Evening star., 1955-06-14
Senators Back
New Museum
For Smithsonian
$36 Million Unit
Would Be Located
On Constitution Ave.

On Constitution Ave.
Approval of a $36 million new
Museum of History and Tech
nology to be erected on Consti-
tuition avenue between Twelfth
and Fourteenth streets NV, was
recommended today by Senate
Public Works subcommittee.
The House has already ap-
proved the measure.
The subcommittee, headed by
Senator Symington, Democrat, OF
Missouri, in another action, held
in allegiance vote on measure
that would have removed the
one-year limit on Government
leases in the District.
Construction of the new mu-
scum for the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition was recommended to the
full Senate Public Works Com
mittee. j. L. Keddy, assistant
secretary of the Smithsonian,
told the subcommittee the new
building is badly needed because
of the pressure of space. He re-
called that the last time the
matter was before Congress, the
Senate passed the legislation but
it failed of enactment in the
House.
Reads Letters
Chairman Symington read
letters of approval for the new
building from the Budget Bu-
reau; Harland Bartholomew.
chairman of the National Capi-
tai Planning Commission; Ed
mund F. Mansure, administra-
tor of the General Services Ad-
ministration, and David Finley.
chairman of the Fine Arts Com
mission.
Senator Symington said that
support for the legislation had
been urged by Chairman Can
non of the House Appropriations
Committee and by Senators
Smith of New Jersey and SAL
tonstall of Massachusetts,, both
Republicans, and all regents Of
the Smithsonian.
Maxwell Elliott, general coun-
sci at GSA, and F. S. Poorman,
deputy commissioner of pub
lie buildings, told the Subcom-
mittee that if the one-year rental
limit for Government leases
in the District were removed.
the agency would be subjected
to pressures to grant longer
leases.
While GSA does not specif-
Iically oppose the legislation, Mr..
Elliott said, it does not need it.
The subcommittee was informed
that the one-year limit is estab-
lished Government policy, gong
back as far as the public build
ings legislation of 1926. He said
Congress had thus placed a de-
terrent on long time leasing in
the District. He explained that
the limit outside the District is
five years.
Press Testfies
William H. Press, executive
vice president of the Washing
ton Board of Trade, testified
that passage of the measure
lifting the one-year limit would
be beneficial to the National
Capital. He declared Congress
will have to give more attention
Ito the economy of the District
than it has in the past.
During the course of his testi-
mony Mr.. Press spoke of a pro-
posed off f-street bus terminal in
the area bounded by Eighth and
Tenth, D and E streets NV. He
said that under the project
Maryland and Virginia buses
that now clutter up the streets
would have their terminal in this
new building.
Mr.. Press told the subcom-
mittee: "This project is planned
to provide modern Office space,
including vault space, to house
some $4,000 people, 1900 off,
street parking places which
could handle some 5000 cars
daily. union bus terminal and
additional retail store areas. OBJ
viously it would be a significant
community asset"
Mr.. Press pointed out that
because the entire proposed
building could not be leased to
the Government, lease purchase
would not be available.
1t would be privately financed,
he said, but a firm lease with
the Federal Government or an
other responsible tenant would
have to precede this development
and insure proper financing.
o. H. Beasley, who said he is
interested in the project. took
the witness stand and said an
insurance company has offered
money to build this terminal, but
on a 10-year rental basis. This
new office space, Mr.. Beasley
said could be occupied by the
Government in the place of