Evening star., 1935-08-09
COURT BUILDING
DEFEAT DEPLORED
/. BY CITY OFFICIALS
RemodeIing for Accounting
Office HaIts Plan for
Judiciary Structure.
APPEAL is PRESSED
FOR LOANS FROM P.W.A.
Funds Sought for Construction
of Homes for Minor Tri-
bunals in Square.

District officials today deplored the
fact their hopes for eventual con-
struction Of new home for the
District Supreme Court on the site
of the old Pension Office have been
shattered by the action of Congress
in appropriating s4,7o0,00O for the
renodeling Of the building for the
General Accounting Office.
Engineer Commissioner Dan I. Sui
tan and Municipal Architect Nathan
c. Wyeth both stressed that all Fed
eral and District planning experts had
agreed the site was the proper place
for a future new home for the Dis
trict Supreme Court. This would COM
plete the Judiciary Square group OF
buildings designed to house District
court activities.
Meanwhile, judges Of Police and
Municipal Courts, District officials and
leaders of the bar prepared TO renew
an appeal to Public Works Admins
traitor Ickes for allotment of funds on
a loan basis for building in Judiciary
Square three new buildings for the
minor courts. 1t is planned to send
new representations to Ickes showing
the need for the loans.
Authorized to Ask Loans.
Congress at this session enacted a
bill authorizing the District to apply
to the public works administrator for
funds for the building of a new Juve-
nile Court, Municipal Court and Po-
lice Court in Judiciary Square. Pre-
liminary plans already have been
sketched by Wyeth, and the Commis-
sionerS have asked Ickes for a loan o.
So 100000 to cover the cost. This i
under the general authority of tn,
District P. w. A. loan enabling act.
Ickes recently stated at press cor
ference he did not see how he coul
find funds for the purpose, but Dis
trict officials hope way may yet
found and do not believe the door ha
been finally shut.
This program Of the Commissioner
was a part Of their decision that I'll
present Municipal Center site was en-
tirely too expensive a plan and the:
/ propose to sell tc the Federal Govern
ment the lower half of the site be
tween Third and Sixth streets.
Ample room for development of a
new City Hall in the northern hal
of this site would remain to meet Dis
trict government space needs up Il
1890, it has been calculated. The ef-
feet of such a plan would be to max.
a deep slash Il. the cost Of buildin
the new District government home.
Col. Sultan, discussing the ruptur,
of the District courts building pla,
by provision for remodeling the or
Pension Building, said
This is most unfortunate, since
will perpetuate a Government Us
really not suitable to the courts 10
I cation"
Wyeth said it might mean the Pre-
posed new District Supreme Coul
Building could not be built in tn
place of the remodeled Pension Build
ing for perhaps as long as 100 years
Endorsed by Commission.
Plans for remodeling the Pension
Building were indorsed by the Fin,
Arts Commission, but District official
said this occurred before they ha.
proposed building of the new three
minor courts buildings in JudiciarE
Square. That project, and the pro
posed eventual new home for the Dis
/ trict Supreme Court, have been ap
proved by the Fine Arts Commisslo lor
Emphasis is placed on the argu
ment that the District Supreme Cour
now is crowded, and that in futur
years provision must be made fC
larger quarters. With remodeling
! the OLD Pension Building into a per
manent home for the General Ac
counting Office it might prove necs>
Sary for the District to build a nel
home for the Supreme Curt on tn,
lower half of its Municipal Center
site, thereby disrupting hopes for SELL
ing this to the Federal Government
for a home for some Federal depart
ment.
1t has been the hope OF District Of
ficialS that the General Accounting
Office or some other Federal depart
ment would ask Congress to buy the
lower half of the Municipal Center
site as the place for Federal housing
there
The Washington Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects to-
day threw its support solidly behind
the movement to gain funds for con-
struction of new homes for the three
minor courts in Judiciary Square.
Arthur B. Heaton. chapter presi-
dent, declared the present Police ard
Municipal Court Buildings are "a
disgrace to any respectable city, espe-
cially the Nations Capital. being in
sanitary, poorly ventilated and ex-
tremely inadequate in size" He said
the chapter urges every effort be
made to obtain funds for the new
buildings. Heaton declared proper
justice cannot be given under such
deplorable conditions that now exist"