Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-29
Public Building Sites.

The acceptance by the owners of the
property condemned by the United states
for public building purposes between the
Avenue and the Mall. east of the White
Lot, of the award of damages recently
approved by the court assures the gov
eminent possession of the lands, it is
estimated, by the first of March next
This, however, does not guarantee the
immediate occupation of the squares.
No appropriation has yet been made for
the construction of the building or build
ings to be erected on this area 1t is
to be hoped that Congress will make this
special order of the session, in logical
completion of the project started with
the condemnation authorization. But the
national legislature has a way occa-
sionally of postponing such urgent meas
ures from session to session, and it is
within the range of possibility that no
appropriation will be made before adj
journment, a waste of time and in effect
waste of money and a prolongation OF
the unbusinesslike congestion in the de-
partments for whose accommodation new
buildings are contemplated.
1t has been suggested in this connec-
ton that possibly no steps will be taken
toward clearing the land until Congress
has actually appropriated the money for
the new buildings In this event the
government will take possession of the
structures and do business as landlord
collecting rents and, 1t is to be presumed,
making improvements to meet the needs
of tenants. This will involve some in
teresting relationships between Uncle
Sam and the occupants of his property.
Possibly the best way to avoid embar-
easements on this score will be to hasten
the process of destruction and construc-
ton.
Coincidently with the appropriation of
funds for new buildings Congress should
pass some such measure as the Hepburn
bill for the acquisition Of all the land
remaining In the Mall-Avenue triangle
not taken by the government. In all like
lihood it will be found on examination
of the site just provided that 1t. is unwise
to crowd three buildings. as contemplated
by Congress. into the space. Much better
would be the adoption Of broader policy
of site provision and the assurance of
enough land for each of the public
structures for expansion to meet future
needs
The most serious fault in the building
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this time has been an insistence upon
recognition of street lines. resulting in
the crowdins OF buildings upon single
squares. The Post Office Department is
a conspicuous example. More room ID
needed there, even when the city post
office is elected, and a site has been ac-
CURED for that purpose Immediately
south. A construction on this new site
can never be other than a detached an
mex of the main building. Architectural
development is impossible in these cir
cumstances
The main advantage of adopting the
Hepburn plan and taking the entire Mall
Avenue triangle at once is that the gov
eminent can locate it's structures with
reference not merely to the urgent i'm
mediate needs. but the prospective neces-
stiles. For this reason to crowd three
buildings. for the departments of State
Justice and Commerce and Labor. unon
the hve squares, some of which are ex.
ceptionally small, will be to develop in q
comparatively few years a building nroh.
lem OF gravity, as each of those depart
ments outgrows the quarters provided
under the present program