Evening star., 1932-10-20
CAPITAL MAY ASK
LOAN FROM R. F. c.
IN HOUSING POOR
Architects Committee Con-
ferS on Problem With Plan
ming Commission.
WOULD RAISE PORTION
BY SUBSCRIPTION
Col. Grant Calls Attention to Un-
balanced Building Values.
Slum Population Lower.

The possibility arose today that the
Reconstruction Finance CORPORATION
may be requested to supply funds for
improving poor housing conditions in
Washington
A committee of the District Chapter
OF the American Institute of Architects
conferred today at the Navy Building
with representatives of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commission
on housing conditions here. One of the
suggestions discussed was the possibility
OF creating a private corporation, with
limited dividends, to raise part of the
money through subscription, and then
making application to the Reconstruct
ton Corporation to borrow the balance.
Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant. Sd, vice chair
man and executive officer of the COM
mission, said the meeting was mainly
to md out what the American Institute
OF Architects is doing to better housing
conditions here. He indicated no change
n zonlng Is contemplated, as coming he
Said, has been found helpful in Develop
ment of the city.
Unbalanced in Buildings.
Washington is somewhat unbalanced
in buildings, Col. Grant explained, in
that there are greater populations and
higher values in some directions than
in others. While washington has
much less of "slum" problem than
many other cities, it still has one. he
asserted, pointing to the inhabited
alleys.
The architects and the commission
are both anxious to eliminate this con-
diticn, if financially feasible. Col.
Grant Is member of the Zonirg Com
mission, and is also interested in the
problem from that viewpoint.
Under the law. the commission is
charged with preparation of plans for
proper housing, building and zoning
here: In 1880 it recommended the
elimination Of inhabited alleys by the
progressive transfer of alley dwelling
property to other uses. and added "a
revolving fund administered b. the
United States Housing Corporation is
suggested as logical and feasible
method of procedure.
Alley Population Lower.
The commission believes the alley
dwelling population here has been re-
duced from $4,000 to an estimated 49,
900. over period of years, but the
figure $4,000 appears TO be nearly
stationery as the alley dwellings are
CT fairly substantial construction, most
of them being brick. Some 126 alleys
contain 10 or more dwellings. and in
many cases sunlight is excluded. This
is the condition today's meeting is seek
ing to eliminate. A special report on
housing conditions here was submitted
to the commission a couple of years
ago by its special housing expert, John
Ihlder.
Attending today session were Louis
A. Justement, chairman of the District
chapters Housing committee. and his
associates, Robert F. Beresford, Delos
H. Smith. Arthur B. Heaton and Col
Grant, Charles w. Eliot. ID. the COM
missions director of planning: Capt.
z. N. Chisolm, jr, engineer of the
commission; John Nolen, city planner,
and Thomas S. Settle, the commissions S
secretary.
The Federal and District Govern
ments have been loath to advance funds
in recent years to eradicate the alley
dwellings here. While there is an un-
expected balance of S566 900 AZ in the
treasury of the United States Housing
Corporation, its vice president and gen.
eral counsel, Thomas w OBrier, ex-
planned today that it would need spe-
cific authority of Congress to spend this
fund on improving housing here at this
time.
Legislation has failed in recent ses-
sionS of Congress which would have
permitted the United States Housing
Corporation to take over the work of
eliminating alley dwellings in the Ma
tional Capital.