Evening star., 1955-02-16
Mall Solution
Seen by Aide
|0f zeckendorf
Voices Optimism
After Consulting
OfficioIs Here

OYTlCI0lS mere
A high official Of the New
York firm of Webb & Knapp
said yesterday he is confident a
satisfactory solution can be
reached of the problem of q
thoroughfare system through q
redeveloped Southwest WASH
ington
This optimistic note was struck
by B. A. Tompkins. jr, special
assistant to William Zecken-
dorf, president Of Webb &
Knapp, after a meeting with
District highway and redevelop-
ment officials.
Specifically under considera-
ton was the plan of a special
committee Of Federal officials
headed by Conrad L. Wirth. di-
rector of the National Park
Service. The Wirth scommittee
plan recommends a traffic pat
tern geared to use of Tenth
street as the main north-south
through thoroughfare in the
Southwest
Favors Mall Development.
The Webb g. Knapp firm,
which seeks to rebuild most OF
the Southwest in striking FASH
ion. has strongly favored Tenth
street as the site for q 300-foot-
wide South Mall" entrance to
the Southwest.
The planning commission COM
mittee proposed that, instead Of
Tenth street, the proposed
South MALI be built along the
present line of Ninth street S.W.
The company's chief opposl-
ton is based on the fact that
the Wirth plan would reduce by
so per cent the space Weno q
Knapp wants set aside for y
plaza" fianked by cultural CEN
tiers.
Wirth committee recommen-
dations also would reduce by
about one-third the Govern
ment Office building space
planned by the company along
the proposed Tenth street mall
to absorb the Offices now housed
by tenapos located on the present
Mall between the Capitol and
Washington Monument.
Is Points at Issue.
Webb & Knapp had asked the
planners for agreement on 13
general points in a Statement
of principles" guiding Southwest
redevelopment-the most irnpor-
tant Of which proposed the Tenth
street mall.
Yesterday, Planning Commis-
sion Chairman Harland Bar
tholomew released excerpts from
a letter he sent Webb e. Knapp
in reply to the firms request.
The letter, which noted the
commission's tentative approval
of the Wirth report, said the
planners were in general agree
ment on most Of the 13 Webb s.
Knapp points. But it cited dis
agreement with the Tenth street
mall proposal on grounds that
it % interefered with an ade-
quate traffic plan for the SOUTH
west. 20 impaired plans for ex-
panding the Southwest whole-
produce market and t3> con-
flicted with plans for building a
new national air museum Just
south of Independence avenue
on the Tenth street line.
The next step Webb & Knapp
will take, Mr.. Tompkins said,
will be to bring to Washing
ton one of the company's
traffic consultants before the
week is over. This expert will
confer with Highway Depart
ment officials. as well as with q
private consultant firm now
studying traffic patterns here
for the Highway Department.
Solution Expected.
"We are convinced. on the
basis of yesterdays discussion"
Mr.. Tompkins said, that we can
find a solution we think will be
satisfactory to the Wirth COM
mittee and the National Capital
Planning Commission.
The Webb g. Knapp executive
added:
"We are working very hard
to come up with the right
answers for the planning COM
mission. We are not prepared
to say that the Wirth plan is
unacceptable in all its aspects.
We do say that we are convinced
we can find as good a traffic
pattern as that offered by the
Wirth committee.