Evening star., 1954-11-05
Planners
Bigger Hand in
|S.W. Project
Commission Requests
Progress Report.
From Zeckendorf
By George Beveridee

1
Commission made it clear today
1t wants to take a bigger hand in
the Zeckendorf plan for rede-
veloping Southwest Washington,
and voted to ask William Zeck-
endorf to present a specific
progress report" at a meeting
next month.
Chairman Harland Bartholo-
NEW said he hoped the Zecken-
dorf group would mot come to
the commission with a fait
accompi, because we want to
work with them in preliminary
planning stages"
Mr.. Zeckendorf, president Of
the Webb & Knapp real estate
firm, proposed generally
worded plan last winter for re-
building virtually the entire
Southwest waterfront area. Last
March he signed an agreement
with the District Redevelopment
Land Agency for a one-year
study period during which the
possibility of general proposals
would be decided by both
groups.
| Some Planning Commission
members said today they don't
know what's going on, and made
1T plain they want to take q
hand.
Air Museum Proposal.
The matter came up when the
commission was asked by d.
Leonard Carmichael, secretary
OF the Smithsonian Institution
to approve an area Just south
OF Independence avenue and be-
tween Ninth and Twelfth streets
S.W.. as the site for a long,
proposed national air museum.
DR.. Carmichael disclosed that
the aircraft industry and the.
Air Transport Association last
year contributed money for pre-.
liminary plans for the new mu-
scum. He said he had discussed
the site with Mr.. Zeckendorf.
since 1T is within the proposed
Southwest redevelopment area.
While Mr.. Zenkendorf's plan
calls for developing a park-like
mall from Independence ave-
nue. to the river along the line
OF Tenth street S.W., Mr.. Car
michael said. he thought Mr..
Zeckendorf was mot entirely
inhospitable to the idea I have
outlined"
However, District Engineer
Commissioner Louis w. Prentiss
said he felt the Zeckendorf plan
was not definite enough yet for
the commission to act on the
air museum site. He said he
also was concerned that the air
museum proposal might block
OIL north south streets which
might be essential to carry traf-
nc volumes in the rebuilt area.
Wirth Comments.
At this point, Conrad Wirth.
National Park Service chief. said
ne had read a lot about the
zeckendorf plan in the newspa-
pers but that he thought it was
time the planners ought to
start seeing what they want
to do"
Mr.. Bartholomew said he
thought the point was well taken
and that "one difficulty the plan.
ming commission faces is that
we suddenly come up against a
fait accompli when we should
have been in on early planning"
BY the same token, he said the
new air museum proposal was
news to him and suggested
strongly that DR.. Carmichael
give the planners the Smith
sonian's entire long-range build
ing program for the whole area.
DR.. Carmichael promised to do
SO. The Smithsonian also has
plans for a new art museum on
the Mall near the National GAL
lery of Art and for a new in
dustry building on the Mall lust
west OF Twelfth street NV.
DR.. Carmichael stressed that
he hoped the Zeckendorf plan
goes through. and said the air
museum proposal is entirely
tentative.
He noted that the museum was
authorized by Congress in 1946
and that it is needed drastically
to house "the worlds greatest
collection of aircraft" In addl-
ton to such "firsts" as the
kitty Hawk" and the Spirit of
st. Louis" the Smithsonian has
$500 aircraft items from which
the most significant would be
chosen for display in the new
building.