Evening star., 1939-09-16
Planners Confer
Today on Survey
Of Wafer Front
Commission Also
To Weigh Future
Grade Separations

ming Commission for comprehen-
sive survey of the Districts entire
waterfront with an eye to the future
After lengthy session yesterday
during which they took action on
several important steps in Wash
ington's city plan, commission men,
bers were to confer today with Army
engineers, who have Jurisdiction
over waterfront problems. The
Washington Channel waterfront i'm
provement project, the first two
units of which are now complete,
was to come in for attention.
Other matters which were to oc-
cupy the planners today were future
grade separations in the city, with
specific reference to one proposed for
the intersection at Fourth street and
Maine avenue formerly Water
streeD S.W.; minor land transfers,
gas station reports and sketch plans
for the future development of some
of the units in the city's recreation
system.
Plan Parkway Link Acquisitions.
In an important move yesterday,
the commission laid final plans for
the acquisition of the next two links
in the George Washington Memorial
Parkway in Montgomery MD and
Arlington (Va) Counties. With
$500, 900 now in hand, the commits
sion is to start immediate appraisals
of land for purchase in the strip
bounded by the District line, Con-
duit road and the Potomac River.
The sum of $4,000 is available to
inaugurate similar proceedings in
the area bounded by Key Bridge,
the Old Dominion Railroad tracks
and the river up as far as Spout Run
In joint session with the National
Commission of Fine Arts, the COM
mission yesterday afternoon ap-
proved plans for the relocation of
the Mount Vernon Memorial Park
way where it lnterferes with the new
national airport being built at
Gravelly Point and set of pre-
liminary plans for the new Navy
Department.
New light was thrown on the
highway relocation by word from
the White House yesterday that
President Roosevelt has directed
the Public Works Administration to
allot 81 ,450 900 to reimburse the Bu-
reau of Public Roads for giving up
its laboratory buildings at this point
to the Civil Aeronautics Authority
Forecasts Change in Plans.
1t had been difficult to relocate
the highway efficiently because the
testing track of the bureau, west
of which the highway is to run,
reached so closely to the railroad
tracks that only narrow, made
quate strip of land was left for the
construction of the highway over a
new route. Acquisition of the bu-
reau's laboratory site and buildings
by the C. A. A. will now permit the
highway to cut across the testing
track area well away from the rail-
road tracks. Therefore it was
thought today that the plan ap-
proved yesterday by the commission
would be changed in the future.
A wooden model of the new Navy
Department building in the Federal
rec.angle, prepared from prelim-
mary plans drawn up by the Pro-
curement Division of the Treasury
was approved by the two commits
sions.
The model represents group OF
buildings similar in architecture to
the new Interior Department, to-
gether with a miniature ocean t(
contain four historic ships of the
United States Navy and a naval
museum. The elevation on which
the Naval Hospital now stands is tc
be retained and building to house
co-ordinating national defense bodies
is to be placed where the hospital
now stands, according to the model
The buildings of the National Insti-
tute of Health will remain in theil
present locations.
Channel Under Parkway.
Entrance to the ocean" will be
had through a channel cut across
the Rock Creek and Potomac Park
way. A removable slab will carry
traffic over the gap, the model shows
Indications are that the members
of the House of Representatives will
have new parking facilities before a
great while.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission and the Ma
tional Commission of Fine Arts, in
joint session yesterday, studied plans
for a 450-car underground garage
somewhat similar to that used by
the Senate, to be placed just wes
of the new House Office Building or
land acquired at the same time as
the Office building site. The COM
missions also studied alternate pro-
posals for housing the House men,
bers' cars.
David Lynn, architect of the Capt.
tol, presented the plan for the un-
derground garage for advice from
the commissions. 1t would be COM
pletely covered by paintings and
resemble park area from the street
Commission representatives indi-
Gated they may be able to make a
better proposal, however, although
they declined to say just what form
1t would take
The commissions yesterday also
approved the extension of E street
NV. through from Seventeenth
street east to South Executive ave-
nue. at the north side of the Ellipse
The District Highway Department
is to do the work when funds are
available from Congress.
In still another action the COM
missions approved the plans for the
Lafayette Building, now being con-
structed at Fifteenth and I streets
NV. Under a revision of the Ship
stead Act. this site now comes fol