Evening star., 1935-08-11
RESERVE BOARD
BUILDINGS PLANS
GET FINAL 0. K.
Arts Commission Makes
Possible Early Start on
New Structure.
TRADE COMMISSION SITE
TO BE VACATED SHORTLY
Fireproof Warehouse Is Leased
to Store Files During Tran
sition Period.

The remaining obstacle in the way
of early construction of the new Gov
ernment building to house the Fed
eral Reserve Board was removed yes
terday with the announcement that
the Fine Arts Commission has official
ly approved the plans virtually without
changes.
Further evidence Of haste in prepa-
rations also was given by officials Of
the National Park Service in taking
steps looking to demolition of the tenn
porary war structure housing the Fed
eral Trade Commission, which occu-
pies the site at Constitution avenue
and Twentieth street on which it is
proposed to erect the Federal Reserve
Building. Negotiations are under way,
1t was said, to relocate the Federal
Trade Commission in suitable quarters
elsewhere.
To put their demolition plans into
execution, the National Park Service
yesterday leased from Woodward &
Lothrop fireproof warehouse located
on the southwest corner of South Cap
itol and D streets. The warehouse will
provide $4,000 square feet of space for
the storage Of files and records taken
from the buildings occupying the pro-
posed sites of the Federal Reserve
Board and the new 0,00o, 900 Interior
Department Building.
Demolition of buildings already is
under way in preparation for the new
Interior Building in the squares
bounded by D and E streets, Eight
zenith and Nineteenth streets. just
south Of the present Interior Building.
Lease Terms Secret.
The procurement division of the
Treasury Department is making the
arrangements for the newly acquired
warehouse and the transfer of rec
ords. The terms OF the lease were
not divulged.
The next step for the Federal Re-
serve Board to take to execute its own
building plans is to select a builder
and award a contract. The board
has its own funds, and is not depend
ent on special allotment being made.
The total cost has not been stated,
but estimates vary up to s5,o00,o00.
Paul p. Cret of Philadelphia, the
architect who vas selected last
Spring, obtained official approval of
his design and plans by the Fine Arts
Commission earlier in the week. He
had competed with eight other archi-
tects who had submitted designs to
jury.
Only one change was deemed nee
essary in the plans, and this in no
way affects the design Of the building
Street to Be Widened.
Due to plans for widening C street,
on which the building will face on
one side, it will be necessary to move
it back eight feet, instead of five feet
beyond the building line on the south
side. Otherwise. it was said. the steps
would come down directly to the side
walk.
Mr.. Cret designed a four STORY
building of white marble, set back of
Constitution avenue on the building
line of the adjacent Public Health
Service Building 1t is described by
Treasury officials as modern but not
modernistic in the classic sense" The
building will be decorated in front by
four great pilaSters of Doric design
and will have fountain on each side.
1t will contain about 5000, 900 cubic
feet of space and will have a garage
in the basement. Officials recently
estimated it would require about 10
months to complete it.
Other plans for expediting demoli-
ton work on the two sites also were
divulged yesterday.
Others to Use Warehouse.
Other units occupying space in
Temporary Building To. 5, where the
Federal Trade Commissic1 1 Is now To-
Gated, are to be transferred to the
newly acquired warehouse. The Of
fees of the Army Quartermaster Corps
located in the building are being
transferred to a building on the north
west corner of Twenty-fourth and M
streets, recently rented by the Gov
eminent.
Destruction of the old Architects
Building, at Eighteenth and E streets,
is being started to make way for clear
ing the site of the new Interior Build
ing. The vacated offices, mostly con-
nected with the Management Division
of the. Rural Resettlement Admins
tration, have been relocated in the
Washington Building, which also
houses the Federal Reserve Board.