Evening star., 1939-07-07
First Harbor Unit
Completion Set
For August IS
Facilities to Be
Available First
Project Is Ended

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long-sought Washington Channel
waterfront project will be completed
by August IS and specifications now
are being completed for the second
unit in preparation for advertising
for bids about August /.
Oficials of the local Army engi-
neer Office now are drafting form
OF contract to be used in the opera
ton under concession of parts OF
the two yacht basins forming the
first unit. Bids for operation of
the basin areas probably will be in
vlted about August l so that the
basins may be opened to local
yachtsmen and boat owners as sooll
as they are completed.
The first unit, now entering the
flnal stage of construction, consists
of half of Yacht Basin /, extending
upstream from the Municipal Fish
Market, and half of Yacht Basin 2,
below the wharf.
The second unit on which work
Is to start Immediately following
completion of the first, calls for
the completion of both basins.
Places for 81 Boats.
Yacht Basin l, with 1000 linear
feet of street frontage, will have
berths or stalls for 81 craft varying
in length from 20 to 80 feet. Ad-
dltional floats 40 feet in length
are provided at two points for land
ing small boats. The central fea-
ture of the basin, being completed
as part of the first unit, is
service pier 100 feet wide and lat
feet long with deck of nine feet
above mean low water. On its deck
and partly on land is a sales and
service building 80 feet wide and
lO2 feet long, with space for. an
extension II feet farther toward
the river if necessary in the future.
The street frontage is arranged
Tor showroom purposes and has a
mezzanine floor for Offices, while
the section on the pier is a large,
open room suitable for shop and
service facilities. The pier includes
a vertical platform hoist Is by a
feet IN size, capable of raising boats
up to 40 feet in length and 20 tons
in weight to the pier deck. where
the cradle can be rolled off to either
side. This hoist will be ready for
use next month.
On the water end of the service
pier fuel-dispensing facilities for
gasoline and Diesel oil have been
installed. The fuel will be pumped
/ llrHornrnI,yol
driveway on the land area near
the building.
Club Building Scheduled.
Yacht Basin 2, with $40 feet of
street frontage. will have when com
pleted berths for II craft 25 to II
feet in length and % berths ada
cent to floats for use of boats un-
der 25 feet in length. Additional
floats IS feet in length will be avail
able for landing small boats. Lo-
Gated within the limits of this basin
is the present Capital Yacht Club
building, now owned by the Gov
ernment. This is to be retained as
feature of this yacht basin. under
the assumption that the club will
operate the unit as whole. If
the club does not operate the entire
basin, according to previously an
nounced plans, an Office building
with office space, waiting room and
convenience facilities will be pro-
vlded for the operator of the por-
ton OF the unit not used by the club.
The initial halves of the two
basins are being completed by the
Diamond Construction Co. under
a sliding scale contract ranging from
.S320,427 to S334,427. A total of
S349 900 was appropriated for the
first years work and a like amount
is available for the second unit.
The Diamond company also was
awarded $4,000 contract las.
April for dredging work in prepa-
ration for construction of the fina.
halves of the two basins.
Third Unit In Prospect.
Construction of a general pur-
pose wharf in Washington Channel
at a cost of S285,3O0, was recon-
mended by the chief of engineers
of the Army early this year in his
annual report. This work probably
Will constitute the third unit of
the waterfront program, together
with other smaller construction
items.
Improvement Of washington
Channel water front, the entire
length of which now is Federally
owned, has been recommended in
no less than 10 official reports, the
first of which was made in 1872.
Three yacht basins now have been
authorized. They are to have A
capacity of 290 stalls or berthing
slips for boats up to 80 feet long.
Space is available for still a fourth
basin which will provide for about
80 additional boats.
In addition. the program calls for
f1ve or six commercial piers for this
use OF bay steamers excursion boats,
general cargo ships. the District
penal institution transport and the
fire and harbor police forces.
incidental to the water front i'm
provement but not as part OF the
project, Maine avenue S.W., the for
mer Water street, is to be treated
as a boulevard, being widened TO
l60 feet, with parking strips or
islands dividing service street on
the city side from the boulevard.
The islands and park areas along
the bulkhead line will be suitably
Handicapped.
All of the buildings for the pier
headhouses and yacht basin service
buildings are to be constructed
along harmonious architectural lines
which follow a conventional Colo
nial type. The Municipal Fish Mar
ket and the service building now
being completed In basin l are ex-
amples of this style.
The park and service roadway
construction now being completed in
front of the first halves of the two
basins Is typical of the treatment
proposed for the waterfront area.
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