Evening star., 1926-04-01
PLAZA PROPOSAL
WILL Be PUSHED
Final Action by House Before
End of Present Session
Is Urged.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

parkway development so that via
itors may have an impressive nfst
glimpse of the Capitol Building, and
with q favorable report from the
House committee on public buildings
and grounds, effort is being made TO
expedite this legislation before the
close of the present session OF Con
sress.
The total area needed for this de.
velopmeut is II squares, lying be-
tween North Ca pitol q nd Second streets
northeast. l. and F. streets, and be-
tween First street northeast and Ar.
thur place northwest 4 and ID
streets. A little more than half OF
this has already been acquired, ana
the pending mea sure provides for the
purchase of the rest. The Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad owns all OF the re.
ma ming land and has offered TO sell
II for SS,129.59764. There Is already
available an unexpended balance OF
tl,79S. 1927 in the Treasury.
The original act. which declared II
to he the purpose of Congress to uitl'
me- tely acquire all of these IL squares
for enlargement of the Capitol Rrounos
and for the construction OF a direct
avenue about I5O-feet wide from Peace
Monument to Union Station Plaza =.
dry civn sppropria ton act for the
three successive years. 1910, 1911 and
1912, $500, 900 year was appropriated,
making a total of 81 500, 900.
Some Bought i'm 1912.
On April %. 1912. two squares were
acquired through condemnation pro
ceedings at a cost of $1.ll9.o35 800.
Condemnation proceedings as to 10 ad-
ditional squares were commenced Sep
tember 16. 1912. and concluded Ianu-
AIRY %. 1913. the total appraisal being
S3204, ,4347S and on June %. 1918.
Congress appropriated the necessary
amount TO carry out the acquisition
OF his land.
However. on October %, 1914. a
Joint resolution was approved turning
down the courts award and provid-
ing for the appointment by the Presi
dent Of a commission of three men to
complete the acquisition of this prop.
erty, the commission to be under The
control of a nd all purchases to be sp-
proved by the President. The com
mission was authorized to purcha Sc
any of the said real estate. not, how
ever, at cost exceeding the amount
of the award: and the said commission
did. under the terms of the joint reso-
luton. acquire for the sum OF STAT
30S. all the property in the said 10
squares with the exception of that
owned by the Baltimore Il Ohio Rail
road Co. and the Real Estate & I'm.
provement 60. Of Baltimore and these
compa MES are the present owners Of
the squares sought to he acquired.
II is understood that the commits
sion recommended the payment to
-
their holdings. which they refused IN
accept, holding that the property had
already been acquired under the con
demns ton proceedings and that the
only thing necessary TO complete the
transaction was the payment of the
amount of the courts award. Sub
sequently the court proceedings were,
on order OF the Department OF Jus.
tice. dismissed. and the Attorney
General held that the Government
had in good faith aba ndoned it's in
tPntions to acquire the property un'
der the condemnation proceedings,
and especially in view of the passag ge
Of the joint resolution.
Oral Statements Confirmed.
Confirming oral statements made
before the House committee on pub
lie buildings and grounds by its
agents. John j. cornwell. general
counsel. and G. H. Moran, real es-
tate agent, the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Co. and the Real Estate and
Improvement Co. of Baltimore City
have submitted in writing an agree
ment ito accept as compensation for
rhe la nd involved in the original con-
demnation proceedings $3.129 .597.64
as OF April |. 1926, or on the san
basis within reasona bic time, say,
not exceeding six months there
after"
At the time the United STATES ien.
tered the war this land was used for
the building OF temporary buildings
known as the Government Hotels. A
portion of the land occupied by these
buildings is owned by the railroad
company and was occupied by the
limited States for housing purposes
under contract providing that the
occupancy was TO terminate ana the
bindings to be removed at the expira
lion of l2 months after the final rati'
t,cation Of treaties of peace, the rail-
road company to receive no cOnsidera
tiop except relief from taxation during
the ueriod OF Government occupancy
The time under the contract expired
Eovember IA, 1922, and from that date
heen leased bV the Government al
approximately 5000 annually. Ne"
srrapeements will now have to be
made or it will be necessary for the
Government to remove the buildings
located on the railroad company prop
erty. and az they include the power
plant, laundry, etc, the other build
inrs could not he utilized and would
he of no use.
The intention Of Congress was tC
ACQUIRE this land for the bea utifyins
of the City Of Washington and foi
mark purposes The bill authorizes
the Vice President. the Speaker of the
House and the architect of the Capito
10 ACQUIRE the land necessary to com
| plete the plans Of Congress. There i
now $1.798,139.27 available for this
purpose. the unexpended balance OF
appropria tions made in the past. This
| bin reappropriates this amount anC
authorizes such further appropriation
! as may be necessary.
Urges Prompt Action.
AS the value of the land sought t,
! be acquired is rapidly increasing Al
| time goes by. Representative X. \
| Elliott of Indiana, chairman of tn
| House committee, reports that thu
| committee feels that, as a matter q
! economy. il for no other reason. i
should be acquired without furthe
DELAY. and in fairness to the owner
the Government should either TAX,
the property or determine to let ]
! alone.
! In q report by Senator Wetmore o
Rhode Island. in 1910, from the com
mittee on public buildings ant
grounds. a detailed statement wa
made Of the lands and buildings com
prising what is termed the Capito
group" which have been acquired b.
the Government since the establish
ment Of the seat of Government il
| Washington. at a cost of $34, sol ,676
TO this group may be added the new
Washington CITY Post Once Building
the site for which, square 67S, i'm