Evening star., 1924-11-23
AI7ig G1idde7s CLASSY Bunch Stadium Under Federal Control Is
i. S.-OWNED LAND NEEDED
FOR HUGE ATHLETIC FIELD
Brightwood Reservoir Site Belonging to District Not
Quite Wide Enough to Accommodate Plan
That Would Utilize Drained Basin

A STADIUM owned by the Fed
~ its supervision. That is wha
OF public buildings and groul
And the engineer officer. who has
struction OF various stadia about
the basin OF the Brightwood Rcserv
to be drained within a year or two
all amphitheater.
IT seems to me the proposition
! stadium is d sound one" Col She
could be done readily and al a COS
OF any OF the other huge stadia eI
/ about the country. But il should
the control OF the Federal authorii
| The Federal Government now owns
/ most of the land about the reservoir
and any conversion plan necessitating
! the widening Of the basin by remov-
! ing the Wesi wall would carry the
project onto Federal property. The
east boundary of Rock Creek Park
| along the reservoir is just outside
the rim of the basin, For that rea-
son. Federal land would have 10 be
| set aside for the structure. and prob
! ably Congress. which would have to
| sanction il, would lie more willing to
| do so If the completed stadium were
to come unde" Federal control instead d
| Of the District governments super
| vision
| District Would Not suffer.
| Federal control would not mean
! that District orga nizations as such
would bc barred from use of the sta
dium. At present, ali Of the public
golf courses and most OF the public
tennis courts are supervised by the
Federal Government, and local organ
izations always have been able to
stage tournaments and special
matches on them. stadium such as
that proposed also would be open to
District folk for athletic contests
Of a purely local character.
Col Sheriff. now has in his Office
plans and specifications OF all the
prominent stadia Of the country, but
most of them have been built ON sites
that make necessary considerable
SuperstruCture. There would be no
need Of superstruCture at the Bright
wood reservoir site. The elevation
there is great enough to permit III"
building Of d stadium of the sunken
bowl type, of which there are few III
the United States
Construction of a sunken bowl sta
dium on the site proposed would. OF
course, do away with the splendid
tennis courts that have been erected
by the Office Of Public Buildings and
Grounds just west of the reservoir.
| That would not work any hardship
upon the many, tennis players in the
nei ighborhood of the reservoir" Col.
Sheriff. said. We have much land
in the vicinity available for tennis
| courts. but | know of no other site
| that would be better for stadium.
| Could Sacrifice Courts.
such plant would provide ac-
! conmOdatious for thousands at a
/ great athletic classic. whereas only
a small number of persons cal use
. the tennis courts at one time. Ii
/ the tennis courts had to I've destroyed
| TO make way for the stadium, I GER
| tainly think it would best serve the
| public interest to do away with them
at that site
1t seems that the only land on the
reservoir site actually owned by the
! District government is that on which
! the basin is constructed. The Dis
/ trict of Columbia has absolute title
| to that ground, however. But to con
| struct stadium capable of accom-
! modating at least $4,000 people and
| inclosing a field large enough for
| foot bail. as has been proposed, plot
of ground wider than the basin would
! be needed.
! The Office of Public Buildings and
Grounds would BE pleased to coop
! crate with District authorities in fur
| thering the stadium proposition il
! the structure were to be SUPERVISED
! ultimately by the Federal Govern
, ment, it seems. 1t could assist il
| preparing plans and experimenting
construction. greatly Facilitating ths
| work thereby.
Directs Many Fairgrounds.
The Office of Public Buildings ant
| Grounds now supervises more recre.
| ational areas here than any othel
| office, Federal or District. 1t ha:
under its charge many more ano
larger recreational fields than has thu
! Playground Office of the District
lost OF them are operated directly
b the Office. OF which Col Sheriff.
is in charge. but some now are carer
for by the Joint Welfare Association
a semi official organization sanction
ed by the ONCE of Public Building!
and Grounds
Headed by Col. Sheriff., this asso
citation includes in its membership
other members OF his office staff
whose services are voluntary. 1t il
self-Supportlng association. no
conducted for profit to its member!
and only using the moneys received
I from the plants it operates Origl
nally organized 10 supervise the cafe
terias, newSStands and similar actiy
tiles in numerous Government build
lngs. ii is gradually going into tn,
recreational field. Now it takes care
Of several tennis courts on Govern
ment property, courts constructed
without recourse to Government
funds.
Although the association renders
strict accounting of its affairs TO tn,
once of Public Buildings anc
Grounds, ii is not hampered in oper
atlng by the severe governmental
routine. The association is making
favorable progress in the conduct o.
Fairgrounds on Federal property, anC
within two or three years ought to bt
well able to operate any stadium
that may be built here for the ben.
ent of the Nation at large and tn.
people of Washington particularly