The Mayor of the District of Columbia is hereby authorized and permitted to construct a beach and dressing houses upon the east shore of the tidal reservoir against the Washington Monument Grounds, and to maintain the same for the purpose of free public bathing, under such regulations as the Council of the District of Columbia shall deem to be for the public welfare; and the Secretary of the Army is requested to permit such use of the public domain as may be required to accomplish the objects above set forth.

(Sept. 26, 1890, 26 Stat. 490, ch. 949.)

1981 Ed., § 8-162.

1973 Ed., § 8-168.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 402(185) of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to the District of Columbia Council, subject to the right of the Commissioner as provided in § 406 of the Plan. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.