Evening star., 1942-06-19
Station Plaza
To Be Used for
Dormitories
Park and Planning
Commission Comedies
Need Is Desperate

tlOnal Capital Park ana framing
Commission today approved the use
of available land in the east and
west portions of Union Station plaza
for housing girl war workers tenn
porariiy in Government-built dormi-
tories.
One site comprising two squares
and a small triangle on the eastern
side of the station and Columbus
Statue Circle. was approved for i'm
mediate erection of three dormitories
with total capacity of 1000 rooms
provided Congress passes a House
bill authorizing temporary transfer
of the land to the Public Buildings
Administration.
Another site of two squares on the
west side, Immediately south of the
Post Office, the commission said, was
being held in reserve for possible use.
Ground plans for the Union Sta
ton dormitories were included in
the program of seven emergency
housing projects which received
final approval by the commission.
Located in various sections avail
able to centers of war activities,
the dormitories would provide
total Of 1887 bers for men and
women war workers.
IA Buildings I'm Arlington.
Largest of the ground plans ap-
proved was the Arlington Farms
project for IA buildings containing
$500 rooms. These are intended
primarily for workers in the new
War Department Building in Ar
lington. This project will contain
every possible convenience for well
fare and recreation of its residents.
Included in the plans for the huge
Arlington project are a cafeteria,
an 1nf1rmary, an assembly hall or
theater, two recreation buildings.
canteen and a beauty parlor for
girls.
One project for colored workers
was approved in an area near the
Langston housing project on New
York avenue extended, its location
being just south of the colored golf
course on the AnacoStia River. On
this site it is planned to build two
dormitorieS with 1893 rooms.
The Park and Planning Commits
sion hoped the dormitories planned
for Union Station Plaza would not
blight the area as many years as
did the, World War hotels built
there for girls.
Commission Saves ONLY Mall
I'VE hope these dormitories. if
erected, will be among the first
temporary structures to come down
after the war" said Secretary
Thomas S. Settle Things in Wash
tngton are in a desperate situation,
and the Mall is the only principal
park property we seem to be able
to save so far" He said the Pub
lie Buildings Administration and
others insisted on the Union Station
plaza as the most convenient site
for the dormitories.
The Commissioners special COM
mittee on housing. headed by j. C.
Nichols, had worked with David
Lynn, architect of the Capitol. and
Senator Barkley, chairman of the
joint committee on Capitol grounds,
in planning the project.
The Union Station project is in
tended exclusively for girl war work.
ers to provide temporary lodgings
until they get permanent rooms
here. All the dormitories will be of
the accepted two-story barracks
type, with single rooms predominant
ing. The seven projects approved
finally today include 16.685 single
rooms and 606 double rooms. There
will be few double rooms in each
building.
Ground Plans Presented.
The approved three squares east
of the station are bounded by F,
Third and D streets. The sites be-
ing held in reserve in the western
portion are the two squares bounded
by Louisiana avenue and North
Capitol street.
Allan S. Thorne, administrative
assistant to the supervising architect
of the Public Buildings Admins
tration, presented the detailed
ground plans for all the dormitory
projects at the commissions June
meeting Some of the project plans,
including those in Arlington and
West Potomac Park at Suitland, Md,
have been under consideration for
some time.
Approval of ground plans provide
for dormitory projects at the fol-
lowing locations:
West Potomac Park, three build
ings totalling 1900 rooms, south of
Independence avenue in the area
between the Tidal Basin and the
Potomac River.
A new project planned for East
Potomac Park at the north end of
the golf course. This will comprise
five buildings with approximately
2,l00 rooms.
Another project in the vicinity
of Nineteenth and East Capitol