The Washington herald., 1911-08-15
SECRETARY NAGEL
WANTS BUILDING
Commerce and Labor Head
Writes to Speaker.
DOWNTOWN OFFICE PLANNED
Negotiations Begun Between De-
partment and Realty Agent for
the Erection of TweIve-story
Structure-AH Bureaus to he
Grouped in One BuiIdinx.

The addition of a twelve-story Office
structure to Washington's rapidly grow
ing list OF handsome buildings is in
prospect as the result of negotiations
between a local real estate broker and
builder and Secretary Nagel, of the
Department OF Commerce and. Labor.
secretary Nagel yesterday transmitted
10 Speaker Clark. of the House of Rep
resentatives. a recommendation that leg
islation be enacted authorizing his de-
partment to sign a five-year lease for
building that would house all parts
or the department now occupying rented
quarters.
In his letter to Speaker Clark, Secre-
tary Nagel calls attention to the i'm
mediate urgelt need of gathering into
one building those branches and bu-
reaus OF the department which now
o,cupy three entire buildings and three
parts OF buildings in the District.
An inquiry made by this department
extending over a period OF several
months. writes Secretary Nazel, 'indi-
Gates that the only way in which the
department can expect to get its scat
tered bureaus into one building, prior
to the completion OF the proposed gov
ernment building. at reasonable cost, is
to obtain authority to make a contract
Of rental for a term OF years. Several
tentative offers have been received by
the department from persons who ap-
pear to be responsible to erect build
ings whicn would be sufficiently large
to take care of the department and
there Is one now beforc the department
which Is apparently advantageous as to
terms, location. and Arrangement"
Location Not Given Out.
The name of the local man and the
proposed location Of the building is not
given out. It Is known that the build
ing will be in the downtown section Of
the city and will be one of the largest
yet erected in Washington by a private
concern for Office purposes. The build
ing will have a frontage of seventy feet
and will comprise 10000 square feet on
each Of its twelve floors. 1t will be
OF Steel concrete, brick. and stone con-
struction, absolutely fireproof and mod
ern in every detail. the stone to carry
above the second story, and brick and
terra Gotta to finish the remainder of
the exterior
1t was rumored yesterday that the
property recently purchased in G street
between Thirteenth and Fourteenth
streets had been selected as the site,
but this could not be confirmed. In the
draft of a bill which is submitted by
the department there is a provision where
by the building that is to be erected
may attain a height Of 135 feet
The building will be rented to the gov
ernment for ss5OOo. II the necessary legis-
lation IS enacted. The lease will run for
five years with a renewal privilege at the
same rates. II Is intended for use by
the department until the building pro-
jected for its occupancy in the Mall Is
completed
While an annual rental Of s65,ooO would
mean an increase of a little more than
5,O00 over that now paid for rentals
alone. officials of the department are en-
phatic IN the assertion that this difference
will be more than counterbalanced by
added efficiency and expediency in cleri-
cal and administrative work. They de-
clare that with the different bureaus of
the department spread all over the city
as they now are, It is necessary to double
much of the clerical work and to keep
two sets of files for each bureau. More
over, they say, much of the added ex-
pense of the proposed new building Is
by the doubled messen-
ger and janitor service now required.
All Bureaus Together.
commerce ana LaDOr officials declare
that Congress already has recognized
the necessity of having all the divisions
and bureaus of department in one
building by authorizing the magnificent
structure planned for the Mall. This.
they say, cannot be completed under
five years time. and it is desired that
they get their house in order before that
time.
1t is necessary. to call upon Congress
for authorization. because the year-by-
year appropriation plan prevents the De-
partment from entering into contract
for a longer period. The legislation de-
sired is for authority to enter into a five
year contract
The new structure would be used to
house all bureaus of the department ex-
cept the fisheries, coast and geodetic
survey, standards, and census bureaus,
the first three of which now occupy gov
buildings and the last Of
which is too cumbersome to be contained
in the proposed structure. The new
building would, therefore. contain the
lighthouse, navigation, labor. steamboat
inspection, statistics, manufactures,
and immigration and nat
uralization bureaus, and the office Of the
Secretary and the Solicitor. This would
call for the abandonment of the present
quarters maintained by the department
in the Willard building In Fourteenth
street; the Adams building and the Dou-
vestment Company, Walker, and Real
Estate Tile Insurance Company build
ings in Louisiana avenue. =