Evening star., 1902-01-28
EXECUTIVE OFFICES
Proposed Location in Another Struc-
ture
INFORMALLY DECIDED upon
Before Senate Public Buildings
Committee.
THE TEN ATIVE PLANS

The subject of new public building to be
located on the square bounded by Jackson
place, 18th and H streets and Pennsyl-
vania avenue just north of the State, War
and Navy Departments building, will again
come up for discussion at the next meet
ing of the Senate committee on public
buildings and grounds, which will take
place next Friday. Senator Fairbanks, the
chairman of this committee, some time ago
introduced a bill in the Senate providing
for a building on this site for the Depart
ments of State and Justice. That bill has
been under, discussion, and it has already
been decided in an informal way by the
committee that such building should con-
tain offices for the President of the United
States, so that it will probably be styled
the Executive State and Justice building.
The square just north of Pennsylvania
avenue between Jackson place and 18th
street is regarded as admirably suited for
building in which the offices of the Presi-
dent can be located. 1t is contemplated to
construct between the building and the
White House tunnel, so that when the
President desires he can pass from his Of
fee to his home without going out of doors.
This tunnel will be lighted by electricity
and Ornamented in such a way that it will
appear, in fact, no different from a beauti-
full corridor in the building. The Presidents
quarters in the proposed building will be
far more spacious than those he now occu-
pies and it is expected tnat they will face
on pennsylvania avenue and Lafayette
into three portions One will be for the
President, the otter for the state depart
ment and the other for the department of
justice.
The committee has, it is understood, prac-
ticaily decided on many important features
connected with this proposed building. In
accordance with the plans of the park
commission the building will be of purely
classic STYLE probably four stories in
height and covering an area of 325 feet by
80 feet. This will allow a much wider
parking about the building than at present
exist outside of the building line, and viii
permit q degree of ornamentation that
could not otherwise be secured. The build
ing will be of white marble. In fact as is
we'll known, the plans Of the park COM
mission contemplate the further building
or only white marble structures of the claS-
sic style for the accommodation of the
government. The building as contemplated
Will contain about 90o0,o01 of cubic feet,
and rough estimate that is in the hands
OF the committee at present places the cost
of such building at about s5,401000. This
figure has been arrived at merely by the
usual calculation of architects which is
based on a. unit price per cubic yard. AS
the building will be eXpensively constructed
with a degree of interior ornamentatiou
equal to that of the Congressional Library,
the unit of cost has been placed at about
60 cents per cubic foot. This will give
building somewhat larger than the Treas
ury Department building and far more con-
venient in many respects as well as more
ornamental, especially in it's interior finiSr.
The site that has been selected has been
chosen in accordance with the recommen-
dation of the park commission, which was,
in effect. that all Of the sites for buildings
surrounding Lafayette square should be
in the course of time occupied by govern
ment structures.
Open to Competition.
The design for this building will probably
be submitted to competition among a dozen
or so, of the prominent architects of the
country. Senator Fairbanks bill provides
that the work shall be done under the
supervision of the Secretary of the Treas
ury, who, in turn. will be represented by
the supervising architect of the treasury.
Under the present law there is no author
ity given for compensating unsuccessful
competitors, although the successful archi-
tect would receive compensation of 5
per cent, which, on a building costing five
and one-half million dollars. would amount
to about quarter Of a million. Half of
this sum would be required, it is said to
pay for the preparation of detailed plans
and for such other expert work as would
be necessary for the architect to employ
the architect himself being required to take
supervision of the building during the term
of several years while it would be under
construction.
1t is expected that at the next meeting of
the committee many of the matters relat-
ing to this project will be decided upon SO
that in short time the committee will be
able to place before the Senate it's project
for providing this important building for
the government. One obstacle that has
been placed in the way of the committee
in its work has been In the form of pro-
tests from old residents on he>square it is
desired to acquire for this new building.
1t is well known that Mr.. w. w. Corcoran
desired to secure adjoining property for the
extension of the Corcoran Art Gallery, and
although an effort was made to do that for
number of years it could never be ac-
complished. The same opposition has come
up against any project for acquiring the
ground for public uses. But there is very
general sentiment in the committee in favor
of placing the public needs above any pri-
vate interest of this kind, so that il the
property cannot be purchased at private
sale condemnation proceedings will be en-
tered upon. The government already owns
in this square the property 1t purchased
from the Corcoran Art Gallery, which con-
stitutes about one-fifth of the entire square.