Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-14
Description of Building.

The House Office building occupies an en-
tire square and as is pretty well known
to Washingtonians. is about hundred
yards from the south wing of the Capitol,
with which it is to be connected by an un-
derground passageway through which MEM
bers of Congress may pass back and forth
from the legislative hall to their offices.
There are 40 Office rooms in the building
one room for each representative and dele
gate Ia Congress, with nineteen extra, In
case of future growth in the membership
of the House. through reapportionment
of districts or the admission of new states.
The House annex and the Senate office
building, which is also under construction
at the opposite end of the plaza, are be-
ing put up to provide for the members of
the national legislature quarters absolutely
needed for the efficient transaction of pub
lie business. The great growth in size of
both branches of Congress has already re-
suited In the enlargement of the Capitol
building but this addition was only suffi-
cient to provide the necessary space for
the assembly halls of the House and Sem
ate and the committee rooms, some of the
latter being small and badly ventilated.
Individual members under present condi-
tons have no offices. unless they happen to
be chairmen of committees, and a badly
congested condition exists
Realizing the need of one great legislative
center where senators and representatives
may concentrate their activities and be
comfortably quartered, Congress authorized,
three years ago, the construction of the
House and Senate office buildings. The
House annex was the first to be begun and
is in more advanced stage of construction
than the Senate building. The corner stone
of the latter structure may be ready to put
in place next fan.
The two buildings together contemplate
an outlay of about S1o,ooo,oe0
Identical in Size and Design.
In size and design they are Identical.
They occupy positions balanced in their
relation to the Capitol and are planned to
fit into a general architectural scheme.
The height of the buildings has been re-
strieted that they may not dwarf the Cap
itol, and they have been kept extremely
simple in design and without pediments,
domes or other accumulated points. to pre-
vent their detracting from the effect of
the CapitoI building The exterior design
of the building is classic. 1t suggests
in its general divisions the Garde Meuble
in the Place de la Concord, Paris, while
the paVilionS are modelled on those or the
Collonade de Louvre.
Alphabetically the front is divided into
two parts, the lower. corresponding TO the
first story of the building, constituting
s'rusticated base on which. extending
through the second and third stories, is the
collonade, surrounded by Its entablature
and balustrade. The effect of the two
the whole scheme and to emphasize. archi-
tecturalIy, the great beauty of the Capitol,
ell of the lines of the scheme leading up to
and centering In the dome.
Although the digging of the trenches for
the House office building was begun less
than a year ago. the building is now up
to the first floor line. TO hasten the work
Elliott Woods, superintendent of the Capt.
toll, who is personally supervising the con-
struction of both buildings, directed that
construction begin before all the specifica-
lions and contracts were complete. This
was done through letting out the stone con-
tract first by authority of the House build
Ing commission. 1t is calculated that both
buildings will be ready for occupancy by
tile members OF the Sixtieth Congress.
Old Masonry Style.
The House building is of the old masonry
STYLE of construction as distinguished from
the skeleton type now usually used in the
construction of ONCE buildings and sky
scrapers. The contract for the entire stone
work was awarded by the House building
commission to a New York firm for 81 ,032. 600
The B street and New Jersey avenue front
win be faced with South Dover. N. r., mar
BILE: the C street and list street fronts will
be faced with Georgia marble and the court
front with Bedford. Ind, limestone
The building Is planned in the form of
hollow square with court In the center
OF nearly 300 feet across. In conformity
with the Capitol building the principal
front OF the House Office building will show
three stories above ground The offices
on each door are arranged In double row.
separated by q corridor twelve feet wide.
The outer row of Offices faces the four
streets. while the inner rows open on the
court. -Four stories are devoted to Offices,
including the basement.
The once rooms win be supplied with
tempered fresh air and VIII be arttdctal1y
s, but tnsge VII g nothing Y