Evening star., 1927-12-08
New Plans to Be Prepared
at Once for Structure on
Pennsylvania Avenue.
EDIFICE TO BE IN KEEPING
WITH GENERAL SECTION
Simplifcation of Design Will Cost
but Little More and Will Be
Better, Board Says.

AS victorious step in its endeayors
for the Identification of Washington
adjacent to public buildings the Com
mission Of Fine Arts today won
its fight with the United Cigar Stores
Co. over the question of juris-
diction by the commission over private
building in Washington. At the con-
ciusion of conference with the COM
mission today. lasting more than an
hour, architects for the Cigar Stores
Co. told the fine arts body a new
design to replace the one to which
strenuous objection had been raised hy
the commission and by various civic
bodies and architects organizations,
will be prepared Immediately for fur
ther submissions. Julius Wenig, a
Washington architect. whose plans for
the United Cigar Stores building at
Fourteenth and L, streets have been
the storm center of dispute over
jurisdiction of the Fine Arts Commits
sion, appeared before the latter body to-
day with Fl. G. Mitchell, consulting
architect for the Cigar Stores Co
At the conclusion of the conference
the following statement was issued on
behalf of the commission.
Representatives of the United Cigar
Stores Co. came before the commits
sion today and az a result of the dis
cussion new design will be prepared
for further submission Immediately.
The commission pointed out that the
design of the building could be simpli-
fled and a structure more suited to
Pennsylvania avenue could be con-
structed at little additional expense
and with advantage to the company.
Lusk Sent to New York.
The Cigar Stores people felt that
they were restricted by the work al
ready contracted for. but within these
limits they were disposed to meet the
desires of the commission.
Protests against the original plans
by the cigar company arose first at a
meeting of the committee of the Wash
ington Board of Trade on public and
private buildings little more than
month ago. shortly following publica-
ton of the plans for the proposed
building.
Fears were expressed that the type
of building planned. which from its
location on the northeast corner OF
Fourteenth and T. streets would over
look the spacious park on the south
side of Pennsylvania avenue west of
the District Building. would be a detri-
ment to the beauty of the great Fed.
eral building program.
Rufus S. Lusk was sent to New
York to confer with officials of the
United Cigar Stores Co. of America as
the representative of the Board of
Trade committee, the local chapter of
the American Institute of Architects
and the Operative Builders Associa-
ton. At that conference officials of
the company voluntarily agreed TO
submit their plans to the Fine Arts
Commission for review.
Disapproval Was Defied.
Ten days ago the Fine Arts Com
mission in letter to the United Cigar
Co. voiced its disapproval of the plans
in their entirety. Four days ago the
cigar store company countered with
the proposal that they intended to
go ahead with their plans regardless
of the opposition of the Fine Arts
Commission and the building and
civic organizations in Washington.
Emphasizing the zeal of Congress
10 continue and preserve the beauti
fiCation of the National Capital and
its hearty support of the stand taken
by the Fine Arts Commission in this
respect, Representative Cole, Repub-
lican of Iowa, in the House today
spoke vigorously regarding the pro-
posed erection of a building in defiance
of the Fine Arts Commission decision.
In connection with this big item
in the deficiency appropriation bill,
Mr. Cole said when the appropriation
for continuing work on the $50 900. 900
Federal building program was reached,
lit may not be out of place to speak
about a Situation which h1S arisen
Continued on Page .. Column u