From Mall to mega-Mall in D.C.?

Is the Mall now complete? One group of Washington advocates doesn’t think so, no matter what Congress and federal planners say.

At issue is the place that many Americans envision when they think of the nation’s capital: the great green rectangle lined by museums and bounded by the Lincoln Memorial, U.S. Capitol, White House and Jefferson Memorial, with the Washington Monument in the middle.

When the National Museum of the American Indian opened in September, federal authorities announced that, after decades of construction, the 725-acre space was full. “We consider the Mall a finished work of civic art,” National Capital Planning Commission Chairman John Cogbill III said, echoing Congress, which imposed a moratorium in 2003 to prevent runaway growth of markers beyond those already approved. Recent additions include memorials for World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Korean War.

But a group of interested citizens disagrees. In nearly 50 briefings for members of Congress, federal regulators, National Park Service personnel and editorial writers, the National Coalition to Save Our Mall has laid out a plan that would enlarge by 50% and redefine America’s frontyard. Supporters say the plan would create room for 51 memorial projects and four major museums.

John Parsons of the National Park Service said managers are preparing to draft a broad management plan next spring that will respond “to what the coalition is saying.”