Evening star., 1939-03-12

loioIl anu lIlc liIlCl -oItdll btllI-
ing at 5l2 Ninth street NV. for the
Civil Aeronautics Authority.
Both are among the Oldest office
buildings in the District, the ia
year-old Hutchins Building having
the distinction of housing the first
experimental lighting plant in the
Capital in 1881 as we'll as the first
moving picture theater here.
They are being completely reno
vated with new elevators, electric
wiring, plastering, fireproof stair
exits and other reconstruction. This
work is being done by the private
owners under commitment with
the Government to lease them at
reasonable figure. They are ex-
pected to be ready in about 30 days,
These transactions show the
lengths to which the Government
has to 60 in providing space for its
rapidly expanding agencies said
Clay J. Guthridge of the National
Park Service. which has charge of
the Federal space-renting here.
Reached Saturation Point.
eve were lucky to work out this
way of getting what will be very de-
sirable space he said. because it
looks like we've just about reached
the saturation point in finding suit
abue space for rent"
The Civil Aeronautics Authority,
which already is occupying rented
space in four other buildings in ad-
dition TO its headquarters in the
Commerce Department Building,
will occupy all of the nine-story
Inter Ocean Building, and the Wage
and Hour Division will use all but
half of the first floor of the five
story Hutchins Building. 1t now has
headquarters in the Labor Depart
ment and rented space in another
building.
Mr.. Guthridge said the newly
rented buildings will merely take
care of expansion of activities of the
two agencies and relieve congestion,
not eliminating the need for space
they now are using.
1t is costing approximately 500
OOO W lCIlOfdlC tllC olO 4AOtSlilllo
Building. according to the owner,
Philip Milestone. Cost of the SIM
liar work on the Inter Ocean Build
ing was estimated at $35 900 by its
owner, Rudolph Behrend.
Asks Census Building.
The practical impossibility of find
ing much more Office space to rent
for Government activities here was
emphasized by Mr. Guthridge and
w. E. Reynolds. assistant director of
the Treasury Department Procure
ment Divisions Branch of Public
Buildings, in connection with the
proposal to construct $3,500,000
new building as headquarters for
the 1910 census.
The census work will require at
its peak about 1000 employees and
there are no temporary quarters big
enough available here, they said.
You would have to 60 to Chicago
or some other city" to rent the
needed space, Mr. Reynolds said.
The National Park Service long
ago advertised for bids for some
rentable space for the Census Bu-
reau, and found there wasn't any
available that wasn't already leased
by the Government for some other
activity.
The extent to which the Govern
ment departments and agencies
have outgrown even the newer Fed
eral buildings Is shown by National
Park Service records. which list
22.7ll Government employees work.
ing in rented space-3 ,664, ,7l6 square
feet of It. in 1870 buildings.
The Agriculture Departments ac-
tivities are tho most scattered. In
addition To ita own big buildings, it
Is Using space III 20 rented struc-
lures. housing a.d26 of its employees.
The interior Department is scat
tered through ia other buildings,
Labor through .. Treasury through
16. Works Progress Administration
through II and Social Security
through & here, with its bookkeeping
plant in Baltimore.
VIII Advertise Bids.
Mr.. Reynolds said yesterday the
Procurement Division expects to ad-
vertise this week for bids for con.