Evening star., 1946-01-24
White House
Continued From First Page.) J

very little OF 1t, Ii any, can be seen
from the White House. The audi
torium will be south of the executive
Office and east OF the new addition
and it will be 81 feet by 54 feet in
size
This new addition will not be
visible to the public except from the
air and on West Executive avenue.
The present actual Office space
is II 566 square feet. The new Office
space will be 1852 square feet.
The White House will not be
changed or altered in any manner
exterior or interior"
The President emphasized that
the space was needed for clerical
help, explaining that a great many
clerks now work underground and
that he did not want that situation
to continue. He smilingly told his
conference, too, that he did not want
to be in the same Ak as Dolly Madi-
son, who. he said, was forced to hang
her washing in the east room.
Some of them in the audience
Adams instead OF Dolly Madison,
who, according to tradition, used the
east room on washday, but the Pres
ident insisted that both White
House chatelaines did this.
The President said that there was
work being done in the White House
now that he wanted to get out.
He said he thought the White
House was the finest residence in
the United States and that he
wanted to keep 1t that way. The
White House had no improvements
during wartime, the President said,
and as matter of fact, he added,
very little had been done there In
the past l6 years.
In Accordance with Law.
A reporter recalled that some con-
gressional critics were reported to be
planning to revoke the appropria-
ton granted for the White House
work and wanted to know if the
President didn't look on that as
lot of hooey." The President re-
piled that everything is being done
in accordance with the law.
The Fine Arts Commissions ap-
proval cited by the President was
embodied in a letter OF December 8
signed by Gilmore D. Clarke, the
chairman.
The letter said:
The members of the Commission
of Fine Arts were delighted to re-
view with you on November 80 pre-
liminary plans prepared by L. S.
Winslow for an addition to the west
wing of the White House necessary
to provide additional space for the
more efficient functioning of the
executive Office of the President.
Tentatively Approved.
THE commission are pleased to
advise that they find the plans
generally satisfactory and approve
them subject to further study of
certain details of the design by the
architect. Mr.. Winslow has agreed
to confer with the commission from
time to time as the more detailed
plans are developed.
The commission were pleased to
note that the further extension of
the west wing to the south will
not seriously encroach upon the
grounds OF the White House: in
fact, the nature of the proposed ex-
tension of the west wing will serve
to provide the grounds near the
house with greater seclusion than
has been possible heretofore.
THE commission are especially
pleased to be called upon to ad-
wise in this matter with view
toward retaining on this new struc-
ture the dignity and the charm
which obtains In the case of the
White House and the existing wings
TO the east and to the west"
Meanwhile, the Washington Chap
ter of the American Institute of
Architects asked in a formal resolu-
tion that any new executive Offices
be provided separate from the White
House.
The resolution has been sent to
the White House, the Fine Arts
Commission, the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission, the
Secretary of the Interior and James
R. Edmonds, national president of
the Architects Institute,