Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-16
Secretary Mellon to Preside
at CoIorfuI Ceremonies at
Revenue Structure.
EVENT Is PREMIERE
OF MANY DELEGATIONS
Great Structure at Twelfth and B
Streets Expected to Be Fin
ished by 1881.

The first corner stone in the gigantic
Federal building program in the Penn
sylvania avenue triangle will be laid
next Monday afternoon with appropri-
ate and impressive ceremonies at the
Internal Revenue Building, Twelfth and
B streets.
A distinguished company of officials
headed by Secretary of the Treasury
Mellon will participate, there will be
music by the United States Marine
Band, and the corner stone will be
formally placed in position at the
southwest corner of the big structure.
The hour for the occasion has been
fixed at 4 o'clock. Secretary Mellon
will make brief address,, and VIII
introduce the principal speaker, COM
missioner Blair, who will lay the stone.
The master of ceremonies will be Acting
Supervising Architect James A. Wet
more Assistant Secretary Of the Treas
ury Carl T. Schuneman in charge OF
the public building program for the
Treasury will speak.
Stone Weighs Tons.
The corner stone itself has arrived and
weighs three tons. Inside the corner
stone will be placed large copper box,
by IA by "a inches, into which will
be sealed a number Of important ar
ticles and documents. The things to
be placed inside this copper box for
future generations, if the sturdy build
ing ever comes down, will include
copy of the Holy Bible, the Declaration
of Independence, the Constitution OF
the United States, a copy OF each
Washington daily newspaper, acts re-
IL e. INtriI
in Washington, especially the legisla-
ton concerning the Internal Revenue,
Building and other documents.
Arrangements for the occasion are In
charge of Neal A. Melick, construction
engineer, who is supervising the con-
Struction of the great building, as a
representative of the Government.
The Internal Revenue Building, which
thus becomes the first to receive its
cornerstone in the Federal building
triangle will initiate what is expected
to be series of cornerstone ceremonies
throughout the next few years, as one
after another of the monumental build
ings designed for the triangle rise i'll
steel and stone.
Product of Treasury.
The structure, on which rapid prog
ress is now being made, with about 500
men at work today, is the product of
the Treasury Department, both the de-
signs, and working drawings having
been produced by the architectural di-
vision of the supervising architects
Office, Of which Louis A. Simon Is head.
The cornerstone laying is expected to
be not only significant ceremony in
the progress of the most advanced
building in the triangle, but also a
tribute to the part being played by the
Treasury Department in the building
program for the National Capital.
The corner stone carries a simple
inscription. On it are only these words:
"a w. Mellon, Secretary of the Treas
ury. James A. Wetmore, Acting Su-
pervising Architect. Ammo Domini
1929" The figures are in Roman nu-
merals.
A platform will be erected at the
southwest corner of the building, to
accommodate about so persons. includ-
ing officials of the Treasury and men,
bers of Congress, who have had an i'm
portant part in the building program
for Washington.
A colorful touch will be given to the
occasion by the United States Coast
Guard, a Treasury Department organi-
cation, which will furnish uniformed
men in full regalia for guards. Flags
will be generously used in the decora-
tons.
Steel Six Stories High.
The Internal Revenue Building has
been rapidly rising on its foundation Of
concrete piles. The steel structure now
has reached the sixth story on the
highest point, and from there has only
one more story OF steel to go. The
structural steel may be completed about
the middle of June. The building Is
seven stories and basement. 1t con-
tains 16,500,000 cubic feet, and covers
the area bounded by Tenth and Twelfth,
B and C streets, to the south of the Post
ONCE Department Building. One cor
ner, the northwest corner, bears the
specific imprint of the great Federal
plan for the triangle, as it is cut into
a curve so as to fit the building into
what will be the great circular plaza
centering on about Twelfth street in
the triangle.
Workmen under many different sub
contractors are buSily engaged in carry
ing forward their part of the building
A granite base has been started in sew
eral parts of the structure upon which
the exterior of limestone will be reared.
On the B street front are seen already
in steel the imposing arched entrances
on the main front of the building.
The building which has been author
lied by Congress to cost $10,000,000
probably will be completed early in 1881.