New-York tribune., 1906-04-09
NEW NATIONAL EDIFICE
FOR HOUSE OFFICES.
Historic Masonic Ceremony at Cor
nerstOne Laying.
- % Trlbl1ne Rur.nn l


washington. April S.-Eventually Washington
,s 70 be The most beautiful capital ii the world.
.,oo-ding TO the plan of those who are prornot
sne lis improvement. The growth has been slow.
and the big scale on which the improvements
.-e MANNED viii require many years zor fulfil
-,snt but gradually there IS developing a series
:. npblic buildings in which some degree OF ma
.ional interest may be taken
An important addition to this group of str7,ct
,-es Is the new House of Representatives Office
r,,nding near the Capitol, the cornerstone OF
.,bicb viii be put in place with impressive cere-
,,orv on next Saturday at 2:30 p. m President
roosevelt will deliver address. and there will
70 distinguished gathering. 1900 invita-
,ions having been issued 10 prominent men
throughout the United States. The ceremony
vtu he almost identical with that at the laviup
~ the cornerstone OF the Capitol by President
washington, nearly 11S years ago, and the Fed
ersl Masonic Lodge which had charge Of the
cs-ernony more than a century ago. will have
+be honor Of directing the putting OF the corner
cone Of the House annex I'm place Speaker
Cannon viii take prominent part in the exer-
cises and there viii be present Cabinet officers.
members Of the Diplomatic Corps, Senators,
,,s-bers OF the House, the United States Su-
r-erne Court and government officers.
The huiIding occupies a square. and is about
r,ndred wards distant from the south wing OF
che CaDitoI. with which It is to be connected by
m underground passageway through which
,,e-,te-z os Congress may pass back and forth
e,o-7 -ne legislative hall 10 their Offices There
90 47n 5face rooms. which provides room for
-scb -7e-resenrative in Congress and Delegate
and !e4ves vacant nineteen rooms for future
r-o7+b n tte rnerabe-S,up q the House through
-ss-pa.--sor.-lear cs cisrr!etL or the admission
=, uev, states -ha FycUeo s37ex snG the Senate
iezca +rrlinr 772..ch lc sb1o U,s5~- construction
a. the ocDosIta c1.d o. the plazs. az being put
,r n rroy-6e for the members Of the national
legislature quarters absolutely needed for the ef-
ac,ent transaction Of public business. The great
grozv-h in size OF both branches Of Congress has
csused the Capitol building TO be enlarged, but
this was only sufficient 20 provide the necessary
snace for the assembly halls OF House and Sen
ate and the committee rooms. the latter Of
which are in many cases small and badly venu-
lated Individual members under present condt-
-ious have 10 Offices, unless they should happen
IN be chairnen OF committees. and a badly con-
eested condition exists. Realizing the need Of
one great legislative centre where Senators and
Representatives may concentrate their activi-
ties and be comfortably Quartered, Congress all
thorized three years ago the construction Of the
House and Senate Office buildings. The House
annex was started first and is in a more ad-
vanoed stage Of construction than the. Senate
building. though the cornerstone Of the latter
nay be ready 10 put in place next fall The two
buildings together contemplate outlay Of
about ten million dollars In size and design
they are identical. They occupy positions bal
anced in their relation TO The Capitol and are
planned 10 fit into a general architectural
schema. The height Of the buildings has been
restricted that they may not overpower the Cap
ito. and they have been kept simple in design.
without pedirnents, domes or other accentuated
points 70 prevent their detTacting from the effect
Of the Capitol building. The exterior design for
the buildings is classic It suggests in its gen
eral division Of parts the Garde MeUble in the
Place dc IA Concorde. Paris, while the pavilions
are modelled on those of the Colonnade de
Louvre, ArchiJecturaIly. the front is divided
into Two parts. the lower corresponding TO the
first story os the building. constituting "rusti-
Gated" base on which. extending through the
second and third stories. is the colonnade. sur
mounted by its entabla-ure and balustrade. The
eject Of The TWO hanEng buildings, it is be-
Aevec viii b. 10 give unity 10 the whole scheme
and 10 emphasize architecturaly the great
beauty Of the Capitol all Of the lines leading up
10 and centring IN The dome
Although the digging Of the trenches Tor the
House Office building was begun less than a
year ago, The building IS now up TO the first
1oor line To hasten the work Elliott WOODS.
S-h-----I-AEl-t o- -1-C 1aJtAOlr is personally
supervising the construction Of both buildings
directed mat construction begin before all the
specifications and contracts were complete. This
was done through letting out the stone contract
first by authority OF the House Building Com
mission. I is calculated that both buildings
Wil be ready for the Goth Congress
The House building IS Of the old masonry
style OF construction as distinguished from the
skeleton" type now usually employed in the
construction OF skyscrapers. The contract. for
the entire stonework was awarded by the House
Building Commission 10 New York firm for
Sl032, 600 The 3 street and New Jersey avenue
fronts will be faced with South Dover On V
marble the c street and 1st street fronts will
be faced with Georgia marble and the court
fronts with Bedford Gnd) limestone
The building is planned in the form of a hol-
low square. the open part in the centre being
court nearly three hundred feet across In
conformity with the Capitol building the prin-
clpal front OF the House Office building will
show three stories above ground. The offices
On each floor are arranged in double row,
separated by corridor 10 feet wide The
outer row of Offices faces the four streets, while
ne inner rows open on the court. Four stories
are devoted TO Offices. including the basement.
The Office rooms VIII be supplied with tempered
fresh air and VIII be artifcially ventilated, but