The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-09

CALLED To
PlANH()GE
BUILDING
Colonel Harper Declares Deal
for Site at 18th and B SITS.
Is Practically Closed.

Plans for Washington's long
looked for convention hall will be
contaminated this afternoon after
Col Robert N.sHaEper, chairman Of
the Joint conventions committee OF
the Board of Trade, Chamber of
Commerce, and the Merchant and
Manufacturers Association, calls
together his committee to devise
ways and means of raising the
money to purchase the site and
erect the building. ...
Deal Practically Clinched.
Colonel Harper said today he has
practically closed the deal for the
acquisition of the property.
The building will be in the vicinity
Of Seventeenth and B streets north.
west, 1t Is said, and will meet the
requirements of location as no other
property in the city could. 1t Is
planned to build a four-story build
ing, with suitable committee rooms
and in addition to the auditorium. to
have a spacious exhibition room.
Colonel Harper has already ha"
drawn plans for the building. g.
Insists On Live-Wire Committee
At the meeting this afternoon
Colonel Harper will stress his oph4
ion that the members of the com
mittee OF forty. who will handle tn
financial end Of the hall, be en-
thusiastic and willing workers. and
that he would object to putting any,
one on the committee merely because
he was an influential citizen.
What the project needs, he says
Is push and hustle, so that Wash
ington may, in very short time,
have the long sought convention hall.
Colonel Harper expects to announce
in a few days the full details OF the
proposed auditorium and to have the
committee soliciting funds for the
erection of the structure.
Fifteen Years of Agitation.
The plan to erect a convention hall
here has been agitated on an off for
more than fifteen years, and In every
case the plans fell through, because
II had more sentiment than business
sense in It.
About a year ago Colonel Harper,
who has been trying to get sufficient
business men interested in the project
to get a good start, decided that the
time was ripe for the building Of the
hall. He put his proposition before
several of the trade and civic bodies
and received enthusiastic indorse-
ment. He then had committees ap-
xAk, A1 frnV hA lrrs.-
tons and set out to build a hall.
Emery Estate Rejected.
His first work was to find q suit.
able site for the building. The
Emery Estate offered the building at
First and B streets, which had for
years been used by the Census Of
Court. The committee went into this
proposition thoroughly and decided
that II would not do.
Then the committee decided on q
site near Seventeenth and b streets,
but met opposition in the form OF
property owners, who refused to
sell About six months ago Colonel
Harper finally obtained tho consent
of all but one property owner to
sell at what the committee consid-
cred a reasonable price. The owner
who refused was an out-of-town man,
and great difficulty was expericnced
In swaying him. Finally, after lick.
ering for several weeks on price.
he rane 20 terms.
r,":,''CD Cons '"rl f'en'.
The locat on, ucar Seventeen h md
T. 81 eta. - cons ltred hy, the com
mittee to be ideal. Nowhere In tho
city In there as much available park.