Evening star., 1927-03-23
DISTRICT MAY BUY
100000 BUILDING
Structure Near Capitol Will
Coordinate Welfare Groups
Under Plan.
BY WILL T.. KENNEDY.

BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
Purchase of a large modern build
inG near the Capitol. now used by an
important going concern, at cost
of approximately 81. 100000, for a pub
lie welfare building for the District
of Columbia is being seriously con
sidered.
Private parties are said to be willing
to contribute a million dollars toward
the project if Congress Will sanction
it. and make an appropriation
for the remainder from District rev
enues.
Plans for Building.
It is proposed that in this building
would be co-ordinated the following
existing. and new agencies. which it
is hoped may be created to round out
the welfare system;
The new Public Welfare Depart
ment. including the Board of Chill
dren's Guardians. the Board of Chari-
ties and Corrections, the Bureau of
Mothers Allowance and the Indus
trial Home School.
The Health Department, including
a general clinic. social hygiene. tuber
cuIosis, children's diseases, dental and
oral. and mental hygiene, psychiatric
and psychological.
The Juvenile Court new Women's
Court, the House of Detention. the
Women's Bureau, the Playground Di-
vision and a central Office of records,
for the intake, transferring and refer
ring of cases from one group TO an
other.
Matter Is Acute.
For more than five years social
welfare agencies in the National Cap
ital have been advocating such a pub
lie welfare building. The matter has
come to a head by the imperative
need for larger housing for the en-
tire District government, and by the
fact that some eight or more District
agencies, including the House of De-.
tention and the Women's Bureau. are
soon TO have their present quarters
torn down to make way for the new
Department of Commerce Building.
Senator Smoot. speaking for the
Public Buildings Commission. di-
rected Mrs. Nina Van Winkle lieu
tenant in charge of the Women's Bu-
reau. under which the House of Cor
rection is operated. to find other suit
able quarters, and when they were
found to tell the District Commission
ers that he had authorized this hunt
Agreed on Purchase.
The welfare organizations interested
have agreed upon the building which
it is proposed to purchase, and the
matter is now pending, with recon-
mendations, before the District Com
miSSionerS. who are expected to trans
nit it to Congress-
The Public Buildings Commission
in the closing days of the Sixty-ninth
Congress. after a hearing, directed
the District Commissioners to prepare
a definite and detailed plan for a
model municipal plant, to take care
of all of the needs of the District
government, outside of the triangle
south of Pennsylvania avenue to the
Mall, which is to be used for the new
Federal buildings.
This was done because there is not
adequate room for expansion of the
District activities adjacent to the pres-
ent District Building, which would he
turned over to some other agency of
the Federal Government.
New Municipal Area.
The proposed site for the new mu- |
nicipal group is on either side of John
Marshall place between Judiciary
Square and Pennsylvania avenue. 10 !
take in all of the site between Third |
ana SlXtn streets, Pennsylvania ave |
nue. ana LOUISIANA avenue. The con-
templated Public Welfare Building is !
in this same general area and wo,,Id /,
mt in with other important develon. |
mentS In that section of the CITY
Among those who have heen ron. |
suited, ana VINO are said to be sun !
porting the proposal for the puhIic I
Welfare Building are Edwin r. Hesse !
major and superintendent of the Met |
ropoIltah Pollce; leaders in the House
anu senate, the District Federation |
OF omens Clubs, which has made il |!
q prime Junction OF particular grouD !
to see that this legislation is nassed. |
the Monday Evening Club, which bas
put the new welfare building on its
program, and made Mrs. Van Wrinkle !
chairman of the committee, and if is
TO be brought up soon by President I
Yaden of the Federation of Citizens;
Associations, by the Council of So.
cial Agents and by all of the women's
clubs of the District
The new agencies which il is pro.
posed to create as part of the nuh1ic
welfare system are q Women's Cont
a general clinic and a mental hygiene
clinic and central records room II !
also is proposed to bring into coon =
Grafton the Industrial Home School
and the Bureau of Mothers Allow
ances
Imperative Reasons
The imperative reasons for some
such building are that the Juvenile
Court is now in a paper" building !
which must soon be torn down; that
the House of Detention is now seri-
ously overcrowded in a building soon
10 be torn down; that the Industrial
Home School is now occupying a i
shack that was formerly an aims
house and not considered a fit habi-
tation for old people, much less for
young children; that the Board of ,
Children's Guardians is crowded with
no proper place to care for children
temporarily or for consultation with
parents of others; that the new Wei
ARE Board is In an impossible situa-
lion, having neither money nor per- F!
Continued on Page 3. Column 81