Evening star., 1933-12-10
Government Building Plans.

Il
Government Building Plans.
In connection with the proposal fol
the adoption Of . public building prof.
ect west Of Seventeenth street along
Pennsylvania avenue. the Commission
Of Fine Arts makes the following
statement:
Conditions on the western portion
Of Pennsylvania avenue are not dis
graceful now, but they may become SO
with the shifting of ofi1cial population
ditions along the Avenue fall far be-
low those that should characterize the
great thoroughfare Of the Capital
The drawback to the triangle
Improvement is the existing private
buildings along the north side of the
Avenue from Sixth to Fifteenth streets
In locating the War and Navy De-
partments on Pennsylvania avenue to
the west Of the White House this OBJ
lection can be obviated literally by To-
eating the new buildings on opposite
sides OF that thoroughfare.
There is no justified reflection upon
the owners of the property along PENN
sylvania avenue between the Capitol
and the Treasury for the present ap-
pearance Of that property SO far as II
remains in private hands. The project
for taking the entire southern side,
comprising the area within Pennsyl-
vania avenue and B street. now Con-
stitution avenue, and Second and FIJI
teenth streets-the Mall-Avenue tri-
angle-for public building constructions
originated more than forty years ago
But not for nearly q quarter of q
century was 1t definitely adopted, and
during that period the dead hand"
Of possible Government condemnation
lay upon that area, to discourage and
in effect prevent improvements within
it. and with an equally deterrent ef-
feet upon the property on the north
side Of the Avenue. After the con-
struction Of public buildings in the
triangle was authorized Congress en-
acted law providing that all plans for
future private construction on land
fronting upon Government building
property should be such as to meet
the approval Of the Commission OF
Fine Arts. as in keeping with the en-
v1ronment. This enactment came
shortly before the business depression
which checked private building enter
prise. -'
In the light Of this experience 1t Is
in order to urge that there be no delay
in the adoption Of the plan for the
further acquisition of property for
public building purposes along Pennsyl-
vania avenue west Of the White House
II that is to be the Governments pur-
pose it should be put into execution
promptly. Otherwise there will be q
blighting effect upon private enterprise
IN the upkeep of property in that area
just as there was along Pennsylvania
avenue west Of the Capitol during the
long years Of waiting upon congress
sional action.
The fact that it Is proposed to take
SOeA4 o2ACo VI 1Cl1lloylfdllld dtCIluc WeSt
of Seventeenth street for construction
purposes instead of but one side as on
the Avenue to the east-save for the
space acquired for the Municipal Cen.
ter-does not lessen the obligation
or the necessity of early decision and
definition Of the plan. The possibility
Of appropriation hangs over q wide
area from the moment the project ID
advanced by q public authority. In
the case Of the Mall-Avenue triangle
the delay in decision and action by
Congress, covering a span Of many
years. unquestionably added very
heavily to the final cost. So that q
prompt definition Of the Federal pur-
pose is In the interest of economy as
well as of justice to the owners of the
properties which are inescapably from
this time forward in the shadow Of
possible mortmain.