Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-26
Uncle Sans Moving Day.

This Is Uncle Sans moving day. He
is moving into the first of his new
houses, built to accommodate his BUSH
ness establishment, not Of course the
first Of all he has provided, but the
first of the great group that has been
in the making for a, good many years
and that when complete will at last
give him an adequate equipment The
Internal Revenue structure Is being &C.
cupied today, and the occasion Is
worthy of note, because of the long per-
spective of the years for which the
Government service has awaited proper
accommodations.
Never since the United States was
organized has the Federal administra-
ton had a proper home It had only
makeshift quarters before it moved to
Washington, the Capital which was
created for it, and it has to a greater
or less degree had makeshift quarters
ever since. Structures were erected in
the early Washington days and were
outgrown as soon as finished, and the
overflow of the Government service was
accommodated in privately owned build
ings. Branches of the Government were
doubled up with others in incongruous
combinations. When the plan to take
the whole of the Mall-Avenue triangle
for Government constructions was ad-
vanced more than thirty years ago
about twenty-five per cent of the Gov
eminent work was conducted in either
rented or privately built and Govern
ment-owned structures poorly adapted
to the transaction of public business.
When the Great War came and the
Governments housing needs were i'm
mensely increased, the Capitals equip
ment was so wholly inadequate that
dozens Of temporary buildings had to
be erected, some Of fiinnsy and some Of
durable materials. This experience
brought about the final action on a gen.
eral building plan under which for the
first time the Government Is to have a
complete structural outfit. The war
actually delayed the beginning on this
work, but that delay was Of advantage
in that it permitted the preparation Of
the best possible plans for the new work.
Now the first unit Of this housing sys-
tenn is completed and is today being
occupied. It is not. structurally speak
ing, complete inasmuch as 1t is only
a. part Of the ultimate edifice that is to
occupy its allotted section of the tri-
angle. What is known as the Inter-
nal Revenue Building will later, upon
the razing of the Post Office Depart
ment Building, when that in turn is
replaced by new structure immediate
ly to the west, be continued around the
great rectangle to form one of the mon
umental structures Of the Government
group.
A little to the west Of this first &C.
cupied unit is rising the Commerce
Building, itself triple structure, the
center section of which will, it is now
computed, be ready for occupancy in
about seven months the wings to the
south and the north following soon
after. In the meantime probably other
structures will have been started as
conditions permit, with a clearance of
the land by the present private occu-
pants. And so by a series of impulses
this great program will be developsd
the Justice Department probably fol-
lowing in short order and the Labor
Department and Archives Buildings and
Internal Revenue structure and the
Post ONCE Department making steady
sequence of undertakings
1t is most gratifying to those who have
been working for years for the adoption
and completion of this great plan to
see the moving vans at work now In the
shift of Uncle Sans equipment to the
first of his new official homes of the
group that when completed will make
Washington truly great Capital City.