Evening star., 1932-01-05
S10,0LO,0Il) GOES
FORPR|vATEPLANS
Public Building Policy of Aid
ing Employment Explained
in House Hearings.

private architects of the country for
their services in developing plans Tor
pIblic buildings in the Federal Govern
inents great housing program here ana
throughout the United States
This was disclosed yesterday when the
first Of the big appropriation olIS was
submitted to the House, releasing the
bearings on the deficiency items which
had been conducted in executive session
This substantial sum to private aren't
tets throughout the country proved OF
vital interest on account OF the hgHU
which .Se American Institute of Archl-
+acts ?nd some other interests nave
been directing against the Treasury De-
partment for not farming out more OF
the Governments buildings TO be gone
outside the regular architectural lorCe
of the Government. ....s
TanIlowiryg several questions submitted
IN treasury officials by members OF the
House Committee on Appropriations a
cnnDreheDsive report was included IN
fhe hearings submitted by James A. wet
more. acting supervising archltecC OF
tbe Treasury This report showed
LIST Of more than 200 outside archltecUS
who have been employed for the pur-
nose of expediting the public buldng
program in order to relieve the unern-
pIovment situation to the extent pos
sible."
Fee Based on Cost.
The list includes the cities in which
che Dublic buildings are to be erected
and the names of the architects en-
ploved and the estimated amounts OF
total fees. This fee, Mr.. Wetmore eH
r7ained is based on the estimated cost
Of the building and may be reouceo
In the final accounting. because generany
the actual cost is less than the eSu-
mated cost owing to low prices al ItllS
time" .,.,.o.ts nv
Wetmore further explained: General
" is 48 per cent, exclusive OF super
vision The fee for architects engaged
on buildings in the District Of Columbia
is somewhat higher" he explained;
"but sliding scale is applied TO all
buildings costing over $5,000,00O The
Sliding scale is four -tenths Of per cent
for every $1,500,O00 in excess Oh
$4,000 OO0."
In the National Capital many monu-
mental structures are being designed by
outside architects who are nSted III Ihe
report. The largest fee on record III
connection with the National Capltal
work under supervision Of the Treas
lIrv Department goes to York & Sawyer
of New York City for their services on
the gigantic new Department OF Com
merce Building, costing more than Slf,-
100000. The architects fee in this
case is listed at S949,l29.
Other Big Projects.
Other big projects in the Nations
Capital let out to private architects m
clude the following: Agricultural De
partment Administrative Building, al
ready occupied, Rankin & Kellogg,
S47496 fee; independent establish
ments. Delano g. Aldrich, Sl7,28O; trat-
fic survey, to study the automobile
parking situation in the Federal TRAN
gle National Garages, Inc, OF Detroit,
"a $50: Archives Building, for which
the excavation has been dug, John RUS
sell Pope Of New York, $438,643; cen
tral heating plant, United Engineers 81
Constructors, Inc, Philadelphia, S4Io',
625; Apex Building, now being deSlgneo
for the eastern spearhead OF the great
Federal triangle, Bennett, Parsons q
Frost of Chicago, Sl58, 900; Department
of Justice, where piles are now being
driven for the foundation, Zantzlnger,
Borie & Medary, Philadelphia, S6ll,-
1853: three great connecting buildings 10
house the Department of Labor, Inter
state Commerce and an AUDITORIUM,
where piles for the foundation are now
being driven, Arthur Brown, Jr..c OF San
Francisco, $547, ,5o3; addition to the
City Post Office, Graham, Anderson,
Probst q White of Chicago, $l82,8l2;
Post Office Department Building, Tor
which foundation piling is now going
in. Delano a. Aldrich of New York City,
S5O9.5 .551; Public Health Service Build
ing, now well under way, j. H. De ST.
bour, S30,62s: remodeling of the De-
partment of State, Waddy B. Wood OF
Washington,- D. c., $152,757; landscap-
ing Of the Federal Triangle, Bennett,
Parsons g. Frost; $110,528; study Of
BUILDINGS for the War Department,
whose location is not finally fixed, Hol-
abird & Root and Harvey w. Corbett
S136,500.
Additional Amount Asked.
The Treasury Department asked for
an additional amount of S300,0OO 10
nav private architects now employed on
these public buildings for the remain
der of this fiscal year 1882. Treasury
officials explained the value of using
outside architects and how it was de-
termined which buildings should be de-
signed by them and which by the Gov
ernment architects. Chairman ByrnS OF
the House Appropriations Committee re-
uuested the statements Of outside archl-
JeCLQIdl SERVICES. NILCll 4aJCL Nco ohE
rnitted, declaring that there is good
deal of pressure being brought to bear
upon the proposition that all of it
should be done on the outside I think
we would like to know what has been
expended up to this time and also what
your commitments and obligations
are"
Asked by the chairman to what eX-
tent these architects performed serv-
ice, L. c. Martin, assistant to Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury Ferry K.
Heath, replied, They do all but super
intend the construction" Mr.. Martin
explained that the private architects
draw plans, subject to the approval OF
the Government but do not make the
contracts for execution Of these plans.
Most of the architects are on larger
buildings, Mr. Martin explained add
ing that there have been some con-
tracts given on the smaller buildings,
but only on account of the load that
we then had on the supervising archi-
tects Office and the desire to get them
out as soon as possible"
Getting down to the principle in
vOlyed, Chairman Byrns said, Il think
1t has been stated that the theory is
that you always try TO get local archi-
tect where you can secure one?" To
which Mai. Heath replied, Wherever
there is a local architect competent TO
90 the work we secure his services"
Necessary to Vary Rule.
'Have you found it necessary to vary
from that rule?" Chairman Byrns
asked. There are a good many places"
Mai Heath replied, where there are
either no local architects or they have
never had experience with a building
n Tlfc h11f oc cypnpra1 4hiPe uta
have gone to the locality and picked
out an architect for the building" Maj.
Heath admitted that it was cheaper to
handle the matter through the Govern
mont Office than to employ local archi-
teCtS.
Substantial progress was made In the
public building program between the