Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-23
D. c. BILL PASSAGE
PUSHES MUNICIPAL
BUILDING PROGRAM
Structure to House Courts
Will Be First Unit Under
Construction.
SYMMETRY TO BE GOTTEN
BY ALTERATION IN PLANS
Most of Property in Desired Area
Now Owned by District-Rest
to Be Acquired.

Passage of the District appropriation
bill for the 1892 fiscal year, carrying
&1,50O,000 for work on the Municipal
Center, will result in an actual start on
the building of this long planned group
next Spring. The first building to be
built will house the Municipal and Police
Courts. 1t will be a structure 500 feet
long. running back from Pennsylvania
avenue to Judiciary Square, bounded by
Third street and John Marshall place.
Committees Are Formed.
Committees have already been formed
to take charge of the various phases of
the work the preliminary duties falling
on the Committee on Excavation and
Foundation. headed by Assistant En-
gineer Commissioner Hugh P. Dram.
The first contract to be let in con-
nection with the work will be one for
making core borings at convenient
epots to ascertain the contour OF bed
rock underneath the proposed building.
When this is done the type of founda-
ton will be decided upon and then cor
tracts will be let for razing the build
ings now standing in the area and for
digging the foundations. The project
Is not expected to get much beyond
the laying of foundations during the
next working season, but already prob
4ctItS IldNulB W QO Will ldLSE pIOkEcSS
Of the work have started to bob up.
Separate Courts Desired.
The Municipal and Police Court
judges want their respective functions
to be absolutely separated from each
other, so that there will be no commu-
nication between the Pennsylvania ave-
nue. end of the building. which will
house the Police Court and the Judi
ciary Square end, which will house the
Municipal Court. This will probably re-
suit in the construction Of four elevator
wells, one at each end of the building
and two in the center, one on each
side of the dividing wall.
without this dividing wall it would
be possible to serve the needs Of the
building with three elevator wells, one
at each end of the building and one in
the center.
The architects working on the gen.
eral plans Of the entire Municipal Gen.
ter group, which will entually cover
the area between John Marshall place,
Sixth street, Pennsylvania avenue and
Judiciary Square, in addition to the area
to be used by the courts building. have
already made some tentative changes
in design of the group since the design
represented by the cardboard model
recently acquired.
In the cardboard design the ends Of
the building, fronting on John Marshall
place near judiciary Square, are con-
eiderably closer together than the ends
near Pennsylvania avenue. 1t has
been decided to move the ends near
Judiciary Square farther apart 50 as TO
achieve symmetry Of design. The bal
cony along the upper story Of both
buildings fronting on John Marshall
place has been continued around TO
front on Pennsylvania avenue also.
Changes are being made in the de-
sings Of the columns fronting on John
Marshall place in order to give more
light to the rooms Immediately behind
the columns. The design OF the arcade
under the columns is also being changed
for the same reason.
Most of the property in the courts
building area is now owned by the Dis
trict, and condemnation proceedings
have been instituted in order to acquire
the rest. Several Of the pieces named
in the condemnation proceedings may
be acquired by purchase, however. One
of the most recent to be acquired, since
the institution of condemnation pro-
ceedings. is the Hotel Vendome proper
ty, at the corner of Third street and
Pennsylvania avenue.
Harris Devising Architecture.
The architecture Of the new group is
being devised by Municipal Architect
Albert L. Harris and the 1882 appro-
priation bill makes 100000 available
for the employment of additional archi-
tectural talent by contract or otherwise
without regard TO the provisions Of the
personnel classification act.
When the construction work gets I'M
der way Mr.. Harris intends TO devote
most of his time TO the municipal CEN
ter work and leave the bulk Of work of
designing other municipal structures TO
his staff Of assistants Assistant En-
Rineer Commissioner II. L. Robb has
general supervision over the municipal
center work.