Evening star., 1936-01-05
BY |CKES
WILL Be WEIGHED
Planning and Arts Commits
Sions to Decide Pan. Amer.
iCan Annex Dispute.

The controversy between Secretary
Ickes and the Pan-American Union
over construction of the latters annex
at Eighteenth street and Constitu-
ton avenue will be threshed out at
a joint meeting of the National Capt.
tai Park and Planning Commission
and the Fine Arts Commission at the
end of the month. it was learned yes
terday.
The decision to put the matter up
to these two agencies was reached
yesterday at a conference in Secre-
tary of State Hull's office. The Sec
retary is chairman of the Govern
ing Board of the Pan-American
Union.
Ickes had opposed construction Of
the annex on the selected site because
he contended it would obstruct the
view Of the new s10.000,O00 Interior
Department Building being erected at
Eighteenth and c streets.
The two commissions will meet on
January 80 and 81 to discuss the
whole subject of future expansion for
the Pan-American Union.
Congress Gave Authority.
Congress some time ago granted the
Pan-American Union authority to
erect its S650000 annex on the trian-
gular plot bounded by Virginia and
Constitution avenues and Nineteenth
street. That was before Secretary
Ickes decided to build his 100000
structure, block away. The Pan
American Union construction was de-
layed pending the razing of the old
central heating plant and temporary
war-built structure formerly occupied
by the Federal Trade Commission.
Now the ground is cleared and the
land is being used only for automobile
parking.
The Pan-American Union recently
expended $4,000 for construction Of
tunnel beneath Virginia avenue.
leading from it's present headquarters
to the land on which the annex was
projected.
Attending yesterdays conference
with Secretary Hull were DR.. Leo S.
Rowe, director general of the Union;
Frederic A. Delano, chairman of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission. and DR.. Charles Moore.
chairman of the Fire Arts Commis-
sion.
Groups Ask More Time.
A round table discussion was held
and the two commissions asked for
more time to study the complicated
problem.
Secretary Hull was informed the In
terror Department is willing to have
the Pan-American Union use the
ground in controversy as a garden,
but does not want any structure con-
structed to mar the view of its s10,-
100000 building from Constitution
avenue, DIR. Delano said.
One solution to the problem might
be to transfer part of the Aztec Garden
in the rear of the Pan-American Union
Building to the triangular plot just
across Virginia avenue. Just how this
would satisfy the union officials was
not revealed.
Previously Endorsed Plan.
Both commissions previously in
dorsed plans for constructing the an
mex on the disputed piece of ground.
Plans and specifications for the new
building are rapidly nearing compile
ton and the union had proposed to
begin construction in a few weeks.
The two commissions hope to be in
a position to give final answer to
the knotty problem by the end of
the month, meanwhile devoting inten-
sive study to it. The executive officer
Of the Planning Commission is Arno
B. Cammerer, director of the National
Parks Service, a bureau within the
Interior Department Secretary Ickes
wants the annex site under the juris-
diction of the National Parks Service
solely for parks purposes.