Evening star., 1921-05-27
Ground-Breaking for TWen.
ty-MiIIion-DoIIar Building
Announced Today.
FOUR MILLION STARS
TO STUD GREAT DOME
States Expected to Pay for Nam
moth Ediice by Giving Sum
for Each War Hero.

w eOu S-V,VUU.Vuu national VIC
tory memorial building. it was announced
officially today.
The announcement, made by Mrs.
Henry F. Dimock. president OF the
George Washington Memorial Associa-
ton. which is sponsoring the project,
followed receipt of official notification
that the state OF Tennessee has appro-
, priated 100000 for the memorial.
This increases the fund pledged to
date to more than half a million dollars.
an amount sufficient. considering the
national interest that has been aroused
in the undertaking, to cause Mrs.
Dimock and her associates to decide to
commerce actual construction opera
tfons at the earliest time possible.
Congress has provided site for the
! proposed mammoth victory structure. at
! 9Th and B streets northwest and the
government, it is understood. will begin
| in few weeks to clear the ground prior
to surrenderinS 1t to the memorial or
! ganiZation.
! Committee Of One Hundred.
4 great national committee of 100
/ try will direct the development OF the
memorial from this time on, it also was
! announced today. The committee is
| now being formed. Members Of the
Presidents cabinet including Secre-
taries Weeks, Hughes. Hoover and Mel
/ len. have accepted membership on the
committee. Mrs. Dimock said. Former
District Commissioner Henry Il. +. Mac
| farland, Milton E. Allies, John Joy Edison,
Corcoran Thom and other prominent
Washingtonians will serve on the COM
mittee.
OF An enthusiastic reponse by the peo-
pie to the suggestion that there shall
, be erected in Washington a great
! national tribute from a grateful
country to it's gallant soldiers sailors
! and marines" caused Mrs. Dimock to-
day to predict that the victory build
ing will be an accomplished fact with
in three or four years.
IT was the belief here genera ly to-
day ameng those who have assisted
in the suggestion for the memorial
that other states speedily will fol-
low the example set by Tennessee,
whose legislature authorized the is
suance of national victory building
per cent. non-taXable bonds.
| -Four Million Stars.
The architectural feature of the VIC
studded with four millions stars rep
resenting the sons and daughters Of
America who were in the service
during the world war, has been made
the basis ofthe financing plan. 1t is
proposed to place a gold star in the
dome for every American who laid
down his life for his country and a
blue star for each soldier who wore
the uniform. but was spared from
making the supreme sacrifice.
state legislatures will be asked to
nnance the gold stars at 500 each,
and the Appropriation made by Ten
nessee is for the purpose Of placing
gold star in the dome of the build
ing for each of the sons and daugh-
ters or that commonwealth who died
in the cause of liberty.
(! The blue stars will cost s. each II
is expected the money for them will be
/, forthcoming from families. employers.
churches and community organizations.
Eacn star Will be engraved with the.
initials Of the soldier it represents The
dome will be charted and glasses of
strong maSnifying power provided SO
that visitors TO the building may hnd
readily the star in which they are most
| interested.
Supplementing the stars, IL is pro-
posed to maintain in the memorial a
record Of the men and women who sac
riffced and toiied behind the lines that
victory might be achieved.
State Committees At Work.
Committees are now at work in
Maine. Ohio, Missouri. South Carolina
and other states in the interest Of OBJ
tanning service star appropriations, and,
according to reports received here fa
vorable action is expected by the iexis-
! iatures OF these commonwealths at the
next sessions.
On the basis of 500 appropriations for
soid stars and s. donations for blue
stars. the memorial association esti-
mates il will receive total fund of 500
000.00o, OF which not more than SO
! 700, COG Will be required for actual con-
struction purposes. The balance will
O n nd
1t is the purpose to endov recrea-
tional and various beneficial activities
which will make the building a useful
memorial. typifying the best in Ameri-
can citizenship.
Great public concerts. lectures and
other entertainments will be provid-
ed free under the endowment plan.
There will be set aside in the build
ing room for each of the forty
eight states Of the Union. The Amer
ican Legion will be given headauar-
ters there. as will the District Ma
tional Guard and other patriotic or
ganizations. The auditorium of the
, edifice will have q capacity OF 1000
seats.
Supreme Among EdfAees.
will make it supreme among the
architectural glories Of the world. the
memorial building will reach the acnrV.
Of service through its interior ar
r2nSemeut. I'm the ground 0oof will
be rooms set aside as museums for
the archives and relics Of pe natien's
great struggles for libsey Tor the
building 10 to commemqLe the deeds
of the soldiers Of '76, Xo established
liberty. as we'll as o. ooys OF II.
who maintained IT, th.
On the second whse Will be
a great banquet <tinEs or nanquets
attendant upon/tance occasions
of national i1of fitting G,.ns % held
third hoor66re feet. ana oor space
OF Ss.5ooho square feet 9allery
space Of hhs future sns,saare viii
be helfe.t national sra re-
and Eh floor II
Th onoes for the nsee for ad-
dine w.1e.e I1ose objects ara " txanous
T.."le "s.lale Of the United' g S,I, Dro-
!, = be 'ae victory building n
nrb s'Tn on. will be announ,aaaf nation ana
:ha,,e me Churches sofoed Of tSe Sunday
,:nS,ns Wood. presIda size Nstr1ef.'
en-, n,.on Federation nf M Of the
un, .f "a communicative OF Churches;
,571 : fss various eonsresstitnnee "a ine pas
on rase 2 cola@s r.