Evening star., 1933-12-29
Ickes Unexpectedly Author
ICES S2,300,000 for More
Treasury Space.
EDIFICE WILL OCCUPY
BLOCK IN TRIANGLE
Program Expected to Furnish
1000 Man-Months of Labor.
Rent Saving Forecast.

allOIulenL.
Announcement Of this unexpected
lie works administrator, who explained
that plans for the construction art
nearing completion and 1t Is estimated
that more than IL 900 man months Of
employment will be created by the prof.
ect." The new structure will be LOCATED
on the block bounded by Tenth ant
Eleventh streets. Pennsylvania avenue
and street.
Overcrowded Treasury Department
conditions moved the Public Works Ad-
ministration to authorize the 81 300 ,00C
program without delay. The supervis-
ing architects Office of the Treasury Is
expected to call for bids soon so the
present buildings may be torn down or
the site of the Internal Revenue ex-
tension and the new edifice constructed
Offices Overcrowded.
Secretary Ickes, in stressing the need
for the additional public building i'm
mediately, said:
The extension was deemed necessary
since the Treasury Department, because
Of its increased activities, is confronted
with a serious demand for additional
space. 1t was stipulated the construc-
ton must conform with the plan for
developing the Capital.
In the main Treasury Building, par
ticularly, Offices are overcrowded. and
used as working quarters by the per-
sonnel.
"A number of Treasury Department
Offices are now operating in rented
quarters and in some cases in two
separate buildings. 1t Is intended that
the new building will permit concentra-
tion of many Of the activities now In
temporary locations.
The extension, which will provide
10000 square feet of floor space, was
proposed for the block east of the old
Post Office Building" said the Sec
retary.
Plans for the new building will be
laid before the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, the Fine
Arts Commission and the Board of
Architectural, Consultants of the
Treasury Department, in keeping with
usual practice.
Adds to Triangle Plan
Erection of this building will carry
forward another major step In the
downtown Triangle development. No
plans have been announced for the
demolition of the old Post Office De-
partment, in the near future, when
the new building for that arm of the
Government, nearing completion at
Twelfth street and Pennsylvania ave-
nue., is occupied in the Spring. The
extension of the Bureau of Internal
Revenue will fit in architecturally with
the present Bureau, which stands as the
first unit in the Triangle TO be occupied
and has been in operation for the past
couple of years. Eventually. when the
old Post Office Department Building is
torn down, there will be a new struc-
ture. directly to the west of the ex-
tension, forming part of the easterly
rim of the Grand Circle development,
near Twelfth street and Pennsylvania
avenue.
At the Treasury Department 1t wa:
explained construction Of the new part
Of the Internal Revenue Bureau Build
ing will be rushed with all speed reason
able with proper building practice. No.
tice to vacate will be served soon or
occupants of buildings in the square
and according to present prospects II
is likely that the contracts for demoli-
ton, foundations and superStructure
will be in separate contracts.
Space Not Allocated.
Although the units to occupy this
new structure have not yet been spe-
ciflcally decided, there is much need fol
it Among the agencies to use the
space probably will be the Internal
Revenue Bureau, the Bureau Of Indus
trial Alcohol, the Bureau of Customs
and the Bureau Of Narcotics.
Meantime progress now can be made
in the program of reconditioning the
top floor of the Treasury Building, some
Of the funds for which were allocated
some time ago, with more being pro-
vided by ALLEGATION late yesterday from
P. w. A. funds.
Allotment of funds yesterday to the
Treasury included $96,500 to be used
for replacing three slow, antiquated
elevators and extending them to the
fourth floor, and for cleaning and re-
partment Building. OF this, 100000 is
for the elevator replacement and $36,50O
for repairing and cleaning the dingy
exterior of the building.
The elevators to be replaced are the
three main largest elevators on the Fiji
teenth street side Of the building near
the F street entrance.
The Treasury sometime ago received
an ALLEGATION Of $4,000 for recondi-
tioning the fourth floor Of the Treas
ury Building, which originally was at
tic space, and has never been COM
pleteiy modernized for Office A few
years ago the roof was lifted to pro-
vide additional space for the old Office
Of supervising architect, which since
has become the Public Works Branch
of the Procurement Division Of the
Treasury Department. But the space
is badly cut up, with no adequate cor
ridors in some parts, and no corridors
at all in other sections. The fourth
floor Is to be entirely made over into
good Office space, and air conditioned
so as to be a liveable place to work In
hot weather Of the Summer. The heat
has become so terrific directly under
the roof during past Summers that per-
sonnel has had to be dismissed on hot
days.
Branch to Move.
The Public Works Branch Of the
Procurement Division Is to be moved
from the fourth floor Of the Treasury
to the Federal Warehouse, in South
west Washington, between Eighth and
Ninth street, near the railroad track
But before it can be moved there, one
Of the activities in the warehouse, the
Division of Supply OF the Treasury De-
partment, is to be moved into tempo
rary quarters elsewhere, until the new
addition is built to the warehouse, when
1t will be moved back.
The Division Of Supply, OF which
L. c. Spangler Is chief, viii be trans
ferred to rented warehouse space II
the Leary BuildineH at Twenty-fourth