Evening star., 1953-09-06
Survey Backs
Two Sites for
Bus Terminal
ConsuItunts Pick
Block Occupied by
Civil Service Unit
BY George Beveridqe

has told the Commissioners that
either of two downtown Wash
ington locations are adequate for
the site of a huge bus terminal
and parking garage, IL was dis
closed last night.
One of the locations-the en-
tire block bounded by Ninth,
Tenth, D and E streets NV
already has been proposed by a
st. Louis Washington business
combine as the site for such a
facility. This group proposes also
to include a shopping area, Office
space and a huge underground
vault for the storage OF valuable
documents. 4a
The other location is the block
occupied by the main Civil
Service Commission building,
bounded by Seventh, Ninth, F.
and G streets NV.
The New York consulting firm,
Parsons, Brinckerhoff. Hall and
Macdonald. told the Commits
sioners it understood the Civil
Service Commission site might
be available for a District
owned (bus) terminal"
No Commitment Made.
District Engineer Commits
sioner Louis w. Prentiss said he
knew of no such plan. However,
a bill was introduced last July
by Representative Oakman, Re-
publican, of Michigan, Calling
for disposition of the Civil Serv-
ice building to make way for a
private parking garage.
Gen. Prentiss said the Com
missionerS had ordered the con.
sultants' report to determine
what downtown sites would have
the space and street-capacity to
handle a bus terminal and
garage. The consultants were
asked specifically to study the
proposal submitted by the st.
Louis Washington group. But
Gen. Prentiss stressed no COM
mitment has been made to that
group.
BOmb-PrOOf Vault.
A spokesman for the Washing
ton-St. Louis group said he hopes
within so days" to work out
problems now holding up the
project. The group hopes to
interest the Government in both
office space and storage in
the proposed underground atom
bomb-proof vault.
The firm sponsoring the project
is the Security Terminal Square,
Inc, headed by Joseph B. Gander,
president of the Bank Building
and Equipment Corp. of st.
Louis. The st. Louis firm has
built the new Perpetual Building
Association building at Eleventh
and E streets NV. Other officers
of the Security Terminal group
include Oscar H. Beasley, ST.,
president of the Washington
engineering firm of Beasley SS
Beasley, his son, Oscar H. Beasley,
jr., partner in the engineering
firm, and Louis ]. Orabka, vice
president of the st. Louis bank
building firm.
Plans for the vast structure
between Ninth, Tenth. D and E
streets. made public last June,
contemplate that the land would
be acquired and sold to Security
Terminal by the District Rede-
velopment Land Agency. The
agency can exert powers of emf
nent domain in order to clear
slums and so-called "blighted
areas"
Traffic Flow Factor.
Land agency officials said they
were interested If certain condi-
tionS can be met. One is that
the downtown block would have
to be determined a "blighted
area" Then, a plan for the
project would have to be drawn
UP by the National Capital Plan
ming Commission, and approved
by the District Commissioners.
Planning commission officials
said they have the proposal
under consideration. Action has
been held up, however, pending
study of the New York consult
ants report.
The report, presented to the
city heads in June and made
public yesterday, voiced no criti-
cism of the Security Terminal
proposal. It said final designs,
however. should meet recommen-
dations made in the report for
raising the ability of nearby
streets to handle increased traffic
from the terminal and garage.
1t also noted that definite plans
would depend on how many bus
lines used the terminal.
The report said both the areas
it recommended were big enough
for both a garage and bus termi-
nal. 1t also estimated about
$500 bus passengers on typi-
cal business day have destina-
tions in the vicinity of the sites.
Urge Removal Of Tracks.
Discussing a bus terminal To-
cation in the block between D
and E streets, however, the re-
port said existing streetcar tracks
on Ninth street constitute a
serious problem" 1t recon-
mended, in the event that loca-
ton is uSed
l. Removal of streetcar tracks
on Ninth between Constitution
avenue and G street, and on E
street between Ninth and Elev-
enth streets.
2. Use of Ninth street for one
way southbound traffic between
K street and Constitution avenue.
3. Use of Tenth street for one
way northbound traffic between
Constitution avenue and K street.
Tenth street now is one-way
southbound between K street and