Evening star., 1926-11-17
Commission Approves Pur-
chase of Entire Tract From
18th to Sd Street and Sets
Location of 8 Structures.
$5O,OOO,O00 TO BE SPENT
AND MORE MONEY ASKED
Body Will Go as Far as Possible
With General Plans on Funds Al
ready Authorized-$150, 900, 900
Total Estimate-New Market
Center Now Believed Certain.

A general plan for the $50OO,OOO
Federal building program in Wash
ington, calling for the purchase of
all the triangle south of Pennsyl-
vania avenue as far east as Third
street and location of eight impos-
ing structures within that area, was
approved by the Public Buildings
Commission, at one Of the most i'm
portant meetings it has yet held in
the Senate Office Building today.
Following the session. which was
attended by Secretary of the Treas
ury Mellon, Senator Smoot of Utah,
chairman of the commission, an
nounced that the following locations
have been designated for various de-
partments:
Department of Justice, facing
Pennsylvania avenue between Fff-
teenth and Fourteenth streets, and
extending not quite to d street.
Commerce Site.
Department of Commerce, in back
of Justice from Fifteenth to Four
teenth, and south to B street.
General Supply Building, Four
teenth to Thirteenth, south from d
street. not quite to c street.
Archives Building, facing Pennsyl-
vania avenue. from Thirteenth to
Twelfth, and running back to c street.
Independent Offices Building, Thir-
teenth TO Twelfth. and from c to B.
Department of Labor, Fourteenth
to Thirteenth, & to b.
TIofo TxxyoIffh m Toy1fh
c to E.
General Accounting Office, Tenth to
Ninth, G to B.
The commission also decided to pro-
ceed with the acquisition of land in
the square north of the Congressional
Library rs site for the United States
Supreme Court Building. AT the pres
ent time the Supreme Court is crowd
ed into the Capitol Building, with in
adequate space for the justices and
for the proper handling of the busi
ness of the highest tribunal, and the
building program contemplateS erec-
ton of q separate structure for the
court.
Senator Smoot also stated that the
Commerce and Archives Buildings
would be among the first of the group
in the Pennsylvania avenue triangle
to be erected.
AoCleAtOl OilIpoL SdAO tIlol lllSSC OIL
nounCements do not necessarily mean
that some modification might not be
made necessary as the program pro-
greSSeS but that 1t was laid down
today as a general plan to go on.
In making knoVl the commissions
intention to work toward acquisition
and Improvement of the entire Mall
Pennsylvania avenue triangle, Sen
ator Smoot said he would ask Con-
Gress for the authority to carry it
out. 1t is understood TO he the COM
missions plan to go is far as posSi-
BILE with the initial appropriation
which Congress made at last ses-
sion in beginning the $50,000,000
program.
Patent Office Centralized.
The commission also settled the flu
ture of the Patent Office, deciding
that il should be centralized with all
other branches of the Commerce De-
partment in the massive new struc-
ture planned for that department.
The historic old Patent Office, how
ever viii not be disturbed Senator
Smoot stated. He would not go further
than to say that ii will be used for
some Government agency. One Sug-
Gestion was that the Interstate Com
merce Commission might be housed
there.
The new Commerce Building will
contain q million feet of floor space
and in the general vicinity of that
structure there VIII be a large court
laid off to accommodate 1900 parked
automobiles.
The announcement today means a
change in the former tentative posi-.
tlon regarding the Archives Building,
which had been slated for the square
from Twelfth to Thirteenth, c to B
streets. The decision with regard to
the Internal Revenue Building is no
change from the original decision.
Beautiful Vista Planned.
A rough architects 9 sketch of this
layout of buildings which was before
the commission today gives a vision
OF the triangle south of Pennsylvania
avenue transformed into an attractive
vista between the Treasury and the
Capitol, with structures in keeping
INTELLECTUALLY with the appearance
OF the buildings at either end of the
avenue.
The sketch shows that the new
buildings will be kept down to a
height that will make them SYM
netricaI with the Treasury Building.
1t is expected that the Commerce
structure will be among the first two
or three to get under way.
The decision of the commission to
work toward the ultimate improve
nent Of the entire triangle is the most
important step that has been taken
10 develop a more attractive area
south of Pennsylvania avenue be-
tween the Capitol and the White
House. which has been advocated for
many years.
This decision 10 proceed on the
theory Of developing the entire tri-
angle also makes il more certain that
a new market center must be estab-
lished for Washington. a question
which has been undergoing thorough
study throughout the summer by the
Natiorsl Capital Park and Planning
Commission.
senator Smoot estimated this after
noon that the carrying out OF this
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