Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-04
A NEW DISTRICT BUILDING
The Commissioners Will Move at End of
Fiscal Year.
Walker Building on Louisiana Avenue
the New HOmc-Getting the De-
partments Together.

With the first of the coming fiscal year,
which begins July 1, 1896, the District gov
eminent, the Office Of the Commissioners
and all its branches, will be housed under
one roof in q building a little more COM
mensurate with its dignity and Importance.
This move is in line with scheme which
the Commissioners have entertained for
some time past Of centralizing the District
offices, which are now scattered about in
different sections Of the city. The building
chosen for the new home Of the District
government is the Walker building, on the
south side of Louisiana avenue between ~
and 9th Streets
The Commissioners on Saturday gave for
NAL notice to Mr.. Thomas W. Smith, the
owner Of the building on lst street, which
they now occupy, that they intended va
eating that building with the end OF the
present fiscal year. In their notice to Mr..
Smith they stated that they had no cause
for complaint with the present quarters,
but that it was deemed advisable to secure
a home where all the offices might be
brought together conveniently under one
roof. The building now occupied Is not
hre-proof structure, and the fact that the
records and many valuable papers which
have accumulated in the Commissioners
office are exposed to damage or loss was
one of the strongest reasons which induced
the Commissioners to make the change.
The New Quarters.
The Walker building is rather imposing
structure of brick. eight stories high. The
main part Of the building was erected sew
eral years ago. but an addition on the east
which practically doubles its size, is Just
being completed, and in this new portion
will be located the District offices, which
will occupy most If not all Of the rooms.
The building was erected by Mr.. s. H.
Walker.
III,
For some time past the police department
has occupied quarters in the lower part OF
the original building, where Sanitary Of
ficer Frank. the superintendent Of chart
ties. the District telegraph and telephone
and the superintendent of the street and
alley cleaning department have also made
their headquarters Since the completion
of the new portion Of the building the
health office has moved in also. and the
coming of the Commissioners, with all the
departments under them, will bring practi-
cally all the District offices together. The
excise board, the sealer of weights and
measures and the inspector of gas and
meters will also be accommodated in the
one building. Among the different offices
that will then be in close proximity are
the executive department, the assistant
engineers, the excise board and board of
assistant assessors, the special assessment
division, the assessor, the auditor, the col
lector of taxes, the building inspector and
his corps of assistants, the fire department,
the various inspectors, superintendent of
charities, surveyor. superintendent OF water
department, superintendent of telegraph
and telephone service. and the numerous
other more or less important adjuncts to
the District government.
1t has not been definitely decided Just
how many rooms will be needed under the
new arrangement, but the supposition is
that practically the entire building will be
utilized In this way.
Rent Paid.
The Commissioners have for some time
past enter tained the hope of making some
change of this sort. The possibility Of
having a municipal building owned and oc-
cupied by the government had deferred
them from making any change. and, II
Congress had seen fit to make an appropri-
alton for such a building, it is probable
that the present building would have been
retained until the completion of the new
one. When 1t was seen, however, that
there was no chance of getting a suitable
building of their own the Commissioners
tegan locking about for other quarters,
and their choice fell upon the Walker
building IS being most eligible. The Com
missioners pay an annual rental Of s. GOO
for the tuilding they now occupy. but The
allowances for rene for the other depart
ments of the District government bring
this amount up to about 5000.