Evening star., 1962-09-17
Property Rights
Impede Idea Of
Public Aid
By GRACE BASSETT
Star staff Writer

AAOhoCo Va q OAAN[ SA04Ao CA a.
The National Press Club
Corp. may convert the Capitol
to office space, the subcom-
mittee was told. The Cafritz
interests could demolish
Keith's.
The Federal Government,
which holds the Belasco. Is
considering razing the struc-
ture for court buildings on
Lafayette Square.
Culturally minded commu-
nifty leaders and members Of
Congress urged the subcommit-
tee today to recommend a bill
requiring a public hearing be-
fore any theater in the Dis
trict could be demolished or
converted to other uses. Also
supported almost unanimously
by witnesses was legislation to
turn the Belasco into a Ma
tional Children's Theater Art
Center.
USO Might Be Hurt
The present Belasco tenant.
the Metropolitan USO, will
have no place to go If the
children's theater moves in,
Col. w. A. Roberts warned.
Mr.. Roberts, USO chairman,
went to the nub Of the legal
problem that perplexed the
subcommittee when he urged
theater lovers to be practical
about the rights Of owners.
"a practical plan might be a
subsidy in the form of tax re-
lief" Mr.. Roberts said. Let
theater tenants pay a prede-
termined amount Of rent. II
that failed to cover costs and
meet owners conditions, let
owners be subsidized by an ex-
emption Of taxes"
To date, Washington leaders
banded together in q Citizens
Committee to Save the Capitol
Theater have concentrated on
trying to bring private parties
l-theater owners and tenants
together. without further ex-
ploring the public" interest in
preserving theaters.'
They have turned to the bills
as a last resort to win time
to pursue private negotiations.
No Capitol Lease
William Abel, chairman Of
the Citizens Committee, said q
prospective tenant had been in
troduced to the owners Of the
Capitol Theater. But today,
Mr.. Abel said the committee
understood that owners never
had sat down to discuss pos
sihle agreement on leasing and
keeping the theater.
I'VE have learned that the
only theater in Washington
capable Of staging great ballet
and opera productions my be
demolished within a few
months" Mr.. Abel told the
subcommittee headed by Rep
resentative Dowdy, Democrat
of Texas.
Sam Jack kaufman, presi7
dent Of Musicians Union Local
16l, who used to play in the
pit Of the Capitol. said he knew
the theater when it was alive
and vibrant" 1t is acoustically
perfect, "the greatest theater
in our town." Mr.. kaufman
added.
Imagine Russia sending the
Bolshoi Ballet here and our
having to say that Washington
can't play it-that Washington
has no theater large enough"
he added.
Mr.. Dowdy said the problem
boiled down" to whether pub
lie support must be given to
preserve stages. Private inter-
est apparently is not strong
enough to go to an owner and
say, keep this thing-here's
the money to pay for it," ac-
cording to Mr.. Dowdy.
Harsha Fears Delay
Representative Harsha, Re-
publican of Ohio, was con-
cerned that even the delay
caused by hearings on possible
theater razing could be an in
fringement of property rights,
for which owners deserved
compensation.
The Commissioners said they
could not take a position on the
Belasco Children's Theater bill.
because a Federal architectural
study of the Lafayette Square,
across from the White House,
would continue for another
year.
But the Commissioners OPP
posed the public hearing on the
three theaters. arguing that no
"well-founded program" to re-
tain any was likely to result
merely from a hearing. 1t might
focus public attention on alter
native courses of action, F. j.
Clarke, acting president of the
Board of Commissioners, wrote.
But there is no law to force the
owner to follow alternative
courses.
National Symphony Orches-
ira Conductor Howard Mitch
ell, Orchestra Manager M.
Robert Rogers, Concert Bureau
Chief Patrick Hayes and Chill
dren's Theater Representative
Lottie Lewis Hook urged the
subcommittee to devise its own
plan for saving the theaters If
the hearings seemed. made