Evening star., 1940-06-01
Park al Site
Of Old Airport
Sought in Bill
House Measure
Provides Moving Of
Experimental Form

Purchase Of land including the
site Of the Washington Airport by
the Government and improvement
Of the adjacent old Arlington Ex-
perimental Farm by the War and
Interior Departments into a major
combined park and barracks de-
velopment is provided in bill in
troduced in the House yesterday by
Representative Jones of Texas.
The bill, which was recommended
by the War Department and the
National Park Service, provides
$4,000, 900 for additional land pur-
chases and improvement by the War
Department and 100000 for pur-
chase of additional land and i'm
provement by the Office of National
Capital Parks in the Interior De-
partment. The bill provides the
Agriculture Department with So
200, 900 for acquisition of a new ex-
perimental farm site.
Large-Scale Plan.
The proposals are initial steps in
a large-scale plan already approved.
by the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission. The plan
would:
l. Save the Washington Airport
and other adjacent property which
are zoned light industrial, from be-
ing developed in an unsightly man.
ner when the airport Is forced out
OF business by the New National Air
port at Gravelly Point. 1t was
learned reliably today that purchase
OF the airport is one of the major
objects of the bill.
2. Split the old experimental farm
roughly in two with an Arlington
Bridge connection to the Columbia
pike. One part would be used for
new Army barracks and the other
for the site of new National Capital
Parks workshops. greenhouses and a
new tourist camp.
8. Remove the present workshops
and greenhouses from the Mall and
from the tract northwest Of the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
where, park and planning officials
hold, they are unsightly as we'll as
being inadequate and obsolescent.
Major Recreation Center.
4. Remove the tourist camp from
East Potomac Park to provide a site
for a major recreation center with
a fleldhouse, increased golf facilities.
baseball diamonds, tennis courts and
many other features. The East Po-
tomac Park Swimming Pool would
become part of the center.
Parks and planning officials have
become alarmed in recent months
that the old Washington Airport
would become an "unsightly mess"
after the new National Airport is
put in use. Adjacent to the air.
port on the southwest Is other land
also zoned light industrial, which is
now partially occupied chiefly by a
brickyard.
The War Department, at the same
time, sought to utilize part Of the
experimental farm and part Of the
airport land for a barracks. Troops
are billeted there temporarily.
The Agriculture Department
wanted a new experimental farm.
Its proposed location is not known
exactly, but indications are the So
100000 may 60 to increase the de-
partments holdings near Beltsville,
Md.
There has been talk of moving the
entire Office of National Capital
Parks. including the United States
Park Police, out of the Interior De-
partment to the experimental farm
site.
Plans for the new park develop
ment have reached only the sketch
and study stage. They provide so
far for a tourist camp in the form
OF a horseshoe, workshops, green
houses, garages, stables, storage
buildings, police pistol ranges and
other facilities. Nearby land would
be used for nursery purposes.