Evening star., 1939-04-11
Planners Frown on
Warehouse Armory
Al East Capitol Site
See Grave Mistake
In CurtuiIment of
Original Program

Plans for a monumental develop.
ment at the east end of East Capitol
street to harmonic with what is
hoped will eventually become one Of
the worlds most noted sports CEN
ters and pageant areas would make
it inadvisable to locate a ware.
house" type of armory there for the
District National Guard, in the
opinion of local planning authori-
ties.
Original plans for the East Capitol
street development called for
monumental plaza at the end of the
street, fanked on the north by the
proposed armory building and OH
the south by a combined audito-
rium-sports center building. To the
east the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission has planned
a great sports field extending to
the Anacostia River.
These original plans called for the
construction of seats on natural
slopes partially surrounding the
sports field area. This field would
serve, in conjunction with the ar
mory building, for outdoor drilling
and parades. The original plans
also called for construction of
stadium to seat at least 100000
persons in Anacostia Parkway north
of the sports field, toward Benning
Bridge.
South Land Acquired.
Land to the south of East Capitol
street. for the original auditorium
sports center, has been acquired
and the entire site is in Government
ownership today.
Last year, however. Congress re-
jected a request for funds to CON-
plete purchase of land for the origi-
nal armory site north of East Capt.
tol street because, in the meantime.
houses had been built on part o.
the area and costs had increased.
AS a result. the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission
during the past winter condensed its
plan by proposing a combined ar
mory-sportS center building on the
original auditorium-sports center site
south of East Capitol street, and
proposed to reduce the size of the
stadium and move it from the park
way near Benning Bridge to the
original armory site. The audito-
rum, thus squeezed out of the East
Capitol street area, was proposed
to be relocated in the Municipal
Center at John Marshall place and
Constitution avenue NV.
Such curtailment of the original
East Capitol street plan would be
grave mistake, in the opinion of
local officials active in park and
planning matters. They believe that
the armory should be a separate
building because demands for its
use by various units of the local
National Guard and the Marine
Corps Reserve would prevent its reg
ular use for any other purpose.
70,000-Seat Stadium "Unwise."
They also believe that it would be
unWlse to construct a stadium um-
tied to 10000 seats, as would be the
case on the new stadium site at the
north side of East Capitol street.
Such a stadium. they believe, would
be too large for any of the sports
activities now scheduled in WASH
ington. but would not be large
enough for such major events as the
Army-Navy or outstanding college
football games.
The cost of acquiring the few
home sites which have been devel-
oped in the East Capitol street area,
they feel is relatively so small that
1T should not be permitted to curtail
the great sports center plan to a
point which would make it unsatis-
factory for all concerned.
Tentative plans have been pre-
pared for the originally proposed
armory on the south site. which
would make it striking feature of
the monumental plan considered for
East Capitol street. These plans,
having no resemblance to the sug-
gested warehouse" type of armory,
contemplated large center struc-
ture for the armory proper, with
four smaller corner buildings. con-
nected by outside wings. These cor
ner structures would be allotted to
the three major local Guard units
and the Marine Reserve.