Union station servicemen's facilities (study March 1943) Date Branch of service: 1943. Hour. Waiting room. In station because Between trains. Lounge. Marines. SPARS. If interview is in waiting room: Did not know of servicemen's Prefers waiting room. To see people. To hear train announce ments. Other, specify Leaving Washington. Hours in station this time: Less than 1 hour. 1 but not over 3 hours. 3 but not over 6 hours. 6 hours or over. Makes following suggestion for improvement of service: If sleeping facilities were available, would you have used them? Yes. Yes. No. Waking. Preparing to If there were a place here to take a nap, would you use it? --- The CHAIRMAN. Then I should like to put into the record a letter which I received from the Architect of the Capitol, which deals with this subject, and this proposal, at some length. (The letter referred to is as follows) Hon. FRANCIS MALONEY, ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL, Washington, D. C., October 16, 1943. Chairman, Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In compliance with your request, I am submitting the following report relative to Senate Concurrent Resolution 19, Seventy-eighth Congress, to provide temporary sleeping quarters in the legislative garage for men of the armed services. The legislative garage is an underground structure 520 feet long and 204 feet wide at its widest point, with an interior height of about 10 feet in the clear. It has a concrete floor resting directly on the earth, which slopes gradually upward from the west (or New Jersey Avenue) end to the east (or Delaware Avenue) end, and contains approximately 72,000 square feet of floor space. It is connected to the Senate Office Building by a pedestrian subway. The garage has been occupied since July 7, 1932. Its maintenance and use is controlled by the act of June 30, 1932 (47 Stat. 391), which provides: "Hereafter the underground space in the north extension of the Capitol Grounds shall be under the jurisdiction and control of the Architect of the Capitol, subject to such regulations respecting the use thereof as may be promulgated by the joint action of the Vice President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives." The present regulations governing the use of the garage, promulgated by the Vice President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives December 1, 1938, require that the garage shall be used, insofar as space is available, to provide parking accommodations for: (a) Governmentowned trucks and automobiles maintained for the official use of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Architect of the Capitol, including the equipment used in the maintenance of the Capitol Grounds; (b) privately owned cars which are the personal property of Members of the United States Senate or the House of Representatives. I am enclosing, herewith, a plan showing the present lay-out of the garage and for convenience have marked off the garage into two sections, designating the section opening into New Jersey Avenue as "west section" and the section opening into Delaware Avenue as "east section." The west section of the garage contains parking stalls occupied by Government-owned cars and by privately owned cars of Members of Congress, two gasoline pumps dispensing gasoline from two 1,000-gallon tanks, which supply gasoline for the Government-owned trucks, automobiles, and grounds maintenance equipment of the legislative branch under the United States Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Architect of the Capitol, and one lubricating oil dispensing pump; also wash rack, lubricating wells, and battery charging station used for servicing this Government-owned motor equipment. At the west end of the garage are two rooms used as offices by the maintenance force in charge of the garage. The east section of the garage contains parking stalls likewise occupied by Government-owned cars and privately owned cars of Members of Congress, two toilet rooms, shower and locker rooms used by the Capitol Grounds maintenance force, storage space for trucks and other motor equipment used in the maintenance of the Capitol Grounds, wash rack, and a pump room containing the mechanical equipment for operating the large display fountains located on the terrace directly above the garage. At the extreme east end of the garage there is a large room which houses the transformers and control and testing equipment for the street and park lighting system. At the southeast corner of the garage, there is a wineenclosed space housing the steam control equipment. At this end of the garage, extending into the pedestrian subway, are two rooms used as offices by the grounds and garage maintenance forces. One of these offices also contains a switchboard which controls operation of the grounds and garage lighting systems and operation of the east end garage doors. There are also two small toilet rooms at this end of the garage. The garage is electrically lighted throughout by use of overhead fixtures. With reference to the proposal contained in Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 to discontinue the use of the garage for the parking of privately owned vehicles for the duration of the present national emergency and to offer the floor space thereby released to the armed forces of the United States as temporary sleeping quarters for military personnel on furlough or traveling under orders or temporarily sojourning in the Nation's Capital, I have the following comments to offer: In order to continue to properly provide for the housing, maintenance and servicing of the Government-owned motor equipment of the legislative branch kept in the garage, it would be necessary to set aside for such purpose approximately 28,000 square feet of floor space in the west section (New Jersey Avenue end) of the garage-this section, as indicated on the enclosed plan, containing the gasoline and oil pumps and other servicing equipment. This would leave approximately 44,000 square feet of floor space in the east section of the garage available for use by the armed forces. However, it would be necessary to construct a fire wall between the two sections such wall to extend across the garage from the north wall to the south wall and from floor to ceiling-in order to protect the east section when used by the armed forces from gases and fumes from the motor equipment to be housed in the west section; also as a protection against fire hazard. The construction of such a wall is also understood to be considered to be necessary by public health officials. I am advised by our chief engineer of the Capitol Power Plant that the partitioning of the garage by construction of a fire wall would, in turn, necessitate a revamping of the present heating and ventilating system, as the main, large heater units are now so located on the south wall that they would be west of the proposed fire wall in the section housing the motor equipment, while the main exhaust fans are now so located on the north wall that they would be east of the proposed fire wall in the section serving as sleeping quarters. Our chief engineer advises that in order to make either section of the garage tenantable, it would therefore be necessary to alter the present heating and ventilating system, involving the installation of additional heating and ventilating equipment, providing one system to take care of the section to be used as sleeping quarters and one system to take care of the section housing the motor equipment. I am further advised by our head electrical engineer that the present electrical transformer equipment supplied with current from the Capitol Power Plant and servicing the garage with light and power can only carry an additional 150 kilowatts or horsepower over and above its present electrical load; and that if additional horsepower should be required in excess of that amount on account of any changes necessary to be made in the heating, ventilating, or electrical systems, either the present transformer equipment would have to be augmented, which would involve serious difficulty because of the critical materials required and the peculiar characteristics of the Capitol Power Plant electrical generating system, or else arrangements would have to be made with the public utilities to install equipment and furnish the additional service. It would be necessary for the grounds maintenance force to continue to have the use of the present toilet and locker rooms in the east section of the garage, as no other facilities are available for their use. It would be necessary for mechanics under the Architect of the Capitol to have access to the room containing the mechanical equipment for operating the display fountains above the garage; also access to the spaces containing the transformers and control and testing equipment for the street and park lighting system, and the steam control equipmentall located, as indicated on the enclosed plan, in the east section of the garage. It would further be necessary for the Architect of the Capitol to continue to have the use of the office rooms at the east end of the garage, adjacent to the pedestrian subway. The Capitol Grounds trucks and other motor equipment under the Architect of the Capitol, now kept in the east section of the garage, would be transferred to the west section. In order to provide adequate toilet, drinking, and other public comfort facilities, it would be necessary to install additional plumbing and toilet equipment and to augment present water supply and sewer facilities. The extent of the structural and mechanical changes necessary to be made and an estimate of cost for such changes would, of course, depend upon the manner in which the military authorities would plan to use the space released. Changes in the language of Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 would also be necessary, as under the present language of the resolution, all space released by private cars throughout all sections of the garage would have to be made available to the armed forces. It would therefore appear necessary on page 1, lines 9 to 12, of Senate Concurrent Resolution 19, to make the following change of language: Change from: "and offer the floor space therein released to the armed forces of the United States as temporary sleeping quarters for military personnel on furlough or traveling under orders or temporarily sojourning in the Nation's Capital," to (added language shown in italics): "and offer so much of the floor space therein released, as in the judgment of the Architect of the Capitol may be made available, to the armed forces of the United States as temporary sleeping quarters for military personnel on furlough or traveling under orders or temporarily sojourning in the Nation's Capital." The language "The armed forces of the United States" as used in Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 and "men of the armed services" as used in the title of the resolution, appears to embrace the male personnel in all branches of the military service; these terms being understood to include the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Public Health Service. It would therefore appear necessary to designate the military officials who would be called upon to carry out the provisions of Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 and who would be responsible for the orderly operation of the garage, with particular reference to page 1, line 12, and page 2, lines 1 to 5. In this connection, it is also to be noted that although the title of the concurrent resolution specifies "men" of the armed services, the language used in the resolution itself is "the armed forces" without specific reference to either male or female members of the armed services. It is assumed from the language of Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 that it would be mandatory for all privately owned vehicles to be removed from the garage immediately upon the date of approval of Senate Concurrent Resolution If such immediate vacating is not desired, it is suggested that a time period be specified in which such cars shall be removed following approval of Senate Concurrent Resolution 19. 19. It is also noted that no provision is made in Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 for restoration of the garage to its present condition, following termination of the use of the garage by the armed forces, and it is suggested that it may be desirable to include a paragraph in Senate Concurrent Resolution 19, providing for such restoration. With reference to page 2, lines 2 to 5, of Senate Concurrent Resolution 19, it is suggested that if the armed forces are to do the work necessary to adapt the garage for joint use by the legislative branch and the military service, the language "shall install suitable facilities and accommodations to carry out the purposes of this concurrent resolution and shall be responsible to the Architect of the Capitol for the orderly operation of these quarters" be broadened and modified to read: "shall, in accordance with plans approved by the Architect of the Capitol, install suitable facilities and accommodations and make such structural and mechanical changes as may be necessary to adapt the garage for joint use by the legislative branch and the armed forces pursuant to this concurrent resolution and shall be responsible to the Architect of the Capitol for the orderly operation of these quarters." Respectfully, DAVID LYNN, Architect of the Capitol. The CHAIRMAN. I have at hand, and offer for the record, a letter from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Frank Knox. I know that the Navy Department, at least, is opposed to this resolution. (The letters referred to are as follows:) Hon. FRANCIS MALONEY, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., November 4, 1943. Chairman, Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR MALONEY: The War Department has given careful consideration to Senate Concurrent Resolution 19, Seventy-eighth Congress, to provide temporary sleeping quarters in the legislative garage for men of the armed services. The proposed resolution would provide for the conversion of the legislative garage, situated under the Senate Terrace, into temporary sleeping quarters for transient military personnel, for the duration of the present national emergency. The need for a servicemen's lounging center near the Union Station has long been apparent. To be more specific, enlargement of the lounging facilities already provided for service personnel in the Union Station is the requirement. Due to the fact that it has been found very difficult to dislodge a traveler from the station, at the risk of his missing his train, present facilities of the United Service Organizations' lounge are taxed beyond capacity; but after careful exploration of all possible means to expand those facilities within the Union Station, they have been discarded as impracticable. The project most recently undertaken, that of the development of the Capitol Park Hotel into what will be known as the United Nations Service Center, will provide a partial solution to the problem, particularly in that provision will be made for the wives and children of servicemen as an adjunct to the lounging facilities. Completion date for remodeling of the Capitol Park Hotel has been set for November 1. It has been informally reported that the installation of facilities in the legislative garage necessary to make it suitable for a lounging center will cost approximately $31,000. Even if this additional center is provided, however, it is questionable whether a material reduction will be effected in the present congestion in the Union Station. Previous experience indicates that most service personnel will remain in the station despite its overcrowded condition rather than repair to more distant and comfortable surroundings at the risk of missing a train. However, some use would undoubtedly be made of the proposed lounging center and the War Department believes that the seriousness of the Union Station problem is such that any measure which promises to contribute to its solution is worthy of careful consideration. The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely yours, HENRY L. STIMSON, Secretary of War. Hon. FRANCIS MALONEY, NAVY DEPARTMENT, Chairman, Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, United States Senate. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 to provide temporary sleeping quarters in the legislative garage for men of the armed services, was referred by your committee to the Navy Department with request for views thereon. The purpose of the resolution is to authorize the Vice President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to offer the use of the space now used for parking of private vehicles in the legislative garage to the armed services as temporary sleeping quarters for military personnel on furlough or traveling under orders in the city of Washington. The resolution would also require that the armed services, or such public agency as they may direct, install suitable facilities and accommodations and to be responsible to the Architect of the Capitol for the orderly disposition of the quarters. The Navy Department is in accord with any feasible plans that will afford necessary, adequate, and comfortable sleeping accommodations for servicemen while sojourning in the city of Washington. With the information available, the Navy Department cannot determine the feasibility of the plan proposed by the resolution. To convert a garage into sleeping quarters apparently will require extensive remodeling such as the installation of toilet facilities, changes in heating and ventilating equipment, etc. As to the need for these facilities, information available to the Navy Department indicates that, generally, there are enough beds available in the city of Washington to accommodate enlisted personnel on leave or liberty in this area. It is noted, however, that on week ends there are hundreds of enlisted men in the vicinity of Union Station, especially late at night, unprovided with lodging. This is because of the unwillingness of many men who are making train connections to leave the vicinity of the station. In view of the foregoing, the Navy Department recommends against the enactment of the resolution. The Navy Department has been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that there would be no objection to the submission of this recommendation. Sincerely yours, FRANK KNOX. The CHAIRMAN. Now, while we are here, I would like to run through the calendar. Senator ANDREWS. Before we leave this present subject I would like to say that I have given considerable consideration to the garage since the resolution was introduced by Senator Wiley. The garage is built underground, it has no heating facilities, and would be the very kind of a place, it seems to me, where soldiers should not sleep. The Senate Office Building has many very large corridors, some of them that are not used except just for someone to pass over occasionally, and I don't think the Senate Office Building is too good for soldiers and sailors. They should have the benefit of heating facilities and ample toilet facilities which they could not have in the garage. There are just none there except one or two. Those are my general views. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator. The next proposal on the calendar is Senate Joint Resolution 8, which is introduced by Senator Nye, and which would authorize the erection of a statue of Lief Erickson in the District of Columbia. I would like to advise the committee and say for the record that Senator Guy Gillette, chairman of the subcommittee considering this resolution, was at the meeting early this morning and made a recommendation to the full committee. This committee was composed of Senators Gillette and Barbour and Walsh. Senator Barbour died since we last met. |