Evening star., 1921-07-24


1t is intended that the extension
shall be excavated. so that there will
be a subbasement under the building.
and these rooms will be for storage.
having painted brick walls and ce-
ment floors. The new and enlarged
rooms obtained in the basement. suit
able for committee rooms. would have
marble floors. marble bases, plaster
cornices and marble fireplaces. The
rooms on the main floor, some Of
which adjoin the Supreme Court.
would be suitable for judges rooms
and others suitable for committee
rooms.
In the attic the portion over the Su-
preme Court would be used for an ex-
tension of its library. and on the south
side one room is intended for 'docu-
ments. Two small stairs on either
side of the rotunda would extend to
the upper floors. There will be rooms
above the attic for low storage
floor for documents.
The floor of the main rotunda would
be taken UP and relaid in marble Of a
pattern and design conforming with
the adjacent floors.
West Front Improvement.
Recommendations regarding the re-
placing of the west front in marble
are as follows:
The sandstone facing Of the entire
central portion Of the west front
should be cut away, generally about
one foot deep. and replaced by white
marble and granite base of the same
design, except that the columns should
be f1uted. The present windows would
be left unchanged. but two new
small windows would be cut in the
attic floor. A bronze door, now stored,
would be set in the entrance doorway.
The cut surface of the wall would be
left as rough as possible and in ad-
dition anchors would be driven or ex-
tension bolted in so that the new
marble averaging eight inches thick
would be thoroughly bonded to the old
wall. The present iron railing would
be replaced by bronze of the same de-
sign.
race steps. worn deep by the feet of
thousands of tourists from every city,
village and hamlet in this broad land.
the recommendations are:
The bluestone steps and the plat
forms leading down from the west
terrace overlooking the city-with his
toric Pennsylvania avenue the great
t1-n ~ he
White House. leading to the lower
terrace at the fountain level, with
their returns are to be removed and
replaced with solid granite steps,
similar to nearby steps. The present
iron railing down the middle of these
steps will be replaced on the new
steps. The cement paving within the
area embraced by these steps is to be
cut down to sufficient depth and
then entirely resurfaced, similar to
the present color and pattern, but to
proper drainage grades
Cellar Entrance and Elevators.
Regarding the west cellar entrance
and proposed new elevators the rec
lamentations are: An entrance way
should be constructed from the ter
race at the level of the fountain on
the west side. up a few steps to
level about three feet above the
fountain terrace level. and in to a
point under the narrow passage be-
tween the two courts, and then
branch on either side, sideways and
inward to two sets of three ele-
vators each, running from this cell
lar level
To carry out this work, it is pro-
should be cut, shored, underpinned
and otherwise reconstructed, Tho
fountain should be removed and the
paving around it rebuilt to fit the
new entrance.
All the exterior work will be with
materials similar to those on the
existing work, as changed in preyi-
Gus items-that is. white marble wall
work, granite steps, windows like
those now existing. copper roofing.
etc. Skylights will be put in where
the passages run under the courts
and these will be of wired glass. with
wire netting over them.
The new sets Of elevators will be
slow-speed electric elevators. with
all modern safety devices and steel
cars. The passages will have mar
BILE mosaic floors, marble bases. mar
BILE walls The rooms beside the
entrance will be finished off as COM
mittee rooms.
Plans are still under consideration
for the pediment sculpture. har.
monizing with the original pedfment
on the Senate wing and with the
more recent pediment sculpture by
Paul Bartlett on the House wing.