Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-07
POLLS THEATER DUE
FOR RAZ|NG AUG. |,
AS BIDS ARE ASKED
Treasury Seeks Offers for
Tearing Down Block to
Make Park.
WORK TO BE FINISHED
IN 80 DAYS UNDER TERMS
View Along Avenue to Be Changed
Greatly, Exposing Giant
Commerce Building.

One Of the most noticeable phases of
the Governments building program will
get under way about August /, when
workmen start tearing down an entire
block of buildings bounded by Four
tenth and Fifteenth streets and Penn
sylVania avenue and E street, to turn
the place into a public park.
This was disclosed today when the
Treasury advertised for bids to raze
this block. All buildings are to be
torn down and temporary park estab-
lished, consisting merely of level ground
seeded in grass.
Bids are to be opened on July is
and, unless there is some complication,
1t is expected the wrecking may start
about August 1. This block includes
several famous old structures, such as
Polls Theater, one of several theaters
to disappear before the march of the
Federal housing program.
Ninty Days for Work.
The contract will call for completion
OF the work within 80 days, so that
the place will be park by the end
Of October.
This square of buildings, located at
its prominent corner, is in one of the
most prominent positions of any fea-
ture OF the Government building pro-
gram plan, and when it is changed into
park will alter the view from Penn
Sylvania avenue even more than this
view has been already altered by cree
ton OF two big buildings in the Federal
program. For instance, the leveling of
this plot will expose to view from the
Avenue the gigantic Department of
Commerce Building, which is now
rapidly undergoing completion between
Fourteenth and Fifteenth, B and E
streets. With the stonework of this
building on its exterior completed in
the middle and south sections, stone
work on the north end is now rapidly
rising, and the great building will pre-
sent majestic picture by the time the
new park is made on the site of the
old Polls Theater block.
Park Plans Not Complete.
But the creation of this temporary
park of level grass only is somewhat
OF a tentative proposition. Complete
plans for landscaping this odd shaped
piece OF ground have not yet been
finished. Many studies of the area
1O~h Wy Vic 0OdIQ O1
tectural ConSultants of the Treasury
Department and especially by Edward
H. Bennett of Chicago, chairman of
the board, who Is to do the Landscape
architecture for the Entire Federal tri-
angle.
Fountain Is Proposed.
One Of the proposals made for this
park Is Pennsylvania fountain. An
organization known as the Pennsylvania
Gilt Fountain Association started a
movement to place monumental foun-
tain bearing the name of the State, to
be placed on the great Avenue bearing
the same name, at this juncture Legis-
lation to permit the Government to &C
cept such a fountain was introduced in
Congress, but has progressed no further
than the Committee on the Library of
the House OF Representatives. Efforts
to discover today the status of this as
| sociation's efforts to get the fountain
met with little success.
Some sort of landscape feature, in
Guiding water as an important part,
such as fountain or a pool, has long
been considered favorably for this block.
In the meantime, until those in
charge can complete their plans for
eventual landscaping of this highly i'm
portant corner, the place will be made
into what is expected to be a simple,
but effective, park of level grass OPEN
ing the vista at that corner and greatly
changing the looks of that section of
downtown Washington.
Fixtures to BE Saved.
The Government plans to save sew
eral materials such as electric fixtures,
door checks, night latches, door stops
| and flre extinguishers in all buildings.
The contractors wrecking the lot will
be required to take over and remove the
great bulk OF the material. The con-
tractors also will I'LL up the excaVa-
lions, such as cellars, with earth, which
is to be free from perishable rubbish
and unsuitable material The I'LL is to
| be placed IN horizontal layers not over
8 inches in depth and each layer is to
be thoroughly tamped, packed or pud-
| died as directed, so that no settlement
OF the earth shall occur. The surface
Is to be finished with a good layer of
top soil, poisoned against grubS and
! seeded for grass, or sodded in place.
OF interest to numerous Washing
| tonians who have endeavored with
sometimes Indifferent success to make
lawn, the Government specifications
provide that the grass seed shall be the
| following mixture: Sixteen pounds of
recleaned blue grass, four pounds of
/ Rhode Island bent grass and one pound
OF white Dutch clover per 1000 square
| feet"
Theater Keeps Stage Equipment.
The theatrical equipment in Polls
Theater does not belong to the Govern
ment and is at the disposal of the
owner, who has been renting the place
since it was purchased by the Govern
ment many years ago.
The largest Federal activity in the
square Is the United States Coast
Guard, which will move late this
month to the building known as Annex
No. !, Pennsylvania avenue and Madi-
son place. This organization has sew
eral hundred employees located in the
old Cornwen Building, sometimes
known as the old G. A. r. Building, at
1412 Pennsylvania avenue, and the
Darby Building, at the corner Of Four
teenth and e streets. The Coast Guard
will nearly I'LL Annex No. 1, which pro-
vides a suitable place under one roof
for this organization.
The Metropolitan Traffic Bureau of
the Police Department, which Is located
on Pennsylvania avenue, is understood
to be planning to move to q location on
John Marshall place not far from the
Municipal Court
TRAErTr, uTrpEAVT tn AEnUv