Evening star., 1940-09-21
Planners Favor
Defense Group
For Capital
Reoffirm Support
Of Proposal for
Three New Buildings

NatlOnal oe1enSe plans 1Or WaSh-
ington were pushed forward today
with regard to Government Office
housing and defense highways, and
there were indications District Off
Cials are. considering creating Dis
trict of Columbia Defense Com
mittee for the coordination of
national defense efforts similar to
committees being formed in the
States.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission yesterday re-
affirmed its support of plans to
construct three new Government
structures which would be vital to
the country in time of emergency
and are declared sorely needed even
now; revealed formation of such a
committee is under discussion and
resolved to push construction of an
extension of Anacostia Parkway
to Fort Meade, Md.
One of the three buildings would
be placed in Arlington County, Va,
on a site as yet undesignated and
not vet purchased 1t would be
warehouse type construction, SINH
lar to the present Navy and NUM-
tions Buildings and likely would be
used by an expanding Navy Depart
ment as this defense agency has as
vet received little additional space
for its work. 1t would be the first
strictly Office building to be placed
outside the District.
West Central Heating Plant.
The other two would be a west
central heating plant, placed some
where in the West End near lower
Rock Greek and would supply West
End government buildings: and
second Office building to be placed
near Lincoln Square, in East Wash
ington.
In revealing District Defense
Committee Is being discussed the
commission announced it had in
structed its chairman, Frederic A.
Delano. to draft a letter to the Dis
trict Commissioners supporting such
a plan, setting forth the Planning
Commission desire to have repre-
sentative on any such committee
and offering the commissions CO.
operation with any such committee.
The commission discussed the
feasibility of extending Anacostia
Parkway to Fort Meade to serve the
Army post in time of emergency.
The parkway has been proposed for
many years as part of the city's
regional park and parkway plan,
but its national defense aspects may
hasten it to completion.
In this connection the commission
yesterday approved flood control
plans presented by Army engineers
for the Anacostia Valley in Mary
land. These contemplate construc-
ton of dykes and raising of certain
roads. This work would have to be
completed before the Anacostia
Parkway could be extended.
Civil War Forts Cited.
Thomas S. Settle, commission
secretary revealed that Chair
man Delano had called the at
tention of Gen. George C. Marshall.
Army chief of staff. to the fact
that the Civil War forts surrounding
Washington are now all in Govern
ment ownership and might prove
helpful some day from national
defense standpoint.
In an important move the commits
einl, denided m draft an amendment
to the District of Columbia reorgani-
zation bill now before Congress which
would strike out the provision plac-
Ing the Districts Fairgrounds and
community centers solely under the
Board of Education, thereby split
ting recreation in Washington into
two camps, park and school. In
place of this the commission de-
sires to have created a recreation
board of nine members and District
Recreation Department created
which would operate all recreation.
The commission hopes to be able
to place this amendment before
Congress If hearings are held on
the bill.
Parkway Units Added.
The commission announced that
three new units have been added
to the right of way for the
George Washington Memorial Park
way between the District line and
Great Falls. Md. and two minor
units to the parkway above Key
Bridge in Arlington County.
The commission also discussed an
amendment to the Shipstead-Luce
Act, which places responsibility for
the appearance of buildings ad-
jacent to the Federal area and GER
tain parks with the National Com
mission of Fine Arts, to include
buildings which front on colleges,
universities, churches and cathe-
drals.