Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-11-06
'PIdffefsAsk /,
Bigger Hand in
|S.W. Project
Commission Request.
Progress Report
From Zeckendorf

The National Capital framing
Commission. desiring to take .
bigger hand / nthe Zeckendorf
plan for redeveloping Southwest
Washington, yesterday voted to
ask william Zeckendorf to pre-
sent q 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 q fait
accompli, because we want to
work with them in preliminary
planning stages"
Mr.. Zeckendorf, president Of
the Webb & Knapp real estate
firm, proposed a 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.
Air Museum Proposal.
The matter came up when the
commission was asked by DR..
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 it is within the proposed
Southwest redevelopment area.
While Mr.. zeckendorf's plan
calls for developing 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
of north-south streets which
might be essential to carry traf-
nc volumes in the rebuilt area.
DR.. Carmichael stressed that
he hoped the Zeckendorf plan
goes through, and said the air
museum proposal is entirely
tentative" The commission de-
ferred action.
In other actions, the planners:
l. Approved a site plan for
the proposed 612-unit Arthur
Capper public housing project
in the area bounded by Virginia
avenue, Second. Seventh and M
streets Sc.
2. Deferred action after tenn
pers f1ared-on taking on the
future use of the Industrial
Home School property at Wis
consin avenue and Calvert street
NV.
Christensen Asks Action.
The industrial school matter
was raised by John Nolen, IT,,
planning commission director,
who said the commission had
approved the grounds use in
1945 for recreational purposes.
He noted recent proposals that
part of the grounds be used as
a city fringe lot and asked the
commission if it wanted to re-
affirm the old position.
Recreation Supt. Milo Chris
tianSen, an invited speaker, de-
scribed the need for the recrea-
tional area, and urged the land
be put to that use.
However, Gen Prentiss. obvi-
ously irritated, asked that the
matter be deferred until it could
be decided whether the land
could be used for both recrea-
tional and parking uses. He said
he had asked the Recreation De-
partment to show him precisely
what facilities were planned so
a decision could be made. So far.
he said, he had failed to get
the data.
He said he felt that, whenever
piece of land not on the tax
rolls becomes available. it should
be checked for multiple use"
and criticized Mr.. Nolen and Mr..
Christensen for forcing the is-
! sue before the facts were all in.