Evening star., 1938-06-26
PLANS PICTURED :
FOR AREA NORTH
OF LINCOLN SHRINE
Drawings Include Proposed
New $26, 900, 900 Home
of War Department.
FIVE HISTORICAL BOATS
TO ANCHOR IN RIVER
Navy Building and Museum Also
Listed in Sketches Released
by Treasury.
By WILL p. KENNEDY,

How the section of Washington lust
north Of the Lincoln Memorial will
look at some future day Is revealed
in some birds-eye sketches of the
proposed development of the area re-
leased yesterday by Rear Admiral
Christian ]. Peoples. director Of the
Procurement Division of the Treasury
Department.
The drawing shows the projected
new s26,000,0 900 building for the War
Department and the contemplated
new Navy Department Building that
would face the Potomac River.
In front OF the latter, which Is to
face west on the bend of the river
adjoining the Titanic Memorial, will
be Naval Museum. and of -shore
are to be moored the Navy's five most
historical vessels for permanent ex-
hibition. These are the Constitution,
the Constellation. the Hartford. Olym-
pia and the yacht America.
President Roosevelt has personally
sponsored the plan to give these hero
craft" permanent home in the Capt.
tai, where they could be visited by
school children from all over the coun-
try. The Olympia was Admiral Dewey's
flagship in Manila Bay. brought
home the body of the Unknown SOL
dier. and is now at the Philadelphia
Navy Yard. The yacht America was
first to win the International Cup
race and is tied up at the Naval Acad-
emy. The Hartford, Admiral Far.
ragut's flagship at the battle Of Mo-
bile Bay, the first steam vessel Of
the Civil War, is at the Charleston
IS. c. Navy Yard. The old sailing
vessel, the Constellation, is at the
training school at Newport, r. I. The
"old frigate" Constitution, otherwise
known as "Old Ironsides," Is at the
Boston Navy Yard
Funds Appropriated.
The improvement of entire section
adjoining Potomac Park on the north
has been carefully planned in con-
nection with the architects drawings
for the first unit Of the War Depart
ment group and the acquisition Of the
entire site for the two buildings. Con-
gress appropriated $4,000 900, with an
authorization of $108lS.000 for the
first unit, which will really be an
annex when the larger building is
erected. On the accompanying sketch
this structure is No. 6, the War De-
partment annex.
An important landscape feature in
development of this area Is the re-
routing Of New York avenue, with a
park where it intersects with Virginia
avenue. midway between Twentieth
and Twenty first, and E streets.
This park will be just north Of the
new Federal Reserve Building and be-
tween the new Interior Department
Building and the proposed War De-
partment Building New York avenue
now runs at an angle of approximately
80 degrees from the north-south line,
while the new New York avenue will
be approximately so degrees from the
north-south line. This rerouted ave-
nue. would run through the site of
the existing Washington Auditorium
Building.
These studies disclose that an an
mex building for the new Interior
Building is planned. to be located on
the east side of the new part at the
intersection of New York and Vir-
ginia avenues. with the first unit of
the War Department on the west side
Of the park. The first unit Of the
War Building is to be erected north
of the National Academy of Science
Building, while the proposed annex
for the Interior Building will be north
Of the Public Health Building. Twen-
ty-second street is to be closed be-
tween c and D streets and q new
north and south street is to be
opened between c and D streets, ex-
tending north to Virginia avenue and
between the present line Of Twenty
second street and Twenty-first street.
1t is in the large new square between
c and D. Twenty-third and this new
street that the second and larger War
Department Building is to be even-
tually erected, with wings extending
to the east to match the wings ex-
tending west from the Interior Build
ing.
lAI INICClS.
The Procurement Division is now
going ahead with the $3.000,000 ap-
propriated by Congress to purchase
the site for both War Department
buildings. an area which now includes
five apartment buildings-the Boule-
| ward, Riverside. Mayfair, Potomac and
Corcoran Courts, as well as the Briggs
School and playground In all. this
property comprises 141 parcels, or
400, ,404 square feet. OF this, 60,135
| square feet is Government owned.
The probable cost of the entire site is
estimated to approximate $4,000, 900.
In this site Is included one Of the
very few remaining horse fountains
in the District, on D street near
Twenty street and Virginia ave-
| nue..
Shortly after the first Of the year
the Procurement Division expects to
be able to advertise for bids for the
first building, the estimated cost Of
construction being $6,145,000. It Is
to be approximately $50 by 3l2 feet
while the second building will be
roughly four times as large, approxi-
mately 470 by 563 feet. About IS
(see PLANS, Page B-2)