Evening star., 1927-08-31
DISTRICT AGENCIES
TO RETAIN HOMES
Three Branches of Govern
ment Remain in Buildings
Until Congress Meets.

A tentative agreement has been
reached between the supervising ar
chitect's office of the Treasury and
District officials, whereby the house Of
detention, the woman's bureau Of the
Police Department and the medical
clinic of the Health Department. will
be allowed to remain in their present
buildings until after Congress con.
venes. although all other occupants
on the site of the proposed new De.
partment of Commerce Building, will
be forced to vacate by October /, 1t
was revealed today by Maj. Layson
T.. Atkins assistant Engineer Com.
missioner. esf
Originally. it had been planned to
force the District activities on the
proposed Commerce Department site
to move with the other occupants, but
the inability of the District govern.
ment to find other quarters, because
of the lack Of funds, led the Treasury
officials to grant an extension or time.
In the meantime, however, the Public
Buildings Commission will endeavor
to locate temporary quarters for the
woman's bureau, the medical clinic
and the house Of detention in build
ing under it's jurisdiction, and if space
should be found, the District activities
will move before the conyening of
Congress
Rental Items i'm Bill.
AS the Commissioners will be re-
quired to rent quarters for these
three bureaus pending the develop
- 4iS,.l "a
of buildings in the area lying be-
tween Pennsylvania avenue, Indiana
avenue and Third and Sixth streets,
an item is expected to be inserted
in the deficiency appropriation bill for
rental of the necessary buildings
throughout the remainder Of the cur
rent fiscal year. Another item for
rental also will be added to the reg
ular appropriation bill for the 1928
1929 fiscal year.
The supervising architects Office of
the Treasury, according to informa.
ton given District authorities, has
planned to start excavating for the
foundation Of the new Commerce De-
partment Building by November 10.
If the three District activities on this
site have not been rehoused in a
Federal Government building by that
time, it is proposed to confine the
excavation work to section which
will not disturb them. The Treasury
Department, however, has served spe-
cific notice on the District officials
that the buildings occupied by the
municipal bureaus must be vacated
just as soon as Congress provides
deficiency appropriation for rental Of
privately owned buildings.
The building now occupied by the
Medical Clinic, Woman's Bureau and
House of Detention have been owned
by the Federal Government for some
time, and the District has rented
them for the sum of 81 a year each.
1t Is understood that the District is
in arrears on the rent.
Seek Detention Building.
The rehousing of the Woman's Bu-
reau and the Medical Clinic in pri-
vately owned building will not be so
difficult, according to Maj. Atkins, as
will be the finding of a suitable build.
ing for the House Of Detention. The
building chosen for the latter will
have to be of such construction that
it can be converted into a detention
home by the installation of bars at
windows, etc. Several buildings which
might be used for the House of De-
tention already have been suggested
to the Commissioners, and the one
that appears to meet with most favor
is on New York avenue between
Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets,
near the Emergency Hospital.
Maj. Atkins plans to devote most
Of his time in the next two weeks
searching for privately owned build
ings which could be rented for the
three municipal activities to be ousted.
Real estate firms also will be asked
to recommend buildings.