Evening star., 1927-10-21
j. s. WILL LAUNCH
BUILDING PROGRAM
Bids Asked for Excavations
on Two Buildings by
November 3.

Ground will be broken early next
month in the Pennsylvania avenue tri-
angle for the first two structures in
the Governments mammoth building
program for the National Capital.
This was assured today when the
Treasury Department advertised for
bids on rough excavations of parts of
the sites for the Department of Com
merce and the Bureau of Internal
Revenue buildings.
Bids will be opened November 8
and award of contracts will follow a
few days later, allowing ground to be
broken probably before the middle of
the month. Streets will be cut across
in both sites.
To Dig Out Portion.
Not all of the site for the two
buildings is now available for excava-
ton, but the Treasury has proceeded
with plans for digging out part and
will follow later with additional bids
and contracts to complete the jobs.
The steam shovels will dig out an
''L"-shaped piece Of ground on the
Department Of Commerce site, cutting
the IL" around the House of Deten-
ton, which is to remain standing for
time, until the District can settle
the problem of what to do for new
quarters.
The excavation for Commerce will
start Immediately north of the frame
structure known as Treasury Annex
No. 2, located north of b street
between Fourteenth and Fifteenth
streets. The excavation will obliterate
Ohio avenue between Fourteenth and
Fifteenth streets, and will push on
northward alongside the House of
Detention and cut across D street into
the area between d and T., where
wreckers now are tearing down build
ings to make way for the new Depart
ment of Commerce.
Market Is Problem.
Excavation for the Internal Revenue
building, will take place for the most
part on the block already. razed of
its buildings, directly south of the
Post Office Department, between Little
B and c streets, and Eleventh and
Twelfth streets. The steam shovels
will push southwark, however, be.
yond the limits of this block into
Little B street. leaving only sufficient
part of Little B for operations of the
vehicles ut the Farmers market
sheds. About 20 feet of Little B street
will be eXcavated.
Meantime, the problem of what to
do with the Farmers market is Sc
cupying the District Commissioners,
who have gathered a great mass of
evidence and argument concerning the
several new sites proposed. 1t now
appears likely that some program for
disposition of the market will be de-
veloped for submission to Congress.
Another part of the Internal Rev
enue site, known as Square $50,
bounded by Tenth and Eleventh,
Little B and G streets, has been con.
demned by the Government, and. ac.
cording to indications today. it is
probable that actual title will be ac-
quired about December /. This will
make way for razing buildings on
this site and later excavation.
Fits i'm With Plan.
One interesting detail of the eXca-
vation for the Revenue Bureau Build
ing points the way definitely toward
the great plan of unified architectural
composition of the Pennsylvania
avenue triangle. This is the north
west corner of the excavation, which
is not a corner but an arc. This
curve is to be followed out in the
foundation and in the building, so that
the structure will be part Of the great
circle which is to be a dominant note
in the architectural landscaping and
dignity Of the triangle development.