Evening star., 1935-06-23
Condemnation Papers Filed
in $4,000, 900 Housing
Plan in Southwest.
13-ACRE TRACT Is
NEAR WAR COLLEGE
Flats and Row Houses Will Be
Built on Site of Old
Buildings.

The 100000 slum clearance prof.
ect for Southwest Washington. an
nounced yesterday by Public Works
Administration Ickes simultaneously
with the filing in District Supreme
Court of condemnation proceedings
against a 13-acre tract near the Army
War College, is expected to convert
one the the city's typical colored slum
areas into a model housing subdivi-
sion, with spacious lawns, recreation
grounds and gardens surrounding at
tractive, sanitary dwellings
The row houses and flats Of the
project will be grouped in attractive
courts, with the buildings occupying
only about "a per cent of the land,
it was explained by the Public Works
Administration Housing Division. The
greater part of the ground area will
be devoted to front and rear yards,
garden and open recreation space.
The row houses will have front and
rear porches and even the tenants in
the fats will have garden space in
which to grow vegetables and flowers.
The entire project, covering the area
bounded by M. P, One-Half and Canal
streets southwest, will provide 26 two
room flats; 230 three-Toom fats; 70
four-Soom fats; 81 four-room row
houses and 100 four-and-flve room
row houses. This will make available
a total of 1900 rooms in SOB living
units.
Minimum Rents.
The combination of row houses and
flats was determined on by the Hous-
ing Division as making possible mini
mum rents. Such arrangement, it
was explained, will cut ground main
tenance and other maintenance
charges below the level required by
straight apartment buildings and also
will enable tenants to cultivate small
family gardens in their rear yards.
The whole area will be carefully land
scaped.
Preliminary studies indicate group
heating systems will be installed, it
was announced. All dwellings will be
completely fireproof and will have full
kitchen and bath room equipment,
kitchen stoves and refrigerators.
Under the contemplated plan the
tenants will pay a single rental fee
and this will cover all equipment.
heating, hot water, refrigeration and
fuel for cooking.
The project has been indorsed by
the National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, the housing di-
vision announced, and will be fitted
into the general plans for the de-
velopment of the City of Washington.
The Washington Committee on Hous-
ing, an advisory group of prominent
local citizens, headed by Clarence
Phelps Dodge, president of the Wash
ington Community Chest, has been
consulted on the project and is partici-
pating in the development of plans,
Public Works Administrator Ickes an
nounced. The p. W. A. officials also
have consulted with District officials
and with the alley dwellings authority
of the District.
Rents for the houses and fats will
be determined by the final cost, it
was announced, and will be scaled to
return the Federal Governments
financing over a period of As years.
SIumS to Go.
The dwellings to be demolished to
make way for the new housing project
represent typical Washington Negro
slums," the P. w. A. chief explained.
The houses are old, outmoded, and
in advanced stages OF disrepair," Ad-
miniStrator Ickes said. Sanitary
conditions are bad, and occupants are
forced to live in cramped quarters with
little light and air. In direct contrast,
the new housing will be placed to af-
ford maximum circulation of air and
plenty Of light, with rooms arranged
for convenience and privacy. Modern
methods of construction will be used
to provide we'll built, highly sanitary
dwellings,"
Except for rough preliminary pencil
sketches of the general layout of the
area, no plans have yet been drafted
for the project, it was said. Drawing
of general site plans for street layout,
general arrangement Of the living
units and other details will be under
taken at once, preparatory to archi-
tectural planning for the buildings
themselves.
The Justice Department filed the
condemnation proceedings against the
13-acre site, which is in sight of both
the Capitol and the Army War College.
1t was explained by P. w. A. Of
(See SLUMS, Page 2)