Evening star., 1928-06-17
BUILDING PLANNED
!. ON PYRAMID STYLE
Office Structure at Corner of
Fourteenth and K Streets
III Feet High.

Washington's first and outstanding
example of a large Office building oi
maximum height conceived along lines
of the pyramid architectural style, with
the upper portion of the structure
tapering of with a series of set-backs
as provided under the coming law, VIII
be the building soon TO be started al
the corner of Fourteenth and K streets
Detailed plans for the structure, which
= to be on the site OF the old Franklin
Square Hotel, recently razed, were made
public for the first time today by Mai
w. L. Browning and Bates Warren as
owners and representing the syndicate
responsible for the project.
AS designed by Robert r. Beresford
a past president of the local chapter OF
the American Institute of Architects
the building will be featured by a CEN
tral tower rising to a total height OF
lit feet and climaxing the series of set
back wall lines above the l10-foot level
The building will have the unusual
feature of being devoid of any visible
superstructures, the smokestack. pent-
house and water tanks being concealed
In the pyramid development
Frontage on Two Streets.
The building will have a frontage of
40 Ieet on Fourteenth street and 90
feet on K street and will contain ap-
proximately 500 900 cubic feet. It will
cost 81 100000.
The main shaft of the building will
rise perpendicularly to the llO-foot
level, which includes the tenth story.
tnen there will be two set-backs for the
TWO upper stories, making the main roof
OF the building l3o feet high, the maxi
mum height permitted by the coming
law LOT occupancy portions of build
mgS. The remaining ~ feet will be
taken up by the tower, which will have
wings on either side in the nature of
set-backs. N
Inc tower proper will have a slant
ing roof OF gray-green material and
VIII be capped with a glass and metal
crown. which will be lighted at nici1t
oy electric lamps Out of the center
OF the tower will emerge the smoke
stack, hidden from sight by the crown
ing piece. Plans also call for the pIac-
ing OF fioodlights on the roofs of the
set-oaeks, which will be focused on the
tower.
Open Court Provided.
The Fourteenth street facade of the
building win be broken by an open
court above the first and mezzanine
floors, 81 feet wide and 81 feet 6 inches
deep.
The facades of the building win be
finished IN select limestone of buf
color. Adding to the color effect, the
large windows Of the first floor and
mezzanine will be framed with orna-
mental ironwork, which viii be painted.
The tower, as well as the facades, will
be faced with limestone. A nodded
belt course win ornament the building
below the third floor level.
From the third to the tenth floors
the shaft Of the building will be of
simple design Bands or ornamentation
win be placed at the heads Of the win
dows Of the tenth story and along the
ccrnice line Of the tower set-backs for
the purpose Of tieing into one unit the
three upper floors OF the building.
win Have $50 oniees.
The building viii contain about $50
main ofhce rooms. In addition 70 the
lobby on the first floor, which viii con-
meet with both the Fourteenth street
and K street entrances, provision has
been made for large banking space
q. the corner Of the building and real
estate Office. These tyo Offices and the
Lobby will have walls finished In marble
and trayertine. an Italian stone Of
lava formation. The corridors OF the
upper floors viii have marble walls.
There viii be provision for cafe and
barber shop IN the basement and for
four Offices ON the FIRST floor. In the
L-siaped lobby, which viii be ii feet
wide and $50 feet long, win be high
speed elevators Of elaborate design.
The design Of the building was ap-
proved ky members Of the Fine Arts
Commission The building permit for
the project has just been issued.