Evening star., 1942-04-29
Army Will Occupy
First Section Of New
Building Tomorrow
Arlington Structure Unit
Beats Schedule 6 Months;
Another Ready June I

Employees will begin moving
into the first of two nearly COM
pleted sections of the mammoth
War Department Building in
Arlington tomorrow, six months
ahead of the schedule, 1t. Gen.
Brehon B. Somervell, command
ing the Services of Supply, an
nounced today.
Gen. Somerveu said the two sec
tions will make available approxi-
mately 100000 square feet of
urgently needed Office space for the
far-scattered personnel. ,-+s .s.
The second nearly completed Sec
tion will be ready for workers June /.
Approximately 1000 workmen
are now employed in rushing the
three other sections of the builoIng
to completion, and like the first
two, they are expected to- be ready
far ahead of schedule.
Ordnance Workers First.
The Ordnance Department per-
sonnel will be the first to occupy
section A tomorrow. About 100000
square feet of space is available in
this practically completed section
but occupancy will be gradual. This
is to prevent any general disorder,
Gen. Somervell explained, and to
allow the cafeteria to function
properly at the start.
Gen. Somervell, who originally
planned and supervised construction
Of the new War Department Build
ing, said that admission to the site
for the time being will be entrance
No 8. directly accessible from the
south parking field While con-
struction is proceeding on the re-
naming section, every effort will be
made to keep the work from inter-
fering with occupants of the two
sections soon to be in use. For this
reason, it was explained, only those
roads and entrances designated for
Office employees will be used by per-
sonnel entering and leaving the site.
Roadways Will Suffice.
Gen. Somervell said that while the
new road network in Arlington
County is not expected to be COM
pleted before next fall, the high
ways already available are consid-
cred adequate to handle the expected
trafflc. The present highways will
be relieved as the new arteries are
opened for use.
In a measure" he said, ''traffic
coming from Washington to the new
War Department Building is ex-
pected to equalize traffic in the
opposite direction to Washington.
The Public Roads Administra-
ton will have completed at least
two lanes of the proposed new road
from Memorial avenue through the
former Agriculture Department Ex-
perimental Farm to the parking
area located at the southwest side
of the building in time for the use
of early occupants.
Traffic moving toward the new
building by the highway bridge will
be turned right on Columbia pike
and diverted directly into this same
parking area. Employees with homes
IN Virginia, obviously, will find
their transportation problem greatly
slmplifled by the opening of the
new office building.
Renshaw Praises Cooperation.
1t. Col Clarence Renshaw, engi-
neer for the Arlington district. has
immediate supervision over con-
struction of the huge building which
is designed to put nearly all War
Department employees under one
roof. The occupancy of the first
section by April 80, a half year
ahead of original expectancy, was
due to the cooperation of every
one involved in the vast undertak-
ing, he said.
In this enthusiastic co-opera-
tion." Col. Renshaw said, the Po-
tomac Electric Power Co.. the
Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone
Co. and other agencies, both Gov
ernmental and private, Joined
Fundamentally in rushing the work.
Since the start of the project,
September Is, 194l. 2.500,000 cubic
yards of earth have been excavated.
At the peak of employment $4,000
persons were engaged on the job.
The work involved also the pouring
Of 225,000 cubic yards of concrete
and the driving of over 1000 piles
for the foundation, according to the
engineer.