Evening star., 1925-10-19
PLANS COMPLETED
FOR BOYS CLUB
New Building to Be Two
Story Brick Structure.
Work Soon to Begin.

Announcement was made today by
Howard Moran, general chairman OF
the executive campaign committee for
the Boys Club drive for $250,000 for
a new building and equipment and a
two-year budget of the completion of
plans for the building by Clarence l..
Harding, architect, one of the di-
rectorS.
The building is TO be two-story
brick structure that Will serve the
needs of thousands of Washington
boys for years to come. 1t will occupy
The site of the present club, at Third
and c streets. Work will be begun
as soon as contracts can be let after
the completion of the campaign drive
from November to 10.
In designing the building Mr..
Harding'S aim was to give the Capital
city a model boys club which even
tIally may be copied in many cities of
the country. To that end he visited d
number of boys clubs in various
cities. He also consulted with officials
of the International Boys Club FEEDER
alton.
Swimming Pool Feature
One of the prime features of the
proposed club is the swimming pool
III the basement, which is to be 75 feet
long. large enough to take care of
thousands of boys a day, and of suffi
cient length to hold championship
swimming events during the season.
1t will be in use Winter and Summer.
In the basement also will be located
the shops for vocational training
where the boys will he taught such
things as motor mechanics, printing,
woodworking and the like. A sepa-
rate room in the basement will be re-
served for the Boy Scout hiking cham
nj chi in fYnn tI-l,i ,int hnS hnD RI
quarters at the Boys Club.
The library will be on the first
floor and will be arranged to provide
shelving facilities for hundreds of
books. The games and billiard room
will be on the first floor. 1t will be
equipped with pool tables and other
indoor games. Another feature of the
first floor will be the auditorium cal pa
BILE of seating several hundred at
time, where the various shows of the
club will be put on and where motion
pictures will be shown from time to
time. Arrangements will be made so
that the auditorium may be parti
toned o for claSSroomS when the
whole of it is not being used. Group
and class rooms and the offices of the
club complete the first floor.
Gyms on Second Floor.
The second floor is given over to
gymnasiums. The large gym Will be
So by 50 feet. while the smaller is AZ
by SO feet the larger one being of
sufficient size for championship con-
tests. while the smaller will be used
for the ordinary run of athletic con-
tests. The only other rooms on this
floor are one for boxing and wrestling
contests and the physical directors
office. Full gymnasium equipment
vii '>e provided.
Harding has designed a play
ground for the roof. This will be
screened in and will be used in
clement weather for such sports as
basket ball, indoor base ball, hand
ball, tennis and the like. In the Spring
and Summer months it is expected
the roof playground will be as much
of an attraction as the inclosed gym
naSium.
Throughout the building nothing
has been wasted in ornamentary eff
fects nor in provision for facilities
that will not be almost constantly in
use. Even the entrances to the struc-
ture, one on Third street and another
on c street, are of the most simple
yet effective character.
More than 500 boys now take
advantage of the facilities of the
old club, ramshackle affair that
was formerly private dwell
ling, and the impovised gymnas-
ium in the rear. The new build
ing has been designed to take care
of up to 5000 boys from all over the
city. 1t is anticipated that later on
small neighborhood clubs may be
created, with the large new club as
Il nucleus for direction of activities
that will go far to keep the boys Of
the city off the streets and realize the
slogan of boys clubs: Give the
boys a chance"