Evening star., 1922-06-22
'ASSA|[S EASTERN
HIGH AUDITORIUM
Former City Architect Insists
Project Will Be Fire
trap.

The Commissioners have not studied
their subject and do not know what
they are doing. else they would not
struction of the ,rium in the
Eastern High Scho, -.eclared Snow
den Ashford, former municipal archi-
tect and designer of the Eastern
High School plans, in supporting
William B. Westlake. president of
the Connecticut Avenue Citizens AS
sociation, in a joint denial of the
statements made by Albert l.. Harris,
present municipal architect at
meeting of the association last night.
in which Mr.. Harris denied that the
auditorium was firetrap and
theater, and unsuccessfully urged the
association to reconsider it's former
resolution branding it as such.
Mr.. Harris illustrated his address
with slides showing the plans. At
the request of Mr.. Hart. principal of
the Eastern High School, several
changes were made, Mr.. Harris said.
one in regard to enlarging the dining
room and placing it in the position
| calling for the gymnasium in the old
plans, and another placing a gallery
in the auditorium. increasing it's seat
ing capacity to 1.300. Several other
1
gestion of Mr.. Harris himself.
Rendered Fireproof.
Mr.. Harris states that in order to
make the building fireproof. he did
away with the wooden roof over the
, auditorium. called for in the old
| plans, and replaced it with con-
crete. and. in referring to the
! stage. he declared that every pre-
| caution had been taken against fire in
the way of planning for a steel cur
| tain. a water curtain and shaft. over
! the fly gallery that would be opened
| upon the melting of catch TT the
! heat of 162 degrees Fahrenheit, thus
allowing the smoke and flames to
travel up and out instead of blowing
! into the audience
Mr.. Ashford in his reply said that
! he expressly refrained from planning
| for fly galleries in school. because
| statistics showed that they were
danger spots in theater The main
| stairway. which is now on the inside
of the building AMI runs from the
| auditorium to the basement and then
I: out on the street. and which under
the old plans ran from the first floor
/ where the auditorium was located. to
the street. was condemned by Mr..
Ashford, who stated that there were
! no exits from the first floor except
| through the windows, and that in a
fire panic every one would have to
| i4eSSShu ~ tHc one staircase through
d basement filled with smoke
| The Eastern High School is to be
| equipped with movable scenery. thus
| making 1t theater." declared Mr.
| Ashford. who pointed out that the
last time he visited the Central High
| School there were fifteen sets of
scenery hanging in the fly gallery
| and endangered the school day and
| night because it would flare up at
| the least spark.
| Used as Thenter.
LAS to school auditoriums being
used as theaters. l back Mr.. West
| lakes statements that there were
ninety-eight entertainments netting
! $26,91s during last year, and when
| the National Theater was closed. an
opera was presented to the public at
the regular charge for admission"
! Mr.. Westlake termed the reply
sent by the Commissioners to the
Federation of Citizens Associations,
refusing their request to appoint a
! committee to inspect the school as
"insolent effrontery."
! The association in face of a re-
quest from Mr.. Harris to reconsider