Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-24
JUSTICE BUILDING
IS LEFT OFF LIST
OF NEW PROJECTS
Private Interests Behind
Move for Center Market
Increase Activity.
ARCHIVES STRUCTURE
ALSO IS OMITTED
Public Health Service Director Il
Pleased by Prospects Of
B Street Edifce.

Omission of the new Department of
Justice building from Secretary of the
Treasury Melons list of new public
building projects for this year led to
disclosure today that private interests
behind a new center market for Wash
ington have increased their activities
and now are in daily conference over
the problems of financing such a new
center market in the downtown retail
area. The Department of Justice Is to
be built on Center Market site.
Although Mr. Mellon in his statement
made public Saturday night did not
list the Department of Justice for erec-
ton this year, the congressional sit
uation, with pending legislation, points
now to vacation of Center Market by
January /.
The omission also from Mr.. Melons
report OF the archives building, ale
ready authorized by Congress, was
taken to mean that this structure has
been delayed. The archives building
is being planned at the present time
for the site west of Center Market,
between Ninth and Tenth streets, from
street to Pennsylvania avenue.
DIR. Cumming Is Pleased.
Meantime DR.. Hugh S. Cumming,
surgeon general of the Public Health
Service, expressed qualification over the
prospects for the new Public Health
Service building on the north side Of
3 street facing the Lincoln Memorial.
DR.. Cumming said his service was
| much in need of its new home, and
would be able to function with much
greater efficiency" in its new central
| quarters. He also expressed pleasure
over the beautiful site selected for the
structure, which Is between the Naval
Hospital, facing the Lincoln Memorial,
ana not far from the Hygienic Labora-
tory of the Public Health Service.
| Other buildings on the schedule for
this year, should the Keyes-Elliott $780,
100000 public building bill be enacted
| soon, are the Interstate Commerce
Commission, Twelfth and B streets, and
remodeling of the old State, War and
Navy Building.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
now is in rented quarters at Pennsyl-
vania avenue and Eighteenth street.
Private Market Operations.
Negotiations for private financing Of
a new Center Market were explained
by those in charge today as bringing the
project into "a better position than we
have ever been in"
Harvey Jacobs and Walter M. Bastian,
attorneys, are acting for the Downtown
Market Co. in handling the negotiations
for the new Center Market. The
financing has not as yet been COM
pleted, they said today, but they feel
that the prospect looks more favorable
than ever. MFR. Jacobs was active In the
plans for successfully financing the Ma
tional Press Building.
Congress IS about to fix the time when
dealers viii have to be "out" of Gem
ter Market. A resolution by Senator
Reed Smoot, chairman of the Public
Buildings Commission, already has
passed the Senate and is pending In
the House TO vacate Center Market by
July l. But at the request of Repre-
sentative r. Walton Moore Of Virginia
and others, the Treasury Department
has placed itself on record as agreeing
to an extension of this time by six
months, which would place the final
date as January /.
| Puts Pressure on Moves.
| The congressional situation. with
prospects that the dealers will be forced
out definitely by January /, has put
| pressure on the movement to build a
new Center Market with private funds.
! There Is also pending in Congress
legislation to put up new Center Mar
ket out OF public funds. But the Senti-
ment Of at least some offlcials Of the
administration appears to favor, rather,
private market, to keep the Govern
ment out of business.
The Downtown Market Co., Of which
the president Is Joseph Wells, Is plan
ming to rect building in the retail
area, probably along New York avenue.