Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-26
Students Will Not Be Given
Added Accommodations
Until Next February.
FOUR NEW BUILDINGS
READY IN SIX MONTHS
One Structure May Not Be Com.
pleted Until September, 1880,
Because of Design Changes.

Unforeseen circumstances have delayed
Washington's current school building
program, with the result that the pub
lie schools for the first time since 1928
will reopen for the new term next
month without additional accommoda-
tons for the normal enrolment in
crement.
The added congestion is expected to
be temporary. however. as Municipal
Architect Albert L. Harris announced
today that at least four OF the SIX
new buildings under construction would
be ready for occupany at the beginning
of the second semester, February !. and
that only one of them, the addition to
the Park View School. would not be
completed until September. 1880.
One Project Delayed.
1t had been planned to have five OF
the six new buildings ready for use at
the beginning of the new term, but the
municipal architects Office has been
confronted with repeated setbacks from
the start Of preparation of plans to the
beginning of actual construction. The
principal obstruction was a change in
the design of the elementary-type school
which taxed the ingenuity of Mr.. Har-
ris to keep the cost within the fixed ap-
preparation. In addition there has been
the financial failure of contractor and
trouble over the condemnation OF land
for a street to permit necessary sewer
connections.
The new type elementary school de-
signed by Mr.. Harris is a tWo-story
structure which covers a larger area
than the old-type three-story building
and consequently costs more to erect.
It is one of the evolutions of the shift
in the Districts educational system from
the former eight-year elementary
course and four-year high school course
to the so-called 6-3-3 plan, under which
children spend six years in the ele-
mentary grades, three years in the
junior high school and three years in
senior high school.
Enrolment Makeup Changed
Mr. Harris explained that the present
six-year elementary course has brought
about radical change in the enrolment
makeup of an elementary school. The
older children of the age that were
found in the seventh and eighth grades
under the former system. are now in the
Junior high schools, and only the young
er children are in the elementary
schools. This condition necessitated
change in elementary school architec-
ture, he said, because parents COM
not be required to walk to the third
story of a school to attend class. on the
ground that it was too great physical
strain.
The new two-story school was de-
signed especially to overcome this OBJ
lection. Alphabetically, 1t is far more
attractive than the old three-story
creased the cost of schoolhouse con-
struction, as more land is needed.
Mr.. Harris problem in developing the
two-story school, therefore, Is due to
the fact that the appropriations for the
new elementary buildings were based
on estimates for schools OF the three
story type.
The additional school facilities now
under construction are the new eight
room Powell School, the Paul Junior
High School. the Ben T. Murch School,
the new Adams School. the new l6-room
Iar1gdon School and the eight-room ad-
dition to the Burrville School. All OF
these buildings, Mr.. Harris said, will be
ready for occupancy on or before Feb
ruary !.
New Projects Planned.
other school projects for which Mr..
Harris is drawing plans are the new
Roosevelt High School. the Alice Deal
and Kingsman Junior High Schools. the
16-room addition to the Park View
School, the new eight-room Bell School.
a four-room addition to the Buchanan
School and the gymnasium-assembly
hall addition to the John Eaton School.
The auditorium addition to the Takoma
Park School was recently completed ana
will be ready for use when the school
term begins next month.
The Roosevelt High School and the
Deal and Kingsman Junior High Schools
Mr.. Harris does not expect to be ready
for occupancy before February. 1881.
The others, however, he said, would be
completed by the beginning Of the
school term in September, 1880.
The new Adams School will be the
largest of the group Of new elementary
buildings. It will contain "a class
rooms, making it the largest elementary
school building in the District. School
officials intend it as a replacement of
the present Force and Adams Schools.