Evening star., 1939-02-23

| SAVC 4lo0 VI 0A4V 4uSAAV1Co W1llCll WOulO
permit the movement to and from 1t
Of anything approaching this number
Of persons, buses and street cars in
addition to the existing volume Of
traffic which already taxes the ca
pacity of the streets and the trans
portation system.
THE other site proposed, at the
end of East Capitol street, has ample
street and traction facilities and its
distance from the center of the city
Is not so great as to make it difficult
of access. Moreover, If the audi
torium were located at this point 1t
would be used in conjunction with
the other buildings which it is pro-
posed to erect, comprising the ma
tional sports center, and would form
with them an integral group capable
Of very many uses. There may pos
sibly be other sites that might be
considered also"
Mr.. Sullivan, speaking from his
experience as past president of the
Washington Chapter and vice presi-
dent OF the national organization Of
the Institute of Architects, declares
the whole auditorium-stadium prob
lem should have the most careful
study and deserves to have brought
to bear on 1t the combined wisdom
of all the public agencies concerned
with the development of the city
the committees of Congress, the
Park and Planning Commission and
the District authorities-so that the
solution which is finally adopted
may be the best conceivable"
There is one other feature COM
mon to various schemes that have
been proposed which is attractive,
but in my opinion entirely imprac-
tical, namely, the suggestion that
the building may be utilized for sew
eral incongruous purposes" he con-
tinues.
1T is hardly more possible to
build combined auditorium and
sports arena or combined audito-
rum and armory, which will satis-
factorily serve either purpose, than
to make a tool that would be sat-
isfactory both for shaving and for
driving nails.
Favor Complete Study.
"A combined armory ana sports
arena is more practical, but under
modern practice an armory should
be in active use for training pur-
poses every day in the year, and to
interfere with its proper military
uses in favor Of dog shows, hockey
games and boxing matches would
be putting the cart before the horse.
THE fact that discussions and
arguments are continually arising
whenever it is planned to erect a
new important building in Washing
ton demonstrates the necessity of a
complete study of the plan OF the
city as whole, taking into account
its future long-term development
Properly speaking. there has
never been a plan for the city of
Washington. The LEnfant plan
covered only small fraction of the
District of Columbia; the Mcmillan
plan a still smaller fraction, CEN
tered around the Mall The So
called permanent system of high
ways" was not a plan at all. but a
mechanical extension of the grid
iron pattern over the suburban
areas. The Park and Planning Com
mission has so far never had the
funds or the personnel to UNDER
take a complete study of The kind
that Is needed.
Such q study, by developing the
possibilities of the areas lying north,
east and south Of the Capitol. could
cnrrect the present tendency to
compress everything into the Mall
and the areas Immediately adjacent
to it and restore the balance which
is now sadly lacking because of the
}overdeyelopment and unduly inten-
sive utilization Of the Northwest Sec
| tton."