Evening star., 1939-04-11
Locating the Armory


trict Appropriations has recon-
mended that the proposed National
Guard Armory be placed in South
west Washington instead of at the
foot of East Capitol street, where the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission thinks it should be
erected, the apparent reason for this
surprising change being the conten-
ton that the Guard Armory would
be "barn-like" structure, utilized
principally as warehouse" That
is a new conception of the armory,
both as to function and location.
Planning for the orderly develop
ment of city the size of Washing
ton requires the services of experts.
That is why Congress saw fit to Gre
ate such important agencies as the
Park and Planning Commission and
the Fine Arts Commission. Both of
these groups, after diligent study of
present and future expansion trends,
have become convinced that the
time has come to take definite steps
toward Federal development of the
generally neglected areas to the east
of the Capitol. A comprehensive
program of Identification has been
worked out for East Capitol street
and adjacent territory, with sites
tentatively reserved for a number of
imposing structures.
One of the major units in the East
Capitol program, as conceived by the
planners, was a combined recrea-
tional stadium and armory project
Of splendid proportions and attrac-
tive appearance. Here, said experts,
was an ideal site for such an under
taking-away from the congestion of
downtown Washington, yet conven-
lent of access, susceptible of large
scale landscaping treatment and
blessed with the advantage of ample
parking space for automobiles. Best
of all, the Government already has
title there to several squares of land
admirably adapted to stadium and
armory purposes.
Ignoring these factors the House
subcommittee would attempt to
squeeze the big armory-and it must
be a big one if it is to meet COM
pletely the purposes of the military
organizations which will use it-into
the already built-up and quite con-
gested area south and west of the
Capitol. The House group has al
lotted $150,00O for purchase of site
in that area. In this section large
sites already have been allocated to
such new buildings as those planned
for the Social Security Board, the
Railroad Retirement Board and the
Census Bureau-all of which prob
ably will need room for future ex-
pansion. Apparently the only avail
able site for an armory in the
Southwest is to the east of the Army
War College, in the old James Creek
Canal area. This land would have
to be purchased for the purpose. It
has been suggested that the proxim-
ity to the War College would be ad-
vantageous in that use might be
made of the large drill grounds and
other facilities there, but the East
Capitol street project also contem-
plated use of the great stadium for
drill purposes in fair weather. And
whether the armory were located one
or many blocks away from the War
College, books, lecturers and instruc-
tors certainly could be obtained by
the guardsmen without difficulty.
In short, the advantages of a
southwest site for the armory are
most obscure-the disadvantages nu-
merous and very tangible. Congress
should weigh these factors carefully
before committing itself to a course
which might further upset the bal
ance of the Federal development
program and seriously retard the
urgently needed improvements be-
tween the Capitol and the Anacostia
River.