Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-02-10
.6O4 DC. Units
10 Meet
Fire Regulation
Ring to Seek Funds
To Correct $50 at
Highland Dwellings

i
Low income families now live
In 684 public housing units that
fail to meet District FIRE regu.
lations, National Capital Hous;
ing Authority Director James
Ring said today.
His authority is barred by
law from building any more
public housing with such fiimsy
walls and inadequate exits
The 6S4 apartments in the
Southeast and Northeast Sec
tions were allowed only under
the emergency powers of the
War Housing Act, he said.
Mr.. Ring said he would seek
an immediate Federal loan OF
grant to fireproof the $50 UNI
safe units at Highland DWELL
ings.
Quick action was demanded
by the Highland Citizens As
ISOLATION after a 51-year-olC
father and his 4-year-old sor
died in a FIRE at their Highland
rooms, 400S Eighth street Sc.
Saturday. This brought the
Highlands dwellings, fire ia.
tally to four within six weeks
and five in a year.
Funds Source Seen
Funds from the operation Of
the Highland project wert
turned over to the Public
Housing Administration wher
the old war housing units re-
verted to Mr.. Rings manage.
ment from PHA in 1856. Thii
pool. or its equivalent, woult
constitute a logical source Of
financing for fire proofing
NCHA aides said.
Mr.. Ring denied misinformec
reports that public housing
construction need not meet fire
regulations.
The act Of Congress creating
and empowering the NCHA re-
quires that Authority construc-
ton be in accordance with the
District of Columbia regula.
tons applicable thereto" Thi;
means that plans and specif1-
cations must be reviewed BY
District architects and the
building inspected on sites a;
it progresses, Mr.. Ring noted
Still a Threat
Despite current precautions
however, the 684 war emer-
gency projects still pose a fire
threat to families forced to live
In them. They are located at.
Knox Hill, $50 units, Alabams
avenue and. Hartford street
stoddert Dwellings, originally
200 but now 48. at Ridge and
Anacostia roads Sc.
The Twenty first Street
Dwellings, SO units, at Twenty.
first and H streets NE. as vel.
as Highland, $50 units.
These are left from an orig.
inal 5,164 units built at tn,
direction of the President dur.
ing World War II. Hundreds
Of these dwellings were KEEP
open afterward for returning
veterans and families in neec
during the Korean conflict. AL
but 684 were removed by 1855
Mr.. Ring said.
Other Units Conform
He reported that 4,612 public
housing units put up before ant
after the war conformed to al
District laws and regulations
Some 1,49O more units, also VI
to District standards, are undel
construction at the Arthur Cap
per Dwellings, Virginia avenue
between Second and Seventh
streets Sc: Kenilworth Courts
at Kenilworth and Eastern
avenues and Douglas stree
NE; and on q cleared wa,
housing site bounded by I, o
Canal and Second streets S.W,
according to Mr.. Ring.
Other Federal buildings fire.
from municipal regulation
have built-in fire construction
protection, a General Service
Administration spokesman said
A Federal Fire Council advise
member agencies and depart
ments on materials and desigl
to prevent fire hazards. AL
though compliance with council
recommendations is voluntary
the GSA said dollar losses pc
capita in Federal installation
averaged half as much as Il
non-government building
throughout the Nation.
! by and large. our require
ments are superior to those O
municipalities in which W
build" the GSA Spokesman