Evening star., 1941-08-08
Discusses Alternative Proposal
For War Department Building.


To the Editor of Tn. Star.
Your articles on the folly of locating
the $35 900 900 ONCE building of the War
Department in Arlington are a great
civic service, as the taxpayers in Wash
ington would have to bear the cost of
bridges, highway approaches and high
way alterations to overcome the in
creased traf1c congestion that would be
caused by this latest blunder in city
planning for the District of Columbia.
The existing trafflc congestion is caused
by the location of all Federal ONCE
buildings in one section of the city. The
proposed new building for the General
Accounting Ofice, between G and H,
Fourth and Fifth streets. will be in
north-south line with buildings housing
tens of thousands. When the streetcars
reach this area they will be crowded.
1t was the recommendation of the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning Com
mission that future Federal Office build
ings should be located east of the Cap
itol, but their expert advice seemingly
is ignored.
The transportation facilities of the
steam and electric trains into suburban
Maryland and Virginia from the Wash
ington Railway Terminal should not be
neglected. Federal buildings to house
tens of thousands within easy walking
distance of this terminal can be built
on available land. Workers then would
leave their cars at home and thus re-
lieve existing congestion.
On Bladensburg road NE, the Ma
tional Training School for Boys and the
National Arboretum offer vacant land
for sites for the War Department Build
ing. Here the land is elevated and pre-
vailing northwest winds would give COM
fort to the Federal employees in con-
trast to the low Arlington site, where the
high hills to the west cut off the winds
and where humidity and temperature
are high.
In the Bladensburg road area there are
parking spaces for thousands of cars.
Housing facilities for the employees could
be found. Public utilities are available.
The building would be in an area con-
trolled by the Federal Government,
which in the past has been found to be
a vital consideration.
It is generally conceded that the Ma
tional Training School must be moved
into a rural section. Now is the time to
make the decision.
Brentwood Park and Columbia Insti-
tute for the Deaf offer nearly $50 acres
of land, mostly vacant, close to the busi-
ness section with vast possibilities in
highway developments. Columbia Insti-
tute possibly could be induced to accept
a part of site and an existing building of
the National Training School in ex-
change. The encroachment of the Flor
ida Avenue Market, other business and
residential developments have affected
the present location as site for a
boarding school.
The highway improvement plan of
the District of Columbia Highway De-
partment fails to consider the problem
of the location of future Federal office
buildings. 1t is beyond their province.
Yet the location of these buildings de-
termines the flow of traffic and highway
changes.
Some higher competent authority must
give us a plan for the location of future
Federal buildings.
Since the combination of problems are
beyond the scope of any existing Federal
agency I propose that Congress estab-
lish a commission of civil engineers of
national reputation as city planning
experts and in highway designing to give
us a plan for the location Of future Fed
eral ofice buildings, location of Federal
highways in the Westinghouse Baltimore