Evening star., 1939-05-02
Naval Hospital.
Plans Include
Tower
Feature Decided On
By Navy Bureau
Officials

Disregarding the wishes Of the
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, the Navy Depart
ment will construct the proposed
naval medical center at Bethesda,
Md, around hospital tower which
may reach a height of $50 feet, or
half that of the Washington Monu-
ment. according to plans now near
ing completion.
Officials of the Navy Bureau Of
Medicine and Surgery said that, al
though final plans for the tower
have not yet been completed, this
architectural feature has been de-
cided upon. Paul Cret, New York
architect, who Is collaborating with
the Navy Bureau of Yards and
Docks in preparing the plans, was
to arrive in Washington today to
confer with officials of the bureau
on final details of the tower design.
The exact height Of the tower and
final details of its design will de-
pend upon the outcome OF today's
conference, it was said. There is
no doubt, however, that the tower
will reach a height of at least 200
feet. it was said. On the high,
rolling hospital site just north of
Bethesda, facing the Rockville pike,
this tower will become dominating
feature Of the landscape and should
be visible for miles In all directions.
Becoming Standard Feature.
It was explained at the Navy De-
partment that the tower design is
becoming more and more standard
feature of hospital planning, as
means of providing maximum of
light and air for hospital wards.
For the sake of more healthful con-
ditions for patients, especially in
connection with the treatment OF
certain types of ailments. the tower
design was decided upon over the
objection of the Park and Plan
ming Commission, it was said in
formally.
So far have plans for the tower
progressed, it was said. that the
most important details now re-
naming to be settled at today's
meeting have to do with the de-
signs for the elevator headhouses
at the top of the tower and their
effect upon the architectural ap-
pearance of the structure.
Structural drawings for the foun-
dations and lower portions of the
building now are so far advanced
that it will be possible to advertise
for bids next month, in antici-
patton of funds being made avail
able by Congress July l in the
new Navy Department appropriation
bill. Foundation work is expected
to begin in July.
Preliminary landscaping work al
ready is in progress on the hospital
site. involving chiefly the planting
and transplanting of trees. Fina,
details of the relocation Of Jones
Bridge road, between Wisconsin ana
Connecticut avenues, now are being
completed by Maryland State. high.
way officials in cooperation with
the Navy Department. Part of the
road. now passing through the hos
pital site, is to be moved to a site
farther south, skirting the grounds,
on 50-foot right-of-way to be
donated by the Navy Department
Preliminary Drawings Made.
The tower design. it is understood,
has been prepared under a policy
formulated by a Naval Architec-
tural Committee created last July at
about the time the Park and Plan
ming Commission went on record in
opposition to the tower and request
ed that plans be modified to provide
less dominating building.
The Naval Committee was created
to formulate policies for the archi-
tectural design of naval structures
to meet varying conditions. With
more than 300 new naval buildings
scheduled for construction, the for
mutation of policy became an
urgent necessity, it was explained.
Although final drawings of the
hospital building cannot be COM
pleted, of course, until the final de-
tails have been decided upon today,
preliminary drawings, which it is
said will not be materially changed,
have been completed. They show a
building which is expected to be one
of the most beautiful hospital struc-
lures in the country.
Purchase of the Bethesda site, OF
247 acres, was completed by the Navy
Department early this year. Con-
gress has authorized an appropria-
ton of $4,85O, 900 for construction OF
the first unit of the hospital, which
will include the tower section, and
it is expected the funds will be made
available July /.