Evening star., 1941-11-15
Planners Clear
Way for Three
Mall Buildings
Temporary Structures
Approved Would
Accommodate 1000

NdIioildl SdplIdl raj dIlu fIdlllIiIlS
Commission in approving part of a
Public Buildings Administration re-
quest for permission to place five
such structures in the big rectangle.
The commission. in the face of the
emergency, acceeded to location OF
two of the temporary buildings fac
ing Constitution avenue between
Twelfth and Fourteenth streets
NV, on the land only recently
cleared of the old Agriculture De-
partment greenhouses. By putting
two buildings instead of one here, il
was explained, row of priced Chi
nese Ghinko trees will be saved.
The other structure approved will
face Independence avenue in the
square bounded by that avenue and
jefferson drive, Sixth and Seventh
streets S.W. 1t will thus be ad-
jacent to the two other temporary
buildingS-one completed and the
other nearly so-placed in the Mall
during the emergency.
Would Accommodate 1000.
P. B. A. officials had asked to
place two buildings on the indie
pendence avenue site. but the Plan
ming Commission would agree TO
only one, pointing out that combin-
ing all the desired space in single
unit would do away with the neceS-
sity of destroying decorative group
OF elm trees.
The three new temporary build
ingS will have an aggregate OftlCe
space big enough to accommodate
approximately 1000 defense workers
and will be tWo-Story affairs SINH
lar to the eight which already dot
public land in the District.
The commission fatty refused to
sanction erection Of temporary
structure behind the Munitions
Building on Constitution avenue
despite P B AS argument that
a similar building already has been
put up back of the adjoining Navy
Department Building The COM
mission pointed out that it was
never consulted in the case of the
Navy structure.
P. B. A. Representatives said they
hoped for an early allotment from
the Presidents emergency funds to
erect the new temporary buildings.
Need for the new temporary
buildings had been stressed Mon
day by Clay Guthridge, chief of
planning of the Office of Planning
and Space Control, in testimony
before a subcommittee of the House
Public Buildings and Grounds Com
mittee. This followed an article
in The Sunday Star pointing out
that the pressure of defense needs
led to consideration of more tenn
porary buildings, probably on the
mall.
Give Details on Extension.
Having approved all but the Tidal
Basin crossing phase of the pro-
lected independence avenue extern
tion from Fourteenth street to
Lincoln Memorial plaza, the COM
mission also made public several de-
tails Of the undertaking. These
showed temporary treatment of the
intersections at Fourteenth and Fif-
teenth streets on the same grade,
although separations are to be pro-
vided in both instances in the
future.
Also revealed were these facts:
The old Bureau of Engraving and
Printing Building, Immediately op-
posite the present intersection of
Independence avenue with Four
teenth street. will be detoured tenn
porarily, but raZed eventually to
permit direct route; from the
west side of Fourteenth street the
extension will divide. one part cross
ing the north bay" of the Tidal
Basin and the other skirting its
bank; the two parts will join west of
the basin to form a 40-foot divided
roadway as far as the road between
Lincoln Memorial plaza and the
Ericsson Memorial circle, where it
will tie in with both the plaza and
the Water Gate roadway beneath
Memorial Bridge; the single part Of
the extension will follow the line of
the present cinder road through
West Potomac Park; because of its
narrowness, this single part will be
one-Way east from 7 to $50 a I'm.
and one-Way west from to pm.
Other actions of the commission
yesterday affecting District access
included approval of several minor
details OF the grade separation pro-
lect for Fourteenth street and
Maine avenue S.W.. accompanied by
an expression of hope that work
will be undertaken very soon. and
approval of the Pennsylvania Rail
roads plan to enlarge its Long
bridge" across the Potomac to carry
two tracks instead of one, as at
present.
Preferred to Tunnel.
Approval of the railroad bridge
expansion was voted after Harland
Bartholomew, city planning con-
sultant, told the commission the
war experience of London had
showed that bridges were far less
vulnerable to bombs than tunnels.
An under-river tunnel has been
suggested in place of the railroad
span. The bridge will be strength
ened to carry the extra load of an
other track by inserting extra sup
porting piers between the existing
cnes, which are 200 feet apart.
Other actions of the commission
included suggesting two sites in the
Northwest sector and one in the
Southwest-none of which was re-
vealed--for the proposed new Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation Build
ing and approving set back" plans
for the projected Army Medical Mu-
scum and Library, to be located on
East Capitol street between Third
and Fourth streets.
The commission reaffirmed its
stand in recommending a 2-cent in
crease in the District gasoline tax
as means of financing the White
hurst highway improvement pro-
gram. 1t also indorsed bill before
Congress which would authorize
purchase of the So-called Nevius
tract in Arlington County as an
addition to Arlington National
Cemetery. Embracing about Is
acres the tract lies botWeon the