Evening star., 1936-11-10
SECURITY BOARD
BUILDING STUDIES
IN FIRST STAGES
New Structure, Predicted
Before Election, Is Needed
More Every Day.
SITE SOUGHT TO EASE
CITY'S HOUSING JAM
High Rents in Northwest Throw
Favor to Other Sections TO-.
Aid Employees.

Tho preliminary studies Of the
probable size, cost and location OF .
new building for the Social Security
Board. predicted before the election
from President Roosevelt's Hyde Park
home, are under way in the Procure.
ment Division Of the Treasury De-
partment.
No conclusions have been reached,
1t was learned, but probabilities are
that following the studies by the
Treasury, in cooperation with the
Social Security Board. National Cap
ital Park and Planning Commission
and others. recommendation will be
framed for presentation to Congress.
No appropriation has been made
yet for construction Of the building,
but with the prospect Of large growth
OF the board It appears certain that
something definite in the matter Will
be developed soon.
Already the Social Security Board
has been requesting more additional
space here, after finding it necessary
to place some Of its work In Balti-
more. Recently announcement was
made that the board will take on sew
eral hundred additional employees.
Several Sites Considered.
Concerning the probable site for
the new building, nothing definite has
been developed, but it Is known, how
ever, that the Park and Planning
Commission has made several recon-
mendations to the Procurement Di-
vision. Observers have expected that
substantial growth Of the Government
probably would extend into either the
northwest area between Seventeenth
street, Constitution avenue, Pennsyl-
vania avenue and the Potomac River;
the southwest triangle south Of the
Mall, or the area south Of the Capitol.
Federal authorities studying the
problem favor Q building south of
the Mall. They argue that, generally,
there is no room in the northwest Sec
ton for "$1, 1,600-a-year Government
clerks" that will form the bulk Of
the new personnel. Consequently,
those having the plans in hand are
looking to development of the south
east and southwest sections for resi-
Dental purposes for those with lesser
incomes.
Locating the new structure south
Of the Mall would enable the areas
east of the Anacostia River to be
built up and would ease the trafic
problem incident to crowding the Fed
eral building downtown. officials said.
Construction Of q new bridge across
the Anacostia River, ut South Capitol
street, would facilitate movement to
the Anacostis area, officials pointed
out. This bridge has long been under
discussion by the Park and Planning
Commission and the Fine Arts Com
mission.
Rectangle Also Studied.
The Planning Commission has been
studying the Northwest Rectangle,
bounded by Constitution avenue, Sew
enteenth street, E street and the
Potomac River, for future Govern
ment buildings, but at this time It
looks IS II only the new War and
Navy Departments will be built there.
A new Naval Hospital is scheduled,
too, but that will be built on the site
of the existing structure.
Clay J. Guthridge. head of the Di-
vision Of Government Space Control
Of the National Park Service, has
been asked by the Social Security
Board to supply upward Of 10000
square feet of space without delay.
But in the congested area around the
Interior Department there is no such
ONCE space immediately available,
the officials say. The only alterna-
tive IS for the Government to 60 In
and buy outright apartment houses
or lease them-and evict the present
tenants, something the officials say
they are loath to do now.
Uncle Sam Is paying an annual
rent bill here Of some $2,500, 900, which
in itself would put up quite q respect
able building, observers assert.
The new Congress probably will be
asked for . new Keyes-Elliott act, to
extend the authority of the Federal
Government for purchasing land
needed for new buildings here and
naming the locations. The Govern
ment has about used up AL the au-
thorixstion given in the original act
and the latest new building to take
advantage Of this Is the Interior De-
partment, which Secretary Ickes ex-
poets to occupy at the start Of the
new year.