Evening star., 1932-04-22
MUNICIPAL CENTER
| WASTE FEARED #
| PLANS ARE HALTED
Wisdom of Abandoning Work
on Second Unit Is
Questioned.
DISMISSAL OF GROUP
OF ARCHITECTS OPPOSED
Suspension of Plans Would Force
Recalculations of Design,
1t Is Claimed.

A question was raised at the District
Building today as to the wisdom Of the
Commissioners in ordering abandon
| ment May ! OF work on plans for build
ingS in the Municipal Center area,
which would cost $85, 900 to complete,
in view of a possible waste Of the $138,-
900 already spent on the plans thus
| far
Plans for the first unit Of the NUM-
cipal Center have virtually been COM
| pleted, and with the present organiza-
ton Of architects and engineers, it is
estimated, the plans for the second unit
| could be completed for $85,000 or less.
Abandonment Of work on the plans
now, 1t was said, will make it necessary
| to recalculate the mechanical design of
buildings in the first unit from the be-
| ginning
Seek to Save Funds.
The idea Of the Commissioners in
stopping work on the plans, it was said,
is the saving of funds for the prepara-
ton Of plans for buildings that may
| not be constructed for about 10 years.
Money is available to complete the plans,
| it was pointed out, since the current
appropriation act carried the necessary
funds, of which approximately $4,000
| remains.
Abandonment of work on the plans
also will result in the dismissal Of 30
skilled and highly trained engineers and
| architects, who constitute the special
Municipal Center architectural force.
These men, familiar with plans as a
whole, will probably never be reaSSem-
bled again If they are diSbanded now.
The program of the Commissioners,
| it was pointed out, was adopted on the
| theory that completion of the plans
| for the entire project, while the date
of actual construction is uncertain,
might lead to criticism by future ad-
ministration. On the other hand. the
| drawings for both units, if completed
now, it was said, will not become OBJ
solete even in 10 years, because the
buildings in the Municipal Center area
are of classical design, the key for the
design of the whole group being set
by the District Supreme Court Build
ing, designed in 1927 and still regarded
as one of the finest buildings in Wash
ington.
Cost Of Restudy s25,ooo.
The point also was made that it
would cost probably $4,000 for new
equipment and restudy Of the plans
by a new group of architects, whereas
this amound could be saved by compile
ton at this time.
MAJ. Donald "A. OaVlSOn, ASSlStdHL
Engineer Commissioner, said the Board
of Commissioners had given careful
| consideration to all factors involved in
| abandoning work at this time on plans
for the Municipal Center buildings,
| chiefly with view of saving the jobs
of the 80 architects and engineers, but
reached the conclusion that it would be
unwise and uneconomical to complete
the plans with the date Of construction
so uncertain.
Engineering practices may change
radically within the next 10 years, Maj.
Dawson pointed out, which would result
in scrapping of the plans, and the re-
sulting loss Of the thousands of dollars
spent en- the work. 1t also is "incon-
ceivable," he said, that buildings can
be designed at this time that would
meet the approval of the Board Of Com
miSsionerS 10 years hence.
Mai Dawson said it would cost about
$4,000 to train new organization to
take up the plans in the future, but this
expense likely would be entirely Offset
by savings that can be brought about at
this time by abandoning work on the
project.