Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-24
A CAPITOL AN N EX
PLANS BEING PREPARED FOR IT'S
CONSTRUCTION.
Will Have Extensive Ground Space
and he Used for Committee
Rooms, &c.


tect of the Capitol to prepare and submit
to Congress at it's next session plans, speci-
tications and estimates of cost for "the con-
struction of fireproof building adjacent to
the grounds of the Capitol building to be
used for offices, storage and power plant
purposes connected with the Capitol build
ing In accordance with this authoriza-
tion sketches are in course of preparation
which embOdy three general plans AL
though not so specified in the act directing
the prepa ration of these plans the Capitol
annex is to be chiefly for the use of the
House of Representatives, and will provide
several hundred committee rooms for mem
bers who now have only their desks in the
hall of the House in which to carry on
their correspondence at the Capitol.
Three Tentative Plans.
The three tentative plans will provide for
locating the annex on b street south be-
tween 1st street east and New Jersey ave-
nue.. between South Capitol street and Del
aware avenue and between Delaware ave-
nue. and 1st street west. The squares be-
tween 1st street east and New Jersey ave-
nue. and between Delaware avenue and 1st
street west have a very large frontage
facing the Capitol. and a single general
plan is being prepared which might with
certain changes be adapted to either loca-
tion. The frontage of the square between
South Capitol street and Delaware avenue
is quite restricted and will require another
plan.
Several features that are to be embodied
in the new building have been determined
upon essential The building is to be OF
classic architecture and of white marble
The lack OF space which the building may
suffer because it will not have a large num-
ber of stories is to be made up by its
tcnSiVe ground plan. There will also be
So hJ W W he
plentifully supplied with light and air. and
which will provide literally for much-need-
ed storage room.
An Underground Connection.
Another essential feature of the plans
Will be underground connection with
the Capitol which will provide so spacious
a passageway that it may contain tram
way, a drive for wagons and carts and
path for pedestrians. The driveway will
be so arranged that it may be entered from
the southern portion of the annex, and will
be on a level with the subbasement of the
Capitol. 1t will make possible the enforce
ment of a rule that all goods delivered at
the building shall be by way of this pas
sageway.
The sites on the top of the hill along B
street afford much better opportunities for
the construction of this underground pas
sage connecting the Capitol with the an
mex The underground passageway will
probably run along the eastern portion of
the Capitol SUI b-basement. An enormous
storage capacity is needed for the Capitol
and this VIII be given in the new annex
Few people realize that there are stored
in the Capitol nearly 2,OOo.Oo0 volumes of
public documents awaiting shipment on the
order of representatives alone This Is
twice the number of bound volumes now
in the Congressional Library building.
When the annex is finished they will be
kept there and instead of representative
franking books themselves, as is so often
done In committee rooms, a new system
will probably be put in effect, by which
orders will be sent to the folding room in
the annex, when the volumes can be
franked
Heating and Lighting Plant.
The annex is also to contain the heating
and lighting plant for the Capitol, and it
culating hot water as a means of heating
in place of hot air. The building will be
planned with about $50 storage rooms, and
nearly many rooms that can be used
by representatives so that it will be pos
sible TO accommodate every representative
with at least one room and in many cases
with two rooms.
The tramway in the underground passage
| will serve purpose greater than the usual
| travel between the Capitol and the annex.
| 1t will be arranged so that it can readily
| be reached by elevators both in the Capitol
and in the annex, and will make it possi-
avoid the walk between the car line along
| b street south and the building in stormy
weather by entering the annex and making
the trip via the underground passage. 1t
is expected that this improvement will cost
about $2,U0.0O0.