APPENDIX B: A SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT PLANS AND PROJECTS AT PRESIDENT'S PARK

Significant Plans and Projects- 1791-1994

Pierre Charles L'Enfant, 1791

Pierre L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the federal city, which was revised by Andrew Ellicott in 1792 and others, provides the base for today's city. The city was planned to rest on a series of terraces and to be oriented toward the river, making the most of available water features in the manner of the French designer Le Notre. Most important to L'Enfant's vision was a decentralized city of radial streets emanating from park and plaza areas, providing broad urban and ceremonial vistas and specific places for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The streets followed a grid system overlaid with a series of radial configurations centering on proposed plazas. The National Mall and President's Park combined to form a large L-shaped sward, the axial point of which terminated at the juncture of the Potomac River and Tiber (Goose) Creek. L'Enfant's envisioned a palace and offices for the executive branch of government facing the river, framed by substantial grounds and connected to the Capitol by a broad ceremonial avenue later known as Pennsylvania Avenue. President's Park and its uninterrupted vista across the Washington Monument to the Jefferson Memorial serves as the northern arm of the Mall axis and constitutes one of the major elements of this seminal plan. 1/

Thomas Jefferson, ca 1804

President Thomas Jefferson's specific plans for the property surrounding the White House are unknown. However, it is clear that he felt L'Enfant's park to be too extensive for the executive mansion. He attempted to reduce the substantial acreage of the house site in a number of ways. He envisioned the future Lafayette Park (known then as the President's Square) as a public space more oriented to the city and its citizens than to the executive precinct. He called for a stone wall to be built around the immediate house grounds in an attempt to scale the property to the house and to separate this area from the executive office buildings on the east and west. Jefferson added colonnaded Palladian arcades to the east and west as service additions. A vault was built for the treasury to the southeast of the house. It is not known how much of Jefferson's landscape plans were implemented; however, some schematics survive. Drives from Pennsylvania Avenue into President's Park on the south were designed as romantic serpentine paths after English landscapers in an effort to minimize the immensity of the landscape. The north approach was more formal in the French tradition, with allees of trees repeating the radial lines of the streets on the north lawn with a central north-south drive approaching the north entrance. Pennsylvania Avenue at President's Park was marked by a classical Roman triumphal arch designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and decorated with fasces topped with Phrygian liberty caps (ca. 1806). The lands south of the immediate grounds remained undeveloped. Jefferson also envisioned street plantings of Lombardy poplars on Pennsylvania Avenue that would
________________________________

1/ Frederick Gutheim for the National Capital Planning Commission. Worthy of the Nation The History of Planning for the National Capital (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1977), 15-20; Kenneth Bowling, Creating the Federal City, 1774-1800: Potomac Fever (Washington, DC: American Institute of Architects Press, 1988), 87-96, 102-5; Pierre Charles L'Enfant, "Plan of the City Intended for the Permanent Seat of Government of t[he] United States" (1791; published in Washington by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1887), Andrew Ellicott, "Territory of Columbia" (1794), 15, and Thackara and Vallance, "Plan of the City of Washington in the Territory of Columbia ceded by the States of Virginia and Maryland to the United States of America, and by them established as the Seat of their Government, after the Year MDCCO ( 1792), all as reprinted in John W. Reps, Washington on View: The Nation's Capital since 1790 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991 ) 1-9, 15, 21, 27-8; Roger Trancik, Finding Lost Space: Theories of Urban Design (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1986), 155-78, passim. See also Elbert Peets, On the Art of Designing Cities: Selected Essays of Elbert Peets (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1968) and Werner Hegeman and Elbert Peets, The American Vitruvius: An Architect's Handbook on Civic Art (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1988); Fiske Kimball and George Harold Edgell, History of Architecture (New York Harper Brothers, I 918); and William Ordway Partridge, Art for America (Boston: Roberts Co., 1895).

-342-

Appendix B: A Summary of Significant Plans Capitol and Projects at President's Park

visually link the Capitol and the President's House. Jefferson's vision for the property dominated its development until the mid-19th century. 2/

Charles Bulfinch, ca. 1818

Charles Bulfinch created various plans for the property, but they are now lost. It is thought that he was strongly influenced by Jefferson's earlier plans. Bulfinch planted the north park later known as Lafayette Square-with close groupings of trees. Bulfinch's plans also included schemes for the National Mall and other adjacent properties. 3/

Robert Mills, ca. 1840

Robert Mills's plans for Washington included designs for the Capitol, the Mall, and President's Park. His 1841 plan of the Mall shows the White House and four office structures with an uninterrupted lawn proceeding to the Tiber, by this time a canal. Pennsylvania Avenue between Lafayette Square and the White House had been cut through by cat 1824.4

Andrew Jackson Downing, 1851

Downing's 1851 plan for President's Park represents the first detailed plan for development. Downing's plan respected L'Enfant's initial concepts but also reflected typical mid-Victorian sensibilities. Downing was assisted by botanist W. D. Brackenridge. Under Downing's plan the development of Lafayette Park continued as a space more related to the surrounding neighborhood than to the White House, with serpentine walks on an elliptical plan bisected on the north and south by two additional bowed walks curving towards the center of the park. In the middle a pedestal was installed as a base for an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson (installed in 1853). Downing designed the Ellipse as a broad, flat acreage bordered by a circular drive with a walk canopied by an allee of trees. The remainder of the property was evidently to be heavily planted with thickets of trees and shrubs and traversed by winding walkways and paths. Downing envisioned the Ellipse as both a military parade ground and as a plate of public celebrations and recreation. 5/

It is not known how much of the plan was initiated before Downing's death in 1852. However, portions of the Lafayette Park plan had been undertaken. The Ellipse plan did not become a reality until 1880. The L'Enfant and Downing plans remained me general standard for property development until the Olmsted plan of the 1930s.

Thomas U. Walter, 1852

Upon Downing's death, architect Thomas U. Walter took over the formation of conceptual designs for President's Park. East and West Executive Avenues were proposed, and the east-west street from Pennsylvania Avenue to New York Avenue was improved. 6/

__________________________________

2/ U.S. Congress, (2 Stat. 175); Thomas Jefferson, Landscape Sketch Map, c. 1802-1805, Library of Congress, as reproduced in William Seale, The President's House, 2 vols. (Washington, DC: White House Historical Association, with the cooperation of the National Geographic Society, 19X6), illustrations 14, 90, 103, 109, 110, 116; William Seale, The White House: The History of an American Idea [Washington, DC: American Institute of Architects Press, 1992), 47, 86; National Park Service, Lafayette Park by George F. Olszewski (Washington, DC: GPO, 1964) vii5 Barbara McEwan, White House Landscapes: Horticultural Achievements of American Presidents (New York: Walker and Company, 1992), 47.

3/ Van Ness vs. the United Stares and the Corporation of Washington, as quoted in Annual Report of the Commissioner of Public Buildings, October 11, /856 ([Washington. DC]: No date), 855.

4/ Robert Mills, 1841, "Plan of the Mall," as reprinted in Gutheim, Worthy of the Nation, 53.5. NPS, Olszewski, Lafayette Park, 13, 15, 20; Seale, The President's House, 295, 300, 310-11 343, Andrew Jackson Downing, "Plan for the Mall and President's Park" as copied by Bvt. Brig. Gen'l N. Michler, 1867; and "Map of the City of Washington and District of Columbia," no scale (1845), Record Group (RG) 77, F 116 and F 116 no. 2, National Archives (NA); Reps, Washington on View, 125, 139, 155, 157.

6/ Thomas U. Walter, "Proposal for President's Park, 1852," as redrawn for Arthur Cotton Moore Associates, The Aesthetic Master Plan of the Main Treasury Building and Treasury Annex (Washington, DC: ACM/A 1985), plate 27, p.41.

-343-

APPENDIXES

Alfred Mullet, ca. 1866-71

Treasury architect Alfred Mullet was responsible for the design and implementation of East Executive Avenue (1866), West Executive Avenue (1871), and the U-shaped drive linking the two south of the immediate White House grounds. Mullet's plans also included a fountain at the cast entrance. It is thought that Mullet's plans were a further refinement of Downing's original designs. Mullet also had additional plans for the property that have been lost. Mullet's work coincided with the administration of President's Park by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' which began in 1867 and continued until 1933. 7/

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1867-1933

During the period that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had responsibility for President's Park, the philosophical bases for administration were the L'Enfant, Downing, and later the McMillan Commission plans. 8/

Nathaniel Michler, 1867-71: Michler reviewed the planning being done in the European capitals and specifically called for the preservation of vistas and the connection of the Mall and President's Park by introducing carriageways and walks using both above- and belowgrade connections. Michler felt that the Mall, the Washington Monument grounds, and President's Park should function as a cohesive unit. He also noted the need for recreational space; however, this must be interpreted in the mid-19th century context of the term. Michler began the task of filling in Tiber or Washington Canal (by this time an open sewer), adding fill to the Washington Monument grounds, and establishing roadways lined with trees parallel to the former canal right-of-way. The former canal lockhouse at the intersection of 17th and Constitution was retained. Michler also advocated plans to move the site of the presidential mansion. 9/

__________________________

7/ Seale, The President's [louse, 433,504, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Public Buildings, October 30, 1866 ([Washington, DC]: No date), 547-48; Seale, The White House, 72,120; Reps, Washington on View, 125,139,155, 157,169,171,189,191,197,213,214,227,233,235,257; Gutheim, Worthy of the Nation, 64,83,152; Annual Report of Brevet Brigadier General Nathaniel Michler, Major of Engineers, U.S. Army, in Charge of the Public Buildings and Grounds, Works, Etc (Washington D.C. GPO, 1868), 10.

8/ On February 26,1925, tenure of the U. S. Army corps of Engineers Office of Public Buildings and Grounds and the Superintendent of the State, war, and Navy Building as separate administrative entities ended. Under PL 68-478 these duties were combined under one authority known as the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital. As in the case of earlier commissioners before the Corps of Engineers in 1867, the director of public buildings and public parks of the national capital now reported directly to the president. The director was also chosen from the ranks of the Corps of Engineers, now directly by the president. This arrangement had been in place de facto for many years; now it operated under official action. This order of things continued until June 10, 1933, when Executive Order 6166 transferred the duties of the office to the office of National Parks, Buildings and Reservations, otherwise known as the National Park Service See NPS, Olszewski, Lafayette Park 1; US. Statutes at Large, XIV (Boston 1976),466; Annual Report; Director of Public Buildings/Public Parks, 1933. I; Mary Jane Dowd, comp., Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, Records Group 42, Inventory No. 16 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), 2-3; Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, 1925: Extract: Improvement and Care of Public Buildings and Grounds, Care and Maintenance of the Washington Monument and of the Highway Bridge across the Potomac River, and Erection of Monuments, Memorials, etc. Washington, District of Columbia, [by/ C. O. Sherill, Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, Colonel. USA. In Charge (Washington, DC: GPO, 1925), 1,935

9/ NPS, Olszewski, Lafayette Park 1; U.S. Statutes at Large, XIV (Boston 1976),466; National Park Service, President's Park South, by George F. Olszewski (Washington, DC: GPO, I 970), 11; N. Michler, Major of Engineers, to the Chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 39th Cong., 2nd Sess., Senate Misc. Doc. no. 21 ([Washington, DC]: February 13, 1867), 1-7; Annual Report of Brevet Brigadier General Nathaniel Michler, Major of Engineers, U.S. Army, in Charge of the Public Buildings and Grounds, Works, Etc. Annual Report [1867] (Washington, DC: GPO, 1867), 4-7; Annual Report [1868], 6, 10-12, 17-18, 26-27; "Appendix W" in Annual Report [1869], 496-99, 501-2, 511-14; "Appendix Z" in Annual Report [1870], 520-23, 528-29; Reps, Washington on View, 177-82; "Plan of President's Park," scale I :80 (1879) O18, 18A, RG 121, NA; "Plan for the President's Stables," no scale (Oct. 28, 1879), 1-1-1.14; "Map of the City of Washington, District of Columbia," scale 4": I Mile (1845), RG 121, F 116 no. 2., NA.

-344-

Appendix B: A Summary of Significant Plans and Projects at President's Park

Orville E. Babcock, 1871-77: Babcock's work reflected an interest in "scientific" methods. He instituted the first comprehensive inventory of plantings and plant materials on the property. Under his direction, water was introduced into Lafayette Square for irrigation purposes, and the wild garlic growing there was removed. Specific mixes of grass seed were used for the White House lawns Walks were bricked. Animal displays, including prairie dogs and an eagle, were installed in Lafayette Square, and trees were moved from the square to the White House lawns. Two bronze urns were added to the landscape, and a watchman's lodge was built on the square in 1872. East and West Executive Avenues were connected on the south by 1872. Fountains were established on the north and south lawns. The Ellipse (by then referred to as the "White Lot") continued to be filled and graded. Babcock established a work and storage yard for the property on the Washington Monument grounds and also hired the first professional with the title "landscape gardener."

Thomas Lincoln Casey, 1877-81: The Ellipse was brought up to grade in 1879-80. The east-west drive through the "President's Grounds" (in the vicinity of today's Hamilton and State Places) was closed. Experiments continued with grass types, including strains of orchard and blue grass for heavily shaded areas. Ten laborers were working on the White House grounds, and by 1880 me eastern portion of the Ellipse had a parklike appearance."

Almon F. Rockwell, 1881-85: Rockwell continued to implement Downing's 1851 plans. President Chester Arthur's attempt to expand the White House failed. 12/

John M. Wilson, 1885-89: Downing's circular drive and walk were established on the Ellipse and shaded with a double row of American elms on the either side of the adjacent walk. Ancillary drives north, south, east, and west of the Ellipse were also established. Some granite curbing was installed, and a lawn/rye seed mix was used on the Ellipse. The Bullfinch gatehouses were moved from the Capitol to the southeast and southwest corners of President's Park. 13

Oswald Ernst, 1889-93: Electric lights were installed on the Ellipse, and additional paving was done. The Lafayette statue was erected in 1891. The roadway south of the Executive Office Building was improved. New flagstone walks were installed in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, along with minor repairs. Gardeners catalogued 40,698 plants with both their botanical and common names in use at the White House and on its grounds. 14

John M. Wilson, 1893-97: Wilson recommended that the president's office be removed from the White House proper. Electric lighting was scheduled for Lafayette Park, along with new fencing in front of the White House. An asphalt walkway 15' wide, with a 30' parkway between the walkway and the road, was scheduled for the Ellipse and presented in plan view. Lafayette Park received a separate

________________________________

10/ "Appendix X2" in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers [1971], 968-70, 971-72; "Appendix Y" in Annual Report [1872], 5-7, 9, 23; Annual Report [1873/, 2-4, 6-7, I 1; "Appendix Elm" in Annual Report [1874], 3-4, 8-9, 1; "Appendix IHH" in Annual Report [1875], 10-3, 16-17; "Appendix GG" in Annual Report [1876], 4, 7, 12 18; "Appendix KKl" in Annual Report [1877], 6-10; Seale, The President's House, 483, 503; Andrew Dolkart for the Executive Office of the President, Office of Administration, The Old Executive Office Building: A Victorian Masterpiece, Mina Wright, ed. (Washington, DC GPO, 1984), 1, 7-8, 21.

11/ "Appendix KK2 and 3" in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers 11877/, ~10, 12; "Appendix KK" in Annual Report [1878], 1345, 1347; "Appendix LL" in Annual Report [1879]. 1881-82; "Appendix NN" in Annual Report [1880], 2339.

12/ Seale, The President's House, 535-37, 545; NPS, Olszewski, President's Park South, 39-40; "Appendix RR" in Annual Reports of the Chief of Engineers[1881/, 2711-12, 2716; "Appendix QQ" in Annual Report [18821, 2733-34, 2741~3, 2093; "Appendix SS" in Annual Report [1884], 2339.

13/ "Appendix RR', in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers [1882], 2094-95, 2099, 2100, 2102, 2105, 2504-5, 2511); "Appendix VV" in Annual Report [1885], 2503; "Appendix SS" in Annual Report [1885], 2340; "Appendix ZZ" in Annual Report [1888], 2781 -88, Dolkart The Old Executive Ounce Betiding, 2

14/ "Appendix BBB" in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers [law], 3535-36, 3556-61; "Appendix EKE" in Annual Report [1891], 3907, 3913-15; "Appendix BBB" in Annual Report [1892/, iii, 33X5~6, 3390-91, 3393, 3396-98.

-345-

APPENDIXES

designation as Reservation 10 in 1894. The first formal recreation permit was issued for the Ellipse in 1895. 15/

John S. Sewell,1897; Theodore Gingham, 1897-1903: Gingham continued Wilson's crusade for more presidential office space and revived previous plans for White House expansion. gingham engaged an independent surveyor for the site and also called for removing the presidential stable. His tenure proved to be a great period of technological innovation at the site, however, all development decisions were still based on the L'Enfant and Downing plans. During this period, the Sherman monument was erected in Sherman Park south of the Treasury Building, a bridle path was laid out on the Ellipse, and public recreational demands continued to grow. gingham's attempt to revamp the White House gave rise to the Senate Park Commission (or McMillan Commission) of 190l. 16/

Members of the Corps of Engineers continued to manage the property until 1933 when it was transferred to the Department of Interior and the National Park Service. No major changes were made to the property during this time, save for the installation of various monuments on the grounds and the extension and improvement of E Street between 1933 and 1936. 17/

Senate Park Commission (McMillan Commission), 1901

The 1901 plan by the Senate Park Commission (also known as the McMillan plan) used L'Enfant's original design as a base and refined some concepts concerning the Mall and President's Park. The commission consisted of Daniel H. Burnharn, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., Charles F. McKim, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. As promoters of the City Beautiful movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the commission members traveled to Europe to survey works that might have influenced L'Enfant, such as those of Le Notre at Versailles and Vaux le Vicomte. The Treasury Building, the Executive Office Building, Downing's parade, and the general plan for Lafayette Park were left intact, and Mullet's executive drives also remained. However, this plan proposed that the Ellipse become a circle, and that the dogleg drives at the corners be removed. These items were never initiated. Tree plantings were relegated to the east and west borders of the Ellipse, leaving the bulk of the southern property open. The plan had little specific effect on President's Park except in a general sense, acknowledging the property as an important element in the overall fabric of the Monumental Core. 18/

McKim Mead and White 1902

A major renovation of the White House was undertaken in 1902. While not specifically tied to the grounds, the renovation changed the formal business and reception orientation of the building and grounds. The East and West Wings became primary points of daily ingress and egress, while the north and south entrances began to be used

_______________________________

15/ "Appendix CCC" in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers [1893]. 443~31. In the District of Columbia appropriation bill approved July 14, 1892, the secretary of war was authorized to grant permits for the use of public grounds for encampments of the Grand Army of the Republic. Under a joint resolution of Congress approved Jan. 23, 1893, permits were granted by the secretary of war to the Executive committee on the Inaugural Ceremonies. see previous citation' iii' iv, 4315-16, 4326-31, 4336; "Appendix CCC" in Annual Report [1894], 3273-75; ``Appendix DDD" in Annual Report [1895], 4139-41; "Appendix DDD" in Annual Report 1189C/, 3984; "Appendix BOB'' in Annual Report [1897/, 4038. Stanley W. McClure, "Acquisition of Areas in National Capital Parks in Addition to the 17 Original Appropriations,'' file H26 (History of NCP WHL-AM-005), Records of the Office of White House Liaison, Executive Support Facility, White House Liaison.

16/ "Appendix BOB" in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers [1897), 4027-32, 4039, 4055-57, 4060 61 Appendix CCC', in Annual Report [1898], 3737, "Appendix HHH" in Annual Report [1900], 5252-53, 5256, 5260; "Appendix 000" in Annual Report [1901], 3693. Hess Furman, "Symbol Going sack in White House," New York Times, Oct. 23, [1951], photostatic copy, Office Files (of 50), Misc. Reconstruction, file 1, box 312, Harry S. Truman Library thereafter cited as HSTL).

17/ Olmsted Brothers' "Report to the President of the United States on Improvements and Policy of Maintenance for the Executive Mansion", (Brookline, MA., 1935), 1-32, passim; NPS, Olszewski, President's Park South, plate XXVI.

18/ Seale, The President's House, 655; Gutheim, Worthy of the Nation, 118-33; Trancik, Finding Lost Space, 155-78, passim.

-346-

Appendix B: A Summery of Significant Plans and Projects at President's Park

more for ceremonial functions. A drive was retained from the north to the Executive Office wing in 1902, servicing the "temporary" office established by President Theodore Roosevelt that same year. 19/

Commission of Fine Arts, 1910-

Established by Congress in 1910, the Commission of Fine Arts evolved as a result of the McMillan Commission and the 1902 White House renovation. It replaced the Council on Fine Arts established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. The original commission members were architect Daniel H. Burnham, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., architect Thomas Hastings, sculptor Daniel Chester French, artist Francis D. Millet, architect Cass Gilbert, and Charles Moore, the former secretary to Senator McMillan and the Senate Park Commission. Formed to carry forward the goals of the Senate Park Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts also took on the responsibility of reviewing proposals for the location of monuments, fountains, and statues in the District of Columbia, to select artists, and to advise on the design of public buildings. The commission has reviewed most additions to the landscape of President's Park since 1910: in l911 it reviewed 41 project; today it reviews between 400 and 500 per year. The Shipsted-Luce Act of 1930 gave the Commission of Fine Arts jurisdiction over the review of new construction adjacent to or abutting existing or proposed public buildings and parks. 20/

George Burnap and Beatrix Farrand, 1913

First Lady Edith Wilson took personal interest in the establishment of rose garden areas adjacent to the East and West Wings on the south. Designer George Burnap provided plans for the west garden based on Mrs. Wilson's suggestions and provided for a "President's Walk." His design replaced an earlier effort by Edith Roosevelt and White House gardener Henry Pfister to create "Colonial Gardens" comprised of an elaborate scheme of parterres adjacent to the West Wing in 1902. Landscape architect Beatrix Farrand provided designs for the east garden. Both designs drew from Italian models reinterpreted in a formal Beaux Arts framework. These designs provided the basis for the west Rose Garden and the east Jacqueline Kennedy Garden as they are known today. 21/

National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), 1926-

Preceded by the Commission of Fine Arts in 1910 and the National Capital Park Commission in 1924, the National Capital Planning Commission took over many of the duties of the Fine Arts Commission in seeing that the goals of the McMillan Plan of 1901 were carried out. Initial members included Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., Frederick A. Delano, and Charles Eliot. Consultants included city planners and developers such as J. C. Nichols of Kansas City, Missouri, and John Ihdler of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant III served as a member and as the executive officer of the commission until 1933, when that position was taken over by personnel from the National Park Service. Grant's participation, his position as officer in charge of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital (formerly the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds) for the Army Corps of Engineers, and his supervision of work on the White House grounds provided an important link between President's Park and municipal planning efforts. The commission has since executed many plans of its own for the nation's capital. 22/ Among the most significant are the following:

________________________________

19/ "Appendix EKE" in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers [1903], 2525; Seale, The White House, 166, 185, 204.

20/ Sue A. Kohler. The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History 1910-1990 (Washington, DC: The Commission of Fine Arts; 1990), 1-7; Gutheim, Worthy of the Nation, 200-1.

21/ Seale, The President's House, 777-79; Seale, The White House, 206-11

22/ Gutheim, Worthy of the Nation, 185-87.

-347-

APPENDIXES

* Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, 1962-69: Beginning in the Kennedy administration, the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill plan also drew inspiration from the Johnson administration's beautification programs of the 1960s. Elaborate plans included an underground parking facility and tunneling certain major east-west thoroughfares. The Haupt fountains at 16th Street and Constitution Avenue were installed concurrent with this overall grand design; however, little else was realized due to funding complications and a change in presidential administrations. 23/

* Advisory Council on Pennsylvania Avenue Master Plan, 1964: The l 964 plan called for, among other things, formal street plantings, with a new plaza terminus on the northwest designed with Renaissance-inspired paving patterns. 24/

* Joint Committee on Landmarks, 1965: As a cooperative effort of the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the District of Columbia, historic preservation considerations were addressed before the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act put such concerns into a legal framework. The committee took a particular interest in Lafayette Park and the preservation of the surrounding neighborhood. 25/

Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation (PADC), 1962-96

In 1962 President Kennedy appointed an Advisory Council on Pennsylvania Avenue, chaired by Nathaniel Owings, in an attempt to revitalize L'Enfant's original vision for the avenue. In l 972 the advisory council was replaced by the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation. This corporation has envisioned, among other things, the reconstruction and reinterpretation of the five major squares between the White House and the U.S. Capitol along Pennsylvania Avenue. These five squares are a portion of the some 30 projects sponsored by the corporation. The corporation ceased operations in 1996. The following represent major plans sponsored by the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation having an immediate effect on the White House and President's Park:

* Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown, 1980: The design for the western plaza attempted to invoke L'Enfant's original city plan in a playful "nonliteral" and "ironic" montage of symbolic forms cast in granite. Venturi envisioned two 86' high pylons to frame the western terminus, referencing both Le Notre and L'Enfant and their baroque aesthetics in terminating the ends of vistas with buildings, statuary, or plantings. The pylons were removed from the final plan.26

* M. Paul Friedberg, 1981: Friedberg's Pershing Park, a contemporary element with Venturi's western plaza, represents a departure from traditional planning concepts by turning the focus inward to a green and watered refuge from the city. Although controversial, the park has remained extremely popular. 27/

Other Significant Plans

Olmsted Brothers, 1935

Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and his associates formulated plans specifically for the White House grounds. The plan again emphasized the importance of the L'Enfant vistas to the south and north and scheduled the removal and addition of plantings to complement this concept. The Grant administration's fiddle-shaped drive immediately south of the White House was removed and replaced with a circular roadway with a sunken south drive running from east to west. Olmsted was assisted by Morely Williams' who had been involved with the restoration of the landscape at Mount Vernon. Olmsted concentrated on "matters of appearance," seclusion, and privacy, but also addressed parking, service areas, deliveries, communications,
__________________________

23/ NPS, Olszewski, President's Park South, plates XXVI through XXXI; Trancik, Finding Lost Space, 164; Gutheim, Worthy of the Nation, 294; Skidmore Owings and Merrill, "Ellipse One- and Two-level Garage Feasibility Studies, Summary Reports," 1967; 'Washington Mall Circulation System," 1973.

24/ Trancik, Finding Lost Space, 165, plate 25; The Campidoglio (engraving by Etienne Duperac, 1569) as reproduced in H. W. Janson, A History of Art: A Survey of the Major Visual Arts from the Dawn of History to the Present Day (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1966), 363; Thomas U. Walter, "Proposal for President's Park, 1852," as redrawn for Arthur Cotton Moore Associates, The Aesthetic Masterplan of the Main Treasury Building and Treasury Annex (Washington, DC ACM/A, 1985), plate 25, p. 39.

25/ Gutheim, Worthy of the Nation, 293.

26/ Trancik, Finding Lost Space, 16071 .

27/ Ibid.

- 348-

Appendix B: A Summary of Significant Plans and Projects at President's Park

circulation, formal gardens, viewsheds, and related items. Olmsted particularly wanted to see the formal entrance to the White House reestablished at the north portico instead of the east and west wings as designed by McKim, Meade and White in 1903. Olmsted's 1935 plan has served as the general basis for all landscape work within the White House fence to the present day. Although Olmsted discouraged the use of East and West Executive Avenues as major traffic routes, his work concerning the reconfiguration of E Street in the vicinity of Sherman Park' and the final use of State Place as an element of the east-west traffic route across the site further reenforced the bisection of President's Park. Plans for extending E Street through the property appear on maps as early as 1932; by 1936 the roadway was in operation. With the connection of E Street to freeway systems on the west in the 1960s, a major arterial thoroughfare bisected L'Enfant's site. 28/

National Park Service, ca. 1935

Lafayette Park (renamed from Lafayette Square in 1933) was substantially reworked by the National Park Service in the 1930s. Many of the Downing -inspired serpentine secondary walks were removed, and new walks were installed. A new walk design, based on the original Downing scheme, was installed. Plant material was reworked, with thoughts to opening the vista to the north. The two bronze urns placed in the park in 1872 were relocated to the eastern and western edges of me park. Discussions regarding the removal of the Jackson statue, however, were tabled. 29/

Truman Renovation, 1949-52

The grounds of the White House were changed into a construction yard between 1949 and 1952 to accommodate the extensive renovation of the mansion. As a result the grounds required complete relandscaping, which was accomplished for the most part by the National Park Service. Many individual elements were replaced, removed, or relocated; however, the Olmsted plan of 1935 served as the guiding principle in restoring the grounds, the major roadways and configurations. 30/

John Carl Warnecke Associates, 1962 -69

From 1962 to 1969 John Carl Warnecke Associates, in conjunction with Mrs. Paul Mellon and the National Park Service, redesigned Lafayette Park. Warnecke retained the basic 1930s walk design, based on the Downing scheme, and paved the walks in brick. Two fountains were built to the east and west of the Jackson statue in the general areas of the 1872 urns. The bronze urns were then placed in their present-day positions at the central entrance to the park on the south. 31/
___________________________

28/ Olmsted Brothers, "Report to the President," 1-32, 36-8, 39-55, passim; NPS, Olszewski, President's Park South, plate XXVI.

29/ NPS, Olszewski, Lafayette Park 7, 44-8.

30/ "Immediate Release [Restoration of the Historic Executive Mansion Grounds]," March 19, 1952, TMs, PSF, file 3, box 301, HSTL; Fanny-Fem Davis, management agronomist for George W. Harding, chief, Horticulture Branch, National Capital Parks, National Park Service, "Report on the Care and Rehabilitation of the Executive Mansion Grounds Incident to the Renovation of the White House January 1950 to May 1952," TMs (Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1952), 1-3; Harry S. Truman to Douglas W. Orr, Apr. 13, 1952, Orr to Truman, Apr. 14, 1952, and Truman to Orr, Apr. 18, 1952, PSF, file 3, box 301, HSTL; Matthew 1. Connelly to Senator Millard E. Tydings, Jan. 23, 1950, Office Files (OF) 50, file 2, box 309, HSTL; Seale, The President's House, 1050-51; Harry S. Truman to Mrs. Hazel F. Taylor, Sept. 9, 1951, OF, HSTL.

31/ NPS, Olszewski, Lafayette Park 26-28, 40-49, 60-64; Bernardo Rostad to John C. Warnecke, Dec. 30, 1960, memorandum re: "Meeting 12/27 Lafayette Square," D 18, Master Plan Lafayette Square 1/1/66 to 1/1/68, 68A-3201, box 18, ARD/WHL/NPS.

-349 -

APPENDIX C: AN INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF STRUCTURES AND MEMORIALS WITHIN AND ADJACENT TO PRESIDENT'S PARK

Historic Structures and Districts

American Red Cross National Headquarters National Historic Landmark. This structure, on the southwest corner of 17th and D Streets, NW, is a white marble structure designed in the Beaux Arts style with traditional classical ornaments. The structure is significant because it symbolizes the social and humanitarian role of the nation's largest official relief organization. (NHL 1985)

American Peace Society National Historic Landmark. This structure is a large Victorian townhouse at 734 Jackson Place dating from the 1860s. From 1911 to 1948 it was the home of the American Peace Society, "the oldest organization in America engaged exclusively in efforts to promote international peace." This structure is also a part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District. (NHL 1974)

American Revolution Statuary. Four sculptures in Lafayette Park - Lafayette, Kosciuszko, von Steuben, and Rochambeau - are included in this nomination for outdoor statues throughout Washington that are maintained by the National Park Service. Their significance, apart from the important people and events in the military and political history of the country, lies in the history of sculpture and the monumentation of the city. These sculptures are also a part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District (NRHP 1978)

American Security and Trust Company. This Neo-Classical Revival structure on the northwest corner of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, was built in 1904-5. It is significant for its architecture and its history as an important bank in the nation's capital. The structure is also a part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District. (NRHP 1973)

Ashburton House (St. John's Church Parish House) National Historic Landmark. This residential structure at 1525 H Street, NW, is four stories with a mansard roof, massive stone frame window surrounds, and a "brownstone finish" exterior. The house is significant as the home of the British legation during the 10 months of negotiations that resulted in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, resolving the long-standing dispute with Great Britain over major segments of the boundary with Canada. This structure is also a part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District. (NHL 1973)

Bachelor Apartment House. This structure at 1737 H Street, NW, is one of the few remaining early 20th century bachelor apartment buildings remaining in the Lafayette Park area. It was designed by the Washington architectural firm of Wood, Bonn, and Deming in 1905 in an eclectic style utilizing several historic elements, notably French and Jacobean. It is five stories and contains 25 apartments. The structure is significant for its architecture and the unique social niche it represented-that of wealthy bachelors living in luxury apartments in a downtown location catering to federally employed officials and military elite. (NRHP 1978)

Blair House National Historic Landmark. This two-story, yellow stucco townhouse at 1651 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, was constructed between 1824 and 1827. It is significant for the great number of nationally prominent dignitaries who have resided or been received here and as a center of social gatherings, the meeting place of great leaders, and the setting for great events for more than 150 years. The Blair House, also a part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District, is the presidential guest house. (NHL 1973)
___________________________________________

NOTE: The year that a structure or district was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), designated a national historic landmark (NHL), or recognized by the District of Columbia (DC) is shown in parentheses at the end of the listing. Several properties have multiple designations; in these cases only the highest designation is listed; for a complete listing of all designations, consult the ``Cultural Landscape Report" (EDAW Inc., et al 1995).

-350 -

Appendix C: An Inventory and Assessment of Structures and Memorials

Bond Building. This seven-story Beaux Arts office building was constructed in 1900 on the southwest corner of 14th and New York Avenue, NW. It is an important example of commercial architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which imparted a unique architectural identity to the city. (NRHP 1983)

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace National Historic Landmark. This three-story structure at 700 Jackson Place, NW, is a modest townhouse constructed in 1860 in the Italianate style. From 1911 to 1948 this structure was head-quarters for the Carnegie Endowment for Inter-national Peace, a research and educational organization. It is significant for its association with this social/humanitarian organization. (NHL 1974)

Chase's Theater and Riggs Building (Keith's Theater and Albee Building). This theater/office building at the southeast corner of 15th and G Streets, NW, was erected between 1911 and 1912. It was designed by prominent Washington architect Jules Henri de Sibour in the Beaux Arts style. It is significant both for its architecture and for its importance as a center of Washington theatrical life. The rear portion and the theater were demolished in 1979. It is also a part of the Fifteenth Street Financial Historic District. (NRHP 1978)

Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. This nomination includes outdoor statues commemorating American Civil War figures maintained by the National Park Service. Four sculptures within and near President's Park are covered by this nomination - Maj. (den. James B. McPherson, Adm. David G. Farragut, Maj. Gen. John A. Rawlins, and Len. William Tecumseh Sherman. In addition to commemorating significant military and political persons, the statues are significant to the history of sculpture and the monumentation of the city. (NRHP 1 978)

Commercial National Bank. This neoclassical, 11--story office building at the northwest corner of 14th and G Streets, NW, was designed in 1917 by influential Washington architect Waddy B. Wood. It is an excellent early example of the simplified classicism that distinguishes some of Washington's most noteworthy early 20th century buildings. It is significant for its architecture and as a notable work by an important architect. (NRHP 1991)

Constitution Hall National Historic Landmark. Constitution Hall at 311 18th Street, NW, is a large Neoclassical structure built by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to accommodate their annual meetings. It quickly became the unofficial cultural center of the nation's capital. It was designed by eminent architect, John Russell Pope, 1928-29. The structure's significance lies in its architecture, its design by an important American architect, its importance to the arts, politics, and educational movements in Washington and the country, and its association with an important women's organization. Constitution Hall is part of the Seventeenth Street Historic Area. (NHL 1985)

Corcoran Gallery of Art. The Corcoran Gallery is a French Beaux Arts structure with "neo-Greco" details that was originally designed by Ernest Flagg in 1894-97 and added to by Charles Adams Platt in 1925-28. It faces east on 17th Street between E Street and New York Avenue, NW. It is significant for its architecture, the fact that it is an important work by two significant American architects, its association with the history of art in America, its association with prominent Washingtonian William Wilson Corcoran, and its educational mission. The Corcoran Gallery is part of the Seventeenth Street Historic Area. (NRHP 1971)

Decatur House National Historic Landmark. This structure at 748 Jackson Place, NW, was constructed in 1819 for Commodore Stephen Decatur. Designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the most famous U.S. architect of the early 19th century, it is a brick Federal style structure with a stone foundation. It is significant as one of the few remaining structures associated with Latrobe, and the fact that it was the home of a famous 19th century military hero and subsequently the residence of several important Washington political figures. This structure is also a part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District. (NHL 1971)

District Building. The District Building, built between 1904 and 1908 in the Beaux Arts style, occupies the entire block between D and E Streets, 13-1/2 and 14th Streets, NW, south of Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a granite and marble structure five stories tall and designed by the Philadelphia firm of Cope and Stewardson. It is significant as

-351-

APPENDIX

an excellent example of Beaux Arts classicism and for its social and political contribution to the cultural heritage of the District of Columbia. This structure is also a part of the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site. (NRHP 1972)

Executive Office Building National Historic Landmark. The Executive Office Building (today known as the Old Executive Office Building) was constructed between 1871 and 1888 in the French Renaissance style, after a design by Alfred B. Mullett. The six-story building is of purple-gray granite with purple slate mansard roofs It is significant for its architecture and for its association with men, events, and decisions of national importance. This structure is also a part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District. (NHL 1971)

Federal Triangle Historic District. Established by the District of Columbia, the historic district includes those neo-classical structures that make up the Federal Triangle complex Also included is the United States Department of Commerce Building. (DC 1968)

Fifteenth Street Financial Historic District. This nomination covers 22 buildings along 15th Street, NW' between Sherman Park and McPherson Square, all but four of which were constructed between 1900 and 1930. Each building exhibits a monumentality of scale emulating the Treasury Building, a classical vocabulary, stately proportions, white or light colored building materials, and rich sculptural detail. The district is cohesive because it consciously followed the concepts of the City Beautiful movement in urban planning. Several of the structures are also included within the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District, the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, or are listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places. Structures within the district include the Treasury Building, National Metropolitan Bank Building, Chase's Theater and Riggs Building (Keith's Theater and Albee Building), National Savings and Trust Company, Riggs National Bank, American Security and Trust Company Building, Hotel Washington, W. B. Hibbs & Company (Forger Building), Playhouse Theater, Union Trust Company (First American Bank), Southern Building, Washhington Building, American Security Building, Walker Building, Securities Building, Wood-ward Building, Bowen Building, Liberty National Bank, Shoreham Building, Lafayette Building, and Davidson Building. The district is significant for its architectural cohesiveness and integrity, its association with significant architects, and its association with the leading financial institutions in the District of Columbia. (NRHP eligible 1984)

Garfinkel's Department Store. Designed in 1929 by the New York architectural firm of Starrett and Van Vleck and expanded on the west end of the south elevation in 1946, this commercial structure complements the surrounding monumental architecture. With its large display windows with bronze framing on the ground level, and its fenestration scale and pattern on the corresponding upper levels designed to mimic French doors and balcony treatments, the building reflects a typical commercial building scheme evident across the United States in the years between the First and Second World Wars. (NRHP 1995)

W. B. Hibbs & Company Building (Forger Building).The W. B Hibbs & Company Building was constructed between 1906 and 1908. This 10-story structure at 725 15th Street, NW, is significant as an excellent example of Beaux Arts architecture and its association with the W. B. Hibbs & Company, which was part of the first movement to establish Washington as a true financial center. This structure is in an extraordinary state of preservation and is also a part of the Fifteenth Street Financial Historic District. (NRHP 1991)

Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District. The district includes the area generally from 15th to 17th Streets, NW, and from State and Hamilton Places on the south to the north side of H Street, NW, excluding the White House grounds. Properties that contribute to the district are Lafayette Park, the Old Executive Office Building, the Treasury Building, Renwick Gallery, Blair House, the former American Peace Society house, the former Carnegie Endowment for Inter-national Peace building, Decatur House, Chamber of Commerce, Hay-Adams Hotel, St. John's Episcopal Church and the Ashburton house, the Veterans Administration building, the Cutts--Madison house, the old Cosmos Club annex, the Tayloe-Cameron house, National Courts Building

-352-

Appendix C: An Inventory and Assessment of Structures and Memorials

(Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. Court of Claims), Treasury Annex, Riggs National Bank, American Security and Trust Company, and National Savings and Trust Company. Many of these structures are also separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lafayette Square is, itself, also a part of a larger national historic district nomination for the L'Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of Columbia. The district is significant for its association with the L'Enfant plan, its association with landscape designer Andrew Jackson Downing, and for the architectural significance of the structures surrounding the square that are rooted in the Federal period but express architectural styles through 19th-century Victorianism, early 20th-century Edwardian, and the 1920s Beaux Arts. The landmark district is also significant in the fields of commerce, military, and political affairs. (NHL 1970)

L'Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of Columbia. The L'Enfant Plan listing on the National Register of Historic Places recognizes the plan's significance to the beauty and history of Washington and identifies the remaining aspects of the original plan, as well as those modifications made in accordance with the McMillan plan of 1901-2. The period that is recognized dates from 1791 to World War II. It celebrates the only American example of a comprehensive baroque city plan with a coordinated system of radiating avenues, parks, and vistas laid over an orthogonal system. It is significant for its relationship to the creation of the new United States and its capital; for its design by L'Enfant, and the subsequent development and enhancement by numerous significant persons and groups responsible for the city's landscape architecture and regional planning; and for its well-preserved, comprehensive, classical Beaux Arts design. Included in the listing are Lafayette Park; Federal Reservation I (President's Park between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues and between 15th and 17th Streets, NW, except for the White House and grounds); all public streets and avenues throughout the study area; vistas on 16th Street through the study area, F Street from the Treasury east, Connecticut Avenue from the White House north, New York Avenue from the White House north and from the Old Executive Office Building south, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Vermont Avenue from the White House north. (NRHP 1997)

Lock Keeper's House, C & O Canal Extension. The Lock Keeper's House on the southwest corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, is a I 1/2 story rectangular Federal style structure with two dormers, gable-end chimneys, and a center doorway. It was built in 1833. Originally 2 1/2: stories, the structure was moved to its present location in the early 1930s. It is significant as the only remnant of an extension built to connect the Washington City Canal with the C & O Canal. (NRHP 1973)

Memorial Continental Hall. Memorial Continental Hall was designed by New York architect Edward Pearse Casey and constructed on the west side of 17th Street between C and D Streets, NW. It was completed in 1910, a "free adaptation" of Georgian architecture in pale gray Vermont marble. It was designed to be the headquarters and annual meeting hall for the Daughters of the American Revolution but was quickly outgrown and supplemented by Constitution Hall in 1929. The structure is significant as the site of the Arms Limitation Conference or Washington Conference in 1921. Memorial Continental Hall is part of the Seventeenth Street Historic Area. (NHL 1972)

National Metropolitan Bank Building. The National Metropolitan Bank building was constructed between 1905 and 1907 at 613 15th Street, NW. The architects were B. Stanley Simmons of Washington and the New York firm of Gordon, Tracy, and Swartout. Although de-signed by different architects than the Chase's Theater and Riggs Building next door, it was designed to work with that building to present a unified Beaux Arts front. The structure is significant both for its architecture and for the prominence of the bank in the Washington financial community beginning in 1814. This structure is also a part of the Fifteenth Street Financial Historic District. (NRHP 1978)

National Savings and Trust Company. This high Victorian structure at 15th Street and New York Avenue, NW, was built in 1888 and enlarged in 1916 and 1925. Constructed of brick, sand-stone, and bronze, the building was designed by James Windrim, a prominent Philadelphia architect. One of Washington's finest commercial buildings, it stands in marked contrast to the neighboring Beaux Arts structures. It is significant for its architecture and as a prominent, longtime Washington banking concern. (NRHP 1972)

-353 -

Comprehensive Design Plan Continued