Evening star., 1949-11-25
Fight Reopened
ToRazeWartiIlle
Buildings Here
Temporary Structures
Called Eyesore for
SesquicentennioI
By WiIIiom A. MiIIen


are interested In abolishing thu
temporary buildings now. so tha1
Washington will present a flint
appearance for the thousands o1
visitors expected here next veal
for the sesquicentennial.
Even during the war, in Feb.
ruary, 1943-more than six year,
ago-the Fine Arts Commission
saw the necessity for tearing dowr
the war-built temporary struc.
lures promptly. That is still the
commissions announced policy
but the hope has not been borne
out.
Letter of 1943 Cited.
Looking ahead to the present
Chairman Gilmore D. Clarke o1
the commission wrote to Maj. Gen
U. S. Grant, Sd, then chairman
of the National Capital Park anc
Planning Commission, under date
of February Is, 1943:
This commission are in favor
of the prompt removal of all tenn.
porary buildings erected in the
City of Washington to serve the
expanding needs of the Govern
ment during this or the last war
just as soon as the need for which
these buildings were built has
passed. We include among these
structures those known as (a)
Munitions Building and CD the
Navy Building on Constitution
avenue, erected in 1917-18 for tenn
porary use. The open park space
made available as a result of the
demolition Of those two large
buildings is needed to complete the
development of the area in the
foreground Of the Lincoln Me-
mortal.
THE removal of the Navy
Building will presumably necessi-
tate the construction of perma-
nent quarters for the Navy De-
partment on the site lying west OF
the War Department Building al
Twenty first street and Virginia
avenue NV. Editors note: This
was before unification.)
Favors Land Purchase.
I'm this connection the COM
mission are in accord with the
recommendation of the Planning
Commission to purchase the lands
under private ownership lying
south of F. street NV. west Of
10th street including the westerly
half of block I'll.
BE assured that 1t Is our desire
to cooperate with the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission in every way to facilitate
the postwar program in Wash
ington. We are most appreciative
of your expressed desire to keep
us informed of the work Of the
Planning Commission in areas
which are likely to be of concern
to this commission and you may
be assured that it is our desire to
reciprocate."
Chairman Clarke, addressing
the Joint Committee on the Ma
tional Capital, February Is, 1914
here, had this to say:
I'm the postwar period we
look forward to the demolition OF
all temporary buildings erected
for this war, as well as the
so-called temporary structures
erected along Constitution avenue
during the early days Of the last
conflict, to the end that Wash
ington may once again take on
an atmosphere Of great dignity
becoming its Importance as the
Capital Of this Nation"
Coolidge Program Recalled.
The Fine Arts Commission re-
called that soon after World Wal
I, President Calvin Coolidge
launched a public buildings pro-
gram for Washington that result
ed in an expenditure of $400. 900,
600. This was carried out In
accordance with plans approved
by the Fine Arts Commission.
Through this building program
q number of temporary structure.
were torn down. Officials believt
the time is fast approaching wher
another such program should b'
undertaken here to put the Fed
eral Government into proper
quarters, in keeping with the dig.
nifty of the National Capital.
Consider that part of one o.
the Nations most important
groups-the Atomic Energy Com.
missions housed in a temporary
building at Seventeenth street ane
Constitution avenue NV. It il
high time something positive b.
done about the ramshackled TEN.
porary buildings that are costinl
the taxpayers much money in up
keep, in the opinion of officials
who want to see this World Cap
ital take its proper place archi'
tecturally.