Evening star., 1940-09-23
New j. ).
Buildings in Bill
Before House
Committee Fovors
Monumental Type
Avoidance Hereafter
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

Three new Federal buildings esti-
mated to cost s1e25o, ,ooO-projects
designed to relieve the Govern
ment's acute housing situation in
Washington-are provided in the
supplemental civil functions ap-
preparation bill reported to the
House today. The bill also stated
a policy that new buildings should
not be of monumental style.
The bill carries s2.7OO, 900 for con-
struction of five additional hangers
at the Washington National Airport
at Gravelly oint and $l,500,000 to
start construction of another central
heating plant for Government build
lngS In addition. there are sundry
minor items totaling $500 to make
up deficiencies in appropriations for
the District government.
The House Appropriations Com
mittee also approved a s93 200, 900
item for training defense workers
and $50 100000 for construction of
new military and civil airports.
The bills total of s267, ,733, ,728
covered variety Of items. OF the
total, 07,475,727 was in direct cash
appropriations and s6O,258OOl in
contract authorizations for which
Congress would have to provide
funds later. The entire sum was
s9444 ,l44 less than was requested by
the Budget Bureau.
6-Story Building for G. A. o.
The largest of the three new
projects here will be a six-story
building to house scattered bureaus
OF the General Accounting ONCE.
An appropriation of $3.50 900 is pro-
vided for purchase of land and erec-
ton of the building. 1t is planned
to locate this structure in the block
bounded by Fourth and Fifth streets
and G and H streets NV just north
OF the Pension Office, present head
quarters of the General Accounting
Office.
The two other buildings will be
smaller. They will be of the three
story concrete type similar to the
Navy and Munitions Buildings on
Constitution avenue. Each building,
it is estimated. will cost $4,000, 900.
No location is designated for
either OF these two. but the bill pro-
vides the sites may be lin or near
the District Of Columbia. The Park
and Planning Commission has
recommended that one of the build
ings be9efected in Arlington County.
Va.
The Appropriations Committee, in
reporting the bill, said it had con-
sidered proposal to put one of the
buildings on East Capitol street in
the vicinity of Lincoln Park. but
had scrapped it because such a
structure would take from IA to Is
months to construct and would have
to be more or less monumental in
character. The three-story con-
crete buildings, it pointed out.
would require about five months to
erect and could be usable for files
storage if not needed for Office pur-
poses.
Buildings of the Navy and Mu-
nitions Buildings type" the report
declared, supply Office space that
meets all requirements for prac-
tically all types of general Govern
ment work
The report then adds:
The committee feels that, with
the great need for space that will
occur during the life of this emer-
gency and with the undoubted
legacy of some permanent space
need that will remain after the pas
sage of the emergency, Congress
should not provide for all of the
Federal ONCE needs in Washington
from now on with monumental or
semi monumental buildings on ex-
pensive sites.
"A change in program is needed.
both in the interest of conservation
(See APPROPRIATIONS, Page A-3)