Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-28
REVENUE BUILDING
WILL Be RUSHED
Site to Be Cleared as Soon
as Possible After Deficiency
Bill Is Passed.
BY WILL T.. KENNEDY.

In the very heart of the business
section OF Washington a cleanup of
four squares preliminary to erection
of an imposing new Federal building
for the Internal Revenue Bureau will
he started just as soon as Congress
acts land there is little doubt but
that 1t will act favorably) upon the
second deficiency appropriation bill,
now under consideration in the
House
These four squares are between
Tenth and Twelfth. r and e streets,
directly south of the Post Office De
partment. Harvey's and the President
Theater. Three OF these squares are
already owned by the Government
and the fourth. between Little
street. G street Tenth and Eleventh
streets is to he acquired.
The small square between Little
r street. 4 street, Eleventh and
Twelfth streets was bought by the
Government some years ago for
postal bag repair shop. hut the Post
Office Department never built there,
and the bag shop was set up out near
lexington. There are Il number of
old buildings on that square that
must come down. The Government
also owns the long strip of land be-
tween r and Little p streets. Tenth
and Twelfth streets.
Cost Set at $3.50. 900.
The new Internal Revenue Building.
for which a sketch has already been
made by the supervising architect 8
office. is estimated To cost 1880 600.
1t Is 70 contain about 100000 cubic
feet Of space. and will he Al least Ave
stories high. with ha easement. This
location Is believed to he the most de
sira bic in the city FOR building for
this purpose and will require the
purchase Of a minimum amount Of
property In order TO get larger sized
site. The new building will he con-
siderably larger than the Interior De
partment Building.
One of the most potent cOnsidera-
tions in providing for the erection Of
this new Federal building is to house
the now scattered sections of this hu
reau in one fireproof structure. The
activities are now scattered In f1imsy.
firetrap buildings improperly lighted
and poorly ventilated. The value OF
the records now daily exposed Is many
times the cost of the entire $50, 000. 900
public building program for Wash
ingtOn.
Tells Of Plans.
In describing the plans Of the
Public Buildings Commission to the
House appropriations committee,
Supervising Architect Wetmore point
ed out that:
"A great deal Of attention has been
given to the proba BILE needs. and the
estimates as to cost have been pre-
pared as carefully as can be without
actual plans and specifications and de-
signs Of the buildings.
I'VE think there is no occasion to
lose the time that would be lost. Tn.
der the authority of the bill we are
authorized to expend $4,000. 900
year. but we are not trying to do that.
We are trying to eXpend what we be-
lieve can he done within the first
year.
Some of this involves the acGuis-
ton Of land. and in those cases the
time involved ought to he taken ad.
vantage NJ At once because we can
not build on the whole of these prof
ecfs right now. site must he ac-
quired for the Archives Building. and
for the Internal Revenue Bureau
Building A little more than one-Quar.
ter of the land necessary must he ac-
quired.
The situation with respect to the
Internal Revenue Bureau is such that
the Government owns land so located
that onehalf Of the building could he
built at n time. and by building the
first half while the remaining neces-
sary amount of land was being ac.
auired. II would ena BILE the department
AT least to get the records and clerks
- l..
from the sta ndpoint Of danger from
fire. and relief is needed because Of
the immense value Of the records in
those buildings.
The scheme we had in mind was to
undertake 10 build one-half of that
building and move out of Annex No
.. and In the mea ntime be acquiring
the additional land to provide for the
rest of the building