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

Mrs. Roscoe c. O'Byrne, president
general of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, advocated
today that the society erect a $780,
600 to $500, 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-
ministration Building at 1720 D
street. The two now are connected
by corridors.
The project has been approved by
the OAR National Board of Man
agement, which will recommend
that it be authorized by the society
at the Continental Congress to be
held here in April.
Mrs. O'Byrne revealed plans for
the building in an address prepared
for OAR State conference being
held today in Fort Smith, Ark, the
first of a 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 & Higgins has beer
engaged to draw plans for the struc.
ture. Mr.. Rice, who lives ir
Washington, was one of the archi.
tects for the National Gallery ol
Art, the Jefferson Memorial and tn.
Archives Building, she added.
In her address. Mrs. O'Byrne an.
ticipated that objections would b
made to building now, because price.
are high. That Is true" she said
but interest on borrowed money Il
low
Highest Estimate 500, 900.
While preliminary estimates art
necessarily inaccurate, she said, thu
highest discussed has been 5000, ,00l
and the architect has approximatee
the cost as low as 100000.
She told the Arkansas OAR that
the society can get loan of $780,.
900 from its bank at low rats
of interest, ION our reputation,
and that the balance can be raisee
by floating bonds at not more thar
81 per cent.
when Constitution Hall wa.
built, we f1oated 100000 worth o
bonds at 6 per cent" she said
When building prices come down
interest goes UP. If depression
comes, we will have no money II
build, and we will still be over
crowded. This is certainly not look
ing to the future" u
When Mrs. Rhoades was asket
to head the Survey Committee, he
instructions were to "think ahea.
and see our needs for so years
then find the space"
All Branches Crowded.
The survey showed that virtu
ally every branch of the society
administrative work was hampere
by the lack of space. The commit
tee reported that the library an
genealogical department were han
dicapped especially and that appli
cation papers and supplementary
have been piling up for months be
cause of crowded conditions.
1t also found that more than hal
of the articles in the museum ar
out of sight most of the time, be
cause there is not sufficient room
for their display.
Under the present building plar
the museum would be moved fror
Memorial Continental Hall to tn
new building and the library woul
have the space it now occupies. Tn
auditorium in Memorial Continents
Hall also would be conerted t
library facilities.
); Special provision also would b
made for a headquarters for tn
Children of the American Revolu
ton in one unit. The OAR no'
has two Offices in separate parts {
+hn odroipistrat tion building