Evening star., 1947-04-14
Seeks
New Building
To House
Excavation Already
Made on Plot at
Fifth and 6 Streets
By Harold B. ROGERS

By Harold B. Rogers
A new home for the General Ac-
counting Of1ice-delayed for many
years-would be provided under a
bill introduced today by Chairman
Dondero of the House Public Works
Committee.
The measure would authorize con.
| struction Of the building on site
bounded by Fourth, Fifth, G and H
streets NV. This square already
has been bought by the Government
and an excavation was made there
before World War II. Wartime
shortage Of materials, however, pre-
vented construction.
Representative Dondero, who has
been giving personal consideration
to the plea for new GAO home,
declared the need was very press
ing indeed"
No Cost Stipulated.
His bill does not stipulate any
limit of cost for the new structure,
nor authorize appropriation of any
specific funds. In such form the
measure can be referred to his COM
mittee for hearings and further
consideration of financial factors.
Chairman McGregor of the Public
Buildings Subcommittee of the Pub.
lie Works Committee has been work.
ing with Mr.. Dondero on prelimi-
nary consideration of the project,
He and Mr.. Dondero have been in
consultation with w. E. Reynolds.
public buildings commissioner, who
would supervise construction under
the bill.
Mr.. McGregor said he was salts
f1ed already that the GAO building
was in the emergency" classifica-
ton required by his subcommittee
for favorable consideration.
Agency of Congress.
Our policy merits introduction of
the bill at least" he asserted. so
we can study the project. The Gen.
eral Accounting Office is an agency
OF Congress, not Of the executive
branch of Government. It is now
scattered through about 20 buildings
all over the city, for many of which
we pay rent"
Savings in rent alone, Mr.. Nc.
Gregor feels, would be almost suffi-
cient to amortize the cost of the
new structure over period of years.
Efficiency of the agency suffers, he
stressed, because it's records, files
and workers are so scattered.
Attempts have been made for
many years to get new home for
the Genaral Accounting Office, ever
since it moved out of the Treasury
Department building long ago. Pre-
llminary sites were selected at sew
eral different places through the
downtown section, and even on
Capitol Hill, before the present site
was fixed. GAO headquarters now
is in the old Pension Office on Judi
ciary Square directly south of the
site proposed Tor new home.
Some money already is available,
from funds unexpended out of pre-
vious appropriations, records show.
Congress made available a sum Of
So. $50, 900 in 1910. OF this $1,653,775
was spent for purchase of land and
excavation.
Preliminary Plans Ready.
Preliminary plans for the GAO
building already have been devel-
oped by the Public Buildings Ad-
ministration of the Federal Works
Agency and approved by the Com
mission of Fine Arts.
The new plans provide for a
structure known as a "block" build
ing, without separate wings. The
Fine Arts Commission was told it
would provide for $500 employees
and would extend $50 feet along G
street, 288 feet along Fourth street,
470 feet along H street and 176
feet along Fifth street. This indi-
Gated that under such plan st.
Mary's Catholic Church would be
left standing on the site near Fifth
and H streets.
Under the "block" type building
no extra ground would be required,
1t was emphasized. The structure
as now designed would accommo-
date many more employees than the
previously proposed wing type
building. Earlier it had been pro-
posed that additional ground be
purchased in the immediate vicinity
to take care Of larger building.
But redesign of the structure has
obviated this.