Evening star., 1927-11-08
SITE FOR NATIONAL
GALLERY CHOSEN
Art Building to Be Given by
Unidentified Donor viii
Front on Mall.


Gallery of Art has been fixed for B
street northwest between Twelfth and
Fourteenth streets. This area, orig.
inally selected in the triangle plans for
the Commerce Department Building.
which was later moved to the section
between Fourteenth and Fifteenth
streets north of G street. has been
definitely assigned to the new art gal.
tery, to he presented to the Capital by
an unnamed philanthropist. The
building will cost in the neighborhood
OF 10000, 900 and it Is reported Will
be the gift of Secretary of the Treas.
ury Mellon.
The other outstanding need OF Wash.
ington. in the view OF the fine arts
body, is an auditorium OF semi.public
character. to be administered by an
agency similar to the board of regents
Of the Smithsonian Institution. for
great occasions ~ national Importance
4 movement is now on foot to advance
construction of such an auditorium
backed by a national patriotic organi.
zation on land already available with
In the triangle.
The National Gallert of Art Build
ing to stretch for two blocks along
+ street directly opposite the Mall
from the Department Of Agriculture
main group. is TO house America s
most important collection of art works.
Into 1t. Under plans now in prepara.
tion. will be moved many OF the mas
t"rpieces Of art already housed in the
gallery of the National Museum. 1t
will be hedged about by relatively few
nf tho frin tat.
the entrance Of many art pieces into
the Freer Gallery. The latter art col.
lection. in so far as cotempora neous
collection is concerned, is given over
to art Of the Far East.
Auditorium Held Inadequate.
The Commission Of Fine Arts re.
CARDS the present Washington Audi
torium as inadequate to meet the needs
of the city. both from the esthrtic
and practical standpoint. Few rcstric-
tions Of any kind are placed on use
OF the auditorium for exhibition p,Ir.
poses. according to members of the
fine arts body. who would like to see
In Washington a larger auditorium
devoted entirely to gatherings Of a
national character and not available
for purely exhibition purposes.
AT the same time. the commission
let it he known today that 1t Is op.
posed to any construction work of
any Kind on the Mall between Seventh
and Ninth streets. Charles Moore
chairman Of the Fine Arts body. ex,
planned that in carrying out the Mall
plan. with its imposing rows Of Gov.
ernment buildings az projected in the
final plans, there must be some breath
ing space in the row of formal archi
lecture.
Mr.. Moore insists that this area of
two blocks in an east and west direc.
ton and four blocks north and south
he maintained as a breathing space,
to be given over entirely to park pur.
poses. broken by fountains and walks.
and to shatter the almost unbroken
line OF masonry to front on both sides
OF the Mall under the completed plans
street, OF course, will eventually be
carried through Sixth street to it's
junction with Pennsylvania avenue.
Melons Name Mentioned.
More than year ago overtures
were made to the Public Buildings
Commission on behalf of an unnamed
philanthropist to present the Capital
with building to house q national art
gallery. Senator Smoot. chairman Of
the commission, has never divulged
the name of the sponsor but 1t has
been generally understood, and never
specifically denied, that the proposed
donor is Secretary Mellon. Provision
is made on triangle plans already ap.
proved by the architects of the tri.
angle for location Of the building on
street northwest, between Twelfth
and Ennrfcanth .~ln
must have the approval of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury and have not vet
been made public.
Contrary TO popular belief, Mr..
Moore said today the plan for plac-
ing most Of the buildings to house
the executive departments of the
Government on the Mall in the tri.
angle, Is not a development of the
last four or five years, although legis.
lation authorizing the purchase of the
triangle and construction of a few
of the buildings is of recent date.
First provided for in the plans for
the Capital drawn by Maj. L'enfante
in the latter part of the Eighteenth
century. the Mcmillan commission of
1901 drew up far more definite
scheme OF procedure under which
Congress and the Treasury Depart
ment is now proceeding. Virtually
the only changes in this plan, inso-
far as placement Of the Administra- =
ton Buildings Of the Government is
concerned. is provision for a few
semi official agencies. such as the
Freer Gallery. the National Gallery
Of Art and the proposed auditorium.
which Is proposed to go in east OF
Seventh street and south of Penn
sylvania avenue.