Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-20
A NEW BUILDING WANTED.
Full Text of the Report Of the City
Post ONCE Commission.

Full Text Of the Report Of the City
Post Onice Commission.
THEY POUND NO BUILDING TO LET MORE SUIT
ABLE THAN THE PRESENT ouARrKRs-rHE Gov
ERNMKST URGED TO ERECT A coHxopIous
STRUCTURE FOR THE PURPOSE.
The report Of the city post Office commission
has been submitted to Postmaster General
Wanamaker and its main features will probably
be incorporated in Mr.. Wanamaker's annual
report which is now being prepared. The re-
port which is signed by the members Of the
commission-First Assistant Postmaster Gem
eral GARRISON, Second Assistant Postmaster
General Whitfield, Gen. Raum commissioner
of PENSIONS; Mr.. Windrim, the supervising
architect of the Treasury and Postmaster Ross
is as follows:
The commission appointed by you to con-
slider the practicabiiity of utilizing a portion
OF the pension building for city post Office pur-
poses, or for obtaining proposals for other suit
able quarters for the same, consisting Of the
first and second assistant postmasters general,
the postmaster OF Washington, and, on the rec
ommendation respectively of the Honorable
Secretary OF the Treasury and the Honorable
secretary OF the Interior, the supervising arch
ltect OF the Treasury department and the COM
missioner of pensions, respectfully submit the
following report
Congress having. by act Of October 2, 1888, 8.
l.. 70. page 524 granted to the Postmaster Gen.
eral authority to remove the Washington city
post ofhce to the center OF the court of the pen
sion building. provided that for this purpose
a space OF 29O feet in length by 80 feet in width
only should be occupied, and having appro-
priated 5000 for the expenses of removal and
hitting up the same, the commission at once
addressed itself to the work of ascertaining the
practicability of carrying into effect the au-
thorlty thus conferred, and for this purpose
several times visited and inspected the pension
building. They found that the inner court Of
the building affords ample space for post
office, Is well lighted by day, and can be lighted
by lncandescent lights for night work, should
1t be required. Additional radiation could also
be placed for warmth i'll winter.
OBJECTIONS TO THE PENSION BUILDING.
As to the adaptability of the space for the
use of the post Office and the desirability Of
using 1t the following seem to be important
considerations:
First. The outgoing and incoming service
would have to lie accommodated through the
one entrance way for wagons at the east end of
the building. 10 afford adequate room for
this purpose radical changes in the present
construction of the building would be neces-
sary. A shed, more or less temporary in
character, might be constructed at the end of
the building to afford additional space and
shelter. This would give relief in handling
and storing through matter, not intended for
opening or distribution in the Washington
office but would be of little practical use in the
disposition of the vastly larger quantity of
mail to be opened, distributed, made up and
dispatched from the central portion Of the
Office. The handling of the constantly increas-
ing mail in this city through one comparatively
narrow entrance would seem impracticable.
Second. The extended distance the mail mat
ter would have to be trucked, under the best
arrangement that could possibly be made at
this one entrance, would greatly delay the work
and increase the expense OF the service.
Third. The occupancy Of the interior court
OF the pension building for post Office could
not but be. under the most favorable circum-
stances, a serious drawback to the work OF the
force employed in the pension building. To
cover the court would. of course, exclude the
light to great degree and seriously interfere
with the work OF the post office, besides render
ing the expense Of fitting up such an Office
very great. II, on the other hand it was left
entirely open above the office, SO to admit
light and air, the dust, inseparable from the
work of SO large force working at all hours
of the day, in the center of this open
court would be found a source of con-
slant annoyance in the conduct of the
business OF the pension, office and
to this would be added the further annoyance
occasioned by the presence of the great num-
Der OF people visiting the city post Office. The
occupancy of this central space would unques-
tionably impair the ventilation and sanitary
condition of the office, particularly on the up
per floors Of the building. while it is doubtful
whether in the post Office itself the temperature
could be kept sufficiently uniform and the
tendency to draughts checked SO as to avoid
serious injury to the employees. Literally
speaking, the effect would be to place force
OF nearly three hundred people in the center of
ht1Il dtpcr 1aA hx -
thirteen hundred people, and to this would be
added the public, which would, in the aggre-
gate, largely outnumber the force of both Of
fees each DAY. When it is remembered that
the scheme of construction of the pension
building was, i'll the matter of light. air, VEN
tilation and general sanitary conditions, made
dependent upon this large open court around
which the rooms of the pension Office are ar
ranged, it would seem that the whole plan
would be defeated by locating another Office in
this space.
Fourth. The toilet rooms are already made
quate, and large and expensive additional ac-
commodatlons would have to be provided. 1t
Is difficult to see, in the present condition of
the building, how such space could be afforded
Fifth. The cost of screens, furnishings and
equipment would be not less than S25, 900, the
desks, boxes. distributing cases and general
office furniture of the present Office not being
Of such character as would justify their re-
moval to another building.
Sixth. site more convenient to the public
and to railway depots is desirable, and would
facilitate alike the business of the Office and the
prompt receipt and dispatch of the mails.
OTHER SITES AND BUILDINGS
After the examination of the pension build
ing had been completed and the judgment of
the commission formed as above stated, other
propositions were considered and various sites
examined. Among these were the buildings
on Az street recently occupied by the District
Commission, the First Baptist church on 18th
street between G. and H northwest, the CYCLIC
rama building Oh 18th street and Ohio avenue
and buildings known as 419 and 421 on 9th
street northwest in square number 4S9, to-
gether with the 77-foot lot lmmed iately in the
rear, facing on 5th street, on which is located
the building known as the Columbia law build
ing. There was also conditional proposition
to rent the First Presbyterian church ON Az
street.
The proposals to rent these various premises
were made in response to an advertisement
under date of June s, 1889, inviting proposals
ton post Office. The various premises above
described, offered at prices ranging from 81. 500
to SIC, 500 per year, were visited and carefully
examined. Some of them were found utterly
unsuitable for post Office purposes, as their
occupancy would necessitate changes and addi-
tons almost equal in expense to the construc-
ton OF new building. The First Presbyterian
church, fronting on Az street and having "a
foot alley in the rear aud 30-foot passagewav
leading from said alley out to the main street.
and also alleys on the north and south Sides
seemed to present the most advantages and a
careful measurement was made to ascertain