Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-06
BIGGER BUILDING z
FUND TOBE ASKED
President Hoover to Request
$25, 600, 900 More for -
Capital Program.

President Hoover wants Congress next
Winter to provide for an increase IN
the expenditures for public buildings
in Washington sufficient to meet the
urgent needs of the Government and
to provide for continuous building
operations here for the next 10 wears.
For this purpose the President an
nounced yesterday afternoon that he
expects to ask Congress to appropriate
81, 500, 900 a year for 10 years in addf-
ton to the $4,000 900 annual limit IN
construction work in Washington nov
fixed by law.
This would mean an increase In the
present S50,000,OOO building progrsn m
here of s25 ,000,0 600. making the total
amount to be expended by 1899 &75,-
0O0, 600, without taking into account
the s25.OOO.0OO already authorized fo
the purchase of the land in the Perm
svlvania avenue triangle. The gran,
total for sites and new buildings i,
Washington would thus be brought II
to 100000 under this plan.
Needs for Ten Years.
The President is especially desiro,Is
mat money be MADE available durinr
the next 10 years for the construction
OF new buildings for the Department o;
Justice and the Department Of Labor.
the independent Offices, and for re-
facing the present State, War ano
Navy Building.
After a conference with Secretary o;
the Treasury Mellon, he is convince;.
that the present authorization of $50
oOO. 900 will not meet these require
ments. Sites for the Labor and .J,.g-
tice Department and independent Of
fees buildings are available. but nc
money is provided for the building
themselves
If an additional $4,000 is made
available annually for expenditure on
construction work in Washington, the
President believes the projected public
buildings NAV be erected more -.rleaply.
He would like to see the entire building
program carried out in rotation, in
surfing steady building throughout tie
l0-year period.
He believes that contractors would BE-
able 10 Ak their bids at lower fieJreS II
they knew exactly what woIK was to ne
done in advance, and if the various
classes of labor could be EMPLOYED in
similar work on different buildings one
after the other.
The Presidents plans do not con-
template any enlargement of the orig
inal Federal building program for Wash
1ngtQn. but merely speeding up of the
work by making available money for tj1e
construction of some of the buildings
in the original program for which
money is not now in sight.
The Treasury Department has already
been authorized TO contract for the eX-
penditGre of about 48.0o0 900 of the
S50,000,00 now authorized. 1t is laid
out as follows:
Construction of Commerce Building,
now under way. Si7.500,000
Purchase OF site and construction Of
Internal Revenue Building, now under
way, $4,000. 900.
Construction of central portion of
Agricultural Building. $4,000. 600.
Purchase Of land and construction Of
extensibie building, $5.750,O00
Purchase of site and construction OF
Archives Building. s8.750.O00
Purchase of land and construction of
addition TO the Government Printing
Office, 81 $50 900
Purchase of site for new Supreme
Court Building. 81 76S.741.
Construction of Liberty Loan Annex,
completed. SS750OO.
Purchase of an economic building,
$780, 900, of which only 1926, 200 vas
needed.
Diversion of water mains and other
utilities, etc, S225,000.
Building Called "Mopstrosity."
President Hoover believes that the
present State. War and NAVY Building
is an architectural monstrositv." The
refacing of the present structure to
make 1t resemble the Treasury Building
on the opposite side of the White House.
instead Of the construction Of an
entirely new building. is his own idea
The President indicated yesterdaT
that the refacing of the present struc-
ture might be accomplished at an ex-
penditune of about $4,000. 900. This
estimate does not take into considera-
ton any change in the present window
spaces. Some experts who have studied
the problem. think the window space
should be enlarged and their positions
changed. II that were done the cost
would be considerably more than
$4,000, 900.
The President would like to see the
Federal building program well on the
way to completion before he leaves of
flee. He is deeply interested in the
Identification of Washington and in
tends 10 do everything in his power mol
only to push along the work OF erect
ing new buildings. but to see that they
conform to an artistic plan
He has pointed out that an impor-
tant step In this direction would be the
elimination of the "gew-gsws'' on the
old State, War and Navy Building. BY
stripping the present building OF its I'M
slightly shell and clothing it in q more
beautiful one the President believes the
Government will be saved several MIL
lion dollars that would be required to
tear down the present structure snd
erect another.
The Post ONCE Department Building,
in the Presidents opinion, is out Of haI-
mony with the plan and should be torn
down and replaced with more sttrac
tive ediflce, but he realizes this wcula
cost very large amount Of money an6
is leaving it out Of consideration for the
present. W