Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13
WORK STARTS SOON
ON 3 BUILDINGS
Second Phase of Federal
Program Due to Open
Before October |.

With excavation and foundation work
scheduled to start on the site for three
great public buildings here this week.
prospects are that before the first Of
october actual operations will be under
way for six Federal structures in the
Federal triangle, with total cost of
42,300,000.
These six monumental buildings,
which are an integral part of the So
called unified architectural compost
ton" of the Mall-Pennsylvania avenue
triangle. are the Post Office Depart
ment Interstate Commerce Commission,
Government auditorium, Department Of
Labor, National Archives Building and
the Department of Justice. They con-
stitute the second phase" of the build
ing program.
Will Require Years.
According to careful calculations, it
Is estimated that this group of Govern
ment structures will be completed in
about three years. Thousands of work
men will be employed and millions will
be spent in materials.
The completion of this group of
structures in the triangle would end the
So-called second phase" of the public
building program and would be followed
later, II present plans are carried out,
with completion Of the rest of the
triangle.
Two monumental buildings already
nave been erected in the triangle area:
The Internal Revenue Building, which
is now in use and the Department of
Commerce, which is to be occupied about
the first of the year.
OF this group of new buildings in the
second phase, the Archives now has the
lead. Ground was broken about a week
ago, and excavation is well under way
This building is designed to be one of
the most beautiful structures in America
and will cost about $8,750000 1t is to
house the valuable records of the Gov
eminent, including the military records
Of all wars.
Site Now Cleared.
Next operations probably will be put
under way this week on the site stretch
ing from Twelfth to Fourteenth street
along Constitution avenue, where are
10 rise the Interstate Commerce COM
mission, the Government Auditorium
and the Department of Labor, a group
or three buildings united into a single
architectural motif. This site is virtu-
ally cleared now, with the exception of
some OF the bricks and foundations CT
the old subStation of the Potomac Elec-
trio Power Co. at Fourteenth and the
Avenue, where the Department of Labor
is to be situated
The I. c. c. Building will cost So
100000: the Government Auditorium
will cost about SZ,O0o,OO0, while the
department of Labor is authorized to
cost $4,750,000. Contract for the exca-
vationS and foundations of all three of
these buildings has been let to NC
Closkey & Co, Of Philadelphia, final
details are being completed, and they
are expected to start steam shoyels
early this week
The Department of Justice, next in
ilne OF construction, will be on the site
between Ninth and Tenth streets, Con-
st1cution ana Pennsylvania avenues
and is to be the costliest of anv of the
second phase group of buildings. 1t
has been authorized by Congress to
cost S12.000,0o0. Bids were opened for
the excavations and foundations Friday,
ana contract is expected to be let by
the Treasury Department within few
Gays.
BIDS to Be Opened.
Action Will be taken on the Post
Once Department building next Friday
afternoon, when bids will be opened
Tor both the excavation and founda-
tons. This building project presents
the most interesting problem of any,
because OF the fact that the site is
crossed by tracks of the Mount Vernon.
Alexandria and Virginia Railway
which is still fighting. to hold onto IFS
rails despite the progress of the Federal
Government in its huge building pro-
gram. During the past week r. L. Nav,
owner of the railway, signified his in
tentlon of asking for immediate hear
Ing on the petition for an injunction
fl!ed months ago, which would prevent
the Government from mclesting his
tracks until he IS reimbursed for his
loss.
The Government will proceed to tear
down the railway terminal at Twelfth
street and Pennsylvania avenue and to
excavate on both sides of the tracks
which run along d street from Twelfth
to Thirteenth, across the site for the
building. Thus there will be big hole
eXcavated where the present terminal
now stands, while the excavation will
also be dug on the other side of the
same tracks where formerly passengers
loaded and unloaded.
May is insisting on his property
rights in the tracks and still IS asking
Tor new terminal site north of the
Avenue. Abandonment of the railway
line, however, looms, if May fails to get
this new terminal, he has indicated.
May owns bus line running to Alex
andr1a, which he would expand with
additional BUSES if the railway is
abandoned.
Others Making Progress
Other Federal building projects in
other parts of the National Capital are
making good progress. Up on Capitol
Hill, the Architect of the Capitol will
open bids october 81, fer erection of
the Supreme Court of the United
States to rise on the site already ex-
caVated on the north of the Library of
Congress, from East Capitol street to
Maryland avenue northeast, and from
First to Second streets northeast. The
structure will cost about S7,5O0,OOO.
The new House Office Building is
about half completed and two other
projects are about to begin-the pro-
posed annex to the Library of Congress
and the new wing to the Senate Office |
Building.
Down in another part of the city. |
along Constitution avenue, between |
Nineteenth and Twentieth streets, |
progress is being made on the new
Public Health Service Building, where
foundations are being laid Additional
wrecking is to be done on this site soon
to tear away the old White House Ga
rage and one remaining stable of the
Quartermaster Corps of the Army. Bids
for this were opened Friday and the
contract will be let soon.
In addition to all this, three great
Federal projects in the southwest sec
ton OF the city will get under way
this Fall-the new Federal warehouse, |
between G and D, SeYenth and. Ninth |
streets; the new heating plant, between
Thirteenth and Thirteen-and-a- half, !
C and d streets, and the second third |
Of the great eXtensible building fer the
Department of Agriculture, to go be- |
tween Thirteenth, Thirteen-and-a-h half, !
G and D streets.