Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06
LAMONT TO MOVE
TO NEW BUILDING
1000 Officials and Employees
Will Be in Commerce Build
ing This Year.

The great Department of Commerce
Building Is so far advanced that Secre-
tary Lamont is planning to move about
1000 officials and employees into the
middle section before the end Of this
calendar year, nearly II months ahead
Of the contract time for completion Of
the structure.
The principal home Of the depart
ment at present, Nineteenth and Penn
Sylvania avenue, will be entirely vacated
by the end of this calendar year, and
some activities will be taken from at
least three other buildings.
When all the Department of Com
merce, except the Bureau Of Standards,
which Is In its own home on Connecti-
cut avenue, eventually Is gathered to-
gether later on. this will bring under the
one roof Of the huge new structure
about 5000 employees from activities
which now are scattered in dozen
buildings throughout the city. Rent now
is being paid for these in excess Of
SITS, 900 year.
The speed with which the new Struc-
ture Is being erected thus will result In
a large saving in rent for the Govern
ment. The date for completion of the
Department of Commerce Is May %,
1882, and under the strict terms Of this
agreement the contractor would not
have to have it ready for occupancy I'M
til then. BY virtue of the fact, however.
that the structure Is being built In three
sections, which In effect are three sep
arate buildings, the middle one, which
was frst to be started, will be rushed to
completion, so that 1t can be occupied.
This will save many months rent. The
department is paying $4,000 year
for the big building at Nineteenth and
PENNSYLVANIA avenue, and will be able to
get out about II months ahead OF con-
tract schedule.
Now Half Finished.
The building is estimated now TO be
about half finished, and probably will be
entirely completed by September or Oc-
tober. Of 1881, instead Of the contract
time of May. 1882.
Into the new middle section will be
moved all Of the activities In the build
ing at Nineteenth and Pennsylvania
avenue, and these others: Bureau OF
Lighthouse and 1nter-Amer1can High
Commission from the Hurley Wright
Building at Eighteenth and Pennsyl-
yania avenue; Bureau of Navigation
and Steamboat Inspection Service from
an old wartime temporary building at
Twentieth and B streets, opposite the
Munitions Building, and the Bureau OF
Fisheries from its old home at Sixth ana
3 streets southwest.
The activities to be moved from head
quarters will be the Secretary Of Com
merce and his suite, the Aeronautlc
branch, the Radio Division and Bureau
Of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
The Bureau of Mines, which now Is
located in the Government-owned
Winder Building at Seventeenth and F
streets, and partly in an adjacent
structure, which is rented, probably Will
be moved later, as part OF this bureau
Is to extend over into another third OF
the new building.
The south end Of the new building,
which Is next farthest advanced, will
house the Coast and Geadetic Survey,
which now Is located in what Is known
as the old Southern Railway Building
not far from Union Station.
The entire north third Of the building,
last to be completed, will be occupied
by the Patent once, which occupies its
old well known home between F and @,
Seventh and Ninth streets.
Problem TO BE Faced.
What is to be done with the build
inRs to be vacated by the Department
Of Commerce is problem: not for that
department, but for the Public Build
iries Commission. No decision has been
reached, on this question, It Is UNDER
stood. The rented buildings will be
given up entirely, but some Of the well
preserved Government buildings in all
probability will be occupied by other
Government activities which have been
housed in rented quarters.
It has just been disclosed by Fred M:
Kramer, washington representative OF
York q Sawyer. architects Of the build
ing, that the three. different parts are
In fact, as well as In sequence Of con.
struction, three different buildings.
Between each Of the thirds Is what
is known as an expansion joint Of
about two inches separation. This
means that space Is left In, this huge
long structure, 1860 feet from one end
to, the other or. 800, feet longer than
the Capitol for contraction and exc
pansion of three parts. The steel and
stone structures win be fltted together
at these two big expansion joints on
each side Of the middle section so that
they can slip and slide as the hot and
cold weather expands and contracts
the size Of the steel structure. The ex-
panaicn, Joint will be filled, however,
with what Is known a. "A accordion
joint Of, copper" which win bend aS