Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Masonry and the South Capitol Mall-
Kleinknecht's 'Extending the Legacy[s?]'
adopted from Monumental Indicator

Given organized Masonry’s long involvement with Washington, D.C., what about a look at its designated organization head- an expressed student of Washington, D.C. planning?

C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33 degree, Sovereign Grand Commander, The Supreme Council, 33 degree (Mother Council of the World), Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., Washington. D.C. (1985 to 2001); from the book "Valley of the Craftsman"

http://www.ksa-mcalesterok.com/product_info.php?cPath=41_71&:


“The Scottish Rite, nearly as old as the United States, is now entering its third century. Through peace and war, abundance and want, expansion and restraint, both the fraternity and the country where it had its start survive and prosper.

HANDSHAKE By the time Fred Kleinknecht assumed leadership in 1985, he had served leadership in 1985, he served under four of the six prior Sovereign Grand Commanders in the twentieth century. No other leader in the history of the Scottish Rite could claim a comparable advantage of continuity with his predecessors. And few could claim a better understanding of the values, strengths and motives of the institution and its membership.

HANDSHAKE. At the heart of American Scottish Rite Freemasonry, a powerful spirit of generosity is driven by a centuries-old tradition of meeting social need, and philanthropic programs have been an important part of activities in the Southern Jurisdiction for decades. Today, under the leadership of Grand Commander Kleinknecht, the same spirit and tradition are served in new and creative ways. As it has done with unparalleled success for two hundred years, the fraternity combines the best parts of the past with the unprecedented resources and opportunities of the
present, to carve the building blocks for its exciting future. The metaphor of the double-headed eagle, with one face toward history and the other looking ahead has never been more timely”.




This chapter about Sovereign Grand Commander Kleinknecht's 1985-2001 service makes a notable choice of title: “Extending the Legacy”

"Extending the Legacy" is the name of the U.S. National Capital Planning Commission program, here showing the un-named South Capitol Mall upon its very cover.



The U.S. NCPC "Extending the Legacy" program came about under during the 1990s under the leadership of Harvey B. Gantt and Reginald W. Griffith.



Extending the Legacy is a framework for change. We use the term, framework literally, to mean outline or armature. Legacy is not a comprehensive master plan, as that term is used by planners and lawyers. It does not impose land use and development controls. Rather it is a basic guide for long term growth.

The vision presented here protects the capital for those who follow us, yet also embraces the future with confidence and optimism. As a preeminent world city and the seat of a great democracy, Washington demands a vision of beauty, nobility and power. Extending the Legacy is such a vision.

Harvey B. Gantt, FAIA Chairman NCPC ( -1999)
Biographical info: http://www.scafricanamericanhistory.com/currenthonoree.asp?month=2&year=1994

Extending the Legacy is a dramatic departure from past federal plans tha directed facilities and investments to the Mall and adjacent ceremonial corridors. Legacy recenters monumental Washington on the Capital, creating opportunities for new museums, memorials and offices in all quadrants of the city. It expands the reach of public transit and eliminates obsolete freeways, bridges and railroad tracks that fragment the city. It reclaims the capital’s historic waterfront and reverses decades of environmental neglect. Using federal resources to generate local investment, Legacy will spur community revitalization and infrastructure rebuilding well into the next century.

Reginald W. Griffith, AICP, AIA, Executive Director NCPC (1979-2001)

Biographical info: http://www.opm.gov/ses/dea98ncpc.asp

EXTENDING THE LEGACY represents the third act in a continuous planning drama that began over 200 years ago, when President George Washington commissioned Pierre L’Enfant to lay out the new Capital. Like the L’Enfant and McMillan plans it looks ahead 50 to 100 years. And like them, it offers a framework for future development.

Extending the Legacy: Planning America's Capital for the 21st Century, at page 5

Gantt ended his position as NCPC Chairman in 1999, while Griffith ended his position as Executive Director in 2001- the final year that the Extending the Legacy South Capitol Mall concept appears in a USNCPC publication (Memorials and Museums released September 2001).


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