Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-22
|Ear|yDecision
Due on Buying
|0fCdpito| Land
Witnesses Fight
For Preservation
OF Belmont House
BY DON S. WARREN

committee on Public Works prob
ably will decide next week
whether to urge enactment of
the Hayden Bridges bill author
izing the purchase of 1H2 squares
of property near the Senate Of
flee Building for future expan-
sion of the Capitol Grounds.
The two key members of the
Senate Appropriations Commit
tee sponsoring the bill have
strongly urged its approval.
They contend the extra land
Eventually would be required and
that unless purchased now the
ultimate cost would zoom with
the continuation of private de-
Ivelopments that are coming to
the Capitol Hill area.
A determined fight has been
made for the exemption of two
portions of the tract between
First and Second streets, Con-
stitution avenue and D street
NE.
Fight to Save Belmont House
One is the Alva Belmont house
at IA Constitution avenue NE.
which since 1929 has been the
headquarters of the National
Woman's Party. The other is
the property along First street
which has been bought by the
Veterans of Foreign Wars as a
site for a SIS million memorial
to members who died overseas
in military service.
Hearings were conducted to-
day when another group of
Woman'S Party spokesman and
others pleaded for the restora-
ton of the Belmont House. They
recited historic associations go
ing back to the British Crown
grant of the land to Lord CAL
vert.
Senator Mcnamara. Democrat
lof Michigan, subcommittee
chairman, said witnesses had es-
Itablished pretty solidly the sig
Inificant historic background of
the Belmont House. He said it
would be his guess that the
Woman'S Party probably would
Ibe secure in that location for
some years to come.
VFW Memorial in Doubt
There was a suggestion that
the committee might follow the
advice of Senators Hayden and
Bridges and Capitol Architect
u. George Stewart to buy the
entire square and half and
then arrange for a leasing of
the Belmont House to the
Woman's Party.
Just what the committee
would recommend about exempt
ing the site of the VFW memoir
ial was not indicated.
First witness today was Mrs.
Victoria v. Gilbert of Shelbyville,
KY. president of the National
Association of Women Lawyers,
the widow of former Representa-
tive Ralph Gilbert of Kentucky
once a member of the House
District Committee.
Mrs. Gilbert said that If the
people all over the country knew
of the issue involving the pres
ervation of the Belmont House
there would be a stampede in
the corridors of the Capitol"
Oven Dates Back to Early 1900
She brought out that the house
has a kitchen oven dating back
to the early 160Os. A duplicate
of this, she said, has been in
stalled in a Williamsburg (VaO
restored house.
Mrs. Mapheus Smith. speaking
for the Capitol Hill Southeast
Citizens Association, reminded
the Senators that Georgetown
has a law protecting its historic
values and that the Belmont
House should be granted protec-
ton. She struck out at the idea
of "capitulating to automobile
parking needs" on Capitol Hill.
Miss Inez Josephine Gardner
for the University Women's Club
. of Washington, recited history OF
the Belmont House and reported
that some details of the Louis
, lana Purchase were drafted
, there.
Oldest House in District
Mrs. Porter Dale, widow of the
former Senator from Vermont
who formerly owned the Bel
mont House, said she and her
! husband hoped they could find
a new owner who would cherish
the historic building and so sold
it to the Womans Party in 1929.
Miss Elizabeth A. Smart spoke
for the National Woman's Chris
tan Temperance Union, which
has an Office in the building. She
said the Belmont House was the
oldest in the District and ante
dated the Capitol building. Urg-
ing the preservation Of such a
shrine Of real significance. she
said the National Capital would
be poorer if it was destroyed to
make way for a parking lot or
office building.
road NE. About two-thirds OF