Evening star., 1941-01-08

An appropriation of s2,000,000 was
made in 1885 to finance the two
wing project, and has been carried
over and made available for the
new building. In placing the new
G.. A. o. on the square named, it
has been explained that the Gov
ernment does not intend to buy st.
Mary's Catholic Church on Fifth
street, between G and H streets,
but will leave the church on its
present site.
One important estimate in the
budget looking towards relief of
the traffic congestion which has
developed in Southwest Washington
through concentration of many
more Government agencies in thas
area, is request for s700,000 listed
merely as for acquisition of prop
erty in the District of Columbia. -
Would Widen Independence Avenue.
Part of this money, 1t was learned
authoritatively, will be used for buy
ing land to widen independence
avenue between Seventh and Twelfth
Streets S.W. Already street car
tracks are being laid along Inde-
pendence avenue between First and
Seventh streets, as part of the new
street car loop service to swing into
the Southwest area. New structures
there now house thousands of Gov
eminent workers for the Census
Bureau and War Department.
Widening of Independence avenue
will provide another much needed
traffic artery for the crowded South
west.
The new State Department esti-
mate of 1920 900 for purchase of land
in that area is the first time a
President has asked funds for the
annex, although several other moves
had been made in the past to change
the present State Department Build
ing. Years ago plan was developed
to remodel the outside of the present
State Department, to make it look
much more like the Treasury De-
partment, and so balance the archi-
tectural composition on either side
of the White House. But this was
never carried to the point of recon-
struction.
The site for the annex was re-
Gently approved by the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion. 1t is understood to include
for the present the west side of the
block, along Seventeenth street.
This would preserve some historic
old structures in the east side of the
block, such as the famous Blair
House, facing the State Department,
and the noted Stephen Decatur
home, at the corner of jackson
place and H street. owned by Mrs.
Truxton Beale. The old Court of
Claims, which eventually will give
way to the new annex. is to be i'm
proved to keep it usable, under an
estimate of s35, 1865, for the architect
of the Capitol.
The National Archives Building
is provided with a 1912 estimate of
s849,700 for more filing and storage
equipment.
Provides Testing Laboratory.
A segregated project is a new
materials testing laboratory and
equipment at the National Bureau
of Standards for which an estimate
Of 100000 Is submitted for next
year.
The st. Elizabeth's Hospital 81
10000 program would include two
continuous treatment buildings. a
building for storeroom, warehouse,
laundry and industrial shops: and
purchase of farm land and the con-
struction and equipment of neces-
sary farm buildings and facilities
including buildings to house patients
and employees, a dairy, a piggery,
facilities for handling poultry, pas
teurizing milk and producing ice
cream, including necessary expendi-
lures required for the purchase of
land, preparation of plans and speci-
flcations, advertising and supervision
of construction.
There was no provision in the
budget for new court house for
the District Of Columbia, a project
which has received much informal
consideration from many sources
during the past year. Some diff
ference of opinion had developed
as to whether the building should
go on the site of the old Pension
Office near the other court struc-
lures, or should be a part of the
new judiciary group proposed for
Capitol Hill east of the Supreme
Court of the United States.