Evening star., 1946-01-06
Health Center
In Alexandra
Ready for Use
City to Stort Moving
Equipment Into New
Building Tomorrow

The Alexandria Health Depart
ment will start moving tomorrow
from its present quarters in City
Hall to the new health center in
the 500 block of North st. Asaph
street.
The two-story brick building, de-
signed by Buckler & Fenhagen,
Baltimore architects, was started in
November, 1914. and was scheduled
for completion last April. A series
of delays held up the work and the
building was not accepted by the
city until last week
The Federal Works Agency
granted the city $56,500 toward the
construction cost of the center,
which was made necessary because
of the wartime growth of Alexan-
dria's population. The city paid
1880 for the site and the re-
mainder of the construction cost,
totaling $4,000. The equipment,
which has not been entirely in
stalled, is estimated to cost $4,000,
the major portion of which is for an
X-ray machine. The city received a
81 500 grant in Federal and State
funds from the State Health De-
partment to help meet the cost of
the machine.
Building of Colonial Design.
The building, Colonial in design
with white trim and cupolas, has
two Identical wings. There is a
parking space in the rear for the
departments personnel
A large entrance hall will contain
waiting room furniture. The hall
opens into an auditorium designed
to seat IS persons. This room,
equipped with a motion picture
screen and blackboard, will be used
for lectures on health matters.
On one side of the waiting room
is an information booth, the switch
board and the dispensary where
immunization drugs are kept. A
similar room on the opposite side
of the hall is designed for records
and vital statistics.
One of the first-f1oor wings con-
tains venereal. disease clinic and
treatment room, where the work
now being carried on in the Com
munity Health Center will be done.
An x-ray room, private dressing
cubicles and a consultation room
for attending physicians also are
included in this wing.
The opposite wing contains den-
tai clinic. with Offices for both a
white and a colored dentist, and a
maternity clinic.
Special features of the maternity
clinic are the rallied porch outside
the clinic, where mothers may leave
their children in safety, and shell
ter for baby carriages. In the clinic
room there is a built-in shelf di-
syided into small, sections for indi-
sSidual examination of babies and
for demonstrations by the nurses
to the mothers.
The second floor contains staff
offices and laboratories, including
large laboratory and technician's
office, a serology and microscopic
laboratory. an Office for the school
physician when one is appointed.
and another for. the health officer
and for the chief sanitary inspec-
tor.
Work Rooms on Second Floor.
Large work rooms are provided
on this floor for the nurses and for
the sanitary inspectors. There is
also a library and conference room
The basement contains, in addi-
ton to the furnace and mainte-
nance rooms. storage space and
locker rooms for janitors and maids
The building has specially con-
structed sound-proof ceilings, rub
Der tile floors, and the most modern
equipment in offices and labora-
tories. Throughout the building
cork bulletin boards are built into
the walls for the display of posters
and notices, and ample chest space
is provided for supplies.
Lee T. Turner & Co. of Wash.
| ington was the builder A forma
opening and dedication will be held
after the furniture and equipment
have been installed.