Evening star., 1925-04-21
D. A. R. AUDITORIUM
|. TO COST S2,O(O,O)D
NOW HELD CERTAIN
Plans Stir Enthusiasm of Biu
Congress-Method of FL
nancing Chief Problem.
BONDS MAY BE ISSUED
OR MEMBERS ASSESSED
Rentals Proposed as Source of Rev.
enue-Structure Seating 1000
in Rear of Present Hall.

enue-Structure Seating 1000
i in Rear of Present Hall.
/ Plans for a beautiful new audito-
rum, costing nearly 81 900 900 and
matching in colonial dignity stately
I Memorial Continental Hall, behind
which it would be constructed, were
presented to the thirty-fourth Cont
mental Congress of the Daughters of
/ the American Revolution today, meet
! ing in the Washington Auditorium.
/ These plans, which were submitted
| by Mrs. Anthony Wayne Cook, presi-
dent general of the society, are the
/ outgrowth of a movement started last
! year to provide the Daughters of the
American Revolution with meeting
/ place large enough to accommodate
| not only their present increased mem
/ bership, but also to take care of the
additions that are expected in the
f.. years to come.
! Approval Is Expected.
! Before the present congress ad-
journs next Saturday it is confidently
/ expected that the 3 900 delegates as
! sembled here from every State in the
! Union will authorize construction of
the proposed auditorium and that the
/ preliminary steps toward its actual
creation will be begun before. the close
! of the coming Summer. Sentiment in
/ favor of the project is almost over
whelming.
! However, after the report had been
read a motion was made that no vote
should be taken until after the dele
! gates had had an opportunity to care
! fully study the suggested plan for
/ financing the project. Another mo-
tion to send substantial check to the
architect as compensation for the
work he has already done was voted
down, but this action only resulted
/ from a sentiment that it would be
premature at this time. Another mo-
tion covering this question, 1t is
/ thought, will be introduced later at
( this congress.
/ Seating Capacity of 1000.
The proposed auditorium would
have a seating capacity of 1000 per-
! could be taken care of in the aisles
and other places In the event of an
emergency, such as last night. when
! 5000 persons packed the Washington
Auditorium and many more failed to
! obtain admission to hear the President
! deliver his address of welcome.
In the roughly sketched plans,
| drawn by Russell Pope of New York
! City. it is suggested that in place
1 of one large gallery, the auditorium
| contain 4S large boxes, each sym
! bolical of a State in the Union. The
] greater part of the floor of the au-
ditorium would be level. only the
/ rear seats being raised. BY this
method, the architect pointed out,
! the floor could be converted into a
| beautiful banquet han by the drop
ping of few curtains bearing mural
paintings of colonial scenes.
I White marble would be used
| throughout the building, matching
! the stone of Memorial Continental
F! Hail. 1t is proposed to construct it
on the large tract of land now COM
! pietely owned by the Daughters Of
] the American Revolution, immedi-
ately in the rear of the present ad
! ministration building, which is ad-
i jacent to Memorial Continental Hall.
i 1t would be bounded by c street on
/ the south. Eighteenth street on the
west, D street on the north and the
administration building on the east.
Colonial Type Building.
! The style of architecture would be
| pure colonial, with large, stately COL
umns, supporting marble porticos at
! every entrance. Memorial Continen-
tai Hall. now an integral part not only
! of the Daughters of the American
| Revolution. but of Washington as a
/ city as well, would remain at it is now
and would be used for State meetings
| and special auxiliary sessions during
I future continental congresses.
! OF the approximate cost of s., 200, 900,
| the building, it is estimated, would
/ take up S1.575 600. The architects
fees would be S150,000. probable fur
nishings not listed by the architect
100000, and other. additions would
carry the figures to the total stated.
Money obtained by renting, it is ex-
pected, would help supply the costs of
maintaining the new auditorium
The problem of financing the propo-
sition. is taken up in a special report,
which Mrs. Cook also presented to the
congress. 1t is estimated that the cost
of building the auditorium, based on a
membership of only 100000, would be
only about $13 per capita. Mrs. Cook
frankly disliked the idea of mortgag-
ing Memorial Continental Hall, but
two alternative plans are suggested,
as follows
Problem of Finances.
''On the basis of costs as submitted
ny the pTeSluSHl general III neTs re-
port-S1 1926, ,000-and taking 100000
rs an approximate estimate of paid.up
memberships, the cost per capita for
building the auditorium would be in
the neighborhood of S13.
While Our property has certain
commercial value-about $1.f10,0 900,
with buildings and land-it is not what
might be termed first-class collateral
or security because OF the kind OF
buildings thereon. Further. IL has a
sentimental value to the society which
would doubtless preclude Offering ittas
security, with the possibility Of losing
1t in years to come in case payments
should be defaulted. This is not
likely to happen, but in considering
a gigantic project of this sort every
possible angle should be viewed.
LAS reputable contractors are un-
willing to start a building until the
cash for payment is assured, 1t would
be advisable and probably necessary
to raise so per cent or more OF the
/ estimated cost. After that it would
be an easy matter to borrow money,
using our property as collateral,
| which would mean interest at 5h
per cent or thereabouts. So much de-
pends upon the condition of the
financial world at the time money