Evening star., 1954-12-03
Laundry Owner Enters Row
In Northwest Triangle Zoninq

A second property owner who
wants to make new use of his
land today entered the contro-
versy over zoning changes in a
Constitution avenue block ear
marked for development by the
Federal Government.
Jay p. Conger. owner OF the
Conger Laundry, Twenty-third
and c streets NV, said he pro-
poses either to sell the laundry
tract for the site Of a national
union headquarters or to build a
"9O-foot- high apartment build
ing on it.
The choice, he said, will de-
pend on whether the blocks
present residential-use zoning
classification can be changed TO-
q conmercial-use rating. .
The National Associations OF
Life Underwriters. The Star dis
closed yesterday, already has ap-
plied to the District Zoning Com
mission for the zoning change
to be applied to a $500 square
foot tract on the same block at
the southwest corner Of Twenty
second and C streets NV.
memorial Headquarters"
The insurance group wants to
buy the land from the Acacia
Mutual Life Insurance Co. and
to build q two-story memorial
headquarters"
The trouble is that the block
involved, unchanged in residen-
tial-use zoning since 1920, is To-
Gated within the Northwest
Rectangle," an area west OF
Seventeenth street NV. and
north of Constitution avenue
which Congress in 1926 declared
to be a Federal taking" area.
Since then, the Federal Gov
ernment has maintained an ulti-
mate intention to buy up the
private property involved, but has
not done so.
The National Capital Plan
ming Commission, in an action
yesterday, opposed the zoning
change. It also asked the Pub
lie Buildings Service to "again
seek appropriations" to purchase
The private land involved in the
block between Constitution ave-
nue, C, Twenty-second and
Twenty-third streets.
! The planners action will be
presented at O. zoning Commis-
sion hearing next Wednesday.
when the insurance groups re-
guest will be heard.
Meanwhile, IN a separate let
ter to the planning commission,
the American Pharmaceutical
Association also opposed the
change. The association, under
Congressional sanction, occu-
pies a monumental headquarters
building fronting on Constitution
avenue in the same block.
Similar i'm Design.
Under the arrangements en-
tered into at the time we 10
Gated our building here" the
pharmaceutical group wrote, ''it
was understood that any expan-
sion required could be arranged
10 the north of our building
We have plans under way Tor
expansion along this line -"
Such an expansion, officials
said, would take in most Of the
Acacia property. II.
Planning commission spokes-
men said their official Compre.
nensive Plan for the city, spell
ing out the Northwest Rectan-
Gle" development. proposed con-
struction only of "semi-publie
buildings Of the institutiona,
type" They said the Pharmaceu.
tical Building fell within thai
category.
Spokesman for the Association
Of Life Underwriters, however
told d reporter their building
would be similar in both design
and function to the Pharrnaceu-
tical Building.
John D. Marsh. head Of Q
Washington insurance firm, said
the building would be - me-
mortal to all men in the insur.
ance field and In no sense ar
ordinary ofilce building"
The association, with about
$4,000 members. serves basically
60 an education, research and