Evening star., 1934-06-29
BUILDING
GETS S10,0()0,0DO
IckeS kIIotS Sum for Struc-
ture Just South of Pres
ent Quarters.

The new Interior Department Build
ing will be constructed out Of $l0,-
900 900 ALLEGATION of public works
funds made by Secretary Harold L.
Ickes on a previously announced site
just south of the present building.
In announcing the allotment, Sec
retary Ickes said the new building will
be 'utilitarian in character, rather
than ornamental" 1t will not oe as
large as the Commerce Building. and
the architects have been warned to
avoid the mistakes of the past that
have made some Federal buildings q
source of wonder. but at the same
time of despair to visitors who try to
find their way about.
The new building will be six or
seven stories high. the top story set
back. 1t will face to the south. 'front.'
ing en- c street, between Eighteenth
and Nineteenth streets, and will ex-
tend to E street. just across RawlinS
Park from the existing Interior Build
ing. 1t will be connected with the
present building by tunnels which will
enable employees TO walk under the
park from one building to the other.
Will Reduce Rent Bills.
Secretary Ickes said the new build
ing will not solve the Government S
space problem in the District of CO.
lumbia, but will add materially in
meeting the demands for Office space
and in reducing the Government S
rent bill. which is now running close
to $l,500,000 a year. The National
Park Service, which will supervise the
structure, recently reported the Gov
ernment was occupying space in 49
buildings in Washington for which
rent was being paid. The Govern
ment was paying $l,365, $50 a year for
the rental of 1,637,0S7 square feet of
space in these buildings on March /.
Since then it has become necessary to
rent more space to keep pace with the
expansion of governmental activities.
The new Interior Building, it was
said, will provide about TOO, 900 square
feet of additional space 1T will be
designed" said Secretary Ickes, "as
a place in which public business may
be transacted, with every facility and
modern convenience for workers. 1t
will be a fitting and appropriate
architectural production, but undue
ornateness and magnificent doo-dads
will be eliminated"
Room for $500 Workers.
About 5000 employees will be ac-
commodated in the building. smaller
and less expensive than the Com
merce Building, which cost s17,OOO,-
900. 1t will be built Of stone. There
will be a main wing, running north
and south the entire length Of the
building, with five cross wings extend
ing east and west.
Secretary Ickes justified the ex-
penditure of $10,000,000, previously
ear-marked for the purpose by the
following statement:
If no other reason we're assigned
the increased efficiency and money
saved by having unlimited Govern
ment units under one roof would be
sufficient. Today. many of the ma
jor departments are scattered among
as many as 10 to IS buildings, many
of which are widely separated and
in character are old buildings, fac
tory-type space and quarters that no
commercial organization would oc-
cupy.
While there has been, in the last
four or five years, considerable public
building in Washington, the Federal
Government is still seriously handi-
capped by inadequate housing condi-
tions which interfere with the proper
functioning of public business. Sweat
shop conditions actually prevail in
some offices due to disgraceful over
crowding
Offices Widely Scattered.
"A notable example of this is the
Department of the Interior. The Bu-
reau of Mines of that department is
occupying five buildings spread from
Ninth street to Eighteenth street,
nearly a mile apart. The department
itself is scattered in nine buildings.
Inc COHulIlon VI many oliici ucPalI-
ments is similar"
Secretary Ickes said the new In
terror Building would mean yearly
saving of $346,000 on a $4,000. 900
investment, or a total saving in 40
years of about s14,000,000. This esti-
mate, exclusive of the cost of the
land which would be considered as
an investment for the Government, Is
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