Evening star., 1938-05-26
PLANS REVEALED
FOR WATERFRONT
WORKS PROGRAM
Improvement Details Are
Outlined by Engineer in
Detailed Report.
SECOND STAGE TO BEGIN
WHEN FUNDS ARE READY
Western Halves of Yacht Basins
Nos. l and 2 at Fish Wharf
Will Be Completed.

Improvement of the Washington
Channel water front. begun last month
after years of planning and effort. viii
be carried on progressively in accord
ance with a plan which will cause the
least interference with harbor activi'
ties, Maj. Walter D. Luplow, Army
Corps of Engineers, district Army en-
gineer, said in a report to the Wash
ington Board of Trade. made public
} today by John A. Remon, chairman
of the boards River and Harbor I'm
provement Committee.
When funds become available, Maj
Luplow said in his report, the SECOND
stage of the construction work. as now
contemplated, will be the completion
Of the western halves of yacht basins
Nos. / and 2, on either side of the
Municipal Fish Wharf, at the up
steram end of the channel.
with the present scattered yacht
ing facilities removed from other sec.
tions Of the water front" Maj. LuploW
said, lit is likely that the third stage
of construction work will include one
of the commercial piers. The pier tt
be selected will depend upon certain
developments, the outcome of which Is
as yet indeterminate."
In order to start the project with
as little interference as possible with
existing river activities, Maj. LuploW
explained, construction was begun in
the eastern halves of yacht basins Nos
and 2 with the intention of moving
tenants" into these units, thereby re-
leasing other sections of the water
front for subsequent construction op-
erations.
Maj. Luplow will discuss the pro.
gram at a meeting Of the River anc
Harbor Improvement Committee to.
morrow at 4 pm. in Room 800 of the
Chesapeake g. Potomac Telephone Co
Building.
Reports also will be given by Ear
6app, on the activities of subcommit-
tee studying the problem of future
commerce on the Potomac, and by
Frank Leighton.
Work Began In April.
Ceremonies for the first breaking OF
ground, on the site Of the east half
Of yacht basin No. 2, were held under
the auspices Of the Washington Board
of Trade April 19. An Army dredge
excavated the first clamshell bucket
ful OF material and then proceeded to
the demolition of the old wrecked
wharf downstream of the Municipal
Fish Wharf.
Yacht basin No. 2, in the eastern
half of which work now is in progress,
is downstream of the fish wharf, at
the foot of Tenth and H streets SW.,
and has a frontage of about 305 feet
along Water street. The width of the
basin, toward the channel, will be
about 286 feet.
Yacht basin No. 1, upstream of the
fish wharf, between the foot of Twelfth
and Thirteenth streets S.W., has a
from 'ge along Water street of about
$40 let and width toward the chan
mel vrying from pit to 278 feet.
Ir his report Maj. Luplow reviews
the history of the Washington Chan
mel waterfront projects, the first re-
POT on which was made in 1872.
About 10 reports have been made since
that time, he said.
Through lack of authority and con-
e,ruction and maintenance funds" he
said, 1.-The Washington Channel water
front structures have progressively de-
teriorated to a point where they are
neither slightly nor serviceable for the
purposes for which they exist"
The project of improvement, he said,
twas not only to provide modern and
adequate facilities for yachting and
commerce. but also to provide some
elements of identification at this So
called water gateway to the National
Capital"
Serves Yachting Purposes.
He explained that the upper end Of
Washington Channel, the more shell
tered of the three branches constituting
the local harbor facilities, was set aside
for yachting purposes. which will be
served through construction of the two
yacht basins now in progress and Of a
third, downstream of No. 2. and pos
sibly Of q fourth still farther down.
stream.
The three yacht basins now author
lied, he reported, will have capacity
Of 290 stalls or berthing slips for boats
up to 80 feet long. The fourth yacht
basin, if constructed, will provide for
about 80 additional boats.
The water front downstream from
the area reserved for the fourth yacht
basin, beginning at the foot of Eighth
street S.W., was laid out for five or
six substantial commercial piers for
the use of the bay steamers, excursion
boats, general cargo vessels and the
penal institution transport and fire and
harbor police forces, he reported.
Mai. Luplow outlined plans fol-
widening Of Water street to provide q
service street adjacent to the water
front, divided by parking islands from
q boulevard type Of street paralleline
the water front. Suitable landscape
treatment is to be given the islands
and areas along the bulkhead line, hi
reported.
Colonial Type Buildings.
sAll the buildings for the pier head
houses and yacht basin service build
ings are to be constructed along har.
monious architectural lines which fol.
low a conventional Colonial type, some
examples OF which already exist along
the water 'front.'" Maj. Luplow said ir
his report. "One of these is the munic-
ipal fish wharf and market, which /.
to be retained intact"
Until recently, Maj. Luplow ex'
planned, Jurisdiction over the watel
front has been divided among the
Treasury Department, the Commis'
sioners of the District and the Wal
Department.
The program of improvement Al
now scheduled, he reported, provides
for an eight-year period Of construc'
ton.