Do It for George

You could ask "What would George have wanted?" except that it's a safe bet that our first Prez wouldn't have wanted it at all.

I'm talking about the Washington monument, which is the focus of the new exhibit at the Virginia Center for Architecture.

"Someday in the Park with George: The National Ideas Competition for the Washington Monument Grounds" collects historical drawings, pictures and information about how we ended up with the monument we know and love.

But the hook is that a competition was held last year to solicit ideas for doing something with the grounds around it.

Something besides a ring of flags and security barricades.

Something that's not barren and ugly.

The grounds have played host to any number of unlikely uses, including a beef depot (cows everywhere) and from 1910-20, a military base.

Am I the only one surprised by this?

During World War II, the federal government erected temporary office buildings all along the Mall, including the monument grounds.

I was amazed to learn that the last of these wasn't removed until 1970.

The array of design possibilities over the years were far-reaching but never completed.

My favorite had a circular colonnade with a triumphal arch leading into the monument. Very European looking, I thought.

Another was for the grounds to have been used by the 1892 Colombian Exposition, but Washington, D.C. didn't win the bid.

The plan would have erected temporary fair buildings and man-made lakes on the grounds, inevitably making for a very different place now, had it been done.

There were photographs of people ice skating on the mall in the early decades of the 20th century and Tidal basin bathers in 1922.

At one time, a proposal was made to construct two elevated roadways along either side of the mall to help alleviate Washington's notorious traffic problems.

Imagine a time when desecrating the mall for the sake of roads was even an option.

The second room of the exhibit showcases the six finalists in the National Ideas competition, which allowed anyone in the world over twelve years of age to submit ideas.

Two of the wining six were not even Americans, which shows how compelling the notion of having a say in the monument's outcome is to everyone.

One finalist suggested a Field of Stars with lights mounted in the ground; their brightness at night would be determined by how much foot traffic walked over them during the day.

It was meant to be a metaphor for all of us having a say in democracy.

The one called the People's Forum imagined stone steps and terraces surrounding the monument, making for a perfect performance space.

Another envisioned a glass-topped sky-lit museum surrounding the monument.

I was particularly fond of the two finalists' visions of tree-scaped grounds to offer shade to visitors, sorely lacking in the present grounds.

But until we actually decide to do something about the Washington monument grounds, even the best ideas are no more than a pipe dream.

At the time the monument opened, it had the highest passenger elevator and observation deck in the world.

Back then, people described the feeling of riding it as scary and like ascending to heaven. Seems like the view from the top should be a lot more heavenly than it is.

I think even the modest George would agree.