Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12
CAPITOL BUILDING
CHANGESEXPECTED
East Front May Be Moved
Forward if Congress
Adopts Proposal.

The proposal of Senator Greene, Re-
publican of Vermont, to carry out
plans prepared many years ago for
reconstruction of the central portion
of the Capitol Building, is expected
to receive the attention of Congress
ct the regular session in December.
Without undertaking to speak for his
committee, Chairman Reyes of the
public buildings and grounds commit
tee said ne was personally in favor Of
making progress on all unfinished
projects for the improvement Of the
Capitol as rapidly as is practical, con-
sidering the relative Importance Of va
rious proposals.
In view of the fact that House COM
mittees are not organized for the con-
sideration Of miscellaneous business at
this special session. It is not likely that
the Greene bill will be acted on prior
to the regular session in December.
The Senate committee. If it so desired,
could consider the measure now in
preparation for the next session, but
whether this will be done has not been
decided.
Recommended in 1908.
The Greene bill would authorize the
carrying out, at an estimated cost not
to exceed S3.500,0 900, of a plan recon-
mended to Congress by joint COM
mission in 1905. Briefly, that plan
would provide for the following:
Moving the entire central east front
forward only so far as necessary Q2
feet 10 inches to bring the main wall
of the building at the center under the
extreme projection of the dome and
"give the dome the apparent support
which it should have" according to the
report.
Addition of one column on each side
of the central pediment, broadening
the pediment accordingly. so that it
will dominate the two pediments Of the
Senate and House wings.
Reproduction of the present east front
in white marble to correspond to the
Senate and House wings, also the re-
facing with white marble of such por-
tions of the present west front as are
now faced with sandstone, the present
design to be reproduced in every detail.
Replacing with white marble the
two broad flights of steps on the west
of the Capitol from the upper terrace
to the foot of the embankment where
the garden begins.
Senator Greene has eliminated from
his bill one other feature of the 1908
plans, namely, the placing of a sculp-
tural group in the House pediment to
correspond with the sculptural work in
the pediment of the Senate wing.
Rooms Made Available.
The plan called for in this bill for
moving the east wall of the central
part of the building was not drawn for
the primary purpose of adding to the
space in the building, but it Nould make
available a number of additional rooms
in that portion of the structure.
This plan would not bring the central
section Of the building out as far as the
two wings. The consulting architects
who studied the subject for Congress
i'll 1904, Carrere & Hastings. recon-
mended that the central part be moved
eastward only so far as was necessary
to give the dome the apparent support
it lacks. They said that if the central
portion should be brought too far for
ward it would mask the dome and de-
tract from the view of the entire struc-
ture from the east.
AS long ago as 1854 the moving of
The central portion Of the Capitol fur
tf1er eastward was suggested by Thomas
L. Walter, who, In his report as archi-