Evening star., 1931-12-27
WAR-NAWBU|LD|NG|
SITE PLAN OPPOSED
Planning Board Splits With
Fine Arts Group on Lat
ter's Proposal.

The location OF the new war ana
Navy Department buildings on Penn
sylvania avenue west of Seventeenth
street, as suggested by the Fine Arts
Commission, would be "a mistake" in
the belief. of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission.
In a discussion of the project in its
annual report made public yesterday by
Lieut.. Col U. S. Grant, Sd, its executive
officer, the Planning Commission re-
iterates its stand that the new national
defense buildings should 60 in the
Northwest building area bounded by E
street, Seventeenth street and Constitu-
ton avenue.
The Planning Commission asserts
that the Naval Hospital, now on Consti-
tuition avenue near the Potomac River,
should be shifted elsewhere and this
site used for future expansion Of the
national defense activities. The area in
the vicinity of Walter Reed Hospital,
where land is available and a great
medical center might be established, is
suggested.
Backs Fine Arts Group.
In taking this stand the commission
backed up the Fine Arts Commission,
which last week wrote letter TO the
Navy Department emphasizing that the
new 100000 naval hospital, for which
plans are now being drawn, should not
be constructed on the grounds Of the
present hospital.
The planning commission, however, is
at odds with the fine arts group on
the future location of the new War and
Navy Departments. On the proposal of
the fine arts body to place the new
structures west of the White House, on
Pennsylvania avenue, the planning COM
mission has this to say in its annual
report:
This is a bold conception in that
1t involves the purchase OF approximate
ly 27 city blocks in that part of the
city where the assessed values are, gen.
orally speaking, high. The extension OF
Government buildings in this portion OF
Pennsylvania avenue (from Seventeenth
to Twenty-third streets) weakens, If 1t
does not destroy, all hope of solving the
congested traffic conditions already ex-
listing on this thoroughfare; will remove
from the city taxing power valuable
properties, and, much more important,
will cast shadow tending to deteriorate
both values and appearances OF all
properties along this portion of the
Avenue; will digress from and to some
extent violate the principle Of the
LEnfant and Mcmillan plans and will
counter a harmonious and balanced
development of the National Capital.
The commission, therefore, thinks this
would be mistake.
Alternate Proposal.
"If, however, it appears to the Pub
lie Buildings Commission essential to
provide additional Office building space
near the White House, the commission
believes that the suggestion Of the plan
of 1901 for acquisition of areas on the
west side of Seventeenth street, also
areas facing Lafayette Park, should be
considered.
1T should be noted, however, that the
commission has for many years looked
with concern upon the strong tendency
to an unbalanced development of the
city and strongly deprecates any new
action which would further emphasize
growth to the northwest to the detri-
ment of other parts of the city.
Purchase of additional land and
buildings along Pennsylvania avenue
west of the White House would stimu-
late further activity in this direction to
the detriment of the whole eastern por-
tion of the city as we'll as encourage
development beyond the District line
1IlSpSdO VI W1G1llll Ulle IdhdUlG area O1
the District of Columbia.
From the larger standpoint Of re-
gional and city planning, any such
stimulus would be harmful rather than
helpful to the development Of bal
anced, efficient and well co-ordinated
National Capital. The commission has
previously suggested that further public |
and semi-public areas might reasonably
be arranged in the future along East |
Capitol street between the Capitol and
the Anacostia River
Concerning the suggested relocation
OF the Naval Hospital, the report has
this to say:
Cites Standards Bureau.
"The Bureau of Standards and the
Army medical center developed about
Walter Reed Hospital illustrate the
convenience and economy of placing
laboratory, hospital and similar activi-
ties at some distance from the White
House and Capitol without impairment
OF efficiency. Other sites for relocation
Of laboratory. hospital, or experimental |
services might be found on Govern
ment property, such as the Arboretum |
tract and Soldiers Home, or on rela- |
lively inexpensive private property.
The commission has suggested that |
such relocation of the Naval Hospital |
and the Institute of Public HEALTH |
would be appropriate at this time. /
Concentration of these activities near |
Walter Reed Hospital, where consid- |
cradle unimproved property Is still |
available, offers possibilities of medi- !
cal center of noteworthy Importance"
Specifically, the National Capital |
Park and Planning Commission sug-
gested locating the Navy Department |
south of E street and north of New |
York avenue between Twentieth and |
Twenty-second streets" 1t added that |
this location would be near the Naval |
Hospital property, an area which can |
be used for future growth or wartime |
expansion"
The report continues: "On this same
area L (E street, Seventeenth street |
and Constitution avenue), the War De-
partment can be accommodated in two
or three buildings. BY doing this the
two departments would be kept to-
gether; and perhaps even more impor-
tant, all the activities of single de-
partment would be concentrated in the
same area throughout the period of
construction"
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