Evening star., 1932-08-08
BUILDINGS SAFETY
TO Be RE-EXAM|NED
New Engineer Named for
Wilson Teachers College.
Repairs May Be Minor.

Lack OF conviction on the part OF
District construction officials as to the
seriousness of the condition of the Will
son Teachers College Building has re-
suited in the appointment of a new en-
! gineer to investigate the condition of
the building with consequent delay in
repair plans, 1t was revealed at the Dis
trict Building today.
When the building was abandoned
last February on the basis Of report
made by Harold H. Marsh, structural
engineer of the municipal architects Of
flee, it was believed that the foundation
Of the structure would have to be un-
derpinned in order to aI.cst cracking
of walls and floors resulting from settle
ment of the foundations.
Absence of agreement of other tech
nical experts in the District govern
ment, however, resulted in failure OF
Harold Baker, director of construction
in the District, to proceed with repairs
to the building, although an appropria-
ton for this purpose was made by the
last Congress. Instead, Mr.. Baker said
today, a new structural engineer was
appointed to make a thorough study of
the Wilson building, to determine
whether it will be necessary to put in
an underpinning or whether minor re-
pairs would suffice.
Mr.. Givotovski Selected.
The new engineer is Victor Givotov-
ski. Mr.. GivotovSki was a structural
engineer on the Municipal Center job
under Albert L. Harris, municipal ar
chitect, and he was separated from the
service when work on the center was
halted at the end of the last fiscal year.
He was reappointed on August after
presidential authority, as required by
the economy act had been secured.
In his report on the structure last
February Mr.. Marsh had character
lied the condition of the building dan
gerous" after he had examined extern
sive cracks in the corridor and in the
front or north wall of the building
1t was on the basis of this engineers
report that school authorities promptly
ordered the structure evacuated.
Almost Immediately the District
structural Office announced that fur
ther examinations would be made of
the foundations and footings of the
structure. Since then, however, moth
ing has been done, and Mr.. Bakers
explanation this morning was the first
advanced for the apparent inactivity.
IL
building would be completed during
this vacation period so that the per-
sonnel of the college could be returned
from its makeshift quarters In the old
Central High School Building, at Sev-
enth and o streets to the Wilson Build
ing at Eleventh and Harvard streets.
Economies Are Sought.
In discussing the school today, Mr..
Baker said that he was proceeding on
a course which would produce "econo-
mics, both of expense and of time" If
minor repairs are found adequate, he
said, the scohol will be reoccupied much
earlier than had it been necessary to
build up new foundations.
1t was pointed out in District circles
today, however, that minor repairs had
been made at the Wilson School ever
since 1925 A memorandum submitted
by S. B. Walsh, assistant municipal
architect, during the hearings on the last
Congress, listed frequent repairs to win
dows which were prevented from proper
functioning by the settling walls, repair
ing of leaks over windows in both the
walls and roof and the repair of cup
board fasteners SO that these doors,
jammed by the apparent settling Of
the building, could be used.