Evening star., 1901-12-20
Plans for One for the Agricultural
Department.
TO Be OF CLASSIC ARCHITECTURE
Of Three Wings, Each Larger
Than the Structure Now in Use.
M R. NJ E. r G E RS B l. L

Within two or three years, unless the
plans of the Secretary of Agriculture and
two congressional committees go all awry,
the Department of Agriculture, with all it's
laboratories and main bureaus will be COM
modiously and comfortably established in
an appropriate and modern new building.
The structure is to stand approximately on
the site of the present main building, will
be about 400 feet long, will be constructed
of white marble and will cost 81, 100000 It
has been designed with particular regard
for the peculiar requirements of the Agri-
cultural Department. Finally, and best Of
all, In the judgment of Secretary Wilson,
it will represent all that is good in modern
sanitary methods and principles of con-
struction and the truest lines of classic
architecture.
OF Three Wings.
The new building is to be conspicuous
feature in the general plan of park improve
ment contemplated in the scheme of the
District of Columbia park commission. 1t
will stand about fifty feet south of the
present structure of red brick occupied by
Secretary Wilson, and will consist of three
wings. arranged in the form of a H. and
SO designed as to present three impressive
and beautiful facadeS.
The architecture of the structure is along
the lines OF tnat OF ancient Rome, mOQlneQ
and restrained almost to the degree Of
Greek simplicity. In the main wing are to
be the offices Of the secretary and his ex
ecutiVe force, and the several main bureaus
OF the department-animal industry, statis-
tics, experiment stations, biological sur
vey, forestry, botany, soils, seeds and seed
distribution, public road inquiries, accounts
and disbursements, plant industry, vege-
table physiology and pathology, agrostolo-
gy, pomology and seed and plant introduc-
ton. The weather bureau will probably re-
main in its present quarters. The wings of
the buildings are designed for laboratory
work solely. All the roofs will be of glass.
Except, possibl, the laboratories, the build
ing will be five stories In height. These
are practically all the details SO far deter
mined. 1t is understood Of course, that
the equipment will be the most generous
possible within the limits of the congress
sional appropriation, that the interior deco
ration of the building will conform with it's
handsome and ornate exterior, and that, the
approaches. to be designed by the park
commission, will be Of a character befit-
ting a building of such dignity and purity
Of design.
Work on one of the wings will be
begun as soon as Congress shall make
available any part of the whole appropria-
tion needed. Secretary Wilson plans to in
still the force now in the main building of
the department in the first wing to be COM
pleted. The present structure will then be
razed and the remaining two wings finished
as speedily as may be consistent with firm
and careful building.
Any one Of the three wings. however,
will be larger than the present main build
Ing, so that the transfer to temporary
quarters will prove an immediate relief to
the working force. While the plans of the
building are still incomplete and the action
OF Congress still uncertain, 1t Is impossible
for either the architects or the officials of
the department to estimate when the en-
tire building will be ready for use. But
except Congress shall delay in making the
ia fnr n,,J1l
other unexpected difficulties arise, it Is an
ticipated the end of the current admnistra-
tion Will see the department finally. estab-
lished in its new home.
Conference With Park Commission.
The present main building Of the de-
partment was condemned as unfit for
further use about ten years ago. Since
that time the movement for a new building
has been more or less continuous. Last
year Mr.. Wilson made the first real step
forward by obtaining from Congress an al
lowance of 5000 and authority to expend
that sum In the preparation Of plans for a
new building to meet all the requirements
OF agricultural, administrative and labora-
tory work. When the money became avail
able the Secretary and the supervising
architect of the treasury conferred over
the matter. and invited ten architects to
prepare plans and submit them in compe-
tition. These plans were completed early
In October last. A commission was then
appointed, which included Messrs. d. H.
Burnham. G. F. McKim, F. L. Olmstead
and Augustin Saint Gaudens, to pass upon
the drawings and recommend to the Sec
retary of Agriculture such changes in the
accepted plans as seemed to the commits
sion desirable. 1t is regarded at the de-
partment as particularly fortunate this
commission included all the members of
the present park commission. The award
was thus made with full consideration of
the larger scheme for the Identification of
lt~l tn.
award went to the firm Of architects which
had most successfully anticipated that
point of view-Messrs. Lord & Hewlett of
New York.
The. The plan submitted by that firm required
several radical alterations. however. When
these were explained, new drawings were
prepared and submitted to Secretary Will
son, together with the view in perspective
which is reproduced in The Star. These al
tered plans have only just been approved
They contemplate building nearly 400
feet long and approximately 200 feet Deep
1t Is to be absolutely fireproof. The ma
larly designated by Secretary Wilson as
like that of The Star building" An
abundance of light and free ventilation are
to be provided The last requirement was
that the laboratories and executive offices
shall be effectually separated.
The drawing as now approved Is Viewed
with particular favor by the members Of
the park commission as being entirely in
| a great parkway from the Capitol to the
Washington monument and the erection
upon its either side of series of buildings
for the various administrative departments
of the government. The result is to be a
colossal court of honor, the crowning feat
ures of which are already established in
| the Congressional Library. the Capitol and
the Washington monument. In such a
plan a building of the classic character
contemplated in the drawings of Messrs
Lord and Hewlett, will have an almost un-
limited value
Representative Mercer's Bill.
To provide for the construction of this
building Representative Mercer of Ne
braska has already introduced a bill in the
House 1t is anticipated that the measure
may speedily become law. The text Of the
proposed enactment follows in full:
Be 1t enacted by the Senate and House
Of Representatives Of the United States of
America In Congress assembled, That the
Secretary Of Agriculture be. and he is here