Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-28
NEW BUILDING SITES
Senate Bills Providing for the
Purchase of Ground.
ALL WITHIN THE DISTRICT
Plans for Public Construction by
National Government.
MILLIONS TO BE EXPENDED
Homes for United States Supreme
Court. Geological Survey and
Patent Office.

| Five bills providing for the purchase
of land in the District as sites for pub
| Tic buildings or for parks are already
on the calendar of the committee on
| pubic buildings and grounds of the
Senate and can be taken up at the very
hrst meeting of the committee this win.
ter. These bills were introduced at the
special session of Congress devoted to
the revision of the tariff and have not
been acted upon by the committee, as it
held no meetings during the extra ses-
sion.
The purchase of the land south of
Pennsylvania avenue and north of the
Mall between the Capitol and the White
House is provided in the very first bill
introduced in the Senate during the
present Congress. Senator Hepburn is
its sponsor, as he has been of similar
bills in several former sessions of Con-
gress. The bill authorizes expendi
ture of $'0,00O,O00 for the land desired
and provides for the purchase either
| through private agreement between the
owners and the Secretary of the Treas
ury or by condemnation proceedings.
One section of the bill specifies that the
streets running through the tract of
land may be vacated and a new ar
rangement of thOroughfares substituted
to accommodate the public buildings to
be erected on the land.
u. IS. Supreme Court Building.
Two bills providing for the purchase
| of the land bounded by East Capitol,
| 1st, and I'd streets northeast, being
the remainder Of the land around the
quadrangle on the east front Of the
Capitol not occupied by federal build
ing, have been presented in the Senate
buildings and grounds. One introduced
by Senator Gallinger, chairman of the
District committee. declares that the
site shall be ACQUIRED for building Of
provides for the appointment by the
President of the United States of
commission. composed Of one member
of the United States Supreme Court, one
member of the judiciary committee of
the Senate and one member of the judi
ciary committee of the House to pro-
4 coed with the construction of suita BILE
building for the court. The bill limits
| the total expenditure for site and build
ing to sS,O0O,000.
Senator Daniels Proposition
The other BILL introduced by Senator
Daniel of Virginia, contemplates the con-
struction of a new patent Office, includ-
ing hall of inventions. on the same site.
| the building to DE harmonious In exterior
design to the Library of Congress home.
| In charge Of the construction of the new
| building the bill would place a commits
sion composed of the Secretary of the
Interior. the commissioner of patents the
| first assistant secretary of the interior.
| the superintendent of the building of the
| Library of Congress and the architect of
| the Capitol.
The bill specifies that the new patent
| office shall be similar to the Congress
sional Library in external appearance and
| dimensions, and that it :'shall contain
suitable Offices for the accommodation of
the commissioner of patents and the
| working force of the patent office: suit
able rooms for the storage of records and
other matters pertaining to the patent
| Office, and a great hall of inventions for
| the display of the models and designs of
| Inventions for their arrangement, as far
as may be, SO as to SHOW their evolution
and development
| The bill limits the expenditure to
$6OO.000 for the purchase of the site and
S5.UO0O00 for the construction of the
| building.
| For Geological Survey.
To provide a new building for the
United States geological survey in this
city is the object of another bill before
the committee on public buildings and
grounds, and it was introduced by Sena-
tor Guggenheim. 1t specifically provides
for a commission composed of the Secre
tary of the Interior, the superintendent
of the Capitol and the superintendent of
the Congressional Library buildings and
grounds, which is directed to acquire a
site and to contract for the erection of a
| new building for the geological survey
providing the site and the building do not
cost more than $1.10O.OOO There is no
designation i'm the bill as to where in the
| District the new public building is to be
| located, the selection of a site being left
| to the commission.
The fifth bill before the committee,
which bears the name of Senator Warner
provides for the purchase of block forty
two hundred and thirteen in the District
| of Columbia. that square being on Queen
Chapel road, in Langdon. between En-
porium and Detroit streets, and apprO-
PIRATES $4,000 to pay for the land. The
| square is to be used as public park.