Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-03
Location Suggested by Chief
of Staff Not Taken Kind
Iy by Naval Men.
WANT NEW BUILDING
NEAR PRESENT AREA
Map Prepared to Show Proximity
of Employees Homes to Place
of Employment.

Navy Department officials fail to take
kindly to a suggestion credited to
Gen. Charles p. Summerall chief of
STAFF of the Army, that the War De-
partment and the Navy Department be
housed in new structures in the area
south of the Botanic Gardens. The
naval officials favor the erection of a
new Navy Department Building between
Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets and
New York avenue, near the Interior
Department, on a location which is
near the present Navy Department
Building at Seventeenth and B streets.
One Of the main reasons for this, the
officials pointed out today, is that a
great number of Navy and Marine
Corps officers and civilian employees at
the Navy Department live in the vicin-
ity OF the building, in the large apart
ment houses lying in the area between
lean Building.
AS evidence of this, large map is
being prepared in the Bureau of Yards
ana Docks, with the home of each
Navy and Marine Corps officer and
CIVILIAN employe marked with a red
DOT. The red dots are thick in the
vicinity OF the Navy Department, and
naval colonies are shown in Clarendon
and Alexandria, Va, in Brookland and
CHEVY Chase and along Wisconsin ave-
nue.. The bulk of the personnel lives
IN the northwest section of the CITY,
tne naval officials explained, and to
move the department elsewhere would
create serious traffic problem.
Widening Is Begun.
The widening of B street, Just east of
the Navy Department, was started YES
Hroay, ana this brings more to a focus
Gne question OF the proposed Navy
Building. The present temporary strllc
ture, built during the World war. will
nave to be taken off the Mall, under
tne program Of the National Capital
FarK and Planning Commission. The
burning OF the presidential executive Of
noes on Christmas eve, with the re-
Sultant agitation for a new War Depart
ment Building, has likewise brought the
question into strong relief.
Another argument used in favor of
keeping the Navy Department some
where near its present location is that
qulte frequently questions of interna-
Clonal policy, in which the Marine Corps
Is involved, must be taken UP with the
SCate Department and the White House.
ana 1t is necessary that the Navy De-
partment be located near these units
OF the executive branch of the Govern
ment. Further, the naval officials say
1t is desirable to have all the cabinet
ofncers quickly available should an
emergency arise.
The present Navy Department Build
ing Is considered by officials to be one
OF the best built of the temporary
wartime structures and is designated
as semi-permanent. The officials have
given the present Navy Department
Building lifetime Of IS years. but in
view Of the fact that President Hoover
has taken a keen interest in an ac-
tolerated public building program, the
hopes Of the Navy for a new head.
quarters have been appreciably bright
ened. The of1cials recalled today that
the present Veterans Bureau Building
was originally designed as a new Navy
Department, but former Secretary will
liam G. McAdoo took over the plans
FOR the structure and the NAVY De-
partment has remained without PROPER
provision in the public buildings pro-
gram.
U. S. Owns Land.
The Federal Government owns much
OF the land in the New York avenue
and Eighteenth street area the oficialS
SAID, whereas move to the area south
OF the Botanic Garden would neces-
state the purchase of entirely new land
Tentative plans are under consider
alton by the naval officials to provide
underground automobile parking for the
department employees when a new Struc-
ture is built.