Evening star., 1953-03-01
New Additions
Ito Ease Strain
lin D. {. Schools
Construction Costing
$3.3 Million Due to
Open in Two Months
By Jones 6. Deone

BY Jones 6. Deone
Some District public school
croWding will be eased soon by
the opening Of seven new addi-
tionS.
Sixty-one classroomS, three
auditoriumS, a gym and a cafe
terra are nearing completion. All
are expected to open within the
next two months.
Total construction cost is
about $3.3 million.
Biggest project is a 15-room
wing and third-floor extension at
Browne Junior High School,
TWenty-fourth street and Ben
ming road NE. The schools audi
torium also is getting a belated
sloping floor, and the kitchen is
being enlarged.
Browne, for colored pupils, now
has theoretical capacity of 888,
but enrolment is 964. The new
rooms will accommodate nearly
400 children. They are due to
open late this month.
New Gym and Cafeteria.
Francis Junior High, at
Twenty fourth and N streets
NV, also for colored pupils, is
getting a cafeteria and boys
gym, as well as two home eco
nomicS classrooms. Boys and
girls have had to alternate in
the present gym. The new ia
cilities will be ready within two
weeks.
Many Davis Elementary School
pupils this month will evacuate
World War II temporary annex
and move into a new nine-room
wing. The wing also will free q
playroom, now in use as an
emergency classroom. An audi
torium also is being added to
this white school, at H street and
Forty-fourth place Sc.
The old temporary building.
once used by the 14th Police Pre-
cinct, will be torn down to en-
large the schools playground.
Bunker Hill and Keene Ele-
mentary Schools, both are for
white children, expected to oc-
cupy new classroom and audi
torium wings by mid-April. Each
school will gain nine new class
rooms.
Bunker Hill, at Michigan av-
enue and Fourteenth street NE,
now houses SIG youngsters, al
though built for only 396. Many
children have overf1owed into
the Burroughs and Brookland
schools.
Keene Burst Seams.
Keene, at Rock Creek Church
and Riggs roads NE, is BURST
ing its seams even more, with
an enrolment of almost 600.
Rudolph and Barnard Schools
have been absorbing some Of
Keene's overflow.
Another addition due to open
this month is third floor at
the colored Richardson Elemen-
tary School. Fifty-third and
Blaine streets NE. Eight new
claSsrooms will enable elimina-
tion of an emergency class in
the schools auditorium.
One of the city's TOUGHEST
crowding situations will be eased
with the completion of a nine
room addition to the colored
Turner Elementary School, Ala
bama avenue and Stanton road
Sc, expected in late April.
Turner, operated as a unit
with the Garfield School, was
so hard-pressed last fall that
officials made an emergency an
mex out of the distant old Bir-
ney School, now housing many
Garfleld-Turner fifth and sixth
graders.
The new classrooms won't end
the need for old Birney. because
some pupils from the new Bir-
ney also are assigned there. But
at least some Garfield-Turner
pupils will be able to return to
buildings nearer their homes.
New White School.
Ground will be broken soon on
new white grade school at
Ninth and Barnaby streets Sc,
the only other school construc-
ton project now scheduled. This
school, intended to relieve crowd
ing at Simon and Stanton, should
be ready by next February.
Three new schools and three
additions, all for colored pupils,
are in the proposed budget for
1884 now before Congress. The
new schools are a junior high at
Forty-second and Grant streets
NE. and grade schools at Fifty
sixth and East Capitol streets
and Stanton and Elvans road
Sc. The last would further re-
lieve Garfield, Turner and Bir-
ney.
The proposed additions are at
Douglass and Terrell Junior
Highs and Syphax Elementary
School. School officials also will
ask Congress for funds for new
white junior high in Anacostia
and a replacement for Colored
Van Ness Elementary School,
both deleted by the Commits
SionerS.