Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-15
Expert Charts Undesirable
Communities Between
City's Streets.
GRANT SUGGESTS STEPS
TO REMOVE CONDITION
Pending Legislation Is Designed to
Substitute Commerce Shops and
Suitable Tenements.

While progress has been made in re-
ducing the number of Washington
alley dwellings, the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission was in
formed in report made public today
and prepared by John Ihlder, its expert
consultant, that there are in Washing
ton today more than $50 inhabited al
leys in which there are approximately
2,400 dwellings containing a popula-
ton estimated at from II 900 to $4,000
persons.
THE National Capital Park and
Planning Commission has made maps
of 126 alleys that contain 10 or more
dwellings EACH" Ihlder asserted in his
report. Some of these alleys are COM
munities of such size that they would
be considered villages if they had a
rural environment. Navy place, for ex-
ample, contains 70 houses; OBrien'S
court, 40; Shows court, Al: Cooksey
place, SO, and Dixon's court. A."
Relief Legislation Pending.
Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, Sd, vice chair
man and executive officer of the COM
mission, believes that with the legal and
orderly elimination of these dwell
ings, with the assurance that property
owners will not be damaged, these
spaces might be utilized for shops or
suitable cheap tenements might be
erected, eliminating the present insani-
tary conditions. Legislation designed to
accomplish this is awaiting action by
Congress.
Col. Grant made it clear that he does
not consider that Washington is in a
worse position than other cities of the
country, but feels that the National
Capital, designed as the model city of
the nation, should eliminate its hid
den eye-soreS.
Ihlder listed the following changed
conditions since the time prior to the
World War, when efforts were made
to eliminate the alley dwellings: The
greater use OF automobiles which re-
quired parking and garage spaces; the
increased number and size of apart
ment houses, requiring larger areas and
providing an economic use of properties
running farther back from the street;
the increased value of open space in
the rear of business buildings for park
ing and for loading and unloading auto
mobiles, and the increased need for
open spaces for play and recreation.
Sees Infection Sources.
Col. Grant believes that potential
sources of infection in the alley dwell
ings near schools might be removed and
the space they occupy utilized for play
ground purposes.
Ihlder sees a number of evils flowing
from the alley dwellings:
"They constitute hidden communities
in which disease, vice and crime
flourish. 1t does not matter whether
they breed criminals and persons dis
eaSed morally mentally or physically
or whether they attract such persons.
Probably they do both.
Moreover. because they have no
direct outlets or have inadequate out
let's, the alleys do not have thorough
ventilation
Col. Grant is of the opinion that one
solution might be the cutting of through
streets in locations where alley dwell
ings exist.
lhlder points out in his report that
the two main points to be considered
are the rehousing of the alley popula-
ton and the future use of alley prop
erty now used for dwelling purposes.
He pointed out that an investigation is
now under way by the housing commit
tee of the Washington Council of So
cial Agencies TO rectify the situation.
The evidence indicates, he believes, that
there are available dwellings to care
for the alley population elsewhere if
eviction begins soon, and that there
will be no real hardship to tenants -
The search for vacant houses is con-
fined to colored blocks. Also, the re-
port continues, sit is recognized that
there are differences among the color
ed people, and it is not proposed to
give respectable colored neighborhoods
new character by flooding them with
undesirable new tenants" The report
asserts that this is difficult task.