Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-15
Old Landmarks to Go.

Via LANDMARKS TO TO.
Shortly after the passing of the pres
ent fiscal year, which is to say early in
July. work will start on the removal of
group Of landmarks from the heart
of Washington. These are the structures
occupying the truncated square bounded
by Pennsylvania avenue, Fourteenth, E
and Fifteenth streets. This block
bought by the Government a good many
years ago as part Of the site proposed
then for the location Of three Govern
ment department buildings, Is to be
turned into a park or plaza to give
proper setting to the new Commerce
Department, which Is now rising i'm
nediately to the south. Some efforts
have been made by lessees Of buildings
In the square to have their life pro-
longed, but they have been unavailing
and unless q change of ruling is made
at the last moment all the properties,
now occupied by private interests or
public Offices, will be vacated by
the first of July and soon thereafter
the wreckers will be at work.
In this block are some notable
souvenirs of the old Washington. There
is, most conspicuously, the theater
building, originally constructed nearly
fifty years ago as an armory for the
Washington Light Infantry, long since
merged In the District National Guard
For many years it was the home of
drama. Operas and plays and later
vaudeville programs were presented
upon It's stage, and it has been an in
innate part of the life of the Capital
Slightly older is the structure known
as the Hall Of the Grand Army Of the
Republic, built as grocery store with
rooms available in the upper stories
for the meetings of this and other or
ganizations Still older Is the hotel
building at the northwest corner which
was constructed shortly after the Civil
War and has borne at least four sue
cessive names. Some of the other
buildings on the block are as old as or
perhaps even older than the hotel,
relics Of the washington Of the fifties
and the sixties Of the past century.
Since the Government has been the
owner Of this block little has been done
to maintain the structures In good or
der. When, in 1922, following the
Kniekerbocker T7heater disaster, it was
determined to strengthen certain Of the
places Of public assemblage in Wash
ington, the old theater was materially
changed IN the interior. Otherwise,
these structures have stood during all
the time Of the Governments owner
ship as they had been standing for long
before the transfer of title. So there
will be little regret at their passing
Some sentiment may be evoked by the
destruction Of the landmarks, but their
disappearance will be far more than
compensated by the scene of beauty
that will be created on their site.
The prospective closing and destruc-
ton Of these buildings illustrates the
very condition Of Government housing
equipment in Washington that the great
work now in progress is to correct. In
these buildings have been placed numer-
Gus bureaus and divisions and ofices
and agencies of the Federal and Dis
trict Governments, making shift in In
adequate quarters at considerable risk
to safety of personnel and Of records,
for practically the entire block is non
fireproof. Now these various groups
must move out to find other quarters,
most Of them temporary, awaiting the
completion Of the Federal buildings of
the great construction program and the
municipal center. Some will 60 into
buildings now standing on the site of
the municipal center only to move again
when the time comes for that ground
to be cleared.
SO they have gone from pillar to post,
these odds and ends of public Offices
50 to speak, housed now here, now there,
never properly or wholesomely, or In
fact, safely. But now the dawn is
breaking and the day will soon arrive
when all will find places in clean, new,
well designed, well built structures,
forming a great harmonious plan OF
Capital making.