Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-26

tee was informed at a hearing
mittee that Mr.. McShain is
also giving up his stock" and
added:
"All he wants is his money
back. He has spent 1920, 900
for architectural fees, and
there is a $4,000 unpaid obli-
cation to the architect"
To Be Recalled
The architect for the Plaza
project is Reyes, Lethbridge &
Condor of Washington. Associ-
ated with them are other
architects and engineers.
The subcommittee chairman
said he would recall Mr.. Luchs
at a later date.
In earlier testimony before
the subcommittee:
D. F. Antonelli, jr., said
Shannon g. Luchs had received
a fee of $4,000 for sale Oh
Antonelli & Gould land to the
Columbia Plaza Corp.
Mr.. Antonelli said he had
started buying land in the
Plaza area - bounded by
Twenty third, Twenty fifth
and E streets and by Virginia
avenue N.W.-in 1916.
In the next decade and a
half. he and his partner &C
quired almost 100000 square
feet-roughly 80 per cent of
the acreage, he said-at around
an average Of $40 or $ll a
square foot.
When the land was sold to
RIA, they received an average
of 1892 a square foot from
RIA. he said, and considered
the land was worth more.
He added he would be willing
now to buy it back at that
price, and pay interest from
the time he and his partner
sold it.
Had Private Plan
Mr.. Antonelli testified he
wanted to develop the land
privately but was thwarted by
the renewal program and 1858
coming changes. Asked why the
land was sold to the Columbia
Plaza Corp, he said he was
convinced he and his partner
couldn't be the developer" I'M
der the renewal program.
Mr.. Antonelli and Mr.. Gould
now own 26 per cent of the Co
lumbia Plaza Corp. stock.
Twenty per cent of this they
acquired with $4,000 "aS part
Of the consideration" he said,
and the 6 per cent as 4 result
Of an asserted default by the
corporation on $88,800 in Sin
terest payments" on the land
prior to its sale to RIA.
The contract RIA entered
into with the Columbia Plaza
Corp. to buy the land and des-
ignate the corporation as the
redeveloper was a negotiated"
one.
RIA policy for this project
was that it would give a prior
ity as the developer to the
owner of SO per cent or more
of the area.
But Mr.. Antonelli testified
he only learned of that policy
from Mr.. Salkeld, a represent
alive of the Shannon & Luchs
group, during negotiations for
purchase of the land.
Tells of Meeting
AS the next witness, Mr..
Salkeld testified that this &C.
casion was a meeting Mr.. An
tonelli requested with the pur-
pose of selling the Antonelli-
Gould land to a development
corporation.
II was called in because they
were laundering" Mr.. Salkeld
said.
II went up to see Mr.. Nc
Shain and he said I'll loan the
money"
Mr.. Salkeld said he borrowed
100000 on his own behalf and
that of Mr.. Luchs.
OF this. $4,000 was to be for
a down payment to Antonelli
and Gould on a contract to buy
their land, and $4,000 was to
be used to employ an architect
to prepare preliminary plans to
show RIA and the District
Commissioners.
After Mr.. Salkeld's testi-
mony, Mr.. Luchs had his brief
opportunity to testify.
Touching on the Harbour
Square apartment project, he
said Mr.. McShain had put up
the $880,000 with which the
Harbour Square group pur-
chased the site from RIA, and
that in this case, as with CO.
lumbia Plaza, all stock had been
put up in escrow to Mr.. Nc
Shain" pending Harbour
Squares completion.
Besides supplying money for
the land purchase, Mr.. Nc
Shain is also understood to be
obligated to provide money for
construction of the project. He
also supplied a go per cent
share of the $4,000 that stock
holders contributed to the
corporation.