Evening star., 1953-09-08
Cost Of 0ustinu
Tempos' Is Put
AT $500 Million
10 New Permanent
Structures Needed to
Replaces Old Offices
By WiIIiom A. MiIIen

OAOOO A4CW TCOCL al O41lCC oII uC-
lures here to house the $4,000
Government workers now in
temporary buildings.
Allowing 5000 persons to the
building, now considered the
most desirable figure, the pro-
gram would take 10 new struc-
lures, Mr.. Reynolds said. But at
the present time, there is a freeze
on new construction and Con-
gress would have to give author
ity and funds to launch new
badly-needed public building
program.
If authorized, Mr.. Reynolds
said he would start first on a new
State Department building. This
would wipe out three temporary
buildings and extend the pres
ent permanent department struc-
ture from Twenty-f1rst street
and Virginia avenue NV. to
Twenty-third street. The Gov
ernment already owns the need
ed land, the commissioner said.
Mansure Asks Overall Planning.
The new administrator of the
General Services Administration,
Edward F. Mansure, declared he
is all for wiping out the tempo
rary buildings, just as soon as
possible. He told The Star:
81 don't like to see the tempo
rary buildings here any more
than anyone else does. But we
have a practical situation. We
do not have the space to put the
people who are now in temporary
buildings.
There should be overall plan
ming as how best to solve the
problem.
Only Two Solutions Seen.
Commissioner Reynolds said
now there are only two ways of
solving the space problem: New
Federal construction or more
rental space. In lease-pur-
chase bill, which has passed the
House and is now pending in the
Senate Public Works Committee,
he said a third way would be
opened up. This would permit
the Government to use rent
money toward ultimate pur-
chase of a building. GSA's rent
money has been severely cut in
the current appropriations.
Mr.. Reynolds declared he feels
a personal sense of responsibility
for the existence Of temporary
buildings here. Under the space
demands of the war, he aided in
erecting them. Now, he says, he
wants to see them go, as soon
as possible.
Commissioner Reynolds would
like first to tear down the tenn
porary buildings that blot out
the central view of The Mall.
"I would start eastward from
the Lincoln Memorial and ex-
tend like a fire through the rows
of temporary buildings" he said.
II would roll them up like a ball
and get rid of them for good.
This includes the Navy and Mu-
nitions Buildings, which we're
erected during World War l."
Wilson Blocked Elipse Site.
Mr.. Reynolds recalled that
President Woodrow Wilson dur
ing World War I did not want
the Navy and Munitions Build
ings erected in the Elipse, as
was proposed. The commissioner
commented that if they had
been built just south of the
White, House, they would have
been torn down long ago.
During that period, Franklin
Delano Roosevelt was Assistant
Secretary of the Navy and was
in charge of the construction
of the Navy and Munitions
Buildings. In later years, Pres
ident Roosevelt told Commits
sioner Reynolds he felt person.
ally responsible for them and
wanted them torn down at the
first opportunity. Mr.. Roosevelt
told Mr.. Reynolds he had, as
Assistant Secretary of the Navy,
made the mistake of erecting
these buildings of reinforced
concrete.
When the World War II tenn
porary buildings program was
launched, President Roosevelt
told Mr.. Reynolds to build them
so they would fall down in five
years.
But Mr.. Reynolds said as long
as one designs a building to
stand for one day, it will stand
indefinitely, through repair.
so TempOs in District.
There are so World War II
temporary buildings here, con-
tanning 3.831,114 square feet and
housing 27.137 people. There are
four World War I era temporary
buildings They are the Navy
and Munitions Building, Tempo
rary Building E at Fourth street
and Adams drive in The Mall
and Temporary Building No. 2 at
Nineteenth street and Virginia
avenue NV. They contain g.
083,198 square feet and house
1889 persons.
The new State Department
building is scheduled for the area
bounded by Twenty-third, C, D
and Twenty-second streets NV.
That is now occupied by Tenn
porary Buildings F. G and H.
Building F has 81, ,495 square feet,
with 249 employees; G has So, ,785
square feet, with 221 employees
and H has 38.250 square feet and
1874 people. The Government also
owns the old Riverside, Mayfair
and Potomac Park apartment
buildings, along C street and ad-
Joining the State nonortT1anv1t