Evening star., 1941-08-08
By J, A. OIEARY.

ClhAAoAo Va NAlC lllC 10 NOlIl~
mission went before a Senate APP
priations Subcommittee today pre-
pared to urge that the proposed
new S35,000,000 War Department
Building be located in the North
west Rectangle, west Of the White
House, instead Of on the Arlington ,
Experimental Farm.
The Fine Arts group, which sev-
eral days ago announced its oppo-
sition to the Arlington County (Va)
site on the ground that the area
was designated years ago for en-
largement of Arlington National
Cemetery, is understood to be con-
vinced the structure could be erect
ed more economically in the North
west Rectangle also fitting in with
previous long-range plan that
bears congressional approval.
Represented by Gilmore D.
Clarke, its chairman, the commits
sion was ready TO suggest to the
Senate that six-5tory building in
the rectangle area in the District
would be more economical than
the proposed three story structure
to be spread out over a wider area
in Virginia, to accommodate 10000
workers.
Facing Could Come Later.
The Fine Arts officials point out
also that the building in the rec
tangle area of Washington could be
built of plain exterior material now
but so designed as to take stone
facing later on when the emergency
is over.
Taking part also in today's hear
ings in closed session we're spokes-
men for the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, who,
while not opposing. entirely use Of
the experimental farm site, have
already recommended TO Congress
that if that site must be used. the
dimensions of the building should
be cut in half.
After studying the traf1c and
related problems that would result
from concentrating 10000 employees
in that area, the planning experts
estimated that seven or eight mil
lion dollars additional would be
needed for access road and bridge
accommodations.
The Park and Planning Commits
sion was represented by z. F. De-
maray, acting executive officer in
the absence from the city of Frederic
A. Delano, and T. S. Settle and
John Nolen. of the commission
staff of experts.
Glass Reserves Comment.
AS Senator Glass, Democrat. Of
Virginia, arrived to attend the meet
ing newspapermen asked him what
he thought should be done about
the building program. he replied:
I'm going to tell the committee
how feel, not the newspapers"
Senator Glass is a member of the
subcommittee in charge of the bill
as we'll as chairman of the entire
Appropriations Committee.
After Congress had provided for
the first big building program in
the Pennsylvania avenue-Mall Tri-
angle east of the White House it
passed another act designating the
Rectangle west of the White House
for future public building needs.
AS recently as March, 1888, it
amended the public buildings law to
authorize purchase Of the area west
of Nineteenth street. bounded by z
street, New York avenue and the
Potomac River and seven other
squares. While all Of this prop
erty has not been bought, the au.
thority still exists.
Within this general area one new
building for the War Department
has only recently been completed at
Twenty-first street and Virginia
avenue.
SomervelI to Testify.
Brig. Gen. Brehon Somerven OF
the Engineer Corps, was present
from the War Department to ex-
plain the plans adopted by the
House for the three-story structure
on the Arlington Experimental
Farm.
Although the building project has
been the subject of widespread dis
cussion since the Senate subcom-
mittee began hearings on the sup
Elemental defense bill, of which it is
a part, today was the first time the
subcommittee had an opportunity
to hear the arguments for and
against the Virginia site, in detail.
Meanwhile, the subcommittee re-
ceived from President Roosevelt
just before he left Washington, a
letter in which he is understood to
have indicated it might be well to
hllild an initial unit of the larger