Evening star., 1924-05-25

report of the public buildings COM
mission in December. 1917, which
shows that even seven years ago a
comprehensive survey showed that
the congestion in the patent office
was so great that after all other ac-
tivities of the Interior Department
had been removed to the new build
ing there was. still need for $4,000
additional square feet in addition to
the 246.244 square feet Of floor area
occupied in the patent office.
Building Value $6,55s,OOO.
From the same report he points out
that in the site on which the Patent
Office building stands there are 1S2,-
224 square feet OF land assessed at
the rate Of $22.50 per square foot
(although taxes are not collected),
making the assessors valuation of
the property s4.10o,0oo and for the
building (actual cost, s2,458,o1s. or
a total of s6,55s.059.
AS an evidence Of his sincerity In
saying that this site ought to bring
at least s10,000,oo0, Representative
Bloom has stated that he is willing
to pay the government ss,000.000 for
the site or s10,00o.o0O for the entire
property. He declares that the ac-
tual expense of housing the patent
office, which is shown in the report
of the public buildings commission
to be s1.22 per square foot, is ridicu-
lous. In addition to that the govern
ment has to pay for light. heat, etc,
whereas under his plan, Representa-
tive Bloom says he can erect an en-
tirely adequate new patent office, spe-
cially adapted to the needs of the
service. which would be a thoroughly
modern fireproof building in which
the increased efficiency would mean
hundreds of thousands Of dollars q,
year to the government and an i'm
proved service to American business.
Has Long Experience.
Representative Bloom has been
building office buildings, hospitals
colleges and theaters since he was
largest operations was for $4,000, 600
at Broadway and 35th street, New
York. He paid the highest price ever
paid for property in New York. Fif-
teen years ago he visioned 57th
district in New York. He was the
first to buy business sites at 42d and
Broadway when others wondered
how he expected to get people to go
up that far.
Representative Blooms building
operations in New York have ex-
tended from the Battery to the
Bronx. He has been studying the
patent office situation for several
months just as thoroughly as though
1t was one of his own business enter
prises.
Sees Growth Retarded.
He considers the present situation
with regard to the present patent
office building as bad business and
bad for the government agency. TT
retards the growth of that section
of the city and would eventually
Kill that neighborhood as a business
district" said Representative Bloom.
Studying a map Of the city, Repre-
throughout the District there are no
streets cut off as Is 9Th street
Standing with several colleagues at
the Treasury, Representative Bloom
pointed east on street. and then G
vista Is cut off by the projection of
the patent Office building beyond the
street line.
Sees Tramc Endangered.
He emphasizes that this makes
traffic more dangerous at the four
corners-7th and F streets, 7th and
G streets, 9Th and F streets. and 9Th
and G streets-on all of which the
street cars have to jog right and
left around the corner.
He also has taken some of his COL
leagues along sth street, pointing out
that south of the patent office 1t is
more like an alley than a street in
the heart of the business section,
given over to garages and back yards.
He believes that 8th street can be
made one of the main business
boulevards and that 1t may become
the very heart of Washington's best
business sections
Representative Bloom points out
that his plan contemplates new busi-
ness front usge on 7th street, on 9Th