Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-08
Judge Latimer Calls Attention
to Immediate Need of Juve-
nile Court.
SUGGESTS new BUILDING
IN JUDICIARY SQUARE
Structure Outlined Which Is Model
ed After One in Milwaukee.
Changes Required. IS

has been officially notified by the
United States government that the land
on which the present court building
stands will be required within year.
when work on the new geological sur
vey building will be commenced.
TT Is assured that we viii have to
move" Judge Latimer said to a Star
reporter today. ut seems to me to
be the time to put forth our best ef-
forts toward getting q permanent home
for the court. The building In use
now is altogether UNIT for the work
Of caring for Juvenile delinquents.
I'VE are going to do our best to avoid
renting another building" the Judge
continued. because I'm positive that q
proper one. which would suit all re-
quirements, cannot be found. The
building in which the court is housed
at present is an ancient structure,
capital of the nation. 1t Is rented from
| being paid for Its use.
Has Model in Mind.
1.-THE only thing to do, in my opinion,
| Is to erect q new building for the
| court, and have in mind exactly what
| l shall try to have done. That Ii, to
| have a building erected in Judiciary
Square corresponding exactly, so far
as the exterior is concerned, with the
Court Of Appeals building.
when the Court OF Appeals was
built it was intended to place corre-
| spending structure on the east side OF
| the square of the same model and
architecture as the court building now
standing on the west side.
'Such building fits exactly my idea
of what the Juvenile Court should ba
We are in great need OF a three-story
my mind Of how 1t should be arranged
inside.
1.-The ground floor should be devoted
entirely to the courtroom and the
| court Offices, including offices for the
judge, the clerks. probation officers
and other officers of the court. This
| will easily fill up all of the room on the
| first floor of building identical in
size and shape with the Court of APP
| pea1s building.
ION the second floor we would have
the detention quarters for children, in
GLIDING dormitories, reading rooms.
study rooms, a room for the matron and
baths. The top floor would consist of
| kitchen and separate dining rooms
for boys and girls.
Another building UNIT.
"The present house of detention, in
which all Juvenile prisoners. both boys
and girls, are held, together with women
of all characters, until they are brought
to court, is another unfit building. and
having the detention quarters in the
Juvenile Court building is thing greatly
| to be desired. Having our own dormi-
tories would also enable us to separate
children who are in court merely be-
| cause they are neglected or dependent,
Tense. doing away with any influence
upon the innocent boy through contact
with the so-called bad boy.
"Some people with whom / have talked
over the project Of establishing the Juve-
nile Court near the other courts on Ju.
dietary Square have raised the objection
| that the site would be too near the crimi-
| nal courts and other courts, but making
| the entrance of the court building on the
north side, on E street, would make the
| court practically as isolated from the
| others AS 1t is now.
lone great advantage which would
be gained by putting up new court
| building at that place would be the
light and air we would receive, as the
court would be in an open park"
Design Adopted in Milwaukee.
| The general idea Of the proper court
building was suggested to Judge Lati-
mer by the new children's court in Mil
waukee, wis. This building is planned
practically as the new Juvenile Court
Judge would have the building in this
city, and is acknowledged to be the
last word in buildings Of this character
| from every point Of view, and a model
court. The new court building in Mil
waukee was erected after a careful
! study Of the needs of such a court and
1 the boys and girls who are brought into
1t. and Is the result of a great deal
| of experience and study on the part OF
those who planned the building.