Evening star., 1941-04-13
One Guard Armory
Is Being Used
By Signal Corps
Moin Building
To Be Retained
For MiIitiu Uses

While one Of the armories for
merly used by the District National
Guard has been turned over to the
War Department for some of it's
expanding activities it was indicated
last week that no more of the guard
space will be taken over by the
Government.
Brig. Gen. Albert L. Cox, COM
manding the District of Columbia
militia, said that the armory at
Maine avenue and o streets S.W.
has been turned over TO the War
Department and some of the map
making activities of the Signal
Corps are being carried out there.
The large number of sheet metal
buildings, which were used by the
260th Coast Artillery for the hous-
ing of its anti-aircraft guns and
automotive equipment, which was
moved to Texas when the unit was
ordered to Fort Bliss for training,
also is being used by the Signal
Corps for storage purposes.
Within the past week move was
started to expand governmental ac-
tivities into the main armory build
ing in the old National Hotel Build
ing at Sixth street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue NV. Some of the
militia activities still remain in the
building, and it also is being used
as the headquarters of selective
service here. Most of the rooms
which were used by troop quarters
now are unused, except for the
storage of armory equipment such
as lockers and other material used
by the troops during their drill pc
riods. All of the field equipment,
however. was moved when the troops
were ordered into the training areas.
The rooms are for the most part
dark and poorly lighted and to mt
them for use as Offices would in
yolve a great amount OF expense.
The brigade headquarters is still
being maintained here, and the ad-
/ iutant generals Offices, where all
/ the records of the local units for
period of years are stored, is still
/ functioning. The rooms used by
the troops, however, probably never
will be used by them again, for
by the time they return it is eX-
pected that their new building at
the eastern terminus of East Capt.
tol street will be ready for occu-
pancy.
Although the drill hall at the
new project is completed, Gen. Cox
says that there are no present
plans for moving any of the Guard
equipment to the finished structure
to make way for other governmental
activities. He indicated that no
move would be made until the en-
tire structure is completed about
the end of the current year, when
all activities of the Guard would
be transferred to the new site.
While Gen Cox said that some
of the representatives of agencies
charged with procuring space for
governmental functions had ex-
amined the armory and discussed
/ its use for civilian functions, he
said that after seeing the building
and its condition, they did not ap-
pear to be much interested. Be-
cause of this fact, he did not be-
lieve that the Guard faced a forced
move at this time. In any event
there would be no place for the cur
rent activities, because there is no
place in the drill hall for such work
as is carried on by the adjutant
generals offices. When the new
armory is completed, it is expected
all of the units of the Guard will
be quartered there, except perhaps
the colored contingent, which will.
as usual, be located in its rented
! quarters at Twelfth and U streets
| NV. Therefore, it is probable that
the Maine avenue armory will not
be used again, unless the War De-
partment decides to increase the
ALLEGATION of units to the District
beyond the capacity of the new
armory building to accommodate.
Gen. Cox said that plans have
been completed and money allocated
for the construction of a hangar
and other housing facilities for this
squadron on the Agricultural De-
partment's experimental farm at
Beltsvills, Md, but that it would
be four or five months before this
would be ready for use. In the
meantime the troops will have to
have some place to drill. AS soon
as the hangar is completed, If the
squadron has not been called into
active service for training purposes.
its activities will be transferred
here.