The Washington times., 1920-10-07
GOVT. DETAILS
PLAN
Entire Mall May Be Given Over
to Departments and Park
ing Plans.

Tldnb OF tnc TuDiic buIlulnR SoH-
mission for replacing war time
structures with permanent buildings,
are being eagerly awaited by the
several Government departments
which will be effected by the change.
The plans will be given out when
Senator Smoot, chairman Of the
commission, returns to Washington
after the election.
MANY MAY BE LEFT.
1t is understood that many of the
wartime buildings will be permi ted
to stand until the commission is
ready to replace them with suitable
permanent buildings.
The commission has before II the
plans made about two years ago
under the direction OF Col. w. w.
Harts and Col. C. S. Ridley. These
plans will have to be changed ma
terially II Is believed. because of the
changed work OF the Government, and
also the fact that some OF tho prop
erty which II was contemplated buy
ing has been sold and Is now being
used for purposes which makes it's
conversion by the Government a
thing not to be desired.
The former plans of the commits
sion called for the erection Of a
separate building for the Navy De-
partment on the block bounded by
Connecticut avenue, Sixteenth street
and II street and l street. Part OF
this block has been acquired by the
United States Chamber of Commerce
for it's home. and although work has
not begun on 1t yet, ii is probable
kxt ha hA Ia
ready to start its building program
that the Chamber will be working
on its building.
PLANNED TO LINE SQUARE.
1t was planned to line Lafayette
Square with public buildings on all
three sides. The State Department
building was to be put on Jackson
place. facing Lafayette Square and
running from Pennsylvania avenue to
II street Lafayette place. on the op-
posite side of the park. was to be lined
with a building that would be an an
mex to the Treasury Department. The
Treasury Department now has a build
ing on the corner OF Pennsylvania
avenue. and 1t was planned to take
in, also, the ground now occupied by
the Belasco Theater and the Cosmos
Club. The Navy Department and its
expansion building was to occupy the
two blocks facing the park on the
north.
:. u was the plan to have the State,
War and Navy Department building
used by the War Department alone.
This building is so constructed that
with very little trouble it could be
converted so as to conform with the
Treasury Department building on the
other side of the White House. The
roof of the building can be lowered
and the facings trimmed down. so
that all that will be needed to make
1t look like the Treasury is the addi-
ton of columns.
SPACE FOR ExPANsION.
Space for expansion of the War De-
partment was provided for on tho
three blocks facing the State. War
and Navy Department buildings on
Seventeenth street and extending
about half way through each of the
blocks.
On the east side of the White Lot
1t was contemplated erecting build
ings for the use Of the Department OF
Justice, Department of Labor and De.
partment of Com norce. The Depart
ment Of Justice was to occupy the
DiOCh from IeIlIsyiNdHia dNtHue
south to f street and from Fourteenth
used by several small stores. Polls
Theater and the Oxford Hotel
The Department of Labor was to
occupy the building just south Of ii
between c and ID streets, while the
Department of Commerce was to oc-
cupy the block Immediately south of
that, from + to c streets and from
Fourteenth to Fifteenth streets. Ex-
pansion was to be allowed for both
the Labor and Commerce departments
by the acquisition of the blocks just
east OF the proposed buildings. that Is
the blocks bounded by b to d streets
and from Thirteen-and -a-half street
and Fourteenth street.
Ice. AT TWELFTH AND ID SITS.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion was to be provided with a build
ing on the block bounded by ID street
c street, Thirteenth-and-a-half street
and Twelfth street The Shipping
Board, Civil Service Commission, and
the Tariff Board were to occupy a
building just south OF the Interstate
Commerce building.
From Twelfth to Thirteenth street
and from Pennsylvania avenue to C
streets, CLOSING ~ Street between the
two streets, II was planned to build
big armory for the national guard
of the District of Columbia. Just
south of II was to be the building for
the archives.
The block from Tenth street to
Eleventh street and from Pennsyl-
vania avenue to street was to be
used for an extension for the Post
office Department, which occupies
the block just west of Y.
The new market to take the place
of Center Market was to be erected on
the big nreas bounded by Pennsyl-
vania avenue on the north, Il street
on the south, Ninth street on the east
and Tenth street on the west. This
would do away with the present site
of the Center Market and provide
bigger market space.
On the property south OF Penn
sylvania avenue as far east as the
Capitol. much OF the property was
to be used for public buildings with
the ultimate object OF having all the
Mall used either for parking pur-
poses or for public buildings.
One Of the innovations planned was
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