Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-13
The House Agrees to Extend the
Present Building.
TEXT Of THE SUBSTITUTE ADOPTED
Public Printer Benedict's Letter
Detailing the Plan.
MIR. BANKHEAD'S STATEMENT


Of public printing office site. 1t voted
| down the Senate amendment for the Ma
hone site by 127 noes to 80 ayes. defeated
the motion to erect a building upon a gov
| eminent reservation by a vote of 105 noes
| to 10 ayes, and then, by vote of 1873 ayes
| to Al noes, agreed to Mr.. Bankhead's sub
| stitute, which provides for the purchase OF
| additional ground at the present site and to
| erect building thereon.
| MIR. Bankhead's Substitute.
| Mr.. Bankhead's substitute for the Sen
ate amendment was as follows:
| That in order to procure a suitable site
for building to be used as a government
| printing office the Secretary of the Treas
ury and the public printer are hereby au-
| thoriZed and directed to purchase from the
owners thereof the following described real
estate, situate in Washington, d. c., name
| ly: Beginning at the southeast corner OF
| square CT at the intersection of North G
street and North Capitol street, thence run
| ming north IT'S feet 3 inches to an alley
30 feet wide running east and west through
said square 62i; thence west along the
south line of said alley 1886 feet to point
| Immediately south of the southwest corner
| of the site of the government printing Of
nee as now loca ted: thence directly south 70
| a point on the northern side of North G
| street, and thence east along the southern
| boundary of said square on North G street
| TO the place of beginning. except an alley
| fourteen feet wide running north and south
| from the alley thirty feet wide, hereinbe-
| fore named, to North G street, which alley
| is hereby declared to be closed, and shall
be appropriated and used part Of the
site of the building to be located on said
| real estate.
| In case the Secretary of the Treasury and
| the public printer shall, within thirty days
| after the passage of this act, be unable to
| purchase this land at a reasonable price,
they shall make applca ton by petition to
| the Supreme Court of the District of Co.
| lumbia. at any general or special term
thereof. for the condemnation of such land
and for the aScertainment of Its value.
| Such petition shall contain a particular de-
scripton of the property, with the names
| of the owner or owners and their residences,
50 far as the same can be aScertained, to-
gether with a description of the land pro-
posed to be condemned, and thereupon the
| said court is authorized and required to
cite all such owners and all other persons
| interested to appear in said court within n
reasonable time to answer the said petition
| and If II shall appear to the court that
| there are any owners or other persons in
| tereSted who are under legal disability the
court shall cause public notice to be given
| of the time at which the said court will
proceed with the matter of condemna ton +;
and at such time, if it shall appear that
there are any persons under disability who
have either appeared or not appeared, the
court shall appoint guardians ad litem for
each of such persons, and the court shall
thereupon proceed to appoint three capable
and disinterested commissioners 10 appraise
the value of the respective interests Of all
persons named in plaintiffs petition. Such
commissioners shall thereupon, after being
duly sworn for The proper performance of
their duties, examine the premises sought
TO be condemned and hear the persons in
interest who may appear before them and
ascertain their appralsement of the value of
the interest of ali persons, respectively. in
such lands.
The sum of $2Jo,0OO appropriated by the
act entitled IAN act making appropriation
for the sundry civil expenses of the govern
ment for the fiscal year ending June 81,
1891, and for other purposes" approved
August 30, 1890, is hereby reappropriatei
and made available. and in addition there
to the sum of $4,000, or any part thereof.
appropriated in this act for the repairs of
the present government printing office build
ing, is hereby made available together
with the further sum of SOL 900, for the pur-
chase of said land and the erection of a
building or buildings theron for the of
the government printing office and for each
and every purpose connected with the con-
struction of such building or buildings
The chief of engineers of the army is
hereby authorized and directed, under the
supervision of the Secretary of the Treas
ury and the public printer, during the pres
ent fiscal year, to erect a building or build
ings for the use of the government printing
office plans for which are to be prepared by
him, subject to the approval of the Secre-
tary OF the treasury ana the pubic printer.
Mr.. Bcnedicfs Letter.
The plan of the new building, which is
required to be erected during the present
fiscal year, is outlined in the following let
ter of Public Printer Benedict to Chairman
Savers:
Sir:-In reply to your telegram of the 31st
of July, requesting me to send you a plat
showing the land adjacent to the govern
ment printing office, which l believe il
would be wise to purchase for an addition to
same, with a statement of the proba BILE cost
and an estimate of the total probable cost
of necessary buildings to be erected thereon
in order to accommodate the requirements
of the office at the present time SAID build
ing ito be- erected within this fiscal year"
| have the honor to hand he -ewith DIAGRAM
of the block bounded by North Capitol, c.
1st and Ii streets northwest, in which is
situated the government printing office
(See exhibit A.
on the plat / have indicated in blue field
all the land owned and occupied by the
office. South of the Office across jackson
alley, are two lots separated by a fourteen
foot alley. These lots can be purchased |
am informed. and parties having options on
same are ready to sell to the government at
prices agreed upon with +. w. Palmer esq.,
late public printer.
Lot l. exhibit a, on North Capitol street
containing 22,Sl3 square feet of ground area
l am Informed, will cost So, 1850, or S5Gl5
per square foot.
Lot 2. on G street adjoining, containing
3OSi5 square feet of ground area, will cost
S92,012.32 or $2.oSo per square foot.
/ am confident that the purchase of lot f.
on North Capitol street, would afford all the
land needed to give present relief now re
Quired in working accommodations here and
also afford assured safety and comfort to
the office employees. five-story iron and
brick building, with basement cellar erected
on same, covering the lot, except a parking
space of twenty-five feet left vacant on
North Capitol and G. Streets the building
to cover, the fourteen-foot alley running
alley. thus adding 2.453 square feet to the
proposed purchase. This fourteen foot alley
should be declared closed by act of Con-
gress. ia
/ suggest a building $50 feet 3 inches in
length north and south and - feet in width
east and west, with wings reaching to the
government printing office warehouse across
the fourteen-foot alley, each wing A by 80
feet (sae diagram; exhibit 81, said building
when erected, giving about 1900 suua re
feet Of working space. l estimate such
building If erected under contract, of brick
with steel and iron beams, brick arches
iron rafters and thoroughly fireproof, to
cost not exceeding S20JOO0, including eIe-
vatCrs and bridge connections with the
present printing office over and across Jack
son alley, or a total not exceeding s2S2 4GS 40
In cost of land and building l urgently
recommend that this plot OF land be mr.
chased and such a building be directed to