Evening star., 1937-01-10

repair Of public buildings. At the
close Of next year about $500 Federal
buildings, having an investment value
OF $600,000,000, all Of which are out
side the District Of Columbia, will be
under the care of this branch. The
National Park Service is responsible
for the repair of buildings within the
District, with the exception of the
Treasury buildings and its annexes
and the legislative group on "the
HILL" which is under the supervision
of David Lynn, architect of the
Capitol.
Within its second function-the
construction of public buildings-this
branch has complete charge of ac-
| quiring the land, making the designs
and experimenting the construction
of new public edifices, both within
and outside of Washington except
the legislative group, that are to be
used for post offices, court houses,
customs houses, general Office build
ings, quarantine stations, marine hos
| pitals, immigration stations, Coast
Guard air stations and border inspec-
| ton stations and also some special
buildings for bullion repositories.
mints or assay offices. Their activi-
ties do not include plans or construc-
| ton of barracks or War Department
quarters, nor Veterans Bureau hos
pitals, nor those buildings Of the In
terror Department that house Ma
tional Park or Indian Service.
At present this active branch of
procurement is engaged in construc-
ton as follows: Since 1888 there have
been 1,545 projects authorized for new
construction, with limits of cost of
approximately 100000. OF that
number they have completed 507 cost
ing about s49,000,000; they have $40
under contract, costing about S140,-
900 600; they have SO for which draw
ings have been completed and for which
they are now getting bids, costing
about $40 ,000, 900; they have ION the
boards" or in the hands of designers
and architects 1872 projects, costing
about s64 100000 and 81 projects for
which sites have not as yet been Sc
cured. costing about sl7.oO0,0O0.
IN THIS connection one must men,
ton the unique sample room"
which is on the fifth floor of the
Procurement Building. Here are as
sembled by various manufacturers.
whose names are not mentioned in
connection, representative samples of
variety OF building materials in
much the same fashion that pictures
are displayed in galleries. With this
exception, that here the rooms of the
gallery are formed of the materials
themselves. There are rooms devoted
to display of clay products, of terra
Gotta. tile and glazed brick. There
are rooms for display of exterior stone
and interior marble; and metal rooms
displaying stainless steel and alum
mum. There are rooms for display of
structural glass and various woods.
Here on wall, ceiling or floor, archi-
tects connected with the Public Build
Alleo ID dllSll vi 1Aldy oCC
the building material in actual use, so
that this section becomes sort of
reference room for architects and con-
tractors. 1t is also open to visitors
| and private architects or builders
When sites have been acquired, bids
opened and awards recommended, and
the question of availability of funds
determined, contract is granted A
| suggestion design for the proposed
building Is submitted by the archi-
tectural Staff-which in some in
| stances is assisted by outside archi-
tects or artisans-to an advisory COM
mittee of architectural design, COM
posed of four nationally known archi-
tects from different sections of the
country, and to the supervising archi-
tect. When this is approved, what are
known as cabinet sketches" are made
These are designs to be submitted to
the cabinet member who is in charge
of the Government department for
whose use the building is designed
With his authorization the plans are
drawn up and details Of design worked
out for final construction.
Painters, architects, sculptors, and
many other representatives of the arts
form the personnel of this division
but art work is not confined to en-
ployes of the division, it is obvious
| When matters of paintings, mural
decorations, sculpture or allied decora-
| tive work are projected, the finest
artists of this country have an oppor-
tunity to enter bids for the work. The
high artistic merit of the group Of
buildings that makes up the Federal
Triangle, for example, is witness OF
the fact that the Procurement Divi-
sion of the Treasury has been content
with nothing but the finest the art
world can offer, when it comes to oul
public structures.
Not only in Washington, but the
length and breadth of the land, the
same story is told, from the little
adobe postoffice for small California
town, to the simple brick hospital with
pitched roof defying the SHOWS of New
England-beauty, and suitability OF
our public structures. From converting
Army overcoats into little snow suits
for Indian pappooses, to the embellish-
ment of the pediments of the Archives
Building Is big step. Yet these
functions, and many between, fall
within the scope of the Procurement
Division of the United States Treasury.
| Cbouo;sts Rucv