[Archived] Memorial Circle Planting to Begin by Mid-September

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DATE: September 6, 2000

CONTACT:Al Cox, Staff Architect
Department of Planning & Zoning
(703) 838-3866, ext. 322

Audrey Calhoun, Superintendent
George Washington Memorial Parkway
(703) 289-2511

Marian Clarke
Old Town North Urban Design Advisory Committee
(703) 549-8146

Memorial Circle Planting to Begin by Mid-September

Within the next two weeks, the National Park Service will begin planting a circle of Corinthian Linden trees along the George Washington Memorial Parkway at the north end of Old Town, between Second Street and Bashford Lane. The trees will be planted in a double row to recreate the landscape feature of the Memorial Circle traffic rotary that was the northern gateway to Old Town in the original 1932 Parkway design.
The Memorial Circle slightly reoriented the alignment of Washington Street for those driving north to create a vista of the Washington Monument and to serve as a transition between the pastoral portion of the Parkway and the more urban character of Old Town. The trees in the circle were the most formally arranged of any along the Parkway and were originally planted as a memorial to the Alexandrians who died in World War I and to commemorate the seven Virginians who served as U.S. presidents. The traffic circle was removed in 1962 to meet increased traffic demands.
The new landscape plan was proposed by staff of the City of Alexandria Department of Planning & Zoning and endorsed by citizen organizations, City commissions and the Alexandria City Council in 1996. The installation, originally planned for last year, was delayed due to drought conditions. Although some small trees will be relocated to other sections of the Parkway, no healthy trees will be cut for this project. The National Park Service will install the new trees under a recently approved National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program.

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