Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-26
'' Il BUSINESS
L Dollars Back Up Faith
lin Downtown Business
BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN

BUSINESS men are backing CLlelT
faith in the future Of downtown
Washington by spending millions
of dollars in improvements-and
more are yet to come-a survey
showed yesterday.
These include new construc-
ton. new store fronts, interior
remodeling, parking facility ex-
lpansion and other signs Of
progress. Business greeted the
old bromide about downtown
Washington dying by saying:
That's the bunk-our sales don't
show it,"
Oscar I. Dodek, vice president
and general manager. D. j. Kauf-
man, Inc, zoos Pennsylvania
avenue NV, and founder and
chairman of Downtown Park
and Shop, Inc, put it this way:
More than SIS million have
been spent in downtown i'm
provements in the last year and
IA half. We have definite plans
in the offing for improving our
own store and will announce
these shortly.
THE parking people alone
have spent So million. When we
started Downtown Park g. Shop
"a year and a half ago, it was a
three-pronged program. This
was: Cd to promote downtown.
% offer free parking and go
renovize business establishments.
We have lived up to all three.
Stores and property owners show
evidence on every hand Of acting
to make their establishments as
attractive as the new suburban
stores"
Other business leaders said:
Robert w. Wilson, vice presi-
dent. Potomac Electric Power
Co.: Construction of our new
substation and Office building on
Eighth street. between D and E
streets NV, will provide more
electricity for downtown business
and Government. The demand
for more electric power is brought
about by construction of new
buildings, modernization of old
ones and additional air condi-
tioning. The substation is ex-
pected to be ready soon and final
plans are being drafted"
Chesapeake & Potomac TeIe-
phone Co. pointed out it has
additional equipment to keep
pace with the growth of tele-
phones in the downtown section.
1t recently opened its new head
quarters building at $50 H street
NE, due to the increase in bust
ness and to get its scattered
personnel under one roof. It
also called attention to the fact
in its four buildings in the busi-
ness district, several thousand
persons are employed, due to
recent growth.
d. Randall Buckingham, vice
president in charge of opera
tons, Woodward g. Lothrop:
"Over the last five years Wood
ward & Lothrop has spent about
SO million in capital improve
ments, new fixtures and other
new equipment downtown and
in our service building. This in
cludes about $500, 900 this year.
We have just finished steam
cleaning the exterior Of our
building at Eleventh and F
streets NV. and have painted
our North Building. on which
we have put a new roof. Our
board of directors has approved
capital budget projects for the
immediate future to cost several
hundreds Of thousands of dollars
in new layout. equipment and
other advances. We have re-
furnished several departments in
the store"
Harold MelnicOve, vice presi-
dent in charge of store planning,
The Hecht Co.: I'VE are SPEND
ing Sill million on our new six
floor parking garage on Sixth
street, between E and F streets
NV, for 5000 cars. The first
section will be ready about Oc-
tober. In our downtown store,
we are spending about $250,000
on current improvements. These
include a remodeled children's
department, better dress depart
ment, remodeled women's lounge
and rest facilities and a major
redecorating job on some floors"
\ Herman Neugass, vice presi-
dent and store manager, Lans-
burgh's: I'VE have just COM
pleted steam cleaning our build
ing at Seventh, Eighth and E
streets NV. We have stepped
up our maintenance and put in
new flooring in mems furnishings
and spent substantial sums in
improvements"
b. b. Burgunder, vice presi-
dent, Kanns: Our new So mil
lion warehouse in West Hyatts-
vile, Md. will give better service
to our downtown store. We are
considering plans for remodeling
the exterior of our main building
downtown. We have spent in
the vicinity of 100000 in the
last five years in improvements