Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-03
New Southwest Proposal
Due to Meet Opposition
Webb & Knapp
Discover Flaws
In Wirth Plan
By GEORGE BEvERDGE

The New York firm Of Webb
& Knapp Is expected to oppose .
mysterious" new plan. which
drastically revises the firms ma
jor Southwest redevelopment
proposals.
The new Southwest scheme,
given Webb q Knapp yesterday
by a committee Of the National
Capital Planning Commission,
already has drawn q blistering
attack from George A. Garrett,
civic leader designated by Presi-
dent Eisenhower to expedite the
long-delayed Southwest project.
Existence Of the alternate plan
consisting only Of q simple
sketch-was made public by Con-
rad L. Wirth, chairman OF the
NCPC committee, In the face
Of continued statements by NCPC
officials that approval Of the
basic Webb & Knapp plan ap.
peared imminent.
Won't Name Originator
MIR. Wirth fatty refused TO saw
who proposed the new scheme.
except that it represents the
ideas Of several outside sotircesn
he would not identity.
In a letter to Sherman Adams.
presidential assistant, however.
Mr.. Garrett said the alternate
scheme is being proposed by
Harland Bartholomew, planning
commission chairman.
The new schemes main fea-
ture Is to move q proposed 800
foot-wide South Mall-suggest.
ed in the Webb & Knapp plan
as an attractive entrance to the
new Southwest-from Tenth
street S.W. to Eighth street.
In doing so the plan provides
for the Mall on Eighth street by
Cd eliminating the huge Gen.
eral Services Administration
warehouse, which stands on C
street S.W. between Seventh
and Ninth, co changing the
route Of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road tracks and tunneling them
under the Mall and 90 wiping
out Jefferson Junior High
School, which blocks Eighth
street near the Maine avenue
waterfront.
The plan further showed the
Tenth street site desired by
Webb q Knapp for the Mall as
being occupied by the Smith
sonian Institutions proposed
huge National Air Museum.
Recently, Mr.. Bartholomew
said, the Mall-versus-museum
tussle for the Tenth street loca-
ton just south Of Independence
avenue appeared to be the last
remaining hurdle in the way of
the redevelopment plan. When
Smithsonian officials indicated
they might settle for an alter
nate Air Museum site, Mr..
Wirth's committee was instruct
ed to investigate the alternate
site.
After yesterdays meeting,
however, Mr.. Wirth said a rec
ommendation still has not been
reached on the alternate museum
site. but that one would be
before the planning commissions
next meeting on December Is.
Mr.. With said the plan has
mo official status" and that he
didn't know of anyone who "has
expressed approval Of all fea-
lures Of this plan"
However, he asked I. Ming Pei,
Webb & Knapp chief architect.
for the firms full comments on
the sketch at a future committee
session to be held December Is.
Mr.. Pei said he was "ve-y
much surprised to see this plan
at this stage of things" but
| promised to submit q full re-
port" He is expected to oppose
the alternate idea strongly.
Mr.. Garrett. in his November
% letter to Mr.. Adams, said the
plan would require a rewriting
Of the entire Southwest plan
which would delay the redevel-
opment Of the Southwest at least
two years"
Mr.. Garrett also attacked the
economic feasibility of removing
the vast GSA building, tunneling
the railroad underground, wiping
out the junior high school and
eliminating large areas proposed
by Webb & Knapp for private
development east of the mall.
He said he has been advised the
railroad tunnel would cost 81
million. and that a new GSA
building would cost more than
So million to build.
Sees Single Purpose
Mr.. Garrett said the plan ap-
parently would solve only one
lproplem-the preference of the
Smithsonian, Institution for q
particular site for its proposed
air museum"
Asked specifically If the pur-
pose in considering the new plan
was to preserve the Air Museum
Site" Mr.. Wirth said it wasn't.
He said he thought his COM
mittee should consider any pro-
posals bearing on the problem.
Mr.. 'Wirth said he did not have
costs involved in the new plan,
or other facts about 1t. He said
he did not think 1t was unusual
at this stage of planning" to
consider proposals without such
facts.
But all he would say about
the plans origin was that 1t
was assembled by the staff
from outside sources"
The drawing. which made no
attempt to show detailed de-
velopment, also designated
spaces for q large civic audito-