Arlington Cemetery, with Fort Myer South Post in foreground

in long sweeps, the effect is generally pleasing. In many
instances, however, the rows are curved tightly, and
changes in the land form or in the design juxtapose two or
three conflicting systems. Until recently the impending
shortage of available land caused the character of newer
burial areas to the north of Memorial Drive to be closely
tied to a policy of "maximum yield," resulting in changes
in the treatment of burial areas. Plots were reduced from
6 x 12 feet to 5 x 10 feet, while the size of the standard
headstone remained the same. These present stones are
larger than those of the oldest sections, and the re-
sult was a further sense of crowding. To increase the area
for burials the verges along roads were reduced to 15
feet. With the curving alignment of roads and a grid layout
for burial plots, this resulted in an uncomfortable, ragged
edge, exaggerated by mixed, random planting of shade
and flower trees along the curb. The third consequence of
the maximum yield policy was a limitation of planting
within the burial areas to the intersection of plot bound-
aries. This meant large trees could not be planted, and at
the same time the number of trees was drastically reduced
so that the shaded effect of the older cemetery could never
be achieved. Were it possible to grade the areas in a clear
geometric manner, the rows of headstones would seem
appropriate. As it is, however, the rows of headstones cross
the rolling landform, creating a sense of confusion.

To alleviate these problems in the most recently developed
burial areas, certain remedial steps will be taken. Roads
will be planted with large, regularly spaced shade trees, to
introduce a sense of order and to lessen the ragged appear-
ance of the narrow verges. Within these burial areas large
shade trees are to be planted in groves where possible,
Occupying unassigned plots. Heavy planting along Jeffer-
son Davis Highway, to the north, will provide a suitable
backdrop to the newer portion of the Cemetery, and will
help to screen highway traffic.

The architects also studied alternatives of plot layout,
headstone design and other details as they relate to the
overall appearance of burial areas. The current "general
type" marble headstone will continue in use in the newly
developed areas. Return to a plot size of 6 x 12 feet was
determined to best balance demands on cemetery area, to
conform well to standard headstone dimensions, and to

allow up to four interments per plot without disturbing
adjacent plots.

In reviewing the various layouts for future burial areas, two
methods were considered. One method would be to lay
out curving rows parallel to the major roads. The other
would be to establish straight rows within each section and
to adjust the direction between sections. The curved-row
approach presents an inherent difficulty in controlling lay-
out, and as the bounding roads for each section are not
parallel, it would make certain edges seem arbitrarily out
of line. The curved-row system can also create disturbing
patterns since there is a splaying of plot width along the
curve. The straight row system, although sometimes
viewed as being harsh, is easier to control, and was se-
lected as the more suitable method in this instance. Prob-
lems with this system recently experienced in the north
areas will not be present in the new areas, as the wider
spacing and roadside landscape treatment will soften the
irregular outline of the edge. Private cemeteries have often
used the row system for plot layout, but almost always the
markers are heterogeneous private markers. At the same
time, there are relatively few military cemeteries having
the park-like character of Arlington. It is the extension of
this unique quality of Arlington which is central to the
development of future additions.

The land to be added to Arlington Cemetery is relatively
low, with gently undulating hills and valleys, in contrast to
the more rugged topography of the upper section of the
older Cemetery. It is an area almost devoid of trees, and
one in which the natural form of the land itself has been
radically reshaped by the hasty construction of many war-
emergency buildings.

One guiding principle for landscape development in the
new areas is therefore the restoration of the natural fea-
tures of the land. Both the grading and planting will accen-
tuate this by emphasizing the tops of rises and the course
of swales and waterways. The existing abrupt change in
level at Arlington Ridge Road, along the present lower
boundary of the Cemetery, will be filled in as the new
roads will curve in response to the contours of the ground,
and as the slopes from the rising hills to the west are ex-
tended down into the newly developed land.
The wooded, park-like atmosphere of the older Cemetery
will be recreated in the new by establishing a framework