Evening star., 1935-02-15
Committee to Recommend
Laying 0ut. of Big
Drill Field.
UNDERTAKING RESTS
ON ADVANCE OF FUNDS
Committee Meets Today to Get
Preliminary Plans in Shape.
Consultants Sought.

The special committee studying
plans for the proposed stadium and
armory at the end of East Capitol
street will recommend laying out of
q big drill field and the stadium be-
fore erection of the armory, it was
disclosed today by c. Marshall Fin
nan, superintendent of National Capt.
tai Parks, head of the committee.
The whole project depends on the
willingness Of Public Works Admins
traitor Ickes to advance the funds. Mr.
1ckes already has allotted $4,000 for
use of the committee in studying the
proposal, but most of this will be ex-
pended to pay experts on per diem
basis.
The committee was to meet today at
2 pm. in the headquarters of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission. in an effort to whip into
shape preliminary plans, as well as
to draft a report to Secretary IckeS
and Arno B. Cammerer, director Of
the National Park Service of the In
terror Department.
Consultants to Be Asked.
The committee proposes to ask Sec
retary Ickes for authority to employ
three conSultantS-an architect, a
landscape architect and an engineer.
While he withheld names of the per-
sons he has in mind as consultants,
Finnan said one Of them is Wash
ingtonian.
The 140 acres on which the Gov
ernment is planning to carry forward
the stadium development and related
projects is owned by the United States
and recently has been transferred by
the United States Engineer Office to
jurisdiction of the National Capital
Parks.
Finnan promised that the District S
National Guard armory. for which
there has long been crying need. will
receive due attention. He said later
the committee probably will confer
with Col. John w. Oehmann. senior
officer in the National Guard, who
also Is. District building inspector.
Requirements of the Guard in its new
building will be discussed, so that the
experts to be retained can predicate
their plans upon these needs.
General and Detail Plans.
If Secretary Ickes authorizes en-
ployment of the consultants, Finnan
explained, general plan, as well as
a detailed plan, will be drawn up by
them. A multitude of questions re-
mains to be considered, including
space for lockers and showers of con-
testantS to take part in sports events
at the stadium. Provision will be
made for swimming, ice hockey.
aquatic events, polo, as we'll as foot
ball, base ball, archery and other
forms of recreation.
The park chief declared that the
committee has abandoned the idea of
q stadium that would overlook the
river. to afford spectators an oppor~
tunity to witness water sports from
their seats. The committee, he said,
found this would place the players
too far away from the spectators.
Consequently, the group has hit upon
the plan of stadium, elliptical in
shape. The whole plant would cover
some 10 or II acres.
At first the authorities were con-
sidering the placing of the armory be-
meath the seats of the stadium. Some
years ago a plan suggesting this was
drawn up by Horace w. Peaslee,
Washington architect. Now, Finnan
said, the armory will possibly be a
separate building. He hopes to be able
to report to Ickes by March l.
Serving with Finnan on the COM
mittee are Maj Paul A. Hodgson, AS
sistant Engineer Commissioner; First
Lieut.. William j. Matteson of the
United States Engineer Office, John
Nolen, jr., director of planning OF the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission; John L. Nagle, National
Park Service engineer, and Thomas
C. Vint, chief architect of the branch
Of plans and design, National Park
Service.