Evening star., 1937-06-02
ICE SPORTS URGED
FOR AUDITORIUM.
Rink for Hockey Games and
Skaters Asked at
Hearing.

In Secretary Ickes' new air -condi-
toned Interior Department Building,
While the hot June sun beat down
outside, C. Marshall Finnan's Audi
torium Advisory Committee yesterday
afternoon listened to pleas that pro-
visions be made in the projected audi
carnivals, concerts. theatrical produc-
tions, opera. banquets and even cafe
terias, so patrons might enjoy leis-
urely dinner before the events Sched-
uled as the last public meeting before
the committee gets down to writing
its report, the gathering drew five
witnesses, who discoursed principally
on the possibilities for ice skating and
hockey.
Finnan anticipates the report will
be in the hands of Secretary Ickes
National Capital Auditorium Commits
sion around the middle of the month.
The advisory group meanwhile will
hold number of executive sessions
and will receive further suggestions in
writing from interested persons.
Echo of Row.
An echo of the Thomas Jefferson
Memorial row, which provoked such
criticism because of the Tidal Basin
site and the fact that the architect,
John Russell Rope of New York, was
chosen without competition, was in
jected into yesterdays meeting. AL
fred Kastner, architect, who gave his
address as 1920 Massachusetts ave-
nue., declaring that he formerly
worked for the Soviet government,
urged that the design for the audito-
rum here be obtained by competition,
to be held under the American Insti-
tute of Architects. Kastner said he
won the Russian governments first
prize for an auditorium at Khartov
and second prize for the design of the
Palace of the Soviets in Moscow
Kastner told the committee the
should contain provision
for exhibits and displays, and that it
should be flexible as to uses and posi-
Bile to convert into banquet hall, II
necessary.
Plead for Ice Sports.
Russell Arundel and Prev Savoy of
and L. M. Church OF
Philadelphia, an engineer In ice skat-
ing and ice hockey equipment, advo-
Gated that the Advisory Committee
recommend that the auditorium con-
tain adequate provision for skating
and hockey. Savoy emphasized that
an ice rink would not only be self
but aid in defraying the
cost of the auditorium itself He
pointed to the desirability of combin-
ing refrigeration for air conditioning
and for ice skating and hockey.
Arundel, he said, has an option for
an international ice hockey league,
which would give "a home games here
and play for 36 nights in all. This,
he said, would require an arena 2l5
by 100 feet and take up two hours of
playing time each game. He pro-
posed that the committee consider the
of an 100000 corpora
ton by Arundel and his friends, who
would pay rental of $250,O00 over
10 years for lease of the proposed
auditorium facilities on the required
nights. The organization would be
known as the Washington Ice Hockey
Club.
Pleads for Skaters.
The committee heard E. Christo-
pher Meyer, chairman of the Wash
ngton Committee OF Ice Skaters, plead
for the average ice skater, young
and Old He said that Washington
mans now go to Baltimore, 40 miles
away, to skate. He pleaded for $4,000
square feet of refrigerated surface,
an eight-lap track on which Olympic
contests might be held, an ice area
some 375 feet long and $50 feet wide,
hockey rink to cost $4,000. and
skating area to cost $188,00O. He
declared that ice carnival spectacles,
ice races and other events here would
draw great throngs.
meyer, who Is brother of Inter-
state Commerce Commission Member
Balthasar H. Meyer, placed the num-
Der who regularly would patronize a
rink at $500 to 5000. and said that
5000 skaters voluntarily signed n Pc
tition for adequate facilities here.
Finnan remarked that from 5000 to
5000 have been on the rejecting pool
OF the Lincoln Memorial at one time.
Meyer said that 40 cents would seem
a fair charge, although he conceded
to John Nolen, jr, director of plan
ming OF the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, a member
of the committee, that cheaper prices,
down to Is cents admission, would
increase the patronage. Meyer point
ed out that at Bear Mountain, N. Y,
a graduated admission charge prevails
on different days, enabling children to
skate for 10 cents.