A new period in the development of the city may be said to date from 1901 with the filing of the report of the McMillan Park Commission, for since that time there has been a constant increase in the interest taken by the public. The outstanding dates recording the progress of this increased interest are 1910, 1912, 1920, and 1924. The Fine Arts Commission was established in 1910. A new beginning of control of private property was made in 1910 after many years’ lapse of the original restrictions imposed by President Washington. This new beginning consisted in control of the height of buildings, the passage of a height law, and was followed in 1920 by a comprehensive zoning law.

In 1924 the lack of provision of public parks and the failure to carry out the proposals of the plan of 1901, in so far as park areas were concerned, led to the formation of the National Capital Park Commission, with authority to purchase lands for park purposes. The organization of the Commission was the result of combined efforts of many nation-wide organizations.

The new Commission soon found that an intelligent choice of park lands could not be made without knowledge of the interrelation of parks, highways, zoning, public buildings, and other elements of city and regional planning. The authority of the Commission was therefore increased in 1926, and its membership enlarged. The new National Capital Park and Planning Commission was charged—

The largest single factor in determining the extent and character of the development of the National Capital will be the extent, character, and wisdom of the permanent investments by the public in public areas and improvements. This Commission has, therefore, considered as of primary importance the proper location and extent of public lands, whether used for streets, parks, public buildings, or other public services; and the timely acquisition and development of these areas for their particular purposes.

Since the areas needed for public use can not be chosen without regard to the use and extent of private developments, it follows that some control over the use of private property—as by zoning—is an essential part of city or regional planning.

When city planning is mentioned most people think first of streets. In this field the commission has been active in three ways—first, in an effort to make the streets fit the land and to follow along the hills and valleys instead of across them; second, in establishing a major thoroughfare system guiding the development of the main highways within the District of Columbia and extending the principles of the original L’Enfant plan to the limits of the District; and third, in securing public support of a regional highway system which will provide more adequately for traffic both into the city and between suburban areas.

With the first of these aims in view many changes in the highway plan of the District have been made in cooperation with the District officials. These changes were advantageous to preserve natural topography, to fit the streets to property lines, to save trees, to provide drainage, or for like reasons. Several important street openings and widenings have been undertaken in accordance with the commission’s major thoroughfare plan, such as New York Avenue beyond the limits of the L’Enfant plan, the opening of a new Louisiana Avenue from the Union Station to Pennsylvania Avenue at Union Square, straightening of Michigan Avenue, and extension of Sixteenth Street to the District line. The plan which follows the recommendations of the commission has been recognized by the District officials in the adoption of a 5-year highway program.

Several new regional highway projects are now complete or going forward in accordance with the regional plan. The Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and the Lee Boulevard establish new standards in highway design. The extension of Rhode Island and Massachusetts Avenues fits the plan. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission has adopted practically all of the suggestions made by the Commission for the Maryland area as part of the Maryland master plan.

Where parks are concerned the Commission has a special responsibility. The plans for parks both in the District of Columbia and out of it have received the indorsement of Congress in the Capper-Cramton Act.

For the District the Commission is now acquiring parks of three types: (1) A parkway (the Fort Drive) around the city, 28 miles long and connecting the sites of the Civil War forts on the second row of hills; (2) a system of recreation centers and playgrounds distributed throughout the area in association with the schools and so far as possible providing a play area within a quarter of a mile of every child; (3) preservation of stream valleys and correction of the boundaries of Rock Creek Park.

The principal physical feature of the region is the Potomac River, so it is natural that the corresponding feature of the park system is along the river banks. Below Washington, where the broad lakelike scenery exists, parkways are under construction or contemplated on the Virginia side to Mount Vernon and on the Maryland shore to Fort Washington. Above Washington a park is projected to preserve the natural scenery of the Palisades, rapids, woodlands, and Great Falls of the Potomac, together with the Patowmack Canal, built by George Washington, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal on the Maryland side of the river.

The Commission has taken an active part in the effort to have the public buildings of Washington grouped and arranged not only for the convenience and beauty of the result but also that they may fit into the future plans for streets, highways, and parks, and thus promote the orderly development of the city and region. When the first important step in the public-buildings program was taken in 1926 the Commission urged the purchase of all of the land necessary for a plan of the group as a whole instead of undertaking individual building projects as separate units in the scheme. The problems of parking and transit facilities in relation to the public-buildings groups have caused the Commission great concern, and efforts have been made to secure the cooperation of the architects in charge of the building program in order to solve these problems. In all of its activities concerning the public-buildings program the Commission has been guided by the principles announced by the plan of 1901, under which Federal buildings will be concentrated along the axis of the Mall and about the White House. The Commission has given favorable consideration to an enlargement of this program by which semipublic buildings and possibly State buildings might be located along East Capitol Street in order to help the balance between the northwest and the eastern portions of the city of Washington.

In the same way the Commission advises the appropriate authorities on matters of zoning and control of use of private property. Zoning has now been adopted not only in the District but also in the Maryland suburban area and in Arlington County and Fairfax County, Va. Also Alexandria has prepared a zoning plan. It is hoped that in the not distant future other portions of the Maryland and Virginia areas may be added to this list. In matters relating to zoning in the District, the Commission has contributed statistical data and expert opinion, and was particularly active in the segregation of single-family houses from 2-family and community groups.

In brief, it is the function of the Commission to revive, review, and revise the efforts of past generations toward a “great and effective city for the seat of our Government” and to keep that ideal constantly before the public, to the end that each separate undertaking by the countless public and private agencies concerned may be coordinated and related to produce a result in which future generations may take pride.

EAST CAPITOL STREET—EXTENDING THE MALL AXIS EASTWARD

Some one has said “the beauty of Washington is its trees.” No one who has seen the thousands of trees in Washington and in the country adjacent to the city can deny this. There is no national capital in the world that has more beautiful trees than Washington. Those seen on East Capitol Street are typical of the large massive trees throughout the city. Thousands of them were planted during the Presidency of General Grant, and it has been the policy of the District of Columbia government to plant trees along streets opened for residential sections.

The climate of Washington, which is semitropical, permits the growth of trees found both in the North and the South. Thus there are oak, walnut, maple, and cedar trees amidst magnolias, Japanese cherry trees, and the mountain laurel, to mention only a few. Congress has authorized the establishment of a national arboretum in the National Capital, which will comprise at least 500 acres and will be a most interesting place for the planting of many varieties of trees and the study of them. A plan to widen East Capitol Street and build a stadium on the axis of the street in Anacostia Park is being made by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

THE FORT DRIVE

The citizens’ movement to connect by a boulevard a considerable part of the Civil War defenses of Washington was incorporated in the plan of 1901. These old defenses, occupying strategic positions, are capable of being converted into small parks of high excellence and availability, and a connecting boulevard will have an added historic interest. Of these so-called forts a number are already in possession of the Government. Among those that have been purchased is Fort Stevens, near the Army Medical Center, where during General Early’s raid, on July 12, 1864, President Lincoln was under fire until ordered to the rear by the officer in command. The Fort Drive is being developed by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission. There will be a continuous parkway of suitable width connecting the sites of the following old forts: Fort Greble, Fort Carroll, Battery Ricketts, Fort Stanton, Fort Wagner, Fort Baker, Fort Davis (United States owned), Fort Dupont (United States owned), Fort Shaplin, A Battery, Fort Mahan, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Totten, Fort Slocum, Fort Stevens (United States owned), Fort De Russye, Fort Bayard, Battery Kemble, Battery Vermont (United States owned), and Battery Parrott. There is another Civil War fortification in the Arlington National Cemetery, called Fort McPherson, which is being preserved for its historic character. From it a commanding view of the cemetery and of the river is obtained.

WASHINGTON CHANNEL AND THE WATER FRONT

The water front of Washington is to be similar to the magnificent water fronts of large cities of Europe. The plan provides for a quay, with space for commercial piers, warehouses, steamboat offices, commercial houses, boathouses, and recreational piers. There will be a beautiful boulevard drive along “Water Street” which will connect with Anacostia Park, also adequate street-railway accommodations. Washington has 18 miles of water front, and this will be a most interesting part of it.

It is proposed to replace all existing structures on the water front at “Water Street,” with the exception of the Municipal Fish Wharf, with modern buildings. Head houses and transit sheds are to be of brick and tile, with slate roofs and of a modified colonial architecture. A total of six wharves is projected for immediate construction and a portion of the frontage available is to be reserved for future additions. Yacht basins and small-boat anchorage are included in the plan. The plan has been prepared by the United States Engineer Office, with the idea that Washington is not primarily an industrial city, nor will it ever be, so that railroad connections with the piers and slips were omitted. Such industrial developments as might require ship-to-rail transfers can be accommodated in other locations. Buzzards Point is to be developed for maritime commercial uses.

Under the improvement program “Water Street” is to be made a 160-foot boulevard, with separate lanes for traffic, street cars, and trucks, and marginal and central landscaping. The old 4-line street-car lanes on a portion of the street have been removed. To permit of direct connection with East Potomac Park and the Highway Bridge, a bridge is to be built just below the railroad crossing at the head of the Washington Channel. Water Street is now Maine Avenue.

The cost of the entire project is estimated at $3,691,600. The report was submitted by the Secretary of War to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on November 26, 1929, and then was referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors. The project is now under development.

GEORGE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL PARKWAY

The George Washington Memorial Parkway, designed by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, was authorized by the Capper-Cramton Act, approved May 29, 1930, and carrying with it an authorization of $33,500,000 for the development of a comprehensive park, parkway, and playground area in the District of Columbia and the surrounding regions of Maryland and Virginia. This parkway is designed “to include the public control of both banks of the river between Mount Vernon and Great Falls on the Virginia side and between Fort Washington and Great Falls on the Maryland side, with the exception of areas at Alexandria and in Washington which are reserved for commercial development.”

This is a project in which both residents of the District of Columbia and of the States of Maryland and Virginia may take equal pride—namely, to preserve Great Falls and the banks of the Potomac, so that the Potomac River, as it flows through the National Capital, may flow through a continuous park from Great Falls to Mount Vernon. Washington is to be envied in having so near to it such beautiful scenery as the Palisades of the Potomac and Great Falls, which are said to be “the finest specimens of nature in this part of the country.” Already, along the Palisades of the Potomac, quarries have been established and beautiful timber is being converted into lumber and firewood. These invasions will in time destroy natural beauties that can not be restored.

THE MOUNT VERNON HIGHWAY ROUTE

THE MOUNT VERNON HIGHWAY TRAVERSES HISTORIC TERRITORY

The route traverses a territory full of historic associations and reminiscent of the days of Washington. About halfway between Washington and Alexandria it passes close to the site of Abingdon, the home of John Parke Custis, Mrs. Washington’s son. Here Nellie Custis, Washington’s adopted daughter, was born. A beautiful view of the river and a panorama of Washington and the north shore is seen from this point. Also here the Potomac is being dredged, making new land for Washington National Airport, to be the finest in the United States. Work will be completed in 1941.

Passing on to Alexandria the route enters the city by Washington Street and passes directly by Christ Church, where the Washington pew may still be seen.

Alexandria was Washington’s own town. It was his market place, his post office, and his voting place. It was the meeting place of the lodge of Masons to which he belonged, and the lodge hall is now the repository of a great many articles and paintings associated with him. The trowel, square, and plumb bob used in laying the corner stone of the Capitol may be seen here, as also the Bible used in the Masonic lodge of which Washington was a member. Among many other things of historical interest is a portrait of George Washington painted by W. Williams for the lodge.

There is scarcely a foot of ground in Alexandria that Washington did not tread. The old quarters of the volunteer fire company to which he belonged still stand. In Gadsby’s Inn, now the City Hotel, he recruited the first company of provincial troops authorized by Governor Dinwiddie, and with which he fought the Battle of Great Meadows.

In the ballroom of Gadsby’s Inn in 1798 was held the first celebration of Washington’s birthday. From the steps of the same building he gave his last military command to the Alexandria Light Infantry Blues; and here, also, in November, 1799, less than 30 days before his death, he cast his last vote.

At the Carlyle House, still standing, he received his appointment as an officer in the British Army on General Braddock’s staff; and in this house also, at the Convention of the Five Governors assembled to confer with General Braddock, the first suggestion of colonial taxation was made—a step which ultimately led to the revolt of the Colonies.

A short side trip from Washington Street down King Street takes the traveler to the George Washington National Masonic Memorial, which has been erected at the western outskirts of the town on Shooters Hill. It is 333 feet high, and was designed by Harvey W. Corbett, architect.

Returning to Washington Street and proceeding southward the traveler passes the Confederate Monument, and soon reaches the southern limits of the town and passing within a stone’s throw of the first corner stone of the District of Columbia, still standing on Jones Point.

Leaving Alexandria the route crosses Hunting Creek to Fort Hunt, thence to the entrance gates of Mount Vernon.

FEATURES OF THE HIGHWAY DESCRIBED

The making of surveys, preparation of plans, and supervision of construction have all been done by the Bureau of Public Roads of the United States Department of Agriculture, and Gilmore D. Clarke, Consulting Landscape Architect.

The location selected for the highway required the construction of fills across approximately 2³⁄₄ miles of open water, which was accomplished by pumping gravel and sand from the Potomac River.

The highway throughout its entire length, with the exception of the section through Alexandria, has been designed to provide for a free flow of traffic over a surface with a minimum width of 40 feet, and where there is any volume of cross traffic it passes either under or over the highway.

Except through the city of Alexandria, the highway follows closely the shore of the Potomac River for the greater portion of the distance. This situation affords beautiful vistas of Washington and the Potomac River, which, in combination with the landscaping and development of the project itself, make this highway a fitting tribute to the memory of George Washington.

Below Alexandria the highway has been widened at points of outstanding beauty, so that motorists can stop for a few minutes to enjoy the view.

The bridges in general are of reinforced-concrete arches, faced with native stone laid in random bond. Special attention has been given to harmonizing their lines with the general plan of development.

The intersection of the memorial highway with U. S. Highway No. 1 near the beginning of the project has been so designed that a large volume of traffic can flow from one highway to the other without crossing the center line of either route.

A large parking area at Mount Vernon that will accommodate the thousands of visitors to this national shrine has been provided, and a concession building of colonial design has been erected to provide for their comfort.

MOUNT VERNON

Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington the greater part of his life, is situated along the historic Potomac, 14.7 miles south of the city of Washington, which he was instrumental in founding, though referring to it as the Federal City.

The history of Mount Vernon goes back to the time of Capt. John Smith, who explored the regions of the Potomac River in 1608. Some 40 years later Scotch and Irish emigrants settled along the banks of the Potomac, both on the Virginia and Maryland sides. In 1674 a tract of 5,000 acres, 15 miles south of Washington on the Virginia side of the river, was granted by Lord Culpeper to John Washington and Nicholas Spencer. Half of this tract was inherited by the half-brother of George Washington, Lawrence Washington. Mount Vernon was built in 1743 by Lawrence Washington, who named it after Admiral Vernon, under whom he served. It occupies a most picturesque spot on high ground overlooking the river, which it faces.

The mansion is well built. Its foundations are of stone and brick. The framework is of oak and the sheathing of pine wood. Also much copper was used in its construction. On the main floor is a central hall, a music room, a family dining room, a sitting room, and parlor; also a library and a banquet room, which were added by George Washington. On the second floor is the room in which Washington died; also, among several others, the Lafayette room. There are six bedrooms on the third floor. The house is 96 feet long and 30 feet wide, with a portico 25 feet high; the height of the building to the cupola is about 50 feet. Beautiful gardens are near by.

In 1752 Lawrence Washington died. Augustine Washington had provided that in the case of Lawrence’s death without heirs Mount Vernon should pass to George, and this provision Lawrence incorporated in his own will. To his widow he left a life interest in the property, with a reversion to his infant daughter, Sarah, who, as it happened, survived her father only a few weeks. Thus there was only the widow’s life interest to be considered. Anne Fairfax Washington lived until 1761, and at her death George Washington became the proprietor of Mount Vernon. The mansion was then enlarged for its new mistress, Martha Dandridge Custis, whom he had married in 1759.

During Washington’s years of public life he longed for the day when he could be at home at Mount Vernon with his beloved Martha and the family. It was undoubtedly one of the very best-managed estates in the Colonies, and Washington himself was regarded one of the richest men. The main entrance to Mount Vernon was from the west, which gateway was flanked by two porters’ lodges. The large portico on the east side of the mansion was used for outdoor gatherings and entertainment of visitors. Among the many guests entertained at Mount Vernon was the distinguished young French patriot, General Lafayette. On the main floor in a glass case hangs a key to the Bastille, sent by Lafayette to Washington in 1790, with the message: “That the principles of America opened the Bastille is not to be doubted, therefore the key comes to the right place.”

Washington was called from Mount Vernon to serve his country on three most noteworthy occasions, and each time after an interval of several years: In 1775, when he was made Commander in Chief of the Continental Army; in 1787, when he became president of the convention in Philadelphia that framed the Federal Constitution; and in 1789, when he became first President of the United States of America.

Washington died at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799. Martha Washington lived there during the remainder of her lifetime. On her death in 1802 the property was inherited by her nephew, Bushrod Washington, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Thereafter the estate suffered for need of repairs. In 1858 the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union was organized. The association purchased the property for $200,000 and to-day own and control Mount Vernon, including about 400 acres of the old estate.

Mount Vernon each day is the place of pilgrimage of hundreds of American and foreign visitors, who go there by motor or steamboat to visit the mansion and see the many historical articles of interest that once belonged to George Washington and his family and are now there on exhibition, but more particularly do they go to Mount Vernon to pay homage at the Washington tomb, which is near the mansion. Here also Lafayette came on his second visit to the United States during 1824-25, after an interval of almost 40 years.

The number of visitors at Mount Vernon for the year ended December 31, 1938, was 633,514.

WAKEFIELD, THE BIRTHPLACE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON

After more than a century and a half of neglect, a group of patriotic persons have within recent years taken steps to restore Wakefield, the birthplace of George Washington, situated about 50 miles south of Mount Vernon, along the Potomac, amidst beautiful landscapes between Popes Creek and Bridges Creek. The Government erected a monument at the site in 1895 to mark the birthplace and provided a watchman to care for the grounds. Until within the past few years the little Government reservation of 11 acres, acquired in 1882, was inaccessible because the Government dock was washed away and the road leading into Wakefield from the main highway was almost impassable. The State of Virginia recently completed a sand and gravel road to the place. The new road, about 2 miles in length, intersects the George Washington Highway from Fredericksburg, between Oak Grove and Potomac Mills. The Wakefield National Memorial Association (Inc.) has been organized to purchase the lands at Wakefield and thus save them from threatened encroachments of hunting and fishing clubs, which are now securing valuable sites along the Potomac River. Thus the association is doing for Wakefield what the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union accomplished for the preservation of Mount Vernon.

Congress early in 1930 appropriated $50,000 toward erecting a colonial house, typical of the Virginia houses at the time of George Washington. Bricks for the house were made from the clay at Wakefield. The construction work was carried out under the supervision of the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior, which has jurisdiction over the maintenance of Wakefield since the project of restoration was completed. John D. Rockefeller, jr., gave $115,000 for the purchase of 267 acres, and the association purchased approximately 100 additional acres. The association raised about $200,000.

The money, aside from the amounts spent to buy land, was expended in erecting a house that is as nearly a replica of the original birth house as could be planned on the basis of available data, in restoring the gardens, and in protecting the ancient graveyard where lie the remains of 31 members of the Washington family, including his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and brother, and to build a resthouse at the site. The original house was built between 1717 and 1720, and was burned Christmas, 1780. From pieces of china found in the ruins the celebrated Lenox china, showing the Washington coat of arms, has been reproduced and made available to the public by the Wakefield National Memorial Association. In the work of restoration the association was led by its president, the late Mrs. Harry Lee Rust, of Washington, D. C., who was a native of Westmoreland County, Va., and spent her childhood days in the vicinity of the Washington estate. She was a most indefatigable worker toward the realization of this project.

Wakefield was dedicated on February 11, 1932, the birthday of George Washington (old style), which month marked the beginning of the George Washington bicentennial celebration. Wakefield is known to-day as the George Washington Birthplace National Monument.