Evening star., 1947-02-25
New GAO Home
|sBadIyNeeded,
Reynolds Says
District Court Also
Terribly Crowded.
He Tells House Group
By Harold B. Rogers

District Court needs new build
ing more than any Federal Court
in the country, but the Governments
most pressing need here is new
General Accounting Office Building,
w. E. Reynolds, Public Building
Commissioner. today told a House
Public Works subcommittee.
District Court, Mr.. Reynolds testi-
fed, in reply to committee questions,
is IN terribly crowded condition"
The General Accounting Office,
however, the commissioner said, is
scattered throughout various build
lngs in the city. We've got them
everywhere he said.
Ideal" Structure Designed.
The Public Buildings Administra-
ton has designed a modern GAO
structure which Mr.. Reynolds pre-
dicted would be ideal 1t would
cover an entire block with space
reaching entirely across a building
without court yards or wings. The
outside walls would be of glass and
&e SSuI NC GIL ll-SOIlulGlOllSO.
The building would be constructed
on site, where an excavation al
ready has been completed, on G
street Immediately north of the
present GAO headquarters.
An estimate for completion of the
new General Accounting Office was
before the 10th Congress last year.
Because of protests in Congress
against any construction at that
time except veterans housing the
legislation was killed.
Representative Dondero, ,Repub-
lican, of Michigan, chairman of the
House Public Works Committee ex-
pressed interest in the courthouse
project as he sat in as a member of
the subcommittee of his unit on
Public Buildings and Grounds.
Chief Justice Bolitha ]. Laws of
District Court had to explain to
him the situation in the court, Mr..
Dondero said, adding, Il was very
much impressed"
Courthouse Discussed.
Representative McGregor, chair
man of the subcommittee, asked Mr..
Reynolds why construction of
District courthouse was not under
his jurisdiction. Mr.. Reynolds ex-
planned that his Offices built court.
houses in all parts of the country
except this city, where the distinc-
tion apparently was historic"
A bill for construction of a new
courthouse, Mr.. Reynolds said, is
pending before the Senate Public
Works Committee. He said it pro-
vided for half the costs to be borne
by. the Federal Government and
half by the District Of Columbia. It
would be constructed by the archi-
tect of the Capitol. -
Pressed by the committee for a
discussion of the whole problem of
the Governments space needs in the
District. Mr.. Reynolds gave esti-
mates of the expected decline in
what he called the Federal popula-
ton" here
NCcu 1UT Navy DuluihSs
The Federal population. Mr. Rey-
nolds said, had been about 100000
here before the war. 1t rose to a
peak of 268,0OO in 1943 but by De-
cember 81, 1946 had dropped to
1929.
1--WE hope" he said, that by 1850
and this is optimistic-it may drop
to 175,000."
Despite this expected reduction,
Mr.. Reynolds said, the Federal Gov
ernment will need permanent space
in the Capital
The Navy Department, he said.
was largely in temporary structures
including the Navy's headquarters
on Constitution avenue, a tenn
porary building from World War I,
and needs a permanent home. It
does occupy one permanent building
in Arlington County near Arlington
Cemetery. The site recommended
for a permanent Navy building is on
Constitution avenue near the Po-
tomac River on the site Of the
| Heurich Brewery,