WMATA Subway 35 Years Today

Washington, D.C.'s underground (and elevated) rail-roadway network turned 35 today; more at Greater Greater Washington. http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/9831/happy-birthday-metro/#comments

L'Enfant Was a Mason

According to a Scottish Rite Journal article;

from Troy:

MAJOR PIERRE CHARLES L'ENFANT, GEORGE WASHINGTON'S FELLOW SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI MEMBER NOW DOCUMENTED AS HAVING BEEN INITIATED INTO FREEMASONRY JUNE 5TH 1789

Note the following most relevant passages:

Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant was in New York City in 1788 to complete renovations on Federal Hall where Bro. George Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States in April 1789. Records indicate there were no other soldiers in the Continental Army with the last name of “L’Enfant,” and certainly none with the rank of Major.

John Stagg, L’Enfant’s proposer, succeeded vanden Broek as Master in December 1789 and John Pintard, the seconder, succeeded John Stagg as Master in 1790. It is not surprising that Major L’Enfant should have been proposed by John Stagg, Jr.; at that time Stagg was the secretary of the Society of the Cincinnati and Major L’Enfant, a member too, had designed the Society’s medal. In 1789 the lodge elected as honorary members two members of the Cincinnati who certainly would have been familiar to L’Enfant: Major General Friedrich von Steuben, President of the Society of the Cincinnati, and General and President George Washington.

Please use your email's or computer's search facility (the latter if your using an email client such as Mail or Outlook) for earlier posts of mine containing gathered information on George Washington & the Society of the Cincinnati, to give some more background to this late 18th century network.

- TS

http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/Blog/?p=4222

It appears Pierre Charles L’Enfant was a Freemason afterall
See The Masonic Career of Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant.

It wouldn’t surprise me if somewhere down the line - if they look hard enough - Pierre Eugene du Simitiere and William Barton are identified as Masons as well, even someone like Thomas Jefferson. Another example is the Compte de Mirabeau’s long contested membership in Freemasonry which has only recently been documented by Grand Orient Mason, professor Charles Porset.

http://scottishrite.org/journal/march-april-2011/lenfant-masonic-career/

THE MASONIC CAREER OF MAJOR PIERRE CHARLES L’ENFANT
By Pierre F. de Ravel d’Esclapon, 32°, Valley of Rockville Center, N.Y.

Photo: “Pierre Charles L’Enfant,” Allyn Cox, oil on canvas applied to the ceiling of the U.S. Capitol, 1973–1974. (From the Architect of the
Capitol. www.aoc.gov/cc/photo-gallery)/cox_corridors.cfm.)

When Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol was published in 2009, numerous commentators brought again to the fore the real or alleged Masonic symbols in the architecture of the city of Washington, D.C. When queried, Masonic historians such as Ill. Mark Tabbert, 33°, and S. Brent Morris, 33°, were quick to point out that while George Washington was a Mason, there was no evidence that Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant, that city’s designer, was. Indeed, Bro. Morris in his highly readable and informative The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry (2006) wrote: “Eager Freemasons with more enthusiasm than facts have claimed L’Enfant as a brother. It is unfortunate for them that there are no documents, either primary or secondary, showing L’Enfant was a Mason” (p. 181).

In the course of doing research on the early history of Holland Lodge No. 8 in New York City, I reviewed the list of members published as an appendix to the Sesquicentennial Commemorative Volume of Holland Lodge, No. 8 (1938). There, I found a tantalizing reference to a “Enfant, T. L.” listed as having become a member of Holland Lodge in 1789. Knowing from past research how French names were often misspelled when the manuscript version was copied for printing, I went back to the manuscript minutes of Holland Lodge for 1789. That year Bro. Reinier vanden Broek was the Master and John Stagg, Jr. the Senior Warden. Here is what the minutes report:

3rd April 5789: Major Francis L’Enfant [was proposed] for initiation by the Senior Warden [John Stagg Jr.] seconded by John Pintard.

Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant was in New York City in 1788 to complete renovations on Federal Hall where Bro. George Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States in April 1789. Records indicate there were no other soldiers in the Continental Army with the last name of “L’Enfant,” and certainly none with the rank of Major.

John Stagg, L’Enfant’s proposer, succeeded vanden Broek as Master in December 1789 and John Pintard, the seconder, succeeded John Stagg as Master in 1790. It is not surprising that Major L’Enfant should have been proposed by John Stagg, Jr.; at that time Stagg was the secretary of the Society of the Cincinnati and Major L’Enfant, a member too, had designed the Society’s medal. In 1789 the lodge elected as honorary members two members of the Cincinnati who certainly would have been familiar to L’Enfant: Major General Friedrich von Steuben, President of the Society of the Cincinnati, and General and President George Washington.

Also present at the April 3 stated communication were Past Masters John Meyer and Christian Baehr as well as Edward Livingston (the future mayor of New York, Senator from Louisiana, Secretary of State of the United States, and brother of the then Grand Master of Masons of New York, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, whom he followed decades apart as Minister to France), and Samuel “Black Sam” Fraunces, the New York tavern keeper. Among the visitors were the Seigneur de Saint Trys, listed as a Past Master of a Lodge in Lyon, France.

17th April 5789: Messrs Julian McEvers, Francis [sic] L’Enfant, Francis Christopher Mantel, candidates for initiation, were severally balloted for and accepted.

We can surmise that the Secretary in his hurry to capture all the names was confused by the first name of the candidate following L’Enfant, Mr. Francis Mantel, and inadvertently gave his first name to L’Enfant. Among the notable visitors that day was Bro. Jacob Morton who was then the Grand Secretary

5th June 5789: Messrs Upton and L’Enfant were severally entered as apprentices.

Major L’Enfant’s initiation was witnessed by Bro. P. Smith, Past Deputy Grand Master of New York. On the same day, the minutes tell us

Ordered . . . That Brs. Wyckoff, L’Enfant & S. Fraunces be a Committee to take the necessary measures to ventilate the Lodge rooms.

The Lodge rooms were then at 66 Crown (now Liberty ) Street. Appointing a celebrated architect, albeit a newly minted brother, to that committee was, of
course, logical, and provides strong circumstantial evidence that Holland Lodge’s Major L’Enfant was the famous city designer.

There is no trace of L’Enfant receiving his Degree of Fellow Craft in the remainder of the minutes for the next 16 communications of Holland Lodge in the year 1789. The then custom of the Lodge was to award degrees quickly: Francis Mantel and Julian McEvers were entered as apprentices on April 17, 1789, and received their Fellow Craft Degree on May 22, 1789, with only one other communication between their 1st and 2nd Degrees. Normally, Major L’Enfant should have received his Fellow Craft Degree at the June 17 or 19 communications. He did not, and the minutes are silent on what may have happened. We do know that he was very much present in New York City, as this was the time when L’Enfant was finishing the remodeling of the Federal Hall at Wall Street near Broadway.

There is no further indication in the minutes of the fate of the committee of L’Enfant, Wyckoff, and Fraunces or of any report of improvements in the lodge room ventilation. Since we know from his biographers (H. Paul Cammerer, The Life of Pierre Charles L’Enfant Planner of the City Beautiful The City of Washington,1950) that L’Enfant was a very difficult man in his dealings with others, we might conclude that he was not invited to advance further in Masonry.

However, the historical record is clear: Major L’Enfant was a brother, even if he appears not to have advanced beyond Entered Apprentice.

THE KEYSTONE, Minutes, Holland Lodge New York 3rd & 17th April 5789
(Photos: Pierre F. de R. d’Esclapon)

Excerpts from the Minutes of Holland Lodge New York 3rd April 5789, show L’Enfant’s relationship to the Craft. They read, (above) “Major Francis L’Enfant [was proposed] for initiation by the Senior Warden [John Stagg Jr.] seconded by John Pintard,” and on 17th April 5789 (below) “Ordered . . . That Brs. Wyckoff, L’Enfant & S. Fraunces be a Committee to take the necessary measures to ventilate the Lodge rooms.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Scottish Rite Journal (ISSN 1076-8572) is published bimonthly by the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction, United States of America, 1733 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103.

1957 Northwest Freeway

1957 Northwest Freeway Route Options

Arizona Avenue Bridge

Feb 24 Discussion at Greater Greater Washington

also see: http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2008/02/extending-legacy-with-grand-arc.html

Eastern Star- 6000 New Hampshire Ave NE

Concerning that Myth of 'no space for additional roads within the beltway'

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/9379/langtrachtenberg-economic-development-transition-pushes-archaic-transportation-approach/

(excerpt)

SJE wrote " but can only go so far: there is no more room for additional roads. "

Actually the routes exist, e.g. I-66 K Street Tunnel (beneath the existing right of way), and I-95 (PEPCO right of way is 250 feet wide+ B&O corridor connected by 3200 feet of the New Hampshire Avenue corridor northern (southbound) side; but the political dynamics of going through Masonic Eastern Star at 6000 New Hampshire Ave, as well as that B&O corridor going right by CUA (which even opposes covering the RR), so in such a Masonic-Vatican dictated city, people will come up with all sorts of excuses for doing nothing.

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2010/05/1960s-washington-dc-freeway-planning.html

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2010/09/washington-dcs-supreme-bridge-builder.html

As another example of this hidden hand on planning, does the new ICC segment turn north through Winters Run, away from the Kights of Columbus- a factoid I recall NOT seeing mentioned in the ICC related writing I have seen)

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2011/02/inter-county-connector-to-be-open.html

by Douglas Willinger on Feb 23, 2011 10:14 pm


@Charlie "All of this makes a lot of sense. I hope the Mayor's people realize the damage that evening and weekend parking meters are doing to the retail sector."

The point of making parking meters operational on weekends and evenings is to create turnover -- ins and outs. That is good for retail and restaurants.

Now we can discuss what the time limits are... the city has been a little tone deaf on how long a retail/restaurant establishment needs a customer in place to generate their turnover from an economic perspective.

by Some Ideas on Feb 23, 2011 11:42 pm


Charlie, the problem is what the report leaves out, not the milquetoast suggestions it leaves in. This stuff is all 1980s ghost-of-Geddes stuff.

by Neil Flanagan on Feb 23, 2011 11:42 pm


Here's one way to help visualize the road scenario. We have 32 parkways and highways (state, US and interstate) leading directly into DC. (Some are counted twice because they run through DC.) They are the following (going clockwise along the DC border):

Maryland Side (25): Clara Barton Parkway, MD-396, MD-190, MD-355, MD-185, MD-186, MD-390, MD-384, US-29, MD-650, MD-212, MD-500, US-1, US-50, MD-201, MD-704, MD-214, MD-332, MD-4, MD-218, MD-5, Suitland Parkway, MD-637, MD-210 and I-295.

Virginia Side (7): US-1, I-395, US-50, I-66, US-29, VA-120 and VA-123.

Other notable highways are I-270, MD-97, I-95, VA-244, the GW Parkway, VA-7 and VA-267, which bring a lot of traffic towards and into DC.

A number of highways listed act as streets or run for relatively short distances (a few miles or less). But the point is that we have many roads running toward DC -- a relatively confined area that is, on the whole, not car oriented. For comparison, we have 5 metro lines (hopefully to be 7 by the end of the decade), with 9 entries into DC.

by DAK4Blizzard on Feb 24, 2011 1:41 am


USNCPC got away with that sort of oversimplification in 1968 by confusing super arterials as arterials.

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/01/and-so-does-us-national-capital.html

But such could be expected where so many failed to get much past the political sloganeering, to thereby let WMATA be built wihout extra capacity generally then a single track per direction.

by Douglas Willinger on Feb 24, 2011 1:50 am


@Douglass Willinger:
The headquarters for the Order of the Eastern Star is 1618 New Hampshire Avenue, not 6000 NH Ave.

On your argument that the Masons have impeded highway construction in DC, let me just say that the Masons are property rich and membership-dues poor; they are accordingly very businesslike with how they managing their property. Like any property owner, if they received a good offer, one that made an allowance for the expense of establishing a new headquarters, I am sure they would consider it.

And I am sure the Masons appreciate your plug -- keep it up!

by goldfish on Feb 24, 2011 9:43 am


Where did I say that Masonic Eastern Star at 6000 NHA NE is the 'headquarters'?

Yes the headquarters are at that Perry Belmont Mansion near DuPont Circle, where the Committee of 100 has had Christmas Parties.

The property at 6000 is a 'home' not headquarters.

Considering the years of shananigans (before even getting around to proposing the LOGICAL PEPCO route, rather then that detour to Prince Georges County Plaza shopping center to cut the capstone line on the map as proposed from about 1959 through 1972), one must ask- what is buried beneath that open field at 6000 NHA NE?

Something was behind the City Council of Alexandria's lying through its teeth about the Washington Street Urban Deck atop the Beltway, with the drones all unanimously 'voting' to take away most of the deck next to Freedmans' Cemetery WITHOUT any debate- something involved with planning and I dare say having the highest structure in that city, complete with a logo featuring architectural tools.

by Douglas Willinger on Feb 24, 2011 11:07 am


@goldfish:
Seriously? DISENGAGE! DISENGAGE!

:)

by oboe on Feb 24, 2011 11:51 am


@goldfish:

Oboe's right. Besides, GGW already proved that the Masons didn't fight freeways, they supported them:

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5307/

by Matt Johnson on Feb 24, 2011 11:57 am


I just love it whenever something is blamed on the Masons. Throw in the Vatican and the illuminati, which as we all know might as well be the Committee of 100 and you have a conspiratrialsts' (is that a word?) dream.

by goldfish on Feb 24, 2011 12:20 pm


"Proved" (?!) by an April Fools joke- exactly 13 months after Imagine DC's tip of hand.

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2009/05/telling-deletion.html

And here we have The Washington Post's freudian slip:

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/01/washington-post-lies-about-inside.html

[to say nothing about the continuing lying about the feasibility of Washington, D.C.'s 'de-mapped' freeways]:

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2009/12/washington-post-continues-lying-about.html

What is buried under that field at 6000 New Hampshire Ave NE?

by Douglas Willinger on Feb 24, 2011 12:26 pm


Within are pictures of that field:

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-hampshire-avenue-b-connection.html

An ideal place for a cut and cover I-95 extension!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwtLYX2ZtriQQNl-t6Sa2a8y9OwJWWOhsTvY7UcDSsmuUKhnryZSYcrzzhk60QinqU4FHGP4adEeTPS0FWhJGo64JZDJQD-to3OtqB4Whw2Esrh2unylkcLHDkoKhCMnFMx-W/s1600/CIMG1684.JPG
by Douglas Willinger on Feb 24, 2011 12:40 pm


---

Freemasonry Let America Down
http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2010/11/freemasonry-lets-america-down.html

Inter County Connector to be Open

Though a bit outside the Beltway, the greater Washington, D.C. area in Maryland's first new freeway segment in years- a rare true progressive victory- though with a familiar twist!

Photo by C Patrick Zilliacus

Md. 200/Intercounty Connector tunnel [eastbound] under Winters Run community in Derwood, Maryland.

This reletively short tunnel (see ICC views at this official traffic cam site) is in Derwood, Maryland, where the ICC was re-routed - deviating from the longstanding Master Plan Alignment - on a longer route, away from the Knights of Columbus

View Larger Map

Opening to vehicular traffic postponed 24 hours to February 23, 2011

SW Freeway Landing Area Targeted

'Southwest Ecodistrict'

Co-ordinated ? with the Washington Channel Tunnel?


from Rebuilding Place in the Urban Place

http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2011/02/public-meeting-southwest-ecodistrict.html

Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Public meeting: Southwest Ecodistrict,
Thursday February 17th

From email:

WANTED: IDEAS FOR FUTURE
L'ENFANT PROMENADE, MARYLAND AVENUE, AND SOUTHWEST PRECINCT

-Southwest Ecodistrict Public Meeting (focused on the area, depicted at left, surrounding the 10th Street and Maryland Avenue corridors in Southwest Washington, DC)
-
Thursday, February 17, 2011 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

- USDA Headquarters,
Whitten Building Interior Courtyard 1400 Independence Ave. SW
-
SOUTHWEST ECODISTRICT VIDEO

The National Capital Planning Commission, in coordination with other federal agencies and the District of Columbia, invites you to attend a public meeting on the Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative -- focused on the 10th Street (L'Enfant Promenade) and Maryland Avenue corridors in Southwest Washington. This joint effort aims to advance the vision set forth in the Monumental Core Framework Plan by fostering an inviting, lively, mixed-use community, while accommodating the future needs of the federal and local governments. The initiative also supports President Obama’s Executive Order 13514 that calls on federal agencies to be leaders in environmental, energy, and economic performance.

Join the Conversation. Help shape this important area into a physical showcase of sustainable practices.

Come Prepared to Share Your Input. Project hand-outs will be available on NCPC’s Southwest Ecodistrict website on February 10, 2011.

RSVP preferred:
swecodistrict@ncpc.gov
Labels: land use planning, urban design/placemaking

posted by Richard Layman @ 2:47 PM&Permanent Link Comments

Obama- Nothing For D.C.

The U.S. President gives another State of the Union speech with vague assurances thta the U.S. will outbuild the rest of the world.

Yet he can't mention or do anything about the absurdity of the failure to properly complete the Washington D.C. freeway system.

Nor anything about the ruiniously expensive pharma-alcohol-cigarette market protection 'drug war' which burns countless funds that would be better spent upon transport infrastructure.

Such is what can be expected from 'leaders'who give speeches, while flanked by a pair of Roman fasces?