Evening star., 1944-04-20
Planners Reject
Proposal 10
Buy Villa Rosa
Lack Legal Right,
Cash to Save
ChiIdren's Museum

Lacking both money and legal
authority to purchase the Villa
Rosa, the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission today re-
jected the proposal of the board of
the Children's Museum that the
building and surrounding grounds
be incorporated into the park sys-
TEN.
While the Childrens Museum was
regarded as a most worthy move
mert," Secretary Thomas S. Settle
declared another obstacle was the
policy of the commission to confine
purchases of recreational areas to
contested sections of the city.
Because the Children's Museum is
a private enterprise, officials said the
only way to save it now would be
through an appropriation by Con-
gress.
Miss Matilda Young, director of
the museum, one of the 18 similar
projects sponsored by the Children's S
Theater of New York, last month
asked the Planning Commission to
investigate the matter of its pos
sible acquisition by the Government.
That was after the acres of Villa
Rosa were purchased from Defense
Homes Corp. by Sam Fig, a real
estate operator.
Action Based on Four Reasons.
John Nolan, planning director
made a thorough investigation and
the adverse action taken by the
commission today was based on four
broad grounds.
Mr.. Settle reported that the COM
mission, as its first reason, has no
legal authority to acquire the prop
erty and turn it over for a perma-
nent museum, regardless of the
worthiness of the undertaking. The
Planning Commission. he stressed.
can acquire lands only for public
parks, Fairgrounds and parkways.
Secondly, 1t has been the con-
sistent policy of the commission in
the past to refuse similar worthy
requests. AS an example, he cited
the recent case of the Boys Club in
Montgomery County.
Thirdly, he said there are no funds
available to purchase the Villa
Rosa property under the commits
sion's policy. 1t was understood
that Mr.. Fig had paid 100000
for it.
The fourth, and most important,
reason, is embodied in a policy
which is to govern expenditure of
future funds for public recreational
uses
Contested Areas Favored.
That policy, Mr.. Settle pointed
out, is to use funds obtained from
Congress in the near future for the
acquisition of Fairgrounds only in
contested areas of the city.
The policy has been approved, he
said, because of the "deplorable con-
ditions" in many of the areas which
have been brought out in hearings
OF the Burton subcommittee of the
Senate investigating District hous-
ing conditions.
The Villa Rosa property at one
time belonged to the District. 1t
then consisted of S acres. The Dis
trict bought additional acres with
a view to converting it into a play
ground and school site. When the
Mclean Gardens project was es-
tablished Congress passed a bill
authorizing exchange of the Villa
Rosa property for 9 acres in Nc
Lean Gardens.
Exchanged for School Site.
The Villa Rosa grounds passed
to the ownership of the Defense
Homes Corp, and the District re-
ceived in exchange a school site in
thickly populated Mclean Gardens.
The Children's Museum earlier
had been given a permit to occupy
the building on the Villa Rosa site.
Through volunteer contributions and
work the building was converted into
a museum which has been used as
a bird sanctuary and for study clubs
by hundreds of children affiliated
with the organization.
In considering the matter today
the Park and Planning Commission
took careful note of petitions and
resolutions from score of organiza-
tlons seeking to save the museum.