Evening star., 1947-02-06
j. S.to Release
$4,000 So. Feet
LedsedbuiIdinqs
Reynolds Gives Plans
After Marshall Agrees
To Department Shifts
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II

Snghtly more than IS 600 square
feet in buildings leased here by the
Government, plus the Districts
central branch library, can now be
released because Secretary OF State
Marshall has agreed to move the
core" of his department.
The chief offices Of the depart
ment are to go to the new War
Building, at Twenty
first street and Virginia avenue
NV. Other scattered State Depart
ment bureaus will go there too, as
well as two temporary buildings
nearby, now in use by the Army.
Translated into buildings, the
release of $4,000 square feets means
the Government can vacate the
following as soon as the State
agencies have done their moving:
The Metropolitan Club Annex, the
Octagon House at 1735 New York
avenue NV, headquarters of the
American Institute of Architects:
the Otis Building, the Standard Oil
Building, and 2001 Connecticut
avenue.
In addition, it can now occupy
1,739 square feet less in the WASH
ington Building.
Reynolds Explains Details.
These figures were provided today
by Public Buildings Commissioner
w. E. Reynolds as he explained the
details of the moving plans. Mr..
Reynolds heads the Public Build
ings Administration. He has been
told by President Truman to save
Government office space and turn
private buildings back to their
owners where possible.
The State shift, which was de-
layed by former Secretary of State
Byrnes' reluctance to move, is one
of the most important parts of the
Governments drive to get its
agencies back into Federal buildings,
he said.
It will put States 1850 employees
into 16 buildings where formerly
they occupied %. It also will allow
the Budget Bureau to use 10000
square feet of space in the old State
Department Building, where it for
merly had only $4,000 square feet.
Now it will have only $4,000 square
feet in four buildings outside State,
where formerly it was scattered
through $4,000 square feet in six
other buildings.
The move also will allow the ex-
ecutive Offices of the President to
use 10000 square feet in the State
Building.
Aid to Efficiency.
These consultations, Mr.. Reynolds
said, will help efficiency. They also
will help other agencies now
cramped or in need of a home. For
instance, he said, the National Ad-,
visory Council for Aeronautics win
now be able to use 1724 G street,
where the Budget Bureau used to be.
The World Bank and Monetary
Fund will have space enough to
move around in at 1878 H street
NV.
Mr.. Reynolds said the moving
could start Immediately, but prob
ably would not be completed until
midspring,
The Army Engineer Corps will
have finished moving out of the
new War Building before the end
of the month, he said. BY March
7, he said, the Atomic Energy
Commission will have moved out
of the War Building and into the
United States Public Health Serv-
ice Building at Nineteenth street
and Constitution avenue NV. BY
April z, he said, the Joint Chiefs Of
Staff will have finished moving
into the Navy-M Munitions group on
Constitution avenue.
Only Part Of Shifts.
All this time State can be mov-
ing into the War Building grad
ually, he said.
These moves are only a part Of
the chain of Office shifts now be-
ginning to get under way, he ex-
planned.
The moves will see wartime con-
troll agencies put into greatly re-
duced Offices in temporary build
ings, the Public Health Service and
other Federal Security Agency Of
fees move into the Social Security
Building and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation move out Of the
National Guard Armory at the end
Of East Capitol street.
Mr.. Reynolds said it looks now as
if the FBI will be able to get out
of the Arrnory and into Federal
Office Building No. /, at Third and
D streets NV, by the latter part
of March.