Evening star., 1932-08-14
HOUSE STRUCTURE
TO Be READY JAN. |
Architect of Capitol Finds
Satisfactory Progress
on IRterior.
BY WNiL p. KENNEDY.

The new Eouse Office Building oc-
cupying the entire block between B
and streets, New Jersey avenue and
South CAPITOL streets will be completed
by JANUARY l and ready for House
memteys to move in.
David Lynn, architect Of the Capitol,
me- dc an official inspection and check
VA of the progress Of the interior work
yesterday and was we'll satisfied that
,fthe building will be ready for occupancy
on the appointed date
In the meantime large force of car
penters, painters and laborers are at
work in the old House Office BUILDING
directly across New Jersey avenue to
the east, which is connected by two tun-
nels with the new building, cutting
through doors so as to make 1872 two
room suites of Offices for members in
the old House Office Building, where
the members. except committee chair
men, have previously had only one Of
flee room. There also will be 81 COM
mittee rooms in the old Office building
To help out on the unemployment
problem this work on the old office
building is being done on a schedule of
six hours a cay and five days a week
so as to provide employment for a
large number of men.
hCSeTVdtfOKS DeIdyeV.
In the new House Office Building
there will be 251 two-room suites Of Of
fees and IL committee rooms. Several
committees, notably the Appropriations
Committee and the Committee of Ac-
tions in the Capitol building, where 10
members of the House also have Offices.
For obvious reasons-because many
House members are decidedly uncertain
as to their political lfuture-reservation
OF Office suites in the new building are
not being received yet by the House
Office Building Commission, of which
the Speaker is chairman, and the allo-
cation of space will not be made until
after the November elections.
Another question which will be con-
sidered by the House Office Building
Commission when Congress reccnvenes
will be whether a concession will be
granted for the operation of a quick
lunch room in the new building Many
members and employees of the House
have urged that this should be done.
In the original plans for the new builo-
ing space was laid off for lunch room
or cafeteria. and this space still is avail
able for that use If the commission de-
cides favorably.
One achievement in the construction
and furnishing of the new building will
surprise and please members of Con-
gress. The original appropriation for
the building and land was S8409, 900, of
which S7.500,000 was for the building
Then, when the land cost S1.077,745
more than was expected, approximately
$148,000 was Topped off the building
fund to make up the deficit on the site
Then there was originally appropriated
100000 for the purchase of furniture
f4r I3.,SI ,;z 1.
contracted for at cost of only STA, 900.
Huge Saving Is Made.
The present estimated cost of the
building is S6.243 900, so that Architect
Lynn, in charge of this work, will be
able to pay for the furniture also out
of the building fund and still be able.
t. turn back into the United States
Treasury $500, 600 to S1,0Oo,00o Of the
appropriation. z-@-,-},-~
In the construction work also is in
GUIDED permanent built-in bookcases
filing cabinets, which means a ccnsid
e-abie saving in cost, not only for pur
chase Of such cases. as they are racked
On frequent moving, but also con-
siderable expense for moving them will
be saved annually. The furniture Is
due to be delivered in $50 days. and
the contracts already are awarded
pending the submission of satisfactory
samples of the furniture to be supplied.
In taking bids for the furniture the
House Office Building Commission de-
cided to accept bids on wooden furni-
ture of manufacturers standard design,
furniture of special design and alumni
mum and steel construction. The bids
were awarded to a com bination of low
est bidders on wood furniture Of special
American walnut design.
The erection of the new House Ofhce
Building WIS euthcrized by a special
act fathered by Representative Fred
eIick W. Dallingsr of Massachusetts,,
then a member of the House Commit
tee on Public Buildings and Grounds,
and recently appointed to a Federal
iudgeship. On December 8, 1880. David
Lynn, the architect of the CaDitol, act
ing for the House ONCE Building Com
mission, entered into contract with
the Consolidated Engineering Co OF
Baltimore, for the suDerstructure. The
foundations had just been completed by
the Charles W. Tompkins Co. The
Building Commission consisted of the
then Speaker, the late Nicholas Long
worth of Ohio; Representative Isaac
Bacharach of New Jersey and the pres
ent Speaker, John N. Garner of Texas,
now candidate for Vice President.
Planned for Many Years.
The need for the additional Office
snace for members of the House and
the plan for erection of such building
to properly help frame the United
States Capitol had been discussed Tor
many years. In 1901 the Mcmillan
Commission urged the necessity for the
acquisition of all of the property fac
ing upon the Capitol Grounds and
since that time the American Institute
of Architects. the Commission of Fine
Arts. the architect of the Capitol and
the National Capital Park and Planning
Commission have worked consistently
and successfully toward the ultimate &C.
con1plishment of such framing, which
now is we'll along toward completion.
In the new building are five large
committee rooms. approximately 80 by
so feet, and nine smaller committee
rooms An assembly hall to seat 450
is provided.
The walls of the entrance lobby and
other interior stone wcrk are Of den1e
limestone with honed finish. The
floors of the corridors on the first floor
are Of dark green marble. the base being
q light gray marble. The floors Of the
corridors on the typical floors are OF
terrazzo laid off in 2-foot squares, with
1-foot border with brass division strips
TIE floors of the Offices will be COW
cred with rubber tile; the floor of tbs
assembly room will be partly of cork
tile and partly carpeted. The floors o.