Evening star., 1948-02-23
OAR President
Announces Plan
ForNewBui|dinq
Society to Consider
Proposal at April
Convention Here
By Fronces lide

MRS. Roscoe =. oByrne, president
Teneral of the Daughters of the
american Revolution, advocated
today that the society erect $70o,-
900 to 5000 900 building here to pro-
vide needed space.
The new structure would be be-
tween the OAR Memorial Continen-
tai Hall, at Seventeenth and D
streets NV, and the present Ad-
~n1inistration Building at 1920 D
street. The two now are connected
by corridors.
The project has been approved by
the OAR National Board of Man
1gement, which will recommend
that 1t be authorized by the society
at the Continental Congress to be
.1eld here in April.
Mrs. O'Byrne revealed plans for
the building in an address prepared
for a OAR State conference being
held today In Fort Smith, Ark, the
first of series of State meetings
she will attend during the next
month.
Cites Need for More Space.
She emphasized that more space
is needed urgently at national head
quarters to carry on the work of the
society.
The proposed building would be
the first major construction under
taken by the society since the build
ing Of Constitution Hall.
Mrs. Rex II. Rhoades of Wash
ington. treasurer general of the
OAR, headed the Survey Committee
which initiated the project.
Mrs. Rhoades said that Malcolm
Rice of Eggers g. Higgins has been
engaged to draw plans for the struc-
ture Mr.. Rice, who lives in
Washington, was one of the archi-
tects for the National Gallery of
Art, the Jefferson Memorial and the
Archives Building, she added.
In her address. Mrs. O'Byrne an
ticipated that objections would be
made to building now, because prices
are high. That is true" she said
but interest on borrowed money is
low"
Highest Estimate S900, 900.
While preliminary estimates are
necessarily inaccurate, she said, the
highest discussed has been $500, 900
and the architect has approximated
the cost as low as 100000.
She told the Arkansas OAR that
the society can get loan of $780,
600 from its bank at a low rate
of interest, ION our reputation -
and that the balance can be raised
by floating bonds at not more than
81 per cent.
when Constitution Hall was
built. we f1oated 100000 worth of
bonds at per cent" she said.
when building prices come down,
interest goes up. If a depression
comes, we will have no money to
build, and we~will still be over
crowded. This is certainly not look
ing to the future"
When Mrs. Rhoades was asked
to head the Survey Committee. her
instructions were to think ahead
and see our needs for so years
then find the space"
ALI Branches Crowded.
The survey showed that virtu-
ally every branch of the societys
administrative work was hampered
by the lack of space. The commit
tee reported that the library and
genealogical department were han
dicapped especially and that appli-
cation papers and supplementaries
have been piling up for months be-
cause of crowded conditions
1t also found that more than hall
of the articles in the museum are
out of sight most of the time, be-
cause there is not sufficient room
for their display.
Under the present building plan
the museum would be moved from
Memorial Continental Hall to the
new building and the library would
have the space it now occupies. The
auditorium in Memorial Continental
Hall also would be converted tc
library facilities.
Special provision also would be
made for a headquarters for the
Children of the American Revolu-
ton in one unit. The CAR now
has two Offices in separate parts OF
the administration building.