Evening star., 1941-08-14
PIonIess Expansion

President RooSevelt's concern over
the fate of the long-planned North
west Rectangle building program, in
the event Congress finally approves
the $35 900, ,000-pluS War Department
structure in front of Arlington
National Cemetery, is we'll founded.
There is good reason for concern on
the part of every one who is inter-
ested in the orderly development OF
the National Capital, for it has be-
come abundantly evident that adop-
ton of the War Departments ILL
conceived Arlington scheme means
abandonment of established plans
for creation of a great national
defense center in the area between
Twenty-firSt street and the Potomac
River, north of Constitution avenue.
The vital issue at stake here is
planleSs expansion versus regulated
growth at the seat of Government.
After long and careful studies, Fed
eral planning authorities recon-
mended, and Congress approved,
extension of the governmental
building program westward from the
White House toward the river. In
spacious rectangle west of the new
Interior Building were to be placed
two main groups of office buildings
having to do with defense. Congress
authorized erection of a new home
for the War Department by act of
June 25, 1888, and the first unit of
this building, which ultimately was
to extend from Twenty-first to
Twenty third streets, has just been
completed. The Naval Hospital was
to come down and just west of its
site was to be erected a 100000
Navy Department group, including
not only office buildings but a naval
museum, underground garage and a
lagoon for berthing historic ships on
the east side of the Rock Creek and
Potomac parkway.
What is to become of this already
approved program if the House
indorsed substitute plan for the
worlds largest Office building at the
entrance to Arlington Cemetery is
enacted into law? Discussion of the
colossal project at the Capitol dis
closes that the Army and Navy have
in mind a swapping arrangement,
whereby the Navy will occupy the
Munitions Building when the Army
vacates it, and also will take over the
new unit of the building erected in
the rectangle for the War Depart
ment. But if the Navy is to occupy
the structure originally planned
along Constitution avenue for the
Army, who will occupy the Navy's
site west Of the Naval Hospital-and
what of the interesting plan for
lagoon and naval museum designed
to link the Navy Department with
the water front? Is it not likely that
after the emergency is over and War
Department personnel returns to
normal size, the Navy Department
also will be moved over to the Ar
lington building, which is to cover
some thirty-five acres and provide
space for 10000 employees? Wash
ington would then lose not one, but
two, major departments of the Gov
ernment.
Congress should pause and, as
President Roosevelt advised in his
letter to the Senate subcommittee,
give further consideration to the
serious problem of the future of the
Northwest Rectangle plan. This
question is too important to be de-
cided in hasty hearings or summarily
disposed of by the tacking onto
defense appropriation measure of
rider prepared without reference to
the Public Buildings and Grounds
Committees and against the advice
of authorized planning officials
-------