Evening star., 1935-04-26
ARTS BODY FAV0RS
JUDICIARY SQUARE
PROGRESS STUDIES
Commission Also Urges New
Chain Bridge Be Con-
structed.
SPAN TO BE IN HARMONY
WITH PARKS is ASKED
Mere Steel Girder Utilitarian
Structure Would Not Be
Enough, 1t Feels.

Indorsing progress studies for the
new Police. Municipal and Juvenile
Court Buildings in Judiciary Square.
submitted by Nathan C. Wyeth.
municipal architect, the Fine Arts
Commission today also went on record
as favoring an adequate new Chain
Bridge, in keeping with the char
acter of the George Washington
Memorial Parkway in that section Of
the Potomac River Valley.
The Police Court, Municipal Court
and Juvenile Court designs all are
similar to the District Supreme Court
Building, the early Federal classical
type of architecture. The Police
Court would be built between E and
F streets along Fifth: the Municipal
Court would be erected between and
F streets on Fourth street. and the
Juvenile Court Building. which would
also house the recorder of deeds
office. would be constructed northeast
of the Supreme Court Building to
balance the District Court Of Appeals
structure.
The commission praised Wyeth's
work as far as the plans have been
developed. Further studies will be
necessary. The commission hopes
Congress soon will enact legislation
enabling them.
Steel Girder Span Not Enough.
Concerning the new Chain Bridge,
the commission made it definite 1t
would not be satisfied with steel
girder utilitarian bridge spanning the
river. No design has as yet been sub
mitted to the Fine Arts Commission,
the question still being in the discus
sion stage II the new Chain Bridge
is to be constructed on the location
of the present structure, the Fine Arts
Commission says it should be low
level bridge of park character. har-
monizing with the Francis Scott Kew
Bridge in Georgetown and in keeping
with the George Washington Memo
rial Parkway. which will run SOUTH
ward from Great Falls to Mount Ver-
non. Va, and Fort Washington. Md.
H. P. Caemmerer, the commissions
executive secretary. said many think
the bridge should be kept at the same
site. Nearby islands should be given
landscape treatment to preserve the
park atmosphere of the area. he said.
If a high-level bridge is to be erected
farther up the Potomac River. Caem-
merer declared, it would be 1900 feet
long. The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission has advocated
such a span carrying U. S. Route No.
/ southwark. after traversing the line
of Western avenue.
Wants More Than 100000.
Should the high-level bridge ulti-
mately be built, Mr.. Caemmerer as
I'D, it should be of appropriate de-
sign. connecting with parkway drives
on the Palisades. The commission. he
said. deprecates any such allotment
as $500 900, feeling this would not do
justice to the George Washington Me-
mortal Parkway. for which Congress
has made provision. The Key Bridge.
he recalled. cost $1.000.000 and the
new Chain Bridge should be of similar
design.
In accord with its traditional
policy. the commission vigorously op-
posed the erection Of any abattoirs
in Greater Washington-which in.
cludes Alexandria, Va, where an at
tempt recently was made to secure
permission to erect a slaughter house
near the Mount Vernon Memorial
Highway If abattoirs must be con-
structed in this locality, the COM
declared. they should be built
as far as possible from the metro
politan area, so as not to detract
from the monumental character of the
National Capital and depreciate the
by the Federal Government.
The long-standing battle over the
utility bridges that are to connect
the Department of Agriculture with
the new ExtenSible Building to the
south. spanning Independence ave-
nue., apparently reached the settle
ment stage yesterday.
The commission approved plans sub
mitted by Louis A. Simon, super
vising architect of the Procurement
Division, Treasury Department. These
provide for two single-arch bridges
at the height of the second stories of
the two buildings to be connected.
Provision is made for the erection of
memorial tablets in the utility bridges
honoring agricultural pioneers of the
The so-called scheme
A" received commission Endorsement.