Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06

CONTINUED from First Page.l
between the Botanic Garden. Penn
sylvan;a avenue, Fifteenth street and
the Mall.
The Treasury is also faced with the
difficulty now of the present law re-
stricting the size of at least two of
the principal buildings in the triangle
area, to total cost considerably
public buildings bill, which passed the
House, and would have passed the
Senate, it was freely pred cted.
The Department of Commerce Build.
ing, to be erected between Fourteenth
and Fifteenth streets, extending
northward from 3, under the present
law. has a limit of cost placed at
$4,000, 900. while that limit had been
raised to $4,000, 900 in the bill which
died in the Senate. The Bureau of
Internal Revenue Building has pres
ent cost limit of $7,950,000 while the
limit had been raised in the bill which
died to SIC, 100000
Treasury to Go Ahead.
The Treasury, it was understood,
will go ahead to let contract for the
excavation and foundation of half of
the Internal Revenue Building, which
may be this Summer, but further de-
velopment of this structure will, prob
ably have to await the decree of Con-
gress as to it's total cost. 1t is to To-
Gated south of the Post Office Depart
ment. -
Survey of the ground and tests of
the subsoil will be made on the site
of the Department of Commerce
Building beginning the latter part of
this month, while York & Sawyer pro.
coed with studies of the building.
Here again the Government will be
hampered. however. on account of
the complication in the matter of limit
Of cost.
Construction probably will be con-
tinued on the unfinished two addi-
tional stories to the Liberty Loan
Building adjacent to the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing.
Studies are being made for the build.
ings for the Department of Agricul.
ture, but it will be some time before
any contracts for construction for this
department will be made.
Failure of the bill including $25, 000,-
900 for purchase OF land in the tri-
angle ties the Treasury's hands on
condemnation proceedings. Condem-
nation will be forwarded only on the
sites for the Government Printing
once. the Department OF Agriculture
and for the archives building imme-
diately to the west of the Post Office
Department. But no new requests for
condemnation will be entered
Prices May Be Raised
Acquisition of the entire plot of
land in the triangle was urged BY
Secretary Mellon on account OF both
economy and beauty in the develop.
ment of the Washington of the fu-
ture. Whether the ground there will
appreciate in value during the delay
caused by the failure of the bill is an
interesting problem. There were in
formal indica tons, however, that ef
forts TO buy the land direct from
owners would meet with failure, and
that eventually all of it would have
10 be condemned by the courts.
Purchase of a site for the Supreme
Court Building has been authorized
by Congress. which appropriated 81,
900, now available. The Public
Buildings Commission has selected
the site Immediately east of the Con
gressional Library. bounded by East
Capitol, First and Second streets, and
Maryland avenue. The Treasury viii
move to purchase this site, first by
negotiations with private owners, but
if this fails, will resort TO condemna
ton.