Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 148, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 June 1919 — APPROVED DESIGN OF STREET [ARTICLE]

APPROVED DESIGN OF STREET

Paper* of Thomas Jefferson Show His Ccnectlon With Laying Out Capital's Great Avenue. Among the papers of Thomas Jefferson In the library of congress there Is the MU of Pontius D. 1 Stelle. in 1807, to Thomas Munroe, superintendent of the city of Washington, for “a supper povided for all the workmen engaged In the public buildings, on the completion of the south wing of the eapltol. 167 persons, at $1.25 per head.” The supper was given at the eapltol. The bill was approved by B. Henry Latrobe, superintendent of public buildings, who calls the etent “the raising supper.” A 'particularly Interesting letter ds one from President Jefferson to Superintendent Munroe, dated Monticello, March 21, 1803, referring to Thornton’s original design for Pennsylvania avenue, which Jefferson amended and approved. This approved design shows a gravel road for carriages. 38 feet in width, bordered on each side by a space 41 feet wide for tree-lined walks, then a brick pavement 20 feet in width. Jefferson explains: “One reason of preference is that this agrees with the present disposition of the Pennsylvania avenue. It will allow us also next autumn either to plant pur outer elms in the same line with the Lombardy poplars, giving to these trees ■>f large growth a distance suitable to iheir size, or we may plant them midway. so as to make a shaded mall of 41 feet breadth, or.pass a canal along the middle at a future day or a gravel walk, or anything we please.”