Evening star., 1942-03-15
Mall Dormitory Plan Recalls World War Troubles

OHCle OAHl appears OH Tile verge VI
going into the girls boarding house
business again, but If his expert
ence is what it was the last time
he'll find there's many a headache
in it.
He had a big establishment on
Union Station Plaza for years. 1t
was built during the World War as a
temporary" structure; before 1t was
torn down in 1929 it was rated in
the "eyesore" class.
President Roosevelt announced at
his press conference Friday that he
wanted Uncle Sam to get in the
landlord business again. The Chief
Executive wants dormitories-long,
low and very temporary-built in
the middle of the greensWard Of
the Mall. They're to relieve the
housing shortage.
The plan stirred old memories
and few old skeletons. Take the
squabble over whether constituents
of Democratic members of Congress
were given preference over those Of
Republican members when the
rooms were first being rented. That
charge was denied by James H.
Weaver, manager of the dormitory.
That denial came before Mr.. Wea-
yer resigned. Also before the In
surgents" were organized. The In
surgents were disgruntled tenants
who held secret" meetings. All
this was before the charge that
'wormy" food was served at the
dormitories. Also before the SIS
mattresses went on strike.
Never a Dull Moment.
Never a dull moment 1t the dor
mitories. And if there did happen
to be one, Congress stated an in
vestigation over how much rent was
being charged and whether cham
bermaids were being paid too much
or too little.
The old structures of 1918, like
those proposed for today. had an
auspicious beginning. President
Wilson himself took a personal in
terest He took time out from his
busy war duties to tour the city to
look over proposed sites. to make
certain the dormitories were located
in desirable section.
Then on a warm day in August.
1918, work was started on the IL
buildings, with two wings each. on
the plaza site. The rooms were 8
feet by IL feet, each with a closet
and running water There was
central bathing room for each $50
rooms. Three stories tall and made
of terra Gotta blocks, finished with
stucco the buildings were similar
in design as those described by
President Roosevelt. except the walls
of the rooms all went entirely to
the ceiling. A recreation and re-
ception hall was at one end Of the
buildings. The structures had room
for 1.700 girls.
The war ended before the build
ings were completed and the sub
ject of whether construction should
be continued came up in the Sen
ate in December.
Price Are Criticized.
Senator Kirby said he had been
told the prices to be charged were
as high as at any private dwellings
in the city. He said he had under
stood originally that low rents were
to be charged to help bring rents
down in the District. but he was be-
ginning to wonder if it was the idea
to put the prices up in order to bene-
flt certain real estate people.
So the Senate decided to investi-
gate the whole subject of whether
the project should go ahead. The
Public Buildings and Grounds Com
mittee held hearings.
Sponsors of the project were as
vigorous in their assertions that the
houses would not be used following
the war emergency as those are to-
day. Although the war was over.
the city was still overcroWded with
Government girls who were to work
on war-riSk insurance.
AS the hearing neared a close.
Senator Hardwick said: The only
thing to be decided is whether the
Government is going into the hotel
business"
The committee voted to halt the
project and the Senate concurred
after Senator Reed had pointed out
that the Government already had
cleared the land at large expense
for park purposes.
Armed Women on Guard.
Then the House started investi-
eating and after a committee had
toured the project, its members
voted that the project should be fin
ished since it was already 80 per
cent complete.
AS the various units were COM
pleted, the girls started moving in.
They hadn't been there long when
the management decided something
of a restraining force was needed
inside. So it was decided that IL
uniformed and armed women would
patrol the corridors of the build
ings.
Then the storm clouds began to
gather. The insurgents" organized
to press their grievances. They de-
clared that the original idea was
that the houses were to be operated
for war workers only and the man
ager was to be woman. Neither
was the case, they maintained.
And the insurgents, 1,100 strong,
went on record supporting Col. E. H.
Sanctuary, who had ben removed
from his post as head of commit
tee which passed on applications for
tenancy. He had refused to let the
secretaries and clerks Of Senators
and Representatives live in the dor
mitory because they weren't war
workers and, anyway. they received
sufficiently high salaries to live else
where.
Col. Sanctuary charged that he
was removed by the United States
Housing Corp. which administered
the project He said the corporation
desired to obtain needed friends in