Evening star., 1938-12-30
230.Acre Site
Acquired for
Naval Hospital
Check for Lost Of
Medical Center
Property Mailed

Clear title to the last remaining
piece of property in the new Naval
Medical Center site on the Rockville
pike just north of Bethesda, Md,
probably will be acquired within q
few days, it was announced today.
The Office of the Judge Advocate
General late yesterday mailed the
final check in connection with pur-
chase of the site.
1t was disclosed today for the
nrst time that the site, expected to
provide one Of the finest medical
and hospital centers in the country,
will include 230 acres bounded on
the west by Rockville pike, on the
south by the approximate line of
Jones Bridge road and the Columbia
Country Club, on the north by the
estate of George E. Hamilton and
on the east by Rock Creek Park,
except for some intervening private
holdings between the southern part
OF the site and the park.
Must Alter Road.
Minor adjustment of the route of
Jones Bridge road, part of which
now is in the hospital grounds, will
be necessary. Plans for this reloca-
ton have been approved in prin-
ciple by officials of Montgomery
County, Md, and the Navy Depart
ment.
AS finally acquired, the medical
center site has frontage of 2,783
feet along the Rockville pike, from
a point just north of the Jones
Bridge intersection to the lane along
the south boundary of Mr.. Ham
ilton's property.
The site extends eastward approx
mately lat feet along the general
line OF Jones Bridge road and then
about 1,470 feet along the northern
boundary of the Columbia Country
Club golf course.
At the northeast corner the site
has frontage on Rock Creek Park.
A large part of the tract is heavily
forested, particularly in the eastern
half, and is all high, rolling land,
making it what is believed to be one
OF the most healthful locations in
the vicinity Of Washington.
600-Bed Unit Planned.
The Navy Bureau of Yards and
Docks now is completing design
plans for the first building unit a
600-bed hospital so arranged that
it may be expanded in case of emer7
gency, by the addition of two bal
anced wings, to 1900 beds or 1900
beds.
According to present tentative
plans, this building will be located
about 600 feet east of the Rockville
pike, which it will face, in about
the center of the frontage on the
pike. Tentative landscaping and
road plans call for a monumental
approach to the building area from
the Rockville pike.
Directly across the Rockville pike
from the medical center site is the
site of the National Cancer Institute,
on property donated by Mr.. and
Mrs. Luke I. Wilson. This will be
combined with the National Insti-
tute of Health, now completing the
erection of three large buildings. The
combination of the three establish
ments, separated only by the Rock
vile road, is expected to make the
area one of the Nations most i'm
portant medical and health centers
within a few years.
Exceeds Original Site.
The Naval Medical Center site, as
finally acquired, is larger by 16 acres
than the site formally selected by
President Roosevelt last July. His
formal designation of the Bethesda
site followed long search, during
which scores of sites in the District,
Maryland and Virginia were ex-
amined.
A total of S4,850,00 was authorized
by Congress for land acquisition and
design and construction work but
only one-third of the amount so far
has been made available The total
expenditures for land have not yet
been announced. Congress probably
will be asked this winter to appro-
pirate funds for construction of the
first hospital unit.
Actual building plans are being
prepared by the Bureau of Yards
and Docks with the assistance Of
Paul Cret, nationally famed archi-
tect, who is responsible for the de-
signing of a number of Washington