Evening star., 1919-03-16

, job just because she couldn't endure
working conditions. and that any of
them stuck 1t out and pulled the big
bureau through it's days Of struggle
stands as a memorial to the pluck
and patriotism of the war risk girls"
And now they are taking posse on
of their new home, a big. beautiful
building. planned with no thought
but for perfect working conditions.
The war risk insurance building
largest office buildings in Washington.
with a gross floor space of about
60S.00O square feet, cost $3,200.000.
and stands on land valued at S1,00O,-
0O0
There are fourteen floors in the
building. with eleven above ground
and three in the basement. The
building has eight high-speed ele-
vators and it's own telephone exchange
ami a semi mi-automatic telephone sys-
tenn fer intrabureau communication.
On the first floor are the appointment
and information offices. The building
will have one Of the largest cafeterias
in the city for supplying employees
with wholesome food at minimum
prices.
The war risk insurance building
stands on the site of the famous old
Arlington Hotel. the demolition Of
which began in June, 1912. and which
was to have been supplanted by
structure costing sS,0o0.000 designed
to be one of the most magnificent
hotels in America. The late J. P.
Morgan. who for years stopped at the
Arlington when in Washington. was
interested in the project and under
the plans laid out before his death the
hotel would have been one of the
nations show places
Has Housed Noted Persons.
But the history of the site of the
war risk insurance building runs
much farther back than the days of
the Arlington Hotel, though that fine
old hostelry in it's day housed some
of the most distinguished men of the
nation and a veritable army of foreign
visitors of prominence.
Just across H street from the war
risk insurance building is Lafayette
Park. laid out by Washington and
named by him for the famous French
soldier. Half of the great old trees
in this park were planted by Thomas
Jefferson. Just diagonally across the
street. and now part of the Cosmos
where that clever former mistress Of
the White House lived after the re-
tirement of her husband from the
presidency. On the Vermont avenue
and H street corner of the war risk
insurance building site once stood the
house where Bulwer Lytton lived
when minister from England and
where his gifted son and secretary,
owen Meredith. wrote Lucille" In
the same house later lived Lord Ash
burton. who. with Featherstonhaugh
and Daniel Webster, drafted the Ash
burton treaty defining the boundaries
of Canada.
Just around the corner and in the
same block is the venerable old St
Johns Church where Adams, JefYer-
son, Madison and Monroe and all
other Episcopal Presidents and their
families have worshiped. In the
block to the rear of the building is the
Bancroft place. where George Bancroft,
after brilliant and useful career,
came on his return from London.
where he had been minister from the
United States to the court of ST.
James. to dwell, and where he propa-
gated the American beauty rose, the
first red rose ever grown which would
reproduce true to type and bloom at
Christmas time. Down the street and
across the corner from Lafayette Park
still stands the house occupied by
Daniel Webster during the days of his
public life in Washington.