treatment of Monument Garden. Ren- dered by Geo. de Gersdorff. 26. Section through Monument garden on White House axis, show- ing proposed treatment of approaches and terraces forming a setting for the Washington Monument. (Looking east.) Rendered by A. R. Ross. 27. Section through Monument garden on Capitol axis, looking north toward White House. Rendered by A. R. Ross. 28. Section through Mall at Fifteenth street, looking west, showing Monument approaches and terraces. Rendered by A. R. Ross. 29. Section through canal, looking east, showing terraces and approaches to Monument garden. Rendered by A. R. Ross. APPENDIX F. DRAWINGS, DESIGNS, AND MODELS. 149 LINCOLN MONUMENT DIVISION. 30. Plan showing proposed treatment of Lincoln memorial site. 31. Elevation of same on proposed site. 32. Section of same. 33. General section, Lincoln monmiient site, showing proposed memorial bridge connection at this point. HEMICYCLE. 34. Model of Mall, including areas between Capitol and Twenty- seventh street, White House and Potomac Park, showing present conditions. Scale, 1 foot equals 1,000 feet. George Carroll Curtis, geographical sculptor. 35. Model of Mall, showing treatment proposed by the Commission. Scale, 1 foot equals 1,000 feet. George Carroll Curtis, geo- graphical sculptor. CAPITOL DIVISION. 36. View of Capitol as seen from Mall (Third street). Rendered by Robt. Blum. 37. View showing proposed treatment of square at head of Mall. Rendered by C. Graham. 38. Gate house and posts, old Capitol Grounds. (Buliinch.) 39. View showing proposed treatment of basin, terrace, and Capitol approaches, head of Mall. Rendered by Heniy McCarter. MONUMENT DIVISION. 40. View of Monument and garden terraces from White House. Rendered by Jules Guerin. 41. View of Monument and garden terraces, seen from canal, Lincoln division. Rendered by Jules Guerin. 42. Views of projected buildings, restaurants, pavilions, etc. 43. One of the six pavilions in Monument garden. Rendered by Henr}^ McCarter. 44. View in Monument garden, main axis, showing proposed treat- ment of approaches and terraces, forming a setting for the Washington Monument. (Looking east. ) Rendered by Jules Guerin. 150 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 45. View from terrace, base of Monument, looking toward Arling- ton. Rendered by Jules Guerin. 46. View from terrace, base of Monument, looking toward White House. Rendered by Jules Guerin. 47. View of terrace and approach to Monument, seen from the garden. Rendered by H. McCarter. 48. View of Monument garden, looking toward White House. Ren- dered by O. H. Bacher. LINCOLN DIVISION. 49. View showing proposed development of site for Lincoln memo- rial, seen from canal. Rendered by Robt. Blum. 50. Proposed development of Lincoln memorial site, seen from Riv- erside Drive. (Rendered by Carlton T. Chapman.) 51. View of the same, seen from Old Observatory site. Rendered by Jules Guerin. 52. View of same, seen from Washington Monument. (Rendered by O. H. Bacher.) 53 56 WASHINGTON COMMON DIVISION. View of memorial structure and public playgrounds looking south. (Rendered by Jules Guerin.) 54. View of Washington common and public playgrounds, showing proposed baths, theater, gymnasium, and athletic buildings. (Rendered by Jules Guerin.) 55. View of public square and above group of buildings, showing proposed memorial structure. Rendered by Jules Guerin. MALL DIVISION. View in Mall at Sixth street. Rendered by J. Guerin. 57. Mall seen from Fourteenth street, looking toward Capitol. (Ren- dered by Jules Guerin.) 58. General view of Monument Garden and Mall, looking toward Capitol. (Rendered by C. Graham.) 59. View of Monument seen from Mall at Fourteenth street. (Ren- dered by Jules Guerin.) APPENDIX F. DRAWINGS, DESIGNS, AND MODELS. 151 59«. View from the West — Monument. 59b. View from balloon. 60. Projected plan of the City of Washington, 1790, designed by Peter Charles L'Enfant, under the direction of General Washington, 61. Plan of the City of Washington, 1791, designed b}^ Peter Charles L'Enfant, under the direction of General Washington. 61a. Model of Monument Garden. Scale, 1 inch equals 32 feet. PHOTOGRAPHIC ENLARGEMENTS. 62. Fountain of Marcia, Rome. 63. Fountain in Front of Farnese Palace, Rome. 61. Fountain, Place Chateau d'eau, Paris. 65. Parade Ground, Boston Common. 6Q. Column in Garden of the Luxembourg, Paris. 67. Broad Avenue, Old Hadley, Mass. 68. Avenue, Cirencester, England. 69. Avenue, Windsor. 70. Broad Avenue, Old Hadley, Mass. 71. "Charles Sumner" Elm, Front of Capitol, Washington. 72. View from Terraces, St. Germain, Paris. 73. Terrace, Garden of the Tuilleries, Rue de Rivoli, Paris. 74. Fountain, Hampton Court, London. 75. Piazza del Popolo, Pincian Hill, Rome, 76. Ringstrasse, Vienna. 77. Fountain and Vista, Chantill}^, France. 78. Fountains, Versailles. 79. Fountains, Versailles. 80. Fountain, Place Saint Sulpice, Paris. 81. Fountain of San Paolo, Rome. 82. Fountain de TObservatoire, Paris. 83. Fountain Versailles. 84. Fountain, Barberini Palace, Rome. 85. Fountain of the Medici, Garden of the Luxembourg, Paris. 86. Fountain, Quirinal, Rome. 87. Terrace, Versailles. 152 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 88. Garden Pavilion, Laxenburg, Austria. 89. Fountain and Terrace, Fontainebleau. 90. The Long Walk, Windsor, England. 91. Avenue, Cirencester, England. 92. Avenue, Cirencester, England. 93. General View, Place de la Concorde, Paris. 91. Avenue of the Champs Elysees, Paris. 95. Fountains, Place de la Concorde, Paris. 96. Station at Frankfort, Germany. 97. Avenue of the Champs Elysees, Paris. 98. Fountain in Garden at d'Aranja, Spain. 99. View, Garden of Villa Medici, Rome, showing Terrace. 100. Basin and Parterres, Fontainebleau. 101. Fountains, Versailles. 102. ^Fountain, Villa Albani, Rome. 103. Fountain and Canal, Versailles. 101. The Orangerie, Versailles. 105. Palace and Gardens of the Luxembourg, Paris. 106. Temple, Borghese Gardens, Rome. 107. Chateau d'eau, Caserta, Italy. 108. Bernini Fountain, Piazza of St. Peter's, Rome. 109. Brandenburg Gate, Berlin. 110. Canal, Hampton Court Palace, London. 111. Memorial Walk, Thiergarten, Berlin. 112. L'arc de I'Etoile, Paris. 113. Fountain, Versailles. 111. Terrace, Trianon Palace, Versailles. 115. Terrace and Walk, Garden of the Tuilleries. 116. Quays p^ Lucerne, Switzerland. 117. Quays at Grenoble, France. 118. Bridge and Quay, Paris. 119. Bridges and Quays, Budapest. 120. Quay at Vannes, France. 121. Bridges and Quay, Angers, France. 122. Elm, Lafayette Square, Washington. 123. Elms, Capitol Grounds, Washington. 121. Elms, East Front of Capitol, Washington. * From photograph taken by Mr. Frederick Law Ohnsted, jr. APPENDIX F. — DRAWINGS, DESIGNS, AND MODELS. 153 125. Elms, East Front of Capitol, Washing-ton. 126. Elm, Capitol Grounds, Washington. 127. Elms, Side Avenue of Mall, Central Park, New York. 128. Elms, Side Avenue of Mall, Central Park, New York. 129. Elms, Mall, Central Park, New York. 130. Elms, Boston Common. 131. Mall, Boston Common. 132. Elms, Boston Common. 133. Elms, Boston Common. 134. Elms, Grounds of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 135. Elms, Grounds of Harvard University. 136. Elms, Avenue, Old Hadley, Mass. 137. Elms, Avenue, Old Hadley, Mass. 138. Elms, Avenue, Old Hadle3% Mass. 139. "Charles Sumner" Elm, Capitol Grounds, Washington. 140. "Charles Sumner" Elm, Capitol Grounds, Washington. 141. The "Tapis Vert," Versailles. 142. General View, Cirencester, England. 143. Fountain and Vistas, Garden of the Tuileries, Paris. 144. Exedra, Garden of the Tuileries, Paris. 145. Terrace, Fontainebleau. 146. Garden of the Luxembourg, Paris. 147. *Garden Terraces, Chateau Vaux le Vicomte. 148. ^Gardens, Vaux le Vicomte. 149. ^Fountain, Garden Vaux le Vicomte. 150. *Vatican Garden, Rome. 151. *Borghese Gardens, Rome. 152. *Hippodrome, Borghese Gardens, Rome. 153. Pavilion, Borghese Gardens, Rome. 154. -^Garden, Villa d'Este, Tivoli. 155. *Cascade, Garden, Villa d'Este. 156. *Cascade, Garden, Villa d'Este. 157. *Stair and Fountain, Garden, Villa d'Este. 158. *Villa Albani, Rome. 159. *Villa Albani, Rome. 160. *Villa Albani, Rome. 161. *Villa Albani, Rome. *From photographs taken by yir. Frederick Law Ohnsted, jr. 154 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 162. *Villa Medici, Rome. 163. *ViIla Medici, Rome. 161. *Statue, Garden, Schoenbrunn, Vienna. 165. *Pratei Restaurant, Vienna. 166. *Prater Restaurant, Vienna. 167. *Prater Restaurant, Vienna. 168. The Long Walk, Windsor, England. 169. Avenue of Stone Pines, Rome. 170. Monument Park, Washington, Present Condition, from the South. 171. Fountain of Trevi, Rome. 172. Panorama from the Cupola of St. Peter, Rome. 173. Piazzi of St. Peter, Rome. 171. Aqueduct, Rome. 175. The Spanish Steps, Plaza, Rome. 176. Avenue du Bois de Bologne, Paris. 177. Avenue du Bois de Bologne, showing Arc de Triomphe, Paris. 178. Fountain St. Michel, Paris. 179. Garden Pavilion. Borghese Gardens, Rome. *From photographs taken by Mr. Frederick Law Ohnsted, jr. Si o5 CO Z o z X < APPENDIX G.-LIST OF LANDS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEVOTED TO PUBLIC USE. [Shown on map No. P-287, following page 171.] rTAC!^ A ^OTT4RES CIRCLES TRIANGLES, AND OTHER MINOR RESERVATIONS, INCLUD- ING GROUND^^^^^ WHEN ALWAYS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Table I. — Reservations over one acre in extent. FAn asterisk (*) indicates control bv the District Commi.ssioners. A dagger (t) indicates control by ^ the Joint Committee on the Library. All others are nnder control of the Superintendent ot Public Buildings and Grounds.] Name. Dupont Circle .. . Farragut Square Folger Square . . . Official number. 60 16 Franklin Square Garfield Park.... * Haymarket Square Howard Park Iowa Circle Judiciary Square . Lafayette Square. t Library of Congress grounds. Lincoln Square 20 153 10 14 Marion Square McPherson Square . .4 c res. 2.0 1.6 1.9 4.6 23.9 11.3 19.8 6.9 g cS^ !? I and N streets north, at intersection of New Hampshire avenue and Twenty-first street west. Between N and O streets north, at intersection of New Hampshire avenue and Twentieth street west. Between Nineteentli and Twentieth streets west, at in- tersection of New Hampshire avenue and O street north. Between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets .west, at intersection of New Hampshire avenue and S street north. Between Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets west, at in- tersection of New Hampshire avenue and T street north. Between Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets west, at in- tersection of New Hampshire avenue and U street north. Between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets west, at inter- section of New Hampshire avenue and Sixteenth street west. Between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets west, at inter- section of New Hampshire avenue and Fifteenth street west. Between Nineteenth and Twentieth streets west, at in- tersection of Connecticut avenue and Q street north. Between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets west, at intersection of Connecticut avenue and M street north. Between Seventeenth street and Connecticut avenue, at intersection of Rhode Island avenue and M street north. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets west, at in- tersection of Rhode Island avenue and P street north. 160 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Table II. — Reservations under one acre in extent — Continued. Triangle. - Trapezoid Triangle . . Do. Do. Do. Do. Trapezoid Do.... Do Do Triangle . . . Trapezoid . Triangle.. Do Trapezoid Triangle. . Do Trapezoid Do Do Do.... Do.... Do.--- Do.... Do.... Triangle... Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Trapezoid , Do Triangle.. Trapezoid 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 Sq. feet. 11, 930 1,856 868 9,185 687 6,630 2,530 960 960 163 7,700 164 1,700 165 2,467 166 3, 150 167 3,300 168 4,087 169 3, 045 170 11,695 171 8,170 172 3,967 173 12,840 174 13,482 176 5,450 176 5,960 177 540 178 7,181 179 9,064 181 22, 152 182 4,712 183 4,712 184 7,618 185 7,618 186 ^,272 187 4,028 188 3,718 189 2,296 190 6,450 191 5,735 192 8,550 193 9,386 194 5, 725 Location. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets west, at inter- section of Rhode Island avenue and P street north. Between P and Q streets north, at intersection of Rhode Island avenue and Tenth street west. Between Ninth and Tenth streets west, at intersection of Rhode Island avenue at Q street north. Do. Between Sixth and Seventh streets west, at intersection of Rhode Island avenue and R street north. Do. Between Fourth and Fifth streets west, at intersection of Rhode Island and New Jersej' avenues and S street north. Between L and M streets north, at intersection of Ver- mont avenue and Fourteenth street west. Between M and N streets north, at intersection of Ver- mont avenue and Fourteenth street west, at front of Martin Luther's statue. Between O and P streets north, at intersection of Ver- mont avenue and Thirteenth street west. Between P and Q streets north, at intersection of Ver- mont avenue and Thirteenth street west. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets west, at inter- section of Vermont avenue and R street north. Between R and S streets west, at intersection of Vermont avenue and Twelfth street west. Between Eleventh and Twelfth streets west, at intersec- tion of Vermont avenue and S street north. Between Tenth and Eleventh streets west, at intersection of Vermont avenue and Eleventh street west. Between S and T streets north, at intersection of Ver- mont avenue and Tenth street west. Between Ninth and Tenth streets west, and T and U streets north, 8t intersection of Vermont avenue and Tenth street west. Between Twenty-second and Twenty-third streets west, at intersectiori of New York avenue and C street north. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth .streets west, at intersection of New York avenue and H street north. Between Eleventh and Twelfth streets west, at intersec- tion of New York avenue and I street north. Between Tenth and Eleventh streets west, at intersection of New York avenue and I street north. Between Ninth and Tenth streets west, at intersection of New York avenue and K street north. Between Sixth and Seventh streets west, at intersection of New York avenue and K street north. Between Fifth and Sixth streets west, at intersection of New Y'ork avenue and L street north. Between Fourth and Fifth streets west, at intersection of New York avenue and L street north. Between Third and Fourth streets west, at intersection of New York and New Jersey avenues and M street north. Between First and Second street west, at intersection of New York avenue and M street north. Between First street west and North Capitol street, at intersection of New York avenue and M street north. Between First street east and North Capitol street, at in- tersection of New York avenue and N street north. Between North Capitol and First streets east, at intersec- tion of New York avenue and O street north. Between First and Second streets east, at junction of New York and Florida avenues and O street north. Between Thirteenth and Thirteen-and-a-half streets west, at intersection of Ohio avenue and C street north. Between Fifth and Sixth streets west, at intersection of Louisiana avenue and D street north. Between Third and Fourth streets west, at intersection of Indiana avenue and D street north. Between First and Second streets west, at intersection of Indiana avenue and C street north. Between P and Q streets north, at intersection of New Jersey avenue and Fourth street west. Between Third and Fourth streets west, at intersection of New Jersey avenue and O street north. Between Third and Fourth streets west, at intersection of new Jersey avenue and N street north. At intersectiori of New Jersey avenue and I street north and Second street west. Between H and I streets north, at intersection of New Jersey avenue and I street and Second street west. APPENDIX G. LANDS DEVOTED TO PUBLIC USE. Table II. — Reservations under one acre in extent — Continued. 161 Name. Trapezoid Do.... Do.... Do.... Do.... Do.... Triangle.. Garfield circle . Triangle Do Do Do Trapezoid Do Do Triangle Do Do Do Do Do Trapezoid Triangle Do Trapezoid Do Triangle Do Trapezoid Do Triangle Trapezoid Triangle Trapezoid Do -- Do Triangle Trapezoid Do Triangle Do Official number. 195 196 197 198 199 200 •201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208- 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 Sq. feet. 12.572 5, 170 4, 402 5,029 4,132 10, 098 22, 095 6,361 10, 296 7, 820 12, 152 4,860 3, 213 3,720 4,496 10, 860 4,588 4,095 3,330 2,100 0, 039 6,039 552 2,100 25, 642 11,340 4,576 405 10,815 25,240 4, 508 23, 482 4,628 7,093 9, 702 16,368 506 7,837 7,406 900 10,556 Location. Between G and H streets north, at intersection of New Jersey avenue and First street west. Between E and F streets north, at intersection of New Jersey avenue and First street west. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets west, at inter- section of Maryland avenue and D street south. Between Ninth and Terith streets west, at intersection of Maryland avenue and D street south. Between Ninth and Tenth streets west, at intersection of MarvlaiKl avenue and C .street south. Between Sixth and Seventh streets west, at intersection of Maryland avenue and C street south. Between Third and Four-and-a-half streets west, at in- tersection of Maryland avenue and Band Canal streets south. At junction of Maryland avenue with First street south- west. Between First and Second streets east, at intersection of Maryland avenue and A street north. Between First and Second streets east, at intersection of Maryland avenue and B street north. Between Second and Third streets east, at intersection of Maryland avenue and B street north. Between Si.xth and Seventh streets east, at intersection of Marvland avenue and D street north. Between Seventh and Eighth streets east, at intersection of Maryland avenue and D street north. Between" Eighth and Ninth streets east, at intersection of Maryland avenue and E street north. Between Tenth and Eleventh streets east, at intersection of Maryland avenue and E street north. Between" Eleventh and Twelfth streets east, at inter.sec- tion of Maryland avenue and F street north. Between Twe"lfth and Thirteenth streets east, at inter- section of Maryland avenue and F street north. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at in- tersection of Maryland avenue and G street north. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at in- tersection of Maryland avenue and G street north. Between O and P streets south, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and Third street west. Between Second and Third streets west, at intersection of Delaware avenue and N street north. Between Second and Third streets west, at intersection of Delaware avenue and M street south. Between L and M streets south, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and Second street west. Between K and L streets south, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and Second street west. Between 1 and K streets south and Delaware avenue and Second street west. Between I and H streets south and Delaware avenue and First street west. Between G and H streets south, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and First street west. Between F and G streets south, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and First street west. Between E and F streets south and Delaware avenue and First street west. At intersection of Massachusetts and Delaware avenues. First street east, and F street north. Between F and G streets north, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and First street east. Between G and H streets north, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and First street east. Between Land M streets north, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and Second street east. Between M and N streets north, at intersection of Dela- ware avenue and Second street east. Between First and Second streets east, at intersection of North Carolina avenue and E street south. Between Si.xth and Seventh streets east, at intersection of North Carolina avenue and B street south. Between A and B streets south, at intersection of North Carolina avenue and Eighth street east. Between Eighth and Ninth streets east, at intersection of North Carolina avenue and B street south. Between Eighth and Ninth streets east, at intersection of North Carolina avenue and A street south. Between Ninth and Tenth streets east, at intersection of North Carolina avenue and A street south. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at in- tersection of North Carolina avenue and A street north. 162 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Table II. — Reservations under one acre In extent — ■Continued. Name. Trapezoid . Triangle... Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Trapezoid Triangle.. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Official number. Area. 236 Sq.feet. 8,883 237 600 238 7,698 239 10, 351 240 5,642 241 5,046 242 21,900 243 20, 878 244 20, 234 245 24, 727 246 20, 520 247 30, 975 248 1,500 249 5, 180 250 1, 827 251 10,914 252 10, 700 253 9,144 254 10, 753 255 0,510 256 ,937 257 15,748 258 8, 972 259 5,395 260 3,850 261 2,116 262 2, 040 263 1,762 264 2, 592 265 1,462 266 5,742 267 6, 348 268 6,043 269 3,250 270 877 271 687 272 437 273 418 274 350 275 870 Location. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at in- tersection of North Carolina avenue and B street north. Between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets east, at inter- section of North Carolina avenue and B street north. Between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets east, at inter- section of North Carolina avenue and B street north. Between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets east, at inter- section of North Carolina avenue and C street north. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets east, at inter- section of South Carolina avenue and C street south. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets east, at inter- section of South Carolina avenue and C street south. Between Second and Third streets west, at intersection of Georgia avenue and S street south. Between First and Second streets west, at intersection of Georgia avenue and R street south. Between Half and First streets west, at intersection of Georgia avenue and R street south. Between South Capitol and Half streets west, at inter- section of Georgia avenue and Q streets south. Between South Capitol and Half streets east, at inter- section of Georgia avenue and Q streets south. Between Half and First streets east, at intersection of Georgia avenue and P street south. Between First and Second streets east, at intersection of Georgia avenue and O street south. At intersection of Georgia avenue and Fourth and N streets southeast. At intersection of Georgia avenue, N, Fifth, and Canal streets southeast. Between Eighth and Ninth streets east, at intersection of Georgia avenue and M street south. Between Eleventh and Twelfth streets east, at intersec- tion of Georgia avenue and K street south. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets east, at inter- section of Georgia avenue and K street south. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets east, at inter- section of Georgia avenue and I street south. Between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets east, at inter- section of Georgia avenue and G street south. Between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets east, at inter- section of Georgia and Kentucky avenues and G street south. Between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets east, at in- tersection of Georgia avenue and E street south. Between Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets east, at in- tersection of Georgia avenue and E street south. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets east, at intersec- tion of Kentucky avenue and B street south. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at inter- section of Kentucky avenue and B street south. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at in- tersection of Kentucky avenue and D street south. Between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets east, at inter- section of Kentucky avenue and D street south. Between Fourteenth and Filteenth streets east, at inter- section of Kentucky avenue and Fifteenth street east. Between Fifteentn and Sixteenth streets east, at inter- section of Georgia and Kentucky avenues and G street .south. Between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets east, at inter- section of Kentucky avenue and H street south. Betweeii Twelfth and Thirteenth streets east, at inter- section of Tennessee avenue and B street north. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at in- tersection of Tennessee avenue and B street north. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at in- tersection of Tennessee avenue and D street north. Between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets east, at inter- section of Tennessee avenue and E street north. At intersection of Florida avenue and Twenty-first street northwest. At intersection of Florida avenue and V street north, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets west. At intersection of Florida avenue and Tenth street northwest. Between Ninth and Tenth streets west, at intersection of Vermont avenue and V street north. Between Sixth and Seventh streets west, at intersection of Florida avenue and T street north. Between Fourth and Fifth streets west, at intersection of Florida avenue and S street north. APPENDIX G. LANDS DEVOTED TO PUBLIC USE. 163 Table II. — Reservations under one acre in extent — Continued. Name. Triangle. Do... Circle Triangle. Do Do Do Trapezoid . Triangle. . . Do Do Do Do Trapezium Triangle.. - Do Do Do Do -Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do * Trapezoid . ♦ Circle Official number. 276 277 '277a 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 Sq. feet. 870 11,310 9i0 481 725 700 1,053 600 450 10, 500 1,905 2,929 11,462 1,520 5,700 2,280 8, 125 2,100 11,400 9,108 9,954 1,750 3,250 7,875 3,450 1,235 4,124 Location. Between First and Third streets west, at intersection of Florida avenue and R street north. Between North Capitol street and First street west, at intersection of Florida avenue and Q street north. On North Capitol street, at Florida avenue north. Between North Capitol street and First street east, at intersection of Florida avenue and P street north. Between Third and Fourth streets east, at intersection of Florida avenue and N street north. Between Sixth and Seventh streets east, at intersection of Florida avenue and M street north. Between Ninth and Tenth streets east, at intersection of Florida avenue and L street north. Between Eleventh and Twelfth streets east, at intersec- tion of Florida avenue and K street north. Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets east, at inter- section of Florida avenue and I street north. Between Canal street, at intersection of B and Second streets southwest. Between Canal street, at intersection of First and D streets south Avest. At intersection of Canal, South Capitol, and E streets southeast. At intersection of Canal street, H street south, and Half street eSiSt Between H and I streets south, at intersection of New Jersey avenue. Canal, and First streets east. At intersection of New Jersey avenue, Canal, and I At intersection of South Capitol, I, and H streets south- west. At intersection of I and Half streets southwest, on west side of canal. Between L and M streets south, and Half and First streets west, on west side of canal. At intersection of canal and N streets south and First At intersection of Water street, N street south, and Sixth street west. Between U and V streets south, at intersection of Water and Half streets west. Between T and U streets south, at intersection of Water and Half streets west. Between R and S streets south, at Intersection ot South Capitol and Water streets. Between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets east, at inter- section of N and Water streets south. Between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets east, at inter- section of Water street and M street south. Between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets east, at inter- section of Water street and L street south. Do. Between Sixth and Seventh streets north, at intersection of C street and Pennsylvania avenue. Between Sixth and Seventh streets north, at intersection of C street and Louisiana Avenue. Total number of reservations under 1 acre in extent 275 Total area of reservations under 1 acre in extent acres. . ii. ^6 Average size of reservations under 1 acre in extent do .w Total number of all minor reservations 301 Total area of all minor reservations acres. . lub. y^ Total area free from buildings "O i"^- ^^ 164 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. CLASS B.— LARGE PARKS. CENTRAL GROUP. [A dagge/ (t) indicates control bv tiie Joint Committee on ttie Library; a double dagger (I) indicates control by the Department of Agriculture; all others are under control of the Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds.] Capitol grounds . Mall: f Botanical Gar- dens. Public Gardens (Seaton Park). Armory Square (Henry Park) . Grounds of Smith- sonian Institu- tion. X Ground.? of De- partment of Ag- riculture. Grounds of Wash- ington Monu- ment. Grounds of Fish Commission. President's Park (White Lot). Total of central group. To above total of 347.9 acres in central group may be added the White House grounds, although not open to public except on few spe- cial occasions. Grand total of central group. Official number. Ap- proxi- mate area oc- cupied by build- ings. 5,6 4 Acres. 59.1 11.8 19 14.9 58 35 78.5 18.9 52.9 348.1 18.5 Aci-es. 2.5 .40 3.1 10.39 Location. Between B street north and B street south, First street east and First street west. Between Pennsylvania and Maryland avenues, and First and Third streets west. Between Missouri and Maine avenues, and Third and Sixth streets west. Between B street north and B street south, and Sixth and Seventh streets west. Occupied in part by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the Fish Commission. Between B street north and B street south. Seventh and Twelfth streets west. Occupied by the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum, and Army Medical Mu.seum. Between b" street north and B street south, and Twelfth and Fourteenth streets west. Occupied by the Agricultural Department. Between B street north and B street south and Po- tomac Park, and Fourteenth street west and Fish Commission grounds. Between B street north and Potomac Park, Monu- ment grounds and Potomac Park. Occupied by the breeding ponds of the Fish Commission. Between White House grounds and B street north, and Fifteenth and Seventeenth streets northwest. Between Pennsylvania avenue northwest, and President's Park and Treasury building and State, War, and Navy building. These grounds are occupied by the White House and its con- servatories, and are highly Improved. Total number of reservations in central group 10 Total area of reservations in central group acres. . 366. 60 Total area free from buildings do 356. 21 Average size do 36.66 ZOOLOGICAL PARK. Present area acres. . 170 ROCK CREEK PARK. Present area acres. . 1, 605. 9 POTOMAC PARK. Present area acres. . 739. 4 CENTRAL GROUP. Present area acres. . 366. 6 Total area of large parks do 2, 881. 9 APPENDIX G. LANDS DEVOTED TO PUBLIC USE. 165 CLASS C —GROUNDS CONNECTED WITH PUBLIC BUILDINGS, INSTITUTIONS, OR DEPART- MENTS A.ND PRIMARILY INTENDED FOR OTHER PURPOSES, BUT INCIDENTALLY OPEN TO THE PEOPLE UNDER LIMITATIONS. [Only those marked with an asterisk (*) are ordinarily open to the people.] Almshouse . Girls' Reform School . , Bellevue ..'..■ Citv farm Columbia Institute for Deaf Mutes. Government Hospital for the Insane. United States farm — Military cemetery Municipal hospital grounds. * Naval Observatory.. Navv-yard. * Old Naval Observa- tory (now Naval Mu- seum of Hygiene). Reform School * Soldiers' Home Washington Barracks , White House grounds , Total area Acres. 265. 00 110. 34 363. 63 59.63 1 33.44 89.8 43.12 16.90 278 502 62 18.50 Approxi- mate area occupied by build- ings. Acres. 2, 012. 36 8.38 .36 .75 2.00 2.46 Location, character, etc. A new site for the District almshouse recently purchased at the southern end of the District, on the Anacostia side, adjacent to the United States powder magazine. It extends from the District line to the grounds of the powder magazine, and from Bald Eagle Hill to the shore line near Shepherds Landing. Five-sixths of this area are either fiat or a very gentle slope, and the remainder is on a steep hillside that includes part of the proposed Shepherd parkway. A wooded hilltop adjoining the receiving reservoir, near the western corner of the District. A low-lying tract containing the U. S. powder magazine, on the shore of the Potomac, near the new almshouse grounds and the southern point of the District. A partially developed tract, with a few good trees, lying between Nineteenth street east and the Anacostia River, occupied by the almshouse and jail. The former is to be removed. These grounds will be crossed by the pro- posed extension of Massachusetts avenue. A portion would be occupied by the proposed Anacostia Park. A wooded tract north of Florida avenue on the line of Eighth street east. Its extreme northerly end would form part of the proposed belt park system. A hilly, wooded tract on the eastern bank of the Ana- costia River, overlooking the Potomac and the city. An uncultivated tract lying immediately west of Gies- boro road. A tract of open rolling land, with scattered trees, recently acquired by District on the line of Thirteenth street ex- teaded, between Seventh street road and Piney Branch. A wooded upland tract on the line of Massachusetts avenue, half a mile west of Rock Creek, commanding extensive views over the city. Occupied by observa- tory buildings, but serving also as a place of resort. Between M street southeast and Anacostia River and Sixth and Ninth streets southeast. Principally occu- pied by the ordnance construction shops of the Navy. A hill, over 90 feet high, between Twenty-third and Twenty-fifth streets west and E street and B street north, "commanding an exceptionally beautiful view. A tract of high land at the northeastern boundary of the District, commanding excellent views over the Ana- costia Valley and in other directions. On the line of North Capitol street, halfway to the Dis- trict line. A flat, low-lying tract at the foot of Four-and-a-half street. Lately an" artillery post, it is now to be the .site of a school of applied engineering and of a war college. South of Pennsylvania avenue, between Fifteen-and-a- half and Sixteen-and-a-half streets. Open to the public only on special occasions. Receiving reservoir . * Conduit road Distributing reservoir . Reservation with water gate and pump. Do Do Georgetown reservoir Howard University reservoir Filter 281.75 27.50 64 3.4 2.33 .94 1.50 67.70 On Potomac River and on western boundary of District, lying partly in District and partly in Maryland. The Dis- trict portion is heavily wooded and the land is basin-like. A level drive, over water conduit, from District line to valley of Foundry Branch. On Potomac River near Conduit road and New Cut road. Has little land about it. In Foundry Branch Valley. Rock Creek Valley near Massachusetts avenue. Washington Heights near Eighteenth street. Thirty-second and U streets. Little ground around it. Between Soldiers' Home grounds and Howard University. To be connected with filter plant lying east. Groxinds. Total number of grounds Total area Total area free from buildings . . . Average size Total area in classes A, B, and C . Total usually open to the public . .acres. ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... 25 2, 495. 48 2,473.43 99.81 5, 544. 68 1, 105. 25 APPENDIX H.— LIST OF PROPOSED ADDITIONAL RESER- VATIONS. [Shown in green lines on map No. D-288.] CLASS A.— SMALL RESERVATIONS AND FORTS. Approxi- Temporary designation. ! mate area. Location. Fort Baker Fort Bunker HilL Fort Chaplin Fort Davis. Fort Dupont Fort Howard Fort Mahan Meridian Hill . . . Battery Parrott. . Battery Ricketts. Fort Sedgwick... Fort Slemmer . Fort Stanton . . Fort Stevens. . Tenley Circle. Fort Thayer . FortTotten.. Total area . Acres. 13.8 11.9 20.2 25.7 24.8 3.7 55.1 18.0 1.8 3.7 22.0 19.3 66.1 12.8 6.4 n.o 47.7 Near Bowen road and Overlook Inn, southeast. At Brookland, on University Heights, northeast. Near junction of Central avenue and Bennings road, south- east. At junction of Bowen road and Pennsylvania avenue ex- tended, southeast. At junction of Bowen road and Ridge road, southeast. Near River road and District boundary, northwest. Near Bennings, northeast. North of Florida avenue on Sixteenth street, northwest. On Ridge road near distributing reservoir, northwest. On hill east of Anacostia village, southeast. South of junction of Central avenue and Benning road, southeast. East of Soldiers' Home, near Harewood road, northeast. On hill above Anacostia village, southeast. At Brightwood, near Military road, northwest. At junction of Nebraska avenue and Georgetown and Rock- ville road, northwest. Near Boys' Reform School, northeast. On Bates road, north of Soldiers' Home, northeast. CLASS B.— LARGE PARKS. Anacostia Park.jj^^^^''- Analostan Island Mount Hamilton Park Fort Kemble Patterson Park Fort Reno Total area Between Massachusetts avenue and District line, on Anacostia River, northeast. In Potomac River, west of Mall. On Bladensburg road, northeast. At head of Chain Bridge road, northwest. Adjoining Columbian Institute for Deaf-Mutes, northeast. At Tenley near Georgetown and Rockville road, northwest. CLASS C— ADDITIONS TO GROUNDS CONNECTED WITH PUBLIC BUILDINGS, INSTITUTIONS, OR DEPARTMENTS AND PRIMARILY INTENDED FOR OTHER PURPOSES BUT INCI- DENTALLY OPEN TO THE PEOPLE UNDER LIMITATIONS. Howard University Reser- voir. Old Naval Observatory Soldiers' Home or filter grounds. Washington Barracks Total area Acres. 8.1 19.3 12.8 30.2 70.4 On westerly side of Howard University Reservoir, north- west (three small parcels). On westerly side of old Naval Observatory, northwest. On southerly end of Soldiers' Home grounds, east of filter grounds, northeast. On westerly side and southerly end of Washington Barracks. Total area in classes A, B, and C, in acres, 2,141.4. 167 168 PARK SYSTEM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. CLASS D.— PARKWAYS AND PARK CONNECTIONS. Temporary designation. Approxi- mate area. Broad Brancli parljway Eckington parliwav mies. 2 1.2 Georgetown parkw"ay Mount Hamilton parkway.. Piney Brancli parkway 1.6 .75 1.6 3.2 Quavs 8.5 Riverside drive 2.8 Rock Creek parkway 2 .8 2.7 Soapstone Creek parkway... Soldiers' Home parkway 1.2 1.2 Stickfoot Creek parkway 1.75 To which may be added streets and avenues which should be widened and parked to form adequate connections: Fort drive Nebraska avenue Yuma street Mount Vernon road Total length 1 25 1 75 51 30 14 From Tenleytown to Rock Creek Park, via Fort Reno Reser- voir and Broad Branch Valley, northwest. From Soldiers' Home to Patterson estate, northeast From Rock Creek, at Massachusetts avenue, to Foundry Brook Valley, northwest. Prom Patterson estate to Mount Hamilton, northeast. From southern end of Rock Creek Park to Seventh street road at Municipal Hospital grounds, northwest. From Foundry Brook Valley, along the Potomac River, to District line, northwest. Rock Creek mouth to Mall, northwest; Mall to Washington barracks, southwest; Washington barracks to Navy- Yard, southwest and southeast; Navy- Yard to Massachusetts ave- nue, and returning on eastern side of Anacostia River to Giesboro Point, southeast. From Giesboro Point to United States Powder Magazine, and from Powder Magazine to District line, southeast, From Zoological Park to Potomac River, northwest. From Municipal Hospital grounds to northern end of Sol- diers' Home grounds, northwest. From grounds of Government Hospital for the Insane to Bald Eagle Hill, near site for new Almshouse, southeast. From Tenleytown to Rock Creek Park, northwest. From Rock Creek Church road along easterly side of Soldiers' Home to Michigan avenue, northeast. From Anacostia River to Hamilton road, southeast. From Rock Creek, at Military road, following the chain of old forts to Anacostia River, and from Anacostia River, following the forts on the ridge, to Government Hospital for the Insane. From Ridge road to Tenleytown, northwest. From Tenleytown to receiving reservoir, northwest. APPENDIX I. —PROPOSED ADDITIONS TO EXISTING PARKS. [Shown in green lines on map Ko. D-288.] ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 1. To extend the park at its southerly end to the nearest street as laid out on the highway-extension plans a strip of land is needed. This land is a steep hillside facing the park and has been occupied in part by a cemetery. It immediately overlooks Adams JNIill road, one of the principal entrance-drives of the park. Area of above proposed addition (about) acres. . 5 2. At the southeasterly side, beginning at the Adams Mill road and extend- ing along the westerly slope of Lanier Heights to Kenesaw avenue, lies a strip of land that is needed in order to put under control of the park authorities a steep hillside close to the creek, from which in places fragments are con- stantly rolling down into the park to the great danger of animals and visitors. It is, moreover, very intimately a part of the parks cenery, and its develop- ment for private purpose would be a great injury. The line recommended coincides with the nearest street of the highway-extension plan and would make it possible to provide a new park entrance to take the place of Old Quarry road. Area of above proposed addition (about) acres. . 6. 4 3. At the westerly side of the park there is a considerable area between Con- necticut avenue and the present boundary. North of Cathedral avenue this is too narrow to allow a double row of lots, and if no further action is taken the frontage of the park for 1,000 feet on each side of the main entrance will be upon a row of back yards. One of two things should be done: Either to take the whole tract and bring the park frontage out to Connecticut avenue, or to provide for a new street parallel with Connecticut avenue and about 400 feet away from it extending from Cathedral avenue to Klingle Ford Valley, and to sell off the small strip of park land lying outside of the street. The first would be the more dignified and desirable treatment, but as the land does not form an essential part of any park landscape the second would be per- fectly reasonable, and, in view of the high price of the lots facing on the ave- nue, perhaps, the wiser course. If the second alternative is adopted, however, it is essential that some additional land should be taken at the entrance in order to give it greater dignity. In either ease it would be desirable to secure the low land in the Klingle Valley adjacent to the park for the better protec- tion of its borders, and in order to provide for the construction of a road lead- ing from the high land near Connecticut avenue to the northern part of Rock Creek Valley. The area of the whole tract in question is (about) acres. . 21. 6 The park area which would be sold if the second project were adopted is about 7.06 acres, and the area to be acquired in Klingle Valley about 11.5 acres. Total area in acres of proposed addition to Zoological Park 33. Total area in acres of Zoological Park as increased 203. 169 7 A ^-|, UNITED STATES SENA1 DISTRICT PUBLIC RESERVATIONS AND POSSESSIONS /s IN THE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSION ( THE OFFICE OF THE ENGINEER ( SURVEY, THE UNITED STATES 200 200 OOMMISSIOI DANIEL H. BURNHAM, CH CHARLES F. MCKIM, NEW Elevations are in Feet, and reft Areas shown in Green [ | 1^ -^ Areas shown in Buff \^ i\ If /j T\ i Department Buildings shown ir Department Buildings shown ir yWW U:^\ ViZ^^^pS^N ,r^->T ' V TED STATES SEN HE DISTRICT OF COUUM MAP OF THE DISTRICT OF ( OLLTMI3IA SHOWING PUBLIC RESERVATIONS AND POSSESSIONS AND^ THE PERMANENT SYSTEM OF HIGHWAYS. COMPILED AND DRAWN IN THE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSION ON THE PARK SYSTEM. FROM PLANS AND DATA FURNISHED BY THE OFFICE OF THE ENGINEER COW„MISSIONER. THE UNITED STATES COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY, THE UNITED STATES GE OLOGICAL SURVEY. AND THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, SCALE 235^0 NOVEMBER. 1901 No. 1) '2S7 t NOTE ; I. •nd 1.1.1 10 iJJ. pl.i,, 2.11 .b... m..« low l.d. 1 ■ SBa »lB#4i##|^^|. * 'fa ark plans, 123. Pantheon, proposed, 50. Paris; 12, 15, 26, 70, 77, 83. Park Commission appointed, 8; problem stated to, 10; visit to Europe, 15; compre- hensive character of plans of, 16; consulted as to architect for Department of Agriculture building, 13; report of, 23; recommendation of as to public buildings, 28; list of drawings, designs and models illustrating the report of, 147-154. Park system of Washington, character of, 75; the larger parks and their connec- tions, 83; law governing, 18; need for additional parks, 77. Partridge, William T., work of, on Washington plans, 123. Patent Office, 64. Patterson Park, 102. Pennsylvania avenue, treatment of area south of, 29, 69. Pension Office, 70. Piney Branch, 99. Place de la Concorde, Paris, 42. Playgrounds, 49, 79. Post-Office Department, 64. Potomac Di'ive, 94. Potomac Flats, 24; improvement of, 10, 36, 77. Potomac Park, 11, 51, 56, 83, 117. Potomac quay, 83. President's house, 12. President's palace, 35. Public baths and gymnasiums, 28. Public buildings, Lafayette square suitable for, 28; location of, 28; need of new, 24. Receiving reservoir, 94. Reform School, 108, 113. Revere Beach, Massachusetts, 28, 127. Rhind, J. Massey, sculptor, 41. Richardson, Hon. James D., member of Lincoln Memorial Commission, 52. Richmond, Ya., swimming basin at, 125. Riverside Drive, Washington, 51. Riverside Drive, New York, 95. Rock Creek Park, 11, 88, 99; purchase of, 10. Rock Creek parkway, treatment of, 85. Rock Creek, section east of, 99; section west of, 91; system of parks, 51; valley of, 11; alternative plans for treatment of, 137. Rodeman, Mr., 123. Rome, 15-26; fountains of, 27. Roosevelt, President, 65. Root, Hon. Elihu, Secretary of War, 41; member of Lincoln Memorial Commission, 52. Ross, A. R., drawings of, 123, 148. Rossell, Captain, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., report of as to treatment of Rock Creek, 137, 138. Roth, F. G. R., 41. St. Gaudens, Augustus, member of Park Commission, 9, 13, 41, 123. St. Peter's, Rome, 27. 178 INDEX. Savannah street boulevard, 99. Sohonbrunn, palace of, 45. Schofield, Lieut. Gen. J. M., member Grant Memorial jury, 41. Shaw Botanical Garden, St. Louis, 148. Shephard, Mr., 123. Shepherds Landing, 115. Sheridan avenue, 113, 114. Sheridan, Gen. Philip H., statue of, 41. Sherman, Gen. William T., statue of, 41. Shrady, Herwin Merwin, sculptor, wins competition for Grant Memorial, 41. Shuters Hill, 121. Smithsonian Institution, 43; Secretary of, 14. Soapstone parkway, 92. Soldiers' Home, 11, 93, 99, 100. Soldiers' Home cemetery, 58. Spring Bank Run, 121. State, War, and Navy building, 39. Stickfoot Creek parkway, 113. Story, Waldo, sculptor, 41. Strasburg, plan of, 12. Supervising Architect of Treasury, 13. Supreme Court building, 38. Symons, Maj. Thomas W., Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., report of, on Memorial Bridge, 55, 56. Tenley circle, 91 . Tiber Creek, 40. Tittmann, Otto H., Superintendent Coast and Geodetic Survey, 14. Treasury building, 39. Treasury, Secretary of, 13. Trevi, fountain of, Rome, 27. Trueblood, Mr., 123. Turin, plan of, 12. Thornton, William, architect of Capitol, 37, 40. LTnited States Senate, resolution of, relative to improvement of park system, 7. LTnion Square, 41. Union Station, 15, 16, 29, 44. Vaux-le-Vicomte, chateau of, near Melun, France. 45; fountains of, 27. Venice, 15, 26. Versailles, palace of, 27, 45, 51. Vienna, 15, 26, 83. Virginia palisades of the Potomac, 97. Walker, Mr., 123. Walter, Thomas U., architect of extension of the Capitol, 37. War College, 117. War, Secretary of, refers to report of Park Commission in annual report, 13. Water, consumption of, in the District of Columbia, 28. Washington, as a capital city, 25; its advantage over other cities, 39; planned under supervision of Washington and Jefferson, 12; climatic condition of, 26,76; defenses of, during civil war, 79; local government of, 14. Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railroad, 117. Washington Barracks, 105, 117. Washington Board of Trade, 8, 85, 137. Washington channel, 10. Washington common, the, 49. INDEX. 179 Washington embankment, 117. Washington market, 29. Washington, George, 13, 19, 25, 35, 37, 39, 52; supervises plan of Washington, 12. Washington Monument. 10; model of, 17; as work of art, 24; beginnings of, 35; pro- posed treatment of, 47. Washington Star, the, 43. Webster, Daniel, first mentions Memorial Bridge, 55. AVeekes, Mr., 123. Wetmore, Senator George Peabody, member Grant Memorial Commission, 41; mem- ber of Lincoln Memorial Commission, 52. White House, 23,35,39,47; improvement of, 36; occupied Ijy President and Mrs. John Adams, 63. White Lot, 29, 42, 49. White, Stanford, member of Memorial Bridge jury, 56. Williamsburg, Va. , 45. Windsor Great Park, 45. Wisconsin avenue, 93. Yuma street, 93. Zoological park, 87. H 88 78 rl^ .^ 0' .0 J.^ ,l-«^ rO .^^ ^0 V, -^ ^^ 4 c) .>^" .^^ A ^. ,-^^ G^ >'^ .^' '^^^ .s"^^^^ oT '^c "^ .0^ .^ 4 o^ .f" -^ ■4 Ox • - .f^ 0- <.9 ^-^ ° ^ <5> .^' 4 o ♦^ -o V^' ^°-d '^^ ,\^ ... ^-^ "'-^ ^0 ^- ■i i < I *1 .