Evening star., 1939-09-03
BY the Associated Press.

If you want to buy an ornate old
Office building full of the ghosts of
half-forgotten public servants, or a
seaside plot where lighthouse keep
ers once gardened lonesomely, Uncle
Sans your man
The old gentleman has a surplus
OF public property on his hands.
Shiny new post Offices have risen in
many cities in recent years, raising
with them the problem Of what to
do with old ones.
And inventors, finding new ways
to operate the Governments Ship
warming system, have brought up
similar puzzle concerning lighthouse
reservations.
Mind you, don't expect to get a
prize piece of business property or
choice vacation spot for a song. The
Federal establishment has other
sources Of income and, even if it has
record public debt on its hands,
! doesn't have to have the money
right now. If the market doesn't
look attractive, it won't sell.
Sawyer Is Space Control Chief.
II you do buy surplus real estate
from the Government, the chances
are you'll have dealings at one time
or another with Col. D. H. Sawyer.
chief OF Planning and Space Control
of the Public Buildings Admins
tration.
Col. Sawyer will tell you that not
all Government buildings supplant-
ed by new structures become a part
of the surplus-not by long shot
The first thing he does when
postal clerks or other workers vacate
! building is to circularize other
Government agencies to see whether
they might use the vacant Offices.
Frequently, he says, he can move
Federal employees from privately
owned buildings, and thus cut the
Governments rent bill.
Also, the Government may sell
supplanted Federal buildings or their
sites to local governments for con-
tinued public use at not less than
half their appraised value. Some
times this results in a building being
taken over by city or country staffs.
or in site becoming public park.
In making park, the abandoned
building must be torn down at city
expenses or through cooperation
between the city and the w. P. A.
Col. Sawyer has no money for dem
clifton.
Many Sales to Private Buyers.
Failing to take care of a vacated
building by transfer of other Govern
ment agencies or sale to a public
body, buildings administration may
advertise it for lease or sale to the
highest bidder.
A number of downtown Office
buildings have been disposed of to
private buyers. Some of the best
sites were purchased by chain stores.
But officials declare the market for
downtown property is not at its best
in a good many communities, and
they say this is the reason why some
additional sales have been deferred.
| Among the properties still on the
Governments hands is the site of
the old post office at Newark, N. j.
1t is a bare lot in the midst of the
business district, the city having
demolished the old building with
w. p. A. labor. Offers made to the
Government for the land have not
been accepted thus far.
Another example is the old post
Office at Louisville, KY, an ornate
building now tenanted only by
flock of persistent starlings. Drive
way space around the building has
| been leased for automobile parking
Col. Sawyer says space around
vacated structures has been handled
similarly in several instances, to
accommodate shopgoers and pre-
vent the areas becoming loafing
grounds, Uttered with trash.
At Lexington, KY, the Govern
! ment also has q building standing