Evening star., 1946-01-30
Proposed Auditorium
For White House Now
Considered Unlikely

l
versial proposed west wing extern
i sion to the White House will in
clude an auditorium, and extremely
likely that the entire extension will
be so designed and built that it will
be conspicuously temporary, Tie
Star learned today.
This latest development in the
controversy which has ragged over
the proposal to triple the size of
the west wing of the Executive
Mansion came as subcommittee
| of the Senate Appropriations Com
mittee began executive hearings on
the independent Offices appropria
tion bill, which now contains House
language blocking construction
fumes for the building.
1t came less than "a hours after
lit was revealed yesterday that the
proposal to turn the east wing of the
White House into presidential mu-
scum and reception rooms for the
public had been killed by President
Truman on the recommendation of
the Fine Arts Commission.
Arts Commission Statement.
A hint that the nature of the pro-
posed extension would be far more
temporary than has been planned
was contained in yesterdays state
ment by the Fine Arts Commission,
where 1t said:
The Commission of Fine Arts re-
affirms the position taken by the
commission in 1902 and subsequently
adhered to that the entire west wing
housing the Presidents Offices be
considered of temporary nature
until such time as more suitable
Offices shall be provided elsewhere. !"
From an authoritative source
close to the Fine Arts Commission
it was learned today that every
detail of the work is to be sub
mitted to the Fine Arts Commis-
sion for approval and nothing is to
be done experimentally.
Attitude Is Conservative.
The Star was told by this source
that the attitude of commission
members is conservative. Several
OF them, the source said. are known
to favor the construction OF new
home for the State Department and
the remodeling Of the present State
Department building for executive
Offices.
The Fine Arts Commissions
statement yesterday looked with
disfavor on the State Department
plan. Hence a rift among the
membership of the commission be-
comes apparent.
The Star was told that instead
of an auditorium the extension
would include merely an Office suf-
ficiently large to accommodate the
White House press corps.
Plans made public call for an
auditorium of the latest modern de-
sign to seat 375 and contain stage,
a stage elevator large enough to ac-
commodate a grand piano. special
Photographic balconies and radio
and television galleries, movie and
sound equipment and other features.
Adviser In "Cubby Hole"
The Stars source said that the
difficulty which prompted the Presi-
dent to press for more Office space
Immediately was pointed up when
he found one of his closest advisers
crowded into "a mere cubby hole" in
the existing office structure. This
man and his secretary hardly had
enough room to breathe, 1t Is cruel
to expect people to work under such
cramped conditions" the President
was represented as saying.
AS the Senate subcommittee COM
menced hearings today, with Appro-
priations Committee Chairman Nc
Kellar presiding, the Garden CLUB
of America made public letter to
the President opposing the planned
extension.
I'VE hope you will exert every
effort to preserve intact for the
future so beautiful a monument as
the White House" the Garden Club