Evening star., 1935-04-14
PYLON OPPOSITION
FINDS CONTRACTS
ALREADY SIGNED
Park and Planning Group
Sees Project Only as
Traffic Menace.
TREASURY KEPT IDEA
TO SELF, BODY STATES
Contends It Was Never Officially
Notified of Kiosks to Mark
Entrances.

Park and Planning COMMISSION yes
terday afternoon reaSserted its oppo-
sition to the erection of pylons and
kiosks by the Treasury Department in
the Triangle, doubt exists as to
whether such action will prove effec-
tive, inasmuch as contracts for them
already have been signed.
After viewing the sample pylons at
Constitution avenue and Fourteenth
street, the commission voted to op-
pose erection of permanent ones on
the ground that they serve no useful
purpose and are menace to traffic
The motion was made by Chairman
King of the Senate District Commit
tee, who is an exofficio member of
the planning body. At the same time,
the planners voted to thank the
Treasury Department for its courtesy
in erecting in cloth and wood the
sample pylons to enable them to Wis
ualize the finished granite columns
the better
The pylonS are ''monstroSities," in
the opinion of Senator King, who said
he was going to protest to Govern
ment officials, and also call the queS-
tion to the attention of the District
Committee when it meets.
The District Commissioners have
joined with the Planning Commission
in opposing the pylonS, the planners
said yesterday, and Col. Daniel L.
Sultan, Engineer Commissioner, an
other exoficio member of the PLAN
ming group, also voted against them.
The Planning Commission contended
that it was never officially advised
by the Treasury Department of the
plans for the kiosks and pylons, al
though plans for the new Government
buildings in the Triangle had been
passed upon by them.
Contract Already Signed.
The supervising architects Office,
Procurement Division of the Treasury
Department. has entered into con-
tract with the Industrial Fireproofng
Co. for S64,974 for the work. Under
the plan there are to be eight pylons
and two kiosks marking the entrance
to the Federal domain represented by
the Government buildings in the
triangle. The foundations of some OF
these have already been finished,
authorities said, between the curbing
and sidewalk at Fourteenth street and
Constitution avenue, Fourteenth and
E streets and at Twelfth street and
Constitution avenue. The pylons, to
be of granite, are to be 26 feet high,
while lion head fountains will pe
featured at the kiosks. Bennett, Par
sons and Frost, Chicago architects,
designed both pylons and kiosks.
The first two kioSkS would be
erected on Tenth street, one near the
Department of Justice and the other
near the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Their bases will be % by II feet and
they will have shafts II by 9 feet,
rising a dozen feet above the sidewalk.
In an effort to prevent repetition
of this lack of knowledge on what the
Treasury Department is doing here,
the Planning Commission voted to
write to Secretary Morgentau and ask
him to name representative OF the
supervising architects office to serve
on its co-ordinating committee.
Bridge Policing Sought.
The commission directed its secre-
tary, Thomas S. Settle, to call a con-
ference of the District Commission
ers the National Park Service, the
Planning Commission and officials OF
Arlington County, Va, to devise
proper method of policing the bridge
head of Key Bridge at RosSlyn, Va.
The commission has had numerous
complaints that this area has not
been patrolled satisfactorily. 1t is con-
sidered likely that the United states
Park Police, who now patrol the
Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Will
be called upon to patrol the Key
Bridge head as we'll.
Commission members decided to give
further study to the recreation pro-
gram. providing for IL new swimming
pools for white and for colored per-
sons, submitted yesterday by t. c.
Jeffers, landscape architect member OF
its staff. These would be built in
various parts of the city, but the exact
locations were not made public. In the
projected program number OF skat-
ing Kinks was included.
The commission emphasized a new
swimming pool should be built in East
Potomac Park, at the abandoned
United States Engineer wharf, near the
railroad embankment, to replace the
pool on the Washington Monument
grounds, to be torn down shortly. This
would serve much the same population
as is new served by the pool at Seven
teenth street and Constitution avenue,
slated for demolition.
Bridge Hearing to Be Asked.
Mai. Gen. Edward M. Markham,
chief of Army Engineers, at the COM
missions suggestion will ask Maj.
Robert w. Crawford, district. engineer
for the War Department for the Wash
ington area, to call a hearing soon on
projected new bridge at Gunston Cove
on the Potomac River. This is part Of
a park project to carry a riverside
drive southwark from Mount Vernon,
passing Fort Belvoir and Gunston
Hall, Va.
Further study was directed by the
commission on a proposal to utilize
the abandoned Sixteenth street reser-
voir, at Kennedy street, for recreational
purposes, as we'll as the grounds OF the
tuberculosis Hospital at Thirteenth
and Allison streets. The staff will con-
slider detailed plans for these areas,
which were inspected on Friday after
noon by the commission.
Representative Maverick. Democrat,
of Texas, appeared before the commits
sion to urge that it give attention to
the possibility of creating sites where
high school children might camp at
reasonable rates. The Representative,
vho comes from San Antonio, has been
interested in this movement in his
locality He thinks Washington affords
a great opportunity for such camps.
inasmuch as there are so many high
school children visiting the city. Thk
commission instructed Its staff to study
tha foo cihilitv