Evening star., 1940-04-18
Site Approved
For Coast Guard
Headquarters
Dock Facilities
To Be Provided
In Project

A site for a proposed new United
States Coast Guard headquarters at
Seventh street and Maine avenue
S.W. was approved today by the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission.
According to the latest of more
than Is studies made in connec-
ton with the site over a period of
years, the Coast Guard will have
Its own dock facilities across Maine
avenue as part of the Washington
Channel water front improvement
project now progressing under the
supervision of Col. R. S. Thomas,
the United States engineer for the
Washington area. The Coast Guard S
dock facilities, it is proposed at
this time, will occupy the space now
taken by the wharves of commercial
steamship lines. The steamship lines
eventually are to be moved down.
stream 100 yards or so.
Thomas S. Settle, secretary of the
commission, said that because of
the increased responsibilities of the
Coast Guard, shouldered subsequent
to the last presidential reorganiza-
ton order, the service needs badly a
new headquarters with expanded
facilities, and intends seeking legis-
lation to authorize its construction.
The Coast Guard, the u. S. Army
Engineers and the planning COM
mission, Mr.. Settle said, have agreed
that the headquarters should be
placed on Washington's water front,
and have finally decided that the
Seventh street and Maine avenue
site is preferable. The Coast Guard
Building itself, it was learned, is
proposed for the triangular tract of
land bounded by Seventh and I
streets and Maine avenue SW.,
Immediately south of the site of the
new Thomas jefferson High School
and the Southwest Recreation
Center.
Ferry Slip Planned.
Accompanying the Coast Guard
wharf will be a Government wharf
for general use and a ferry slip to
house small motor. ferry which,
1t is planned, will some day carry
youngsters desiring to use the East
Potomac Park swimming pool across
Washington Channel.
Norman c. Brown, the Planning
Commissions land purchasing Of
f1cer and appraiser, announced today
that in addition to a number of park
and playground purchases completed
yesterday, the commission had COM
pleted land purchases for the Hoover
Playground at Delaware avenue and
M street SW. Civic groups in the
Southwest area long have sought
completion and development of this
play area.
Chairman Frederick A. Delano and
the other members of the commits
sion today expressed their gratitude
to Congress for passage of the inde-
pendent Offices appropriation bill
with items of s850,0O0 for park and
planning purchases within the Dis
trict and of $4,000 for the National
Resources Planning Board, of which
Mr.. Delano also Is chairman.
Other matters which were to come
before the planning commission to-
day were latest plans of the Civil
Aeronautics Authority for approaches
from the Mount Vernon Memorial
Highway and U. S. Route l to the
new National Airport at Gravelly
Point; latest plans OF the District
Alley Dwelling Authority for its prof.
ects at Navy place and Alabama
avenue Sc; a request from the
Golden Gate International Exposi-
tion for the loan of the commission S
scale model of the central area of
Washington, street closings and
highways changes and several zoning
requests from property holders along
Washington stree; in Alexandria.
After announcing the purchase of
several important additions to the
city's recreation and park system
yesterday, the planners approved
preliminary plans for the proposed
Scott Circle underpass and the pro-
posed grade separation at Four
teenth street and Maine avenue SW.
Plans for the Scott Circle under
pass and the Fourteenth street and
Maine avenue grade separation were
presented to the commission by Capt.
H. G. Whitehurst, District director
of highways. The 1941 District of
Columbia appropriation bill, when it
went from the Budget Bureau to the
House carried $4,000 for preparation
of detailed construction plans for the
Scott Circle project and authorized
construction with Federal road aid
and local gasoline tax funds.
Tentative Study.
The House deleted this item and
the District Commissioners are now
attempting to persuade the Senate to
reinsert it in the bill
The plans for the underpass were
approved, but are in the nature of a
tentative study only They provide
for an underpass on the axis of
Sixteenth street and not Massachu-
sets avenue as at Thomas Circle.
The grade separation project was
presented to the commission in the
form of model, worked up by the
Highway Department with 1910 ap-
preparations. No additional funds or
authorization for Federal road aid
and gasoline tax construction are
provided in the 1941 appropriation
bill.
The commission yesterday adopted
a resolution against placing the
Abbott Vocation School on the
grounds now occupied by the old
tuberculosis Hospital.
District agencies and the planning
commission agreed that the voca-
tional school should be placed in