Evening star., 1927-10-02
Location of Whole Center to
Depend on Sessions Open
ing Wednesday.
NEW JUSTICE BUILDING
IN 1928 PLANS INDICATED
Construction of Retail Unit 'Ex-
pected to Depend on Private
Business Enterprise.

guide them in their recommendations
to the incoming Congress as to the
location of new farmers market to
cost not more than 100000, and with
the Treasury Department officials in
dicating that the new Department OF
Justice Building. to occupy the pres.
ent Center Market site, will be in
cluded in next years building pro.
gram, interest has been keenly re.
vived in the whole market center
problem.
When the Government takes over
the site it now owns, between Seventh
and Ninth streets, Pennsylvania
avenue and B street, on which stands
the historic Center Market, operated
by the Department of Agriculture, for
the new Justice Building, it is prob
able that neither the Federal nor the
District Government will set up new
Center Market and private business
accommodations for such a market at
any place to which the consuming
public can be attracted.
1t is known that the Department Of
Agriculture will not urge that such
market Is necessary as demonstra.
ton laboratory for its economic studies
and the opinion is pretty general
among those who have been studying
the building program, the market
center problem and the Capital de-
velopment plans that Governments
operation of a center market can be
dispensed with. Congress is not dis
posed to make any large appropriation
for a model market center here.
Date to Vacate Sought.
All of this has a strong bearing on
the immediate task Of selecting q new
site for the Farmers Market, which
must gA out of the way of the Federal
building program on the triangle be.
tween Pennsylvania avenue and the
Mall. Chairman Smoot of the Public
Buildings Commission intends to make
his first drive for acquisition OF the
entire Mall triangle, and then TO set
the buildings in. the triangle built.
This course is supported by Secretary
of the Treasury Mellon. who Ia en-
trusted with carrying out tha Federal
building plans.
Senator Smoot is expected to an.
nounce to Congress soon after IL as
sembles that it is intended to erect the
Justice Building on the Center Market
site as soon as possible. and TO en-
deavor to have a date definitely set on
which the present occupants are To
vacate. The Department OF Agrlcth-
ture now faces a problem because the
refrigeration plant, which is the very
heart of the retail market business,
needs costly repairs.
Plans for the new Justice Building
are being most carefully prepared be-
cause it fits in directly to the cross
axis of the Mall. In fact, 1t is i'm.
perative that the Department OF JUS
tice should be housed in a permanent
home Of it's own as soon as possible.
Two years ago it was threatened with
eviction from the privately-owned
building on Vermont avenue which Il
has occupied ever since it was built.
because the owners could get a far
greater return on the building for
other use. At that time Senator
Smoot, chairman Of the public build.
ings commission, negotiated an in.
creased rental, with the distinct under-
standing that the Department Of
Justice would vacate the building just
as soon as a building could be erected
for it.
Senator Smoot is not forgetting
that occurrence, and neither are the
other members Of the Public Build.
ings Commission. who are urging that
the Justice Building be given priority
in the Federal building program.
Ready TO Turn Over Site.
The Department of Agriculture is
quite ready to turn over this property
for the new building program just az
soon as Congress SO directs. The
existing law, setting aside the long
time lease of the Washington Market
Co., and physically taking over this
site and the present market building.
says: Until otherwise directed by
Congress, the complete possession and
control of said grounds, buildings and
shall, for the benefit OF
the United States, vest in the Secre-
tary of Agriculture"
Between the existing Center Market
and the Farmers Market that must
get a new location, are clustered
wholesale and commission houses be-
tween Eleventh and Ninth streets.
avenue and B streets.
Some of the individual concerns In
this wholesale market area already
have been forced to move by the raz-
ing of buildings on a government
owned square just south of the Post
Office Department Building, which in
one-fourth of the site OF the new
Internal Revenue Building. One-half
Of that site is now the Farmers Mar
ket and the other quarter is the
square between Tenth and Eleventh.
Little b and G. streets, the assessed
value of which is $739,215. and the
jury has announced an
award of SS15,000.
Both the property owners and the
Treasury Department have until OCt0-
Der IA formally to file protest against
his award, but the Treasury already
has let it be known that the Govern
nent does not intend to make any
such protest. So. the many whole.
sale houses in that square must move
soon, because the Treasury Depart.
nent Is all ready to proceed with its
excavation work on both the Internal
Revenue and Commerce Buildings.
Watch for New Location.
Many other wholesale market and
men have been awaiting
| chance to see in what direction the
market center would move before they
Fought or leased new location.
So every one concerned In the mar.
let center problem Is watching with
,reat interest to see where the District
will tell Congress the
lew Farmers Market should be es.
ablished. Hearings to help guide the
in forming their rec.
are to start In the board
oom OF the District Building on Wed.
wo days. but will be continued untfA