Evening star., 1962-07-07
Downtown Visitors
Center Advocated
$6 Million Goin
In Retail Trade
Held Probable
By CHARLES ID. PIERCE
Star staff Writer

SNoA SN@~@ "~@S~@
A visitors center in down.
town Washington could in
crease retail spending by visi-
tors here by about Sc million a
year, according to / a study re-
leased today.
The report by a division Of
the Stanford Research Insti-
tute predicts that a visitor CEN
ter costing about $3.5 million
would attract 1.8 million addi-
tional visitors annually to
Washington.
The study was made for the
Downtown Progress Committee.
In an action plan issued earlier
this year the committee called
for construction of a visitors
center in the downtown area
near the center leg of the inner
loop.
Reviewed Various Types
The report by the Stanford
Research Institutes Southern
California Laboratories re-
viewed the relative advantages
of 13 types of visitor facilities
such as a "Disneyland" type
amusement center, trade CEN
tiers and public ice rinks to
determine which would be most
effective in attracting addi-
tional visitors here.
The study concluded that a
visitor center wuold be the
most effective attraction.
Knox Banner, executive direc-
tor of the Downtown Progress
Committee, said his committee
is conferring with representa-
tives of the Park Service, Civil
Service Commission and other
interested groups about financ-
ing a downtown, visitor center.
To Serve All Guests
The report said that the
center could provide services
for the regular tourist, the
foreign visitor, the businessman
and student groups.
"The proposed visitor center
could also be the terminal for
incoming bus transportation
and a terminal for bus tours
throughout the Metropolitan
Area" the report said.
The study said that the
center could also include an
auditorium, restaurant, park
ing space for approximately
/ 200 cars and exhibit areas for
displays on governmental ac-
tivities, historic events and
other topics of Metropolitan
and National interest.
POtentials Compare
The study gave the following
comparison of the additional
increase in retail spending by
visitors that. might be generated
by each of the following types
of visitor facilities:
Visitor center, $5.75 million;
additional hotels and motels,
81 million; student center, $1.9
million; sports arena and ex-
hibit hall, $1.65 million; Dis
neyland" type park, $2.8 mil
lion; bowling alley, $150,000;
trade center, $1.1 million: mer-
chandiSe mart, $250,000; public
ice rink, negligible increase;
amusement park; $710,00G;
convention hall, SIS million;
science center, 100000, and
cultural center, $950,000.
Spending Analysed
The study estimated that by
1880, spending by an estimated
35 million visitors to Washing
ton will reach a total of about
$842 million annually.
Reviewing spending by 9.8
million one-day visitors to the
Washington area in 1860, the
study found that the average
daily total for such items as
lodging, food. transportation
and retail items was $4.86 a
day for each person.
For the Sc million overnight
visitors in 1860, the study said
the average expenditure was
$15.13 a day. However, the
study reported that the 4.3 mil
lion so-called transient" visi-
tors passing through Washing
ton in 1860 spent only an aver
age of 20 cents during their
stay here.