Evening star., 1939-05-25
Planners Fight
Site for Armorv
In Southwest
Bourd Reuffirms
Its Preference for
East Capitol


Subcommittee to locate District
National Guard Armory in South
west Washington, the National Capt.
tai Park and Planning Commission,
at the opening meeting of two-day
session, today reafflrmed its position
in favor of locating the armory at
the east end of East Capitol street.
The commission has acquired land
for the armory site at the southeast
corner of East Capitol and Nine
teenth streets, adjoining the Ana
costa Parkway.
The House subcommittee wrote
into the District Appropriation Bill
$l50,000 item for purchase of land
in Southwest Washington for the
proposed armory.
The Park and Planning Commits
sion has advocated large-scale de-
velopment east of the Capitol to
restore balance to the City of Wash
ington, and the armory had been
planned as an entering wedge for
this development.
HObOr Rules Revision Studied
The commission took under study
until its next meeting a revision of
the District harbor regulations au-
thorized two years ago and recently
completed by special committee
appointed by the District Commits
sloners. Public hearings on the new
regulations are to be held in the
near future by the Army Engineer
Once for the local district, The
regulations govern use of the ma ior
waterways in the District, including
anchorage areas, police regulations,
sale OF gasoline and other features
The commission approved action
OF a subcommittee headed by it's
chairman, Frederic A. Delano, op-
posing the location of the Abbott
Vocational School in the old Tuber-
culosis Hospital grounds at Four
teenth and Upshur streets, NV.
The subcommittee recommended
that the school be located at Brent
wood Park, and this recommenda-
tion was approved by the COM
mission.
Approval of Purchases.
Norman G. Brown, the commits
sion's land purchase officer, this
afternoon will ask the commission
to approve number of land pur-
chases for playground and recrea-
tional areas in all parts of the city
The program, one of the heaviest
submitted to the commission in
months, includes acquisition of land
for the large Southwest Recrea-
tional Center.
Tomorrow morning Thomas S.
Settle, commission secretary, will re-
port on the status of pending local
legislation affecting park, building
and planning projects.
Nathan C. Wyeth, District archi-
tect. will present new plans for the
central library building in the Mu-
nicipal Center area drafted to meet
the requirements of the Park and
Planning and Fine Arts Commits
sions which were agreed on at a
joint meeting last month. These
plans will be presented for ratifica-
ton, which would clear the way for
development of final plans and
specifications, making possible
start on actual construction of the
first unit of the library building
when funds are made available.
Capt. H. C. Whitehurst, District
highway director, and John Nolen,
jr., director of planning of the COM
mission, will present plans for re-
designing the intersection of Elev-
enth. street and Vermont avenue
NV. in accordance with the most
modern standards of streamlined
traffic flow. The new plan, involv-
ing the use of central islands to
divert traffic and smooth out vehicu-
lar flow. was prepared at the request
of Traffic Director William A. Van
Duzer and is believed to represent
the last word" in the handling of
traffic at busy intersections short
Of actual grade separation.
Report on Conferences.
The commission staff will report
on the results of a series of confer
ences with various Federal agencies
on the relocation of the Mount
Vernon highway at the new Wash
ington National Airport. The COM
mission last month approved . new
site for the highway lying between
the nearly completed highway re-
search laboratory of the Bureau Of
Public Roads and the railroad yards,
leaving details of the location to be
worked out by its staff and other
agencies involved.
Tomorrow afternoon the commits
sion will consider final approval of
an agreement with the Maryland
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission covering the boundaries
and limits of cost of the Anacostia
parkway in nearby Maryland.
Plans will be considered for road
way construction in section Of
Rock Creek Park, between Connect
cut avenue and Garrett Park, Md,
land for which now Is being &C
quired. Plans also will be considered
for development of units l and of
the George Washington parkway on
the Virginia side of the Potomac
River above and below Key Bridge.
Opposition to the Thornton pc
tition was voiced by T. William
Buckley, representing the Manor
Park Citizens Association: William
H. Parsons, Citizens Association of
Takoma, D. c.; Mrs. Phillip Chace,
6616 Fourth street NV, and Mrs.
j. E. Miller, 66l4 Fourth street NV.
Mr.. Thornton argued that the
property, which lies close to the
tracks of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail
road, had been loss to him for
more than Is years, that he has
paid out large sum in taxes and
that the site would be profitable only
for apartment houses.
Peace Society