Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-09
St. Hospital
PROPOSALS Discussed
7 Plans Offered
On Abandoned
Buildings Use

The District Commissioners
have been urged to turn back
ito the Health Department the
abandoned tuberculosis hospital
lat Thirteenth and Upshur
streets NV.
The recommendation was dis
CLOSED today in meeting Of
the Commissioners Citizens Adj
Ivisory Council by James Nc
ICallister, District administrative
services officer.
Another recommendation in
ivolving the l3-acre Upshur
street tract would transfer the
present nurses home building
to the Recreation Department
for Office use.
The proposals Immediately ran
into objections from DR.. Hobart
M. Corning, superintendent of
schools.
DR.. Corning expressed a desire
to use the nurses home grounds
for construction some day of a
new so-called health" school,
for crippled children. The Alli-
son Health School is located on
the same tract just north of the
nurses home.
Concern Voiced
The school superintendent also
expressed concern over the pos
ISibility that other available
ground on the same District
owned tract in the vicinity of
Fourteenth street and Arkansas
avenue might be put to other
use than as a site for a new
school administration building.
Under Mr. McCallister's rec
concentration concurred in by
health authorities, the hospital
building would house these
Health Department operations.
A branch of the public health
nursing bureau; the rodent con-
troll service, a Civil Defense hos
|pital training facilities and elm
les for cancer detection, tuber-
|culosis, cardiac evaluation and
venereal disease.
At the same time another
building in the southeast corner
of the property would be con-
verified to child guidance clinic.
1t has been used as the residence
of the assistant superintendent
+of District General Hospital.
Recreation would employ the
nurses home building and i'm
mediately adjacent grounds as a
community youth center and
summer day camp. This build
ing now houses parts of the
Licenses and Inspections De-
partments. The licensing Offices
would be shifted to the fourth
floor of the Ford Building. at
Pennsylvania avenue and John
Marshall place NV.
New Auto Storage Place
The fourth floor space in the
Ford Building, in turn, would be
vacated as an automobiles stor-
age facility for official District
Government vehicles. These
would be stored instead I'm the
basement of the Municipal
Center.
DR.. Corning pointed out to
the citizens council that the
originally selected new site for a
health school has proven un-
satisfactory. He pointed out
that the Mount Olivet road and
Holbrook place NE. location is
because it over
looks cemetery, incinerator and
iron works.
He said the nurses home site
on the other hand would be
ideal" as would be the Four
tenth street and Arkansas To-
cation for the badly needed new
administration building.
Would Sell Old Buildings
In connection with the pro-
posed construction of a new ad-
ministrative center, DR.. Corning
pointed out that the eight old
former school buildings now
used for administration Offices
could be sold and the proceeds
used to offset the cost of new
single building.
He also suggested that instead
of allocatirg the tuberculosis
hospital building for Health De-
partment functions the struc-
ture might well be used. tenn
to house some of the
school systems administrative
offices.
Among other recommended
tons made by Mr.. McCallister
was the assignment of the build
ing at 469 C street NV. to the
Metropolitan Police Department.
This would be possible with the
relocation of the tuberculosis
clinic now there to the Upshur
street hospital building.