Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-20
WORLD FAIR TREE
TO Be DEMOLISHED
Redwood Will Make Room for
New Agricultural Depart
ment Building.

The old California redwood tree In
the Department of Agriculture grounds,
relic of the Chicago World Fair of 1898,
is to be torn down within the next few
weeks to make room for the new Agri-
cultural building, it was announced
yesterday.
With the famous tree will be RACED
the old department headquarters and
several unsightly buildings in the
vicinity.
The huge redwood tree was exhibited
at Chicago and then brought to Wash
ington and placed In the Mall. It is
we'll known to thousands of persons,
who formerly were permitted to climb
the circular stairs within 1t. The doors
at the base were closed to the public
several years ago, however, when it was
found that curio seekers were destroy
ing the tree.
One of the more popular suggestions
for disposing of the tree would place
which is to be a collection of living
trees representative of the nation.
Work Soon to Start.
Within few days, it is expected that
a wrecking crew from the Hechinger
Co., of this city will start to tear down
old buildings in which the Secretary of
Agriculture for years has maintained
his private Office, and that of his staff.
In the meantime nearly quarter of
block of buildings already has been
torn down in the area bounded by B
and c, Thirteenth street and Linworth
place southwest, to make way for the
huge first unit of the "extensible build
ing" for the Department of Agriculture.
It will first cover this block only, but
eventually is to take In three blocks.
The eXtensible building will be at
tached to the administration building
on the other side of the street by
bridges over B street The first unit
however, will not be so attached.
A feature of much interest to Wash
ingtonians, which is to be saved for
this Summer at least will be the large
and beautiful flower garden in front OF
the old Department of Agriculture Ad-
miniStration Building.
In addition to tearing down all the
old buildings to the north of the new
marble building, there will be a new
35-foot concrete roadway constructed
through the Mall from Twelfth to
Fourteenth street. 1t will cut through
in a straight line somewhere between
the old building and the new one, and
will give access to the new building
plaza.
Old Building to Go.
All the old brick, frame, wooden and
even greenhouse buildings which clut-
ter up the Mall grounds between
Twelfth and Fourteenth streets are
scheduled to go. In their place will
be developed a parkway.
The new extensible building Is to be
erected by Nelson-Pedley Co. of Phila-
| delphia, which has been awarded the
contract in the sum of $2,074,000 Ele-
vators are to be installed by the Quincy
Elevator Co., Inc, of New York, which
also has been awarded contract. Sc
as soon as Hechinger completes tearing
down the old buildings, the new struc-
ture will rise as rapidly as possible
Melon Pedley has $50 calendar days to
complete the new building, from the
date of the notice to proceed"
In the moving process in. connection
with the extensible building, two other
units of the Department Of Agriculture
have had to move out to make way for
the wreckers, the cereal investigation OF
Bureau of Plant Industry and packers
| and stockyards administration of the
Bureau of Animal Industry, which viii
| also be housed in Building G with the
Bureau of Entomology.