Evening star., 1941-11-13
Purchase Of One LOT
Stands in Way Of
Playground Project
Commission Studies
PIons and Site for
New F. B. !. Building

Acquisition of all property neces-
sary TO development of the Harrison
School playground for colored al
Thirteenth and V streets NV, with
the exception of one lot, was an
nounced today by Norman c. Brown
associate land-purchasing officer o.
the National Capital Park ano
Planning Commission. as the body
began its tWo-day November meet
ing.
Mr.. Brown said proceedings would
be sought at the earliest possible
time TO insure completion of this
project"
At the same time. the commission
announced through Thomas S
Settle, secretary, approval in prin-
clpal of plans to make Harrison
School Playground one OF the city.
modern recreation centers.
Mr.. Settle produced drawings pre-
pared by Thomas C. JefferS, the
commissions landscape architect
showing how the playground and
two others. that at the Francis
Junior High School, Twenty-fifth
and M streets NV, and that al
First High Reservoir, Forty-fourth
and Warren street NV, will be de-
veloped with football fields. tennis
courts. volley ball courts and facil-
tiles for other outdoor games.
Other Lands Acquired.
Availability of these centers was
brought closer to realization by the
acquisition of additional property
necessary to their completion. Other
land acquisitions announced by Mr.
Brown involved the Rose Park Play
ground adjoining Rock Creek Park
near Dumbarton avenue NV, and
the Watts Branch Parkway in the
reatiOn area.
Approval of site and plans for a
proposed new office building for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation will
be asked tomorrow.
The commission will take up sew
eral public building projects, in
Guiding Government proposals to
erect several more temporary struc-
lures on public property, including
the Mall, but is expected to reach a
final decision on the F. B. l. building
Specifications of the structure, To-
cation of which is being kept secret
pending overall approval by the
planning board, will be presented by
w. E. Reynolds, commissioner of the
Public Buildings Administration. and
Louis A. Simon, supervising archi-
tect.
Employs $500 Here.
With $500 employees in Washing
ton, the defense expanded F. B. I.
has asked for the new building to
relieve an acute Office space short
age in the Department of Justice
Building on Constitution avenue.
The F. B. rs Washington field Office
occupies rented Office space and it
is the departments wish to place
all bureau divisions under a single
roof.
Defense housing projects in the
following places will be studied: A
7O-unit project for officers and en-
listed men of Boiling Field on farm
property Of st. Elizabeth's Hospital:
a 30O-unit group on Stanton road
Sc, under supervision of the Alley
Dwelling Authority; the bachelor
girls domitory project for Sixteenth
and U streets NV. and the Metro
polltan Life Insurance Co.'S housing
program for Alexandria, Va.
Proposed Zoning Changes.
Two proposed zoning changes also
will be studied. One would au-
thorize the Commissioners at thei,
discretion to require builders of new
apartment houses and office build
ings to provide Off street parking
facilities. The other would permit
home owners in single family dis
trictS to take in more than two
roomers or boarders.
Plans for extension of Independ.
ence avenue NV. to Lincoln Me.
mortal Plaza and other bridge ap.
proach Improvements on both sides
of the Potomac River incident tc
the new War Department Building
in Arlington County will be dis
cussed tomorrow at joint meeting
with the National Commission OF
Fine Arts.