Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-15
NaWkD Demanding
Auto Lots in Parks
For 1000 Cars
Survey Of Space Made;
Proposal Resisted
BY Secretary Iekes
Continued From First PageD

tlOllo al SOdSCu dilu WIlclc IllIcc
baseball and four soft ball diamonds
are located.
Mr.. Ickes' wrath was stirred even
more by the Nays demand for a
100 foot wide strip in the triangle
facing the Navy building on Con-
stitution avenue 1t was from this
same triangle that he had barred the
Pan American Union from build
ing its proposed annex in 1886 be-
cause 1t would detract from the
setting of the new South Interior
Building
Park Officials Reject Proposal.
At his insistence and for another
reason, the park officials have de-
finitely turned down the proposal
to make a parking lot within this
particular triangle.
The other reason is that the
triangle is owned by the Pan-Ameri-
can Union which now has bill be-
fore Congress to erect its long post
poned annex within the immediate
vicinity. Secretary Ickes said that
all parties involved, including
President Roosevelt, are agreed on
the triangle proposal. Furthermore,
william " Griffin, chief clerk of
the Union, said parking lot on the
triangle was "unthinkable. 1T
just wouldn't do at ALL" he re-
marked.
If the Navy Department is joined
by other defense agencies in de-
manding parking lots in the Poto-
mac area, there was reason to be-
lieve that President Roosevelt would
be called in to decide, as he was
called upon to intervene in the PAN
American annex dispute several
years ago.
The failure of the President to
hold cabinet meeting last Friday,
it is understood was all that pre-
vented Mr.. Ickes from taking up the
matter personally with his colleague
across the way.
Il was astonished that any Gov
eminent agency should seek to make
such use of the parks" Mr.. Ickes
said yesterday. THE parks, as very
definitely known, were not created
for such purposes.
World War Experience.
Interior officials protested that
once the Navy is given a foothold
in the parks it may take years.
even decades to pry them loose
again. as it did with other agencies
after the World War
That experience still rankles in
the minds of park officials and of
citizens generally who were inter-
ested in the orderly development of
the Mall and the downtown park
system.
They recalled yesterday that the
Government hotels for women were
allowed to remain a long time in
Union Station Plaza after the World
War emergency ended. But in the
case OF the unsightly temporary Of
flee structures that cluttered the
Mall and other areas, they reminded
that 1t took more than 20 years of
agitation in and out of Congress to
order their removal.
One of these still stands in the
center of the newly developed Mall
and another is in the west end area.
The Government is engaged in a
long-range defense program. No Of
fetal, not even the President or
the Army and Navy heads, knows
whether this emergency will con-
t1nue for another year or half a
dozen years. Whatever the PERIOD.
the Interior Department fears that
a surrender now on its part would
eventually throw the entire West
and East Potomac Park areas wide
open to whatever uses the expand
ing defense agencies might wish to
make of them.
Nor would they be able to Justify
refusal Of parking privileges to old
line Federal departments if the
Navy and Army are provided with
automobile space.
Greenhouse Site Included.
In getting up their survey of
possible spaces that might be turned
over for parking purposes, the park
officials sought to avoid areas that
would mean the destruction Of trees,
shrubbery and landscaping. In ad-
dition to the Monument Grounds,
the survey includes the site Of the
old Agriculture greenhouses IN Con-
stitution avenue between Four
tenth and Twelfth streets. 1t was
with great reluctance that this was
done. 1t would provide space for
$50 cars. This area has been graded
for landscaping and now is being
sodded
West Of Twenty-third street and
south of Constitution avenue is an
area that could be made to accom-
modate about $50 cars Adjacent to
it, between Twenty-third street and
the new K street overpass is space
for another $50 cars. About $50 cars
could be accommodated in a third
area north of Constitution and east
of Twenty-sixth street. These areas
are all used more or less by the
Naval Hospital and contain two
softball diamonds.
officials reached their estimate of
approximately % acres of parking
space by figuring on 300 square feet
per car, based on $500 cars. That
much space per car would be need
ed, 1t was said. for maneuvering in
and out. The total would reach the
sizeable estimate of 1,050,00O square
feet.
Any one riding through West Po-
tomac Park on week day can see
automobiles lining every roadside
such as one sees in the city. These
lines of thousands of cars extend
from the extreme west end to the
Tidal Basin bridge to East Potomac
Park and even penetrate into some
OF the eastern areas for all-day
parking
Park officials said it was the at
titude of the Navy Department that
the Government should provide
parking space for any employe who
wishes to use his car
Origin of Controversy.
The parking controversy first
arose when the Navy Department
vacated space for 241 cars back of
its building to make room for the
new annex under construction.