Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-10-11

three major new Federal build.
ings Of recent years. for ex-
ample - the Atomic Energy
Commission headquarters and
the Central Intelligence Agency
and State Department build.
ingS now under construction
all were financed independent
ly Of GSA.
GSA Held Responsible
In addition. the new law or
ders GSA directly TO determine
the space needs of each agen-
cy, work closely with them and
to report the total picture to
Congress each January.
The neY law permits the
buildings to be authorized, fur
thermore, by vote CT the two
Public Works Committees in
stead of by the full Congress.
And once this approval is
given. GSA can seek direct ap-
preparations from Congress for
the construction.
The success of the new APP
proach, of course, gets back
again to the same old difficulty
Congress willingness to vote
the needed construction money.
Why does GSA feel there is
more hope now for getting the
money?
There is no guarantee that it
will. But officials feel Congress
at least has implied an inten-
ton to grant appropriations.
They feel the logic Of the needs
will be demonstrated more
clearly by the coordinated pro-
gram being set up. They note
that the administration is
showing increasing interest in
the demolition of tempos. And
members of Congress, con-
versely. have shown an increas.
ing disenchantment with the
growing practice of taking exc
pensive leased space in private
buildings to meet needs.
The first move GSA is exc
pected to make next year is to
press for immediate committee
approval of the five new Office
buildings which previously had
been approved under the de-
funct lease-purchase law. The
following projects already have
been sent to the two Public
Works Committees:
A new Geological Survey cen-
ter, site undesignated; a Food
and Drug Administration
building at Second and D
streets S.W.; a Civil Service and
Federal Power Commission
building just west of the Inte-
rior Department at Eighteenth
and Virginia avenue NV; a
huge general purpose Office
building at Sixth and indie.
pendence avenue S.W., and an
other general building on the
Southwest's Tenth Street Mall
Money a Problem
The key question about these
buildings is whether the GSA
will ask Congress also for con.
Struction money in the Presi-
dents January budget. GSA
officials are forbidden to talk
about such requests, but it is
expected some money will be
asked.
The GSA program gives high
priority also to a new building
for White House executive Of
fees on jackson place NV,
This project was authorized in
dependently by Congress last
year. In a brochure on its new
program, GSA said designs
could be ready for construc-
ton by next summer.
In the second stage Of its
construction plan, GSA pro-
poses new buildings for the
Bureau of Standards, the Ma
tional Meteorological Survey,
the Veterans Administration
a new White House ONCE
Building and a new Defense
Department Building.
Space Needs Outlined
The White House building
would replace the old State
War-Navy building on Penn
sylvania avenue at Seventeenth
street NV. GSA officials are
most cagey of all, however,
about the new Defense center.
Their brochure indicates q
space need of 2.3 million square
feet for the Defense center-a
building that would be third in
size only to the Pentagon and
the State Department in the
Washington area. GSA officials
said this figure, however, repre-
sents "only an estimate Of the
space need at this time. The
Defense Department has not
determined precisely how ii
wants this need to be met"
Eight additional buildings
are shown by GSA in its long.
range program to start after
1864. They include, for the
most part, construction which
would complete the Federal
Triangle complex and fill out
Government-owned tracts else.
where in Northwest Washing.
ton.