Evening star., 1945-03-22
Stadium Airport
And Roof Over
Field Proposed
Variety of Suggestions
Made at Meeting
Of Commission
BY DON s. WARREN.

posed to build here after the war
Representative Randolph, Democrat
of West Virginia declered today al
meeting of the National Memoria
Stadium Commission.
Members of the Aero Club ol
Washington have been working fol
some time on this phase of the prof.
ect and later will submit clear-cut
plan for an air field near the sta
dunn. said Mr.. Randolph, a member
OF the commission.
The suggestion brought an imme-
date declaration of approval from
Senator Bilbo, Democrat, of Missis-
sippi, the commission chairman, who
commented: "A landing field will be
most essential. A few years after
the war ends nobody will be driving
automobiles except poor white folks
and some Others"
Roof Is Proposed.
Mr.. Randolph also urged serious
study of possibilities of placing a
roof over the athletic field of the
stadium, after Walter w. Cook, a
Dallas (Tex0 architect, told the COM
mission this would be feasible. Sem
ator Bilbo predicted the commits
sion would recommend a stadium
with this "all-weather" feature.
Mr.. Cook said the Atlantic City
Stadium, though smaller than the
one planned here, has a roof and
that it has proved a good idea. He
saiu the stadium could be planned
SO as to support a copper sheet
roof with span of as much as
500 feet. The sides of the upper
part OF roofed-in stadium could
be of non-glare glass, which could
be opened in warm weather.
A wide variety of views developed
at the session, which Senator Bilbo
described as field day" for archi-
tects, engineers and others to offer
their ideas as to how the stadium,
as memorial to veterans of the
World Wars, should be planned.
National Project.
At the outset, Chairman Bilbo
said there is an impression that the
proposed stadium was local prof.
est y That is not true" he said. 1T
is national project. The only
thing that Washington has to do
with it is that it is to be built here.
And now and then we will let the
people of Washington get into it."
Senator Mead, Democrat. of New
York, commission member, recon-
mended that the commission should
make a personal inspection of at
least several of the larger stadia to
gather ideas on how to avoid mis-
takes.
Discussion of the need of site
that will afford the maximum trans
portation facilities was high lighted
by testimony given by Francis P.
Sullivan, member of the Allied
Architects, of Washington.
Crowd Statistics Offered.
Assuming that stadium with a
capacity of 10000 is built, he CAL
culated if all were transported by
streetcars such crowd would re-
quire 1875 streetcars, each jammed
with 100 passengers. and that trav-
cling at intervals of 100 feet, the
cars would make line 40 miles
long and would require Is hours to
get away from the stadium.
Mr.. Sullivan also warned that if
the stadium were too large, those
getting the seats most distant from
the field would not be able to see
much.
He also opposed a stadium hav-
ing too many divergent purposes.
Commenting on a suggestion by
Senator Bilbo to house permanent
exhibits of world fair" nature
in the proposed stadium, he said the
building probably would not be well
suited to any of the purposes
planned.
representative Simpson, Repub-
lican, of Illinois, reminded the COM
mission, of which he is a member,
that the act of Congress creating
the body had specified that plans be
drafted to make the project self
liquidating.
Another Location Suggested.
Maj. Ray Thompson of the Army
Air Forces said the stadium should
be so located that it can be used al
most continually by a large number
of people, If it is not to become a
white elephant" He has recon-
mended that it be built along Con-
stitution avenue west of Seven
teenth street NV, instead of at the
foot of East Capitol street. The
latter site is recommended by the
Park and Planning Comnliss;.-
Senator Bilbo commented that the
East Capitol street site had no pro-
vision for landing field.
During brief discussion of cost
Mr.. Sullivan suggested that an out
lay of six or eight million dollars
instead of two or three million