Norton Statement on the Introduction of Mall Revitalization Act (10/11/07)
Norton Statement on the Introduction of Mall Revitalization Act with Jazz Musicians Exemplifying Cultural Amenities Envisioned by the Bill
October 11, 2007
Washington, DC-Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) held a news conference today to announce the introduction of the Mall Revitalization and Designation Act. She was joined by Charles Fishman, Executive Director of the annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival and Davey Yarborough, Will Smith, Nasar Abadey, and Thad Wilson, jazz musicians who played at the news conference. The full text of Norton's statement follows.
I want to thank Charles Fishman and the jazz musicians who have joined me today to help drive home one of the central points I am making in introducing the Mall Revitalization and Designation Act. The Mall is one of Washington's best known and most treasured sites, but it is also its most neglected and undervalued. The Mall lacks everything that a majestic natural wonder deserves, from an official identity to necessary amenities. My bill authorizes the National Capital Planning Commission to officially designate and expand the boundaries of the Mall and requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit a plan to enhance visitor enjoyment and cultural experiences within 180 days of passage of the bill.
The world class musicians are helping to make the point that tourists and workers downtown should be able to walk to the Mall and hear terrific music like the jazz that we've enjoyed this morning, or other appropriate entertainment, from string quartets to poetry readings, perhaps during lunch at attractive tables where sandwiches and good - not fast - food is available. Residents of the city and region should be able to find expanded space for fun and games beyond the cramped space between Third Street and the Lincoln Memorial.
Bordered by world class cultural institutions, the Mall itself has been reduced to a lawn with a few - too few - ordinary benches and a couple of fast food restaurants. In writing this bill I was compelled to recognize today's reality that funds to make the Mall the 21st century destination it deserves to become are simply not available, and will not become available until the deficit and other priorities make room. The Mall needs a total makeover for the 21st century that would be worthy of L'Enfant's vision for the city he planned and the MacMillan plan that is largely responsible for the space between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial that is known today as the Mall. However, we must move now to begin to do this and we can rescue this space in its present condition, damaged by heavy use and often used as no more than a pass-through, despite its magnificent potential. With the necessary imagination, a plan to make Mall an inviting place with cultural and other amenities envisioned by the bill is achievable now.
The NCPC is well on its way to meeting the bill's requirements for an expansive 21st century definition of the Mall. Frustrated at continually fighting off proposals for new monuments, museums, and memorials, on the crowded Mall space, I asked the NCPC to devise a mall presentation plan five years ago. In 2003, Congress amended the Commemorative Works Act to enact the NCPC's designation of a no-build zone where no new memorials can be built. This action was helpful in quelling some but by no means all of the demand from groups for placement on what they view as the Mall.
Recognizing the need for more sites, the NCPC and the Commission on Fine Arts (FAC) are working on a National Capital Framework Plan that has already identified sites near the Mall which are suitable for new memorials, including East Potomac Park, a part of the Mall area that is seldom viewed as integral, to the more familiar space between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial; Banneker Overlook, the grounds around RFK Stadium, the Kennedy Center Plaza and the new South Capitol gateways. Five new prestigious memorials are scheduled for such sites, including the Eisenhower Memorial and the U.S. Air Force Memorial. I appreciate that NCPC and the FAC work closely with the District of Columbia in designating off-Mall sites for new monuments. The District welcomes the expanded Mall into neighborhoods enhancing the work of the District of Columbia government and local organizations such as Cultural Tourism DC that offer historic tours of District neighborhoods in developing the tourism that is vital to the city's economy. The off-Mall sites for monuments also complement the creation of entire new neighborhoods now underway near the Mall, particularly the District's redevelopment of the Southwest waterfront and my own Southeast Federal Center work, now known as The Yards, that is to becoming a mixed use public-private development and waterfront park.
The Mall Revitalization and Designation Act is the first step in an effort to focus Congress on finally giving the Mall its due after decades of neglect and indifference. The bill begins at the beginning - defining for the first time what we mean by the Mall, allowing for expansion of its natural contours, and taking the first steps to breathe life into a space that is meant for people to enjoy.