Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-11-14
Two lima Statue
Is Being Moved
For Building
Construction to Sturt
On Pan American
Union Annex at Site

OIttVti Ttl1lSA III DIG
Navy workmen today began NOV.
ing the statue of the historic Two
Jima fiag-rasing from its site across
Constitution avenue from the Navy
Department to make way for the
long-planned Pan American Union
annex.
Marine Corps officials said the
statue will be placed on a perma-
nent site at the Marine base at
Quantico, Va.
Soundings of the site in the 1900
block of Constitution avenue were
taken today to pave the way for
early construction of the Pan Ameri-
can annex.
Approval Given in 1916.
Approval of the controversial site
for the annex was granted in Feb
ruary. 1916, by the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission,
climaxing bitter 12-year fight for
the location by the late DR.. L. s.
Rowe, who was director general Of
the union.
The approval was given soon after
the resignation of Harold L. Ickes
as Secretary of the Interior. Mr..
Ickes had fought the proposal Wig
orously on grounds that the annex
would ruin the view of the Interior
Department as seen from Constitu-
ton avenue.
Latest estimates Of cost Of the
structure reach $1,000, 900, union Of
fetal said
The estimate about IS years ago,
when the building first was planned,
amounted only to 100000. This was
raised to $65O,000, when 1t was de-
cided to build the annex with a
marble exterior, and that amount
was donated to the union by the
Carnegie Corp.
Building to Start in Months.
Inflated building costs, officials
said, have raised the estimates to
81 100000. Spokesman for the union
said it has not been decided yet how
the remaining $850,O00 will be raised.
Construction, however, will start
with three months.
The temporary Two Jima statue, q
favorite of tourists since 1t was
erected two years ago, was cast by
Felix de Weldon, Washington
sculptor, while he was serving in
the Navy. The statue was unveiled
November 10, 1945, on the 10th
anniversary of the Marine Corps.
At the ceremony War Savings
Bond campaign also was launched.
Mr.. de Weldon said the statue,
cast of stone, cement and sand be-
cause no bronze was available dur
ing the war, has begun to show
signs of severe deterioration because
of the weather. Heavy coats OF
paint to give the appearance Of
bronze also hid much of the detail
of the work, he said.
Will Go to Quantico.
He plans to go to Quantico next
Tuesday, he added, to begin work
removing the paint and covering
the statue with coating of bronze.
1t then will be placed on a stone
base and remain as a memorial at
the base. The Navy Department,
he said, has plans that are still in
the formative stage to later cast
the entire statue in bronze If ap-
preparations can be authorized for
the work.
There is a possibility, however,
that Washington will get back a
larger, and much more impressive,
memorial to the bitter Two Jima
campaign, Mr.. de Weldon said.
Construction of the new monu-
ment, the sculptor said, will be
sponsored by the Marine Corps
League. A preliminary model has
been finished, he said, but pre-
dicted two years of work Is neces-
sary before construction can begin.
Congress has authorized purchase
of private land for the proposed
but a site has not yet
been chosen, he said.
The temporary Two Jima land
mark on Constitution avenue was
cast in only two weeks, Mr.. de
Weldon said, during his off-duty
hours with the NAVY,