Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-05
Turns Dirt for Archives Build
Ing, Where Architecture
Is to Challenge World.
ACTIVITY NOT TO END
TILL FINISHED, HE SAYS
Many Notables Attend Ceremony,
With Treasury Official Speaker.
Excavation On.

Breaking ground for the Archives
Building on the site of old Center Mar
Ket this morning, Assistant Secretary
OF the Treasury Ferry K. Heath pre-
dicted that soon there will arise on
TINS triangle, extending from the Capt.
| tol to the Treasury, one of the most
magnificent architectural compositions
| found anywhere in the world"
BY his act Of turning a spadeful of
earth, generously mixed with big humps
OF concrete, Maj. Heath opened what
he designated the second phase of the
building program for the triangle"
The Archives Building rests at a con-
Splcuous place in the Federal triangle
on the axis of the Mall, and was pre-
dicted by Mai. Heath to be "one of
the most beautiful buildings in
America
The ceremony was simple, but i'm
pressive. and was attended by a group
of Government officials. representatives
OF local societies, bankers, business men
and many others interested in the his
toric occasion
Maj. Heath. in brief address. touch
ed on colorful past history OF the site
and painted a bright picture Of the
great building program, which Is trans
forming downtown Washington. Mai.
Heath promised from now on until its
completion the sound OF building activ-
ity VIII never cease
Excavation Is Under Way.
The place where Maj Heath stuck
the spade into the ground was beneath
the massive steel arch formed BY the
power shovel, which started the bust
ness OF excavation as soon as the cere-
monies we're over. near the corner Of
Constitution avenue and Seventh street
II Is hitting that we pause for a
moment this morning in order TO en-
phasize the Importance of the con-
structlon work about to commence
where we now stand" said Maj. Heath
One hundred and forty years ago next
month, George Washington left the
Old Inn in Georgetown and rode along
the ridge north of Pennsylvania avenue
on his way TO the high ground where
the Capitol now stands. His object
was to define in his own mind exactly
where he wanted the Federal CITY
built. Since that time the story of the
traf1c and parades of this great Avenue
would be an outline of the history of
the United States.
Many NOtabIes Present.
Attending the ceremony from the
Treasury, IN addition to Mai Heath.
were l.. c. Martin, assistant to Mai.
Heath; James A. Wetmore. supervising
architect, and w. A. Simpson, noH
retired after Sc years as chief Of the
files division of the Office of the Secrc-
tary of the Treasury. Among others
present were H. P. Caemmerer. secre-
tary CT the Fine Arts Commission;
Washington Topham Of the Association
Of Oldest Inhabitants, Columbia His
torical Society and Society of Natives.
j. Eliot Wright of the Association of
Oldest Inhabitants and Society OF
Natives, Mrs. Rosa Pendleton Chiles.
author. whose articles on the Archives
Building were used i'll congressional
hearings on the question; George l..
Starkey. president of the National Bank
OF Washington, and Robert E. Mann
OF P. Mann g. Co., the latter two repre-
senting institutions of many years
standing nearby the market, and de-
scendants OF the Beall family. who
owned the original grant Of land for the
site.