The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1940-01-04
Spring Brings Influx
OF Tourists to
Capital
Prepared by National Geographic Society.
Washingtnn- d C-WNII SerVice.

washington, ID. C.-WNU Service.
The spring tourist trek is de-
scending on Washington. The
Capital City has changed so
rapidly in the last decade
through a 5000, 100000 govern
ment building program that
even those who live there have
difficulty keeping track of the
shifting scenes.
The problem faced by the
commission of fine arts and
the builders of the new Wash
ington is twofold. In carry
ing out the plan of 1901,
worked out to incorporate vir-
tually all that was feasible
in Major L'Enfant's original
plan, they are striving to produce
the most beautiful capital in the
world and at the same time to pro-
vide suitable quarters for the ever
increasing bureaus of the federal
government.
To erect a truly graceful build
ing large enough to house the thou
sands of employees of one of the
major departments, such as COM
merce, interior, or agriculture, is a
task so difficult as to challenge the
most skilled architects. There must
be hundreds of offices, all with out
side windows; no gloomy medieval
castles will prove satisfactory
Hugeness is a physical necessity,
grace an artistic obligation.
Federal Triangle Large.
To their everlasting credit, the
architects who have designed the
new edifices have mastered SEEM
ingly impossible difficulties. The
federal triangle, where are concen-
trated more official activities than
in any other capital, covers an area
of about 20 city blocks from its
Fifteenth street base, the enormous
department of commerce building,
to its Sixth street tip, the Apex
building, which is to be occupied
by the federal trade commission.
Within the nine buildings of this
group are offices for more than 25,-
600 government employees; yet, de-
spite the vastness of the structures,
the development has genuine archi-
tectural attractiveness and dignity.
Fortunately L'Enfant planned a
Federal City with room to expand.
Even the largest edifices can be
made to look graceful if surrounded
by grounds sufficiently spacious, and
the new buildings are so framed by
pleasant parks and plazas that they
escape the charge of crowded awk-
wardness.
With its new south extensible Sec
tion, the department of agriculture
building has become the largest gov
ernment office structure in the world,
housing in its 1922 office quarters
6,450 employees; yet even in such
a commodious building only about a
third of the department. Washing
ton personnel can be brought to-
gether.
Wings Added.
Constant expansion of activities
requires an increase in government
Office forces too rapid to be taken
care of In any single structure, even
though it be extensible by merely
adding wings and be placed, as is
this, in a 35-acre park.
One of the latest of the new struc.
lures to be occupied is the new in
terror department building, into
which some 5000 workers recently
moved. Designed by Waddy B.
Wood, in consultation with Secre-
tary Harold L. Ickes, this building
departs somewhat from the classi.
cal style of its neighbors. No pill.
lars adorn it, but setbacks provid.
ing outside walls for its many wings
give the appearance, at a distance
of Doric columns.
Building Has Electric Stairway.
This gray stone giant, just north
of the marble edifices that form the
frame for the Lincoln memorial, is
the first government office building
to be equipped with electric stair
ways. Two of these have been in
stalled to carry passengers between
the c street and e street levels anc
to relieve congestion during the rush
hour when lunch is being served ir
the big cafeteria in the basement
Besides the moving stairs there are
20 high-speed elevators and IL com
plete stairways Like others re
Ohio State University students wol