Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
Supreme Court !
Clears Way for
Sib|ey Hospital
Plons Developing
For Other Projects
On AU Tract

On Az TQC(
The Supreme Court has re-
moved all legal obstacles to the
construction of q new Sibley
Hospital on the American Uni
versity campus, and hospital
authorities are starting work
Immediately on plans for the
SO million project.
Within a few hours after the
court announced yesterday that
it was ending protracted litiga-
ton over the hospital, members
of the Sibley board met to make
preliminary plans for the eight
story, 350-bed hospital and a
nurses home.
The Supreme Court cleared
the way for the structures by
refusing to review an appeal
filed by a number of citizens
who contended a hospital on the
campus would depreciate the
value of residential property in
the fashionable Wesley Heights
Spring Valley area.
Black Favors Review.
Justice. Black, disagreeing
with the. other seven members
of the court, favored a review
of the case, which had been
fought through the United States
District Court and the United
States Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia. The lower
courts had reversed a ruling by
the District Zoning Commission,
which blocked the hospital
project.
BY a 3-to-2 vote, the coming
commission in 1858 rezoned q
part of the American University
campus from residential A" to
residential restricted" This
change barred not only the hos
pital but also other buildings.
The university, therefore, also
benefits from the Supreme Court
action. President Hurst r. An
derson said:
"Of course we are very happy
because the university finds it,
self in a position to exercise the
rights and privileges Congress
granted it in 1893"
Seminary Planned.
Under the coming commission
ruling the university could not
be sure of its right to make plans
for various buildings. Now. with
the zoners' ordered reversed, 1t
can proceed.
President Anderson said high
on the list is the removal sof the
Westminster Theological Semi
nary from Westminster, Md, to
nine acre tract in the. Wesley
Heights Circle area OF the cam
pus. This will be a So million de-
yelopment for about 200 stu
dents.
The university the hospital
and the theological seminary are
all controlled by the Methodist
Church. For the hospital project,
A. u, in effect. decided a tract of
more than seven acres at the
southwest corner of the campus.
The Federal Government is
putting up half of the money
for the new hospital and Sibley
must raise the other $4.5 million.
DR.. John Orem, hospital pres
ident, estimated it will require
almost a year for architects to
complete working plans and that
construction would take another
Is months or two years. The
hospital and university are
working out a joint arrange
ment for a school of nursing,
with graduates receiving a uni
versity degree.
Two DormitOries Planned.
President Anderson said the
university will proceed with plans
for two new dormitories, hous-
ing a total of $50 students, now
that its building rights are es-
tablished. These will be ready
in about a year and a half, he
said. They are in addition to
two dormitories nearing compile
ton
James c. Wilkes, attorney
for the Spring Valley Wesley
Heights Citizens Association,
said he would not comment upon
the possibility of further action
until he has a chance to talk
with his clients.
Edward F. Colladay, counsel
for American University, and
Paul C.. Cromelin and Thomas
M. Raysor, attorneys for Sibley
Hospital, expressed qualification
that the issue was resolved
favorably for their side.
N