Evening star., 1927-11-02
Commission Sanctions Plans
for Commerce and Rev.
enue Offices.
TREASURY TO DRAW UP
SPECIFICATIONS SOON
Archives Structure Next on Pro.
gram, Smoot Indicates-Proj-
ects Will Be Speeded.

Under the final plans just ap-
proved by the Public Buildings Com
mission, the new Department of
Commerce Building will cost ST.
000,00 instead of $4,000, 900, and the
new Internal Revenue structure will
call for an outlay of $10,000,00O, in
stead Of the previous estimate of
$7,950,O00 it was made known today
With the sanction given to the
drawings yesterday afternoon by the
commission, the way now is cleared
for Treasury officials to write speci-
fications on which bids will be
sought to start both structures.
Senator Smoot of Utah, chairman
of the commission, also indicated to-
day that with these two important
units Of the triangle program nearly
ready TO be started, the next to he
Building.
1000 Feet Long.
The Commerce Building, under
these final plans. will be a notable
addition to the architecture of the
Capital. 1t will be 1000 feet long.
covering the large expanse between
E and B, Fourteenth and Fifteenth
streets. 1t will be five stories high
at the northern end and six stories
at the B street end. due to the grade
of the site. The present intention,
it was learned today. is to construct
the buildings of limestone with
granite base.
The Internal Revenue Building,
while not as large as Commerce, will
be an impressive feature of the
triangle layout, extending from Tenth
to Twelfth, b to c streets.
The Archives Building, which Is
listed for attention next, will occupy
the area bounded by Ninth, Tenth. B
street and Pennsylvania avenue, leav-
ing space for another building to be
erected in U shape around it.
1t was explained by officials in
charge of the building program today
that the increase in the limit of cost
on the Commerce and Internal Rev.
enue buildings will provide for more
Office space In these structures. The
Commerce Building is to have 1.000, 900
square feet of space. -
To Speed Program.
While Chairman Smoot would not
predict definite date when these first
two Of the triangle buildings would be
actually under way, he emphasized
that they would be started at the
earliest possible time, allowing for the
writing Of specifications.
1t also has been decided, according
to Senator Smoot. to make some tenn
Dorary provision for the income tax
unit, now housed in the wartime
structure between Ohio avenue, B
street, Fourteenth and Fifteenth, SO
that the Commerce site can be cleared
for building operations. Some of the
small houses north Of Ohio avenue are
being raZed now and the District Com
missioners will have to find temporary
quarters for the House OF Detention,
which stands : on part of the Com.
merce site.
The Internal Revenue site also will
be cleared as soon as some provision
can be made for the Farmers Market,
now covering a large part of that area.
A drawing of the general layout of
the triangle, which was available to
the buildings commission at it's meet
ing yesterday. shows only a few un.
important changes from the general
scheme approved early this year. 1t
gives a clearer idea, however, of
how certain portions of the triangle
would be treated under the general
plan.
To Enlarge ID. C. Building.
This sketch shows, for instance.
how the existing District Building
would be enlarged at some future
time to fit in to the Federal Govern.
ment's plan. and indicates also that,
as announced recently by Senator
Smoot, the Post Office Building eventu.
ally will give way to permit round
ing out of the new program.
The drawing shows, as was made
known during the Summer, that there
will be a huge circle in the center
Of the triangle, extending approximate
ly from Eleventh to Thirteenth streets
with Twelfth street passing through
the center.
Just west Of the circle, and also
in the interior of the triangle, there
is a proposed square garden extend.
ing from about Thirteenth to Four
teenth streets. The proposed build
ings are outlined in such a way as
to fit around the circle and garden.
Another landscape feature of the
plan is the plaza to be laid off In front
Of the Commerce Building on the
square between K street, Pennsyl'
vania avenue, Fourteenth and FIJI
teenth streets.