Evening star., 1940-03-22
Plans for Plaza
Returned for
Parking Setup
Space for Cars at
D. c. Building Desired
By Planning Body

The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission today re-
turned plans for the development
Of the great plaza" Immediately
behind the District Building to the
architectural Office of the late John
Russell Pope to have facilities for
car parking included.
The architectural ONCE has
planned extensive landscaping for
the plaza to set of a proposed
memorial to Oscar Straus, former
Secretary of Commerce.
Parking facilities should surround
the plaza at the street level, the
commission feels, and entrances for
underground ramps to connect with
basement parking facilities already
included in the surrounding new
Government buildings, should be in
cluded.
In another action, on the second
day'tof its March meeting, the COM
mission went on record as disap-
proving a bill introduced in the
House by Representative Sam
Hobbs, Democrat, of Alabama, lead
er Of the so-called marble for pub
lie buildings bloc" to limit exterior
building material for structures in
the Federal rectangle (the new War
and Navy Buildings are slated for
this area to marble only. The
commissions position, Mr. Settle
said today, is that choice of building
material should not be tiled down"
at this time.
Plan MARBLE Area"
Mr.. Hobbs and a special delegation
OF congressman representing mar
e-producing States recently ap-
peared before the National Commits
sion of Fine Arts to make sure that
use of marble be permitted in the
base bids for new buildings to 60 in
the rectangle area, tina. bounded by
Nineteenth street, E street and Con-
stitution avenue NV. and the
Potomac River.
Mr.. Hobbs nbill is intended to
make a marble area" in the Ma
tional Capital.
The commission today also ap-
proved a plan whereby all matters
pertaining to aviation per sc at the
new National Airport under con-
struction at Gravelly Point should
be under the jurisdiction of the
Civil Aeronautics Authority, but
that the buildings themselves should
be under the jurisdiction of the
Public Buildings Administration of
the Federal Works Agency.
Study Traffic Ills.
Commission members also turned
tn then r, ATT attention to was1ipstons
Most significant items up for their
attention were revision in the
commissions "thoroughfare plan"
which has been worked out through
the years to ease the congestion
which plaques the city. They were
to hear a report from Henry ".
Hubbard, landscape architect mem
ber of the commission, on the first
unit of Fort drive, north of Con-
duit road NV. in the vicinity OF
Fort Kemble Park. The drive,
when finished, is expected to end
present tortuous routes which
cross-town traffic must take.
Mr.. Hubbard also was to report
the extension of Anacostia parkway
northward from Benning Bridge.
This extension some day is expected
to connect with parkway to Bal
timore and thereby form one of the
key units in the planning commits
slon's regional highway plan.
Circles to Be Visited.
This afternoon commission mem
bers were to make a tour of the
route to be followed by Fort drive
and major traffic congestion points.
Thomas S. Settle, commission Sec
retary, said members most Ger
tainly" would visit Scott Circle and
probably would visit Dupont Circle.
1t is at Scott Circle that traffic
whizzing through the new under
pass at Thomas Circle jams.
The Scott and Thomas Circle un-
derpasses- are both key projects in
the commissions "thoroughfare
plan"
Whether the commission will push
for an underpass at Scott Circle
next was not learned. Chairman
Frederic A. Delano, who attended
the dedication of the Thomas Cir
Gle underpass recently, would not
at that time commit himself on the
matter.
The opening gun acquisition of
land for George Washington Memo
rial parkway in Maryland was fired
late yesterday, when the commits
sion announced that it had approved
purchase contracts involving 80 va
cant lots in the Brookmont section,
just over the District line and be-
tween Conduit road and the Poto-
mac River. This represents the
first property to be purchased by
the commission for the parkway in
Maryland. Appraisals of land from
the District line to Great Falls be-
tween Conduit road and the river
are now complete and were ap-
proved by the commission yesterday.
S7,500,000 Estimated Total.
The commission has in hand
$500 900, half raised by Montgomery
County and half appropriated by
Congress, for initial purchases in
this section of the memorial park
way. 1t is estimated that the park
way, when complete, will have cost
q total of $7,500,000 and stretch
from Mount Vernon to Great Falls
on both sides of the Potomac River
After acting on purchases for the
parkway in Maryland the commits
sion turned to those to be made in
Arlington County, where the coun-
ty treasurer, after delay and court
action, has advanced $4,000 for
parkway land purchases. A group
representing the planning commits
sion and the county will journey to