Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-08
PROPOSED GROUP
BUILDINGS TO HOUSE THE AGRI-
CULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
Preliminary Studies Being Made by the
Architects-Capt. Sewen to
Have Charge.

Ever since Secretary Wilson assumed the
| dutjes of his office he has been intensely
| interested in the matter of obtaining new
| buildings for the Department Of Agricul-
| ture For years 1t has been recognized
| that new buildings were absolutely essen
| tial for the success of tine work of the de-
| partment Former Secretaries made efforts
! in this direction but nothing definite was
| accomplished until Secretary Wilson took
! the matter in hand. The department now
| is paying high rent for ten or a dozen
| buildings scattered in different parts of the
city In some of these buildings the most
| important work of the department Is being
| carried on. and they are wholly inadequate
| Moreover. they not fireproof but are
| liable to be destroyed at any time, and
with them, of course, would be lost collec-
| tons which it has taken years and much
| money to accumulate.
The Congressional Appropriation.
| Upon the earnest solicitation of Secretary
Wilson Congress in 1901 appropriated $1,000
| to enable him TO procure plans for new
| buildings the plans to be transmitted to
] the next Congress. together with such rec
concentrations as were thought necessary.
| In accordance with this act the Secretary
| proceeded to procure plans. 1t was founo
| that to carry them out would require about
81. 100000 Recommendations were made
| for the appropriation of this amount. but
! no action was taken until the session OF
| the last Congress, when a bill was passed
| directing the Secretary to expend 100000
| for buildings, and appropriated S250OO0 in
| order that the work on preparation of plans
| might be Immediately begun.
! 1t was recognized at the outset that the
| conditions confronting the Department of
| Agriculture were materially different from
| those in other departments, the greater
part of the work of the first named being
| carried on in Laboratories. The laboratory
work. moreover. of the different bureaus Is
essentially distinct, and each bureau. there
| FORE must receive special consideration.
All of these facts led the Secretary and
| his advisers to believe that the best inter-
eStS of the department would be SubServed
| by developing plan of building which,
| while classical and beautiful. would at the
| same time meet the requirements of the
| special needs of the department In the mat
| tr of laboratory facilities, good light, more
| or less segregation. ETC. With this object
| in view the predominant idea has been to
erect a series of buildings rather than one
| large structure, which when completed
| would be difficult to enlarge and which
! could not possibly meet the requirements
| of the department so far as light and the
| other conditions mentioned are concerned.
Preliminary Studies.
For some time Messrs. Rankin. Kellogg
l
have the work in charge. have been making
preliminary studies with view to meet
ing the needs Of the department along the
| lines mentioned. So far definite plans have
| not yet been developed but enough has
| been accomplished to demonstrate that the
| Ideas of the Secretary and his advisers are
perfectly feasible. and that a series of
| buildings which will meet the needs of
the department and which will be in full
/ hs,rr With thn f,rf,, %
the city can be erected. In this connection
| must be considered the general plan of
| mall Improvement advocated by the McMil-
| Ian commission. This plan involves an
open parkway 800 feet broad extending
| from the Capitol to the Monument. The
! areas on each side of this parkway extend
| ing north and south are to be devoted to
| public buildings. museums. etc. Already
| plans have been made for erecting the new
National Museum buildings on the reSerya-
| ton north Of the parkway and in all prob
ability the Department of Agriculture build
ings will be put up on the same side but
| further west
So far the work on the Department of
| Agriculture buildings is In a tentative
| state. but within the next six weeks or two
| months 1T Is believed that data Will be at
| hand which will enable the Secretary to
| determine definitely the cost and general
| arrangements OF the proposed structures
Capt. sewen to Have Charge. :
| Capt. John s. Sewell of the United States
| Army Engineer Corps. who has charge of
the construction of the government print
ing office and is now engaged on the War
College buildings. will have charge of the
work of constructing the new buildings for
| the Department Of Agriculture
| The members OF the building committee
appointed by Secretary Wilson to con-
slider all plans and report progress to him
are b. T. Galloway. D. E. Salmon and A.
G. True.