Washington, its sights and insights [1909]Monroe, Harriet Earhart
History
Washington, its sights and insights [1909]
Monroe, Harriet Earhart
Washington (D.C.) -- Description and travel
XXIX
INTERESTS IN WASHINGTON WHICH CAN NOT
HERE BE FULLY DESCRIBED
IN the third story of the Congressional Library strangers can find two
papier-maché models which are of great interest. One represents the City
of Washington in 1902, the other represents the Washington of the
future.
Congress has called the great engineers of the War Department and four
of the leading artists of the United States as a committee on civic
improvement for the capital city. The artists are: Mr. Daniel H.
Burnham, of Chicago; Mr. John C. Olmstead, the noted landscape artist;
Mr. Charles F. McKim, and Mr. Augustus St. Gaudens.
By the plans the public buildings of the future will be arranged around
Capitol Square (which has now two sides occupied by private residences),
and will then extend on both sides the mall, or flat, low-lying district
1,600 feet in width, extending from the Capitol building to the Potomac,
a distance of one and a half miles, and inclosing the Washington
monument. The buildings are all to be of white marble, harmonious in
design, and with a standard sky-line. The latter feature is not pleasing
in effect in the model. The Pennsylvania Railroad and the B. & O.
Railroad have already given up their small stations, and now with all
other roads passing through Washington run into a handsome new Union
Station.
At the front of Capitol Hill will be Union Square, where the statues of
war heroes will be grouped. The streets from that point to the
Washington monument will have four rows of trees on each side. A great
theater, gymnasium, lakes, fountains, and baths will remind one of
ancient Rome. A magnificent memorial to Abraham Lincoln will be placed
south of the Washington monument. Obelisks and arches which have been
used as memorials from the earliest ages will form part of the
ornamentation. People smile over this wonderful design, but if from now
on all public work is done under this intelligent supervision even one
hundred years may make the dream of these artists a glorious reality.
Not a lamp-post will go up in this new day, not a business sign will be
displayed without the approval of this art commission.
Designs for private houses as well as business houses must be made to
harmonize with the landscape and other buildings which already exist.
"May we all be here to see."
Among the buildings and objects of interest which can not here be fully
described, nor their histories elaborated, is the Ben Butler building on
Capitol Square, where President Arthur made his home while the White
House was being repaired.
There is also the old Capitol or Capitol Square (now numbered 21, 23,
25), which was used by Congress after the British had destroyed the
Capitol in 1814. These buildings were used as a military prison during
the Civil War, and here Wirtz, of Andersonville prison memory, was
executed. In one of them died John C. Calhoun.
[Illustration:
CHARLOTTE CORDAY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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