A PARK FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 



mainly by the Botanical Garden, the Mall, the 

 Smithsonian Institution, the Agricultural grounds, 

 and the territory around Washington Monument, 

 already belongs to the nation, and it is proposed 

 to condemn by law and secure a triangle of land 

 running from Pennsylvania Avenue on the north, 

 B Street North, on the south, and 15th Street on 

 the west. I would suggest that in addition to 

 this land, in order to secure the ideal park, another 

 parcel be acquired, bounded by Maryland Avenue 

 on the south, B Street on the north, and 15th 

 Street on the west; a range which would be won- 

 derfully effective as seen from the base of the 

 Capitol. There the view would widen over a great 

 perspective that would include in its very heart the 

 celebrated vista over almost level ground through 

 grand old trees to the Washington Monument, 

 which would be the very kernel and innermost 

 jewel or shrine of the landscape. 



No arrangement could be more fortunate than 

 this. Its steadily widening reach and its unsur- 

 passed vista would make as it were a foreground 

 and park for the Capitol, emphasizing the fact 

 that, owing to the special growth of the city 

 to the west, this side has gained paramount 

 importance. 



The management of the streets is a diflScult 

 problem, if we adhere to the vital principle of 

 isolating the park from the city, and recognize 

 the fact that the grades of the streets can not be 

 materially changed, owing to the proximity of 

 the subjacent water. But the difficulty may be 



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