• By Bsrat Mezghebe
• March 18, 2021

"Washington is Not Just Another City"

The Washington, DC we know today cannot be understood without understanding and remembering the important people who helped shape it. Elizabeth “Libby” Rowe, NCPC’s first female Chair, was a dynamic leader who established historic preservation as an active concern of the Commission and sought to encourage grassroots participation in furthering Washington as a great city.

After being appointed by President Kennedy in 1961, Rowe was the first woman to serve as a commissioner, and then as NCPC Chair, her role until 1968. As a third-generation Washingtonian, Rowe was a long-standing advocate of neighborhood preservation and mass transit. During her tenure on the Commission, she is best remembered for challenging the construction of highways that would run through the heart of Washington, as well as preserving the skyline from high-rise buildings.

By the 1960s, there were growing concerns about the effects of post-World War II planning and development across the country, particularly with regards to highway construction and urban renewal. Rowe’s vision of Washington as not just “the national treasure,” but also an idyllic collection of strongly defined neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, and graceful buildings put her at odds with plans to build a 38-mile network of freeways, including an 18-mile double-ring inner loop around downtown Washington, that would destroy several neighborhoods (most of which were populated by African Americans) and result in extensive relocations. Her concerns for social welfare and historic preservation were shared by a large and diverse coalition of citizens who campaigned and demonstrated against the plans.

The fight against the highways was also part of a broader debate over whether expressways or mass transit, namely a subway system which Rowe called “the salvation of the center of the city,” should play the dominant role in the city’s transportation future.

“Rowe’s approach as NCPC Chair marked a radical shift from that of Harland Bartholomew, who had chaired the Commission from 1953 to 1960,” explained George Mason University Professor of History Zachary Schrag. “Whereas Bartholomew believed freeways to be necessary and automobile traffic inevitable, Rowe sought to protect Washington from the damage of highway construction and to find alternatives to dependence on cars.”

Ultimately, these efforts resulted in a directive by President Johnson to adopt a new Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital that would reflect growing transportation needs without a sprawling interstate system, paving the way for the existing Metro system.

Rowe was also a staunch advocate of maintaining the Height of Buildings Act that limited the height of buildings in Washington and protecting the grandeur of its monumental core, challenging proposals to build to maximum heights and density. Her objections to the Watergate complex helped reduce the height and scale of that project. She also established Washington’s first official historic preservation efforts through the founding of the Joint Committee on Landmarks in 1964 by NCPC, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and the District Government.

Rowe was a member of the White House Historical Association; Chairman Emeritus of the Committee of 100 for the Federal City, the oldest planning organization in the city; and Chairman of the Parks and History Association, a private group that supported the National Park Service. She was co-chairman of President Kennedy's 1961 inaugural parade and an early member of First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson's Committee for a More Beautiful National Capital.

In her own words, “Washington is not just another city. It is a symbol to the whole free world. Our problem is to permit the necessary development, but to keep the character of our city and the surrounding area.”

The nation’s capital still continues to benefit from her commitment to preserving its beauty and stature. In appreciation of her service to NCPC, Washington, and the nation, the agency named one of its conference rooms in her honor.