garage with its floor approximately at the level of C Street and extending from Delaware Avenue to New Jersey Avenue, by which a space for parking automobiles and trucks is amply provided. These studies have been discussed at length with the Federal City and Park Planning Commission and the Fine Arts Commission and the location of the avenue as presented in Scheme B was approved by both commissions. It is true that this scheme involves the acquisition of some private property, particularly the triangular points of the corners of blocks 630 and 631 at the intersection of North Capitol and D Street and New Jersey Avenue and C Street, respectively. The resulting advantage of this is that by clipping the corners of those blocks there are produced façades of buildings facing the Capitol Park instead of leaving sharp angles projecting into it. Scheme B contemplates the acquisition of land at the north end of Union Square comprising blocks 631, lot 1; block 630, lots 1, 2, and 818; reservation 12; block 574, lot 800; and the western half of block 633 and square 575. Pursuant to the authority of law and having in mind the unquestioned desire of Congress for a proper and artistic development of the Capitol Grounds and their environs as a harmonious factor in relation to the beautification of the city of Washington, the commission recommends the adoption of Scheme B. This plan in detail and in point of superiority over any alternative plans is as follows: It contemplates an avenue starting from the western fountain in front of Union Station, proceeding in a southwesterly direction to that portion of Pennsylvania Avenue between Second and Third Streets, to be known as Union Square in the proposed development of the Mall area. This gives a marginal avenue with a direct connection to Pennsylvania Avenue in a formal and splendid manner. This avenue_crosses B Street at a point where the grade is suitable for a street crossing. This deflects travel which would go directly to the northwestern corner of the Capitol Grounds if Scheme A had been recommended. By the adoption of Scheme B and the rearrangement of existing streets in the 12 squares now owned by the Government, it makes possible the treatment of a large area in a suitable manner, which could not be done if this large area were bisected by an avenue as in Scheme A. It provides thereby for a suitable approach to the Capitol from the north, the removal of such car lines, the building of terraces, the lowering of street-car tracks so that there are no cars seen between the Union Station and the Capitol, and makes this view of the Capitol far more attractive than any other plan developed. The cost of Scheme B is for improvements, $1,871,021; for acquisition of land, $3,041,393; total, $4,912,414. The commission recommends the enactment of legislation which will authorize the Architect of the Capitol to proceed with the adopted plan as outlined herein. Its consummation involving as it does the purchase of land and buildings, perhaps condemnation proceedings, the removal of buildings, the cutting of new streets. the removal of tracks, etc., will require considerable time. In order that the development of the Capitol Grounds may progress as the Congress evidently seriously intended as early as 1901, the commission urges early action on the recommendations herein contained. Respectfully submitted. CHARLES G. DAWES, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States. HENRY W. KEYES, Chairman Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. FRITZ G. LANHAM, Ranking Minority Member of the House Committee RICHARD N. ELLIOTT, Chairman House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. JAMES A. REED, Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee MEMORANDUM For the information of the Congress it is stated that certain parcels of land in which the title is vested in the District of Columbia have not been acquired by the commission intrusted with the purchase of land within the 12 squares referred to, for the reason that there is no authority vested in the District of Columbia to convey the land in question. The parcels of land are as follows: Square 633: Lots 51, 52, 53, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, and 74 commonly known as the Arthur School property, containing 19,590 square feet improved by a brick 8-room schoolhouse. Square 722 contains parcels totaling 3,016 square feet consisting of ground originally withheld by the District of Columbia for alley purposes. Square 682, lot 12, a strip of ground 5 feet in width and tapering to zero. Area not given. Square 721: A part of old E Street, a remainder created by readjustment of the street to conform to the contour lines of the Plaza. Area not given. RELOCATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SENATE CHAMBER Occupancy of the present Senate Chamber dates from the year 1859. Before its completion, Thomas U. Walter, the Architect of the Capitol, in the report to the Senate in 1857 submitted a plan for the location of the Senate Chamber in direct communication with the north side of the Senate wing. This plan seems to have been set aside for the present plan of the Senate Chamber which for so many years has been used for the meetings of the Senate. The plan submitted by Mr. Walter, as referred to, did not provide for any change in the present form of the Senate Chamber. It simply provided for its location in the north side of the Senate wing. During the year 1924, in compliance with Senate Resolution No. 231, a plan was proposed by Mr. Thomas Hastings which provides for the location. of the Senate Chamber at the north side of the Senate wing and the changing of the form of the Chamber to a semicircle, deviating in this respect from the Walter plan referred to previously. This half-circle form provides for a new arrangement of the desks and seats on the floor of the Senate Chamber and for a rearrangement of the seats in the Senate gallery. It also provides for the removal of the marble room and the Senate lobby now located on the north side of the Senate Chamber, and provides that the south corridor shall be located on a line conforming to the line of the east and west grand staircases of the Senate wing. South of this Senate corridor will be located office rooms, and to the north of the corridor cloak rooms have been planned, and between these cloak rooms and the floor of the Senate a lobby extends the whole length of the halfcircle of the Senate Chamber. On the north wall openings will be made by which direct contact with the light and air of the north portico of the Senate will be afforded. This plan for the relocation and reconstruction of the Senate Chamber also contemplates a complete rearrangement of the ventilating and air conditioning of the Senate so that it may conform in this respect to the latest development known to sanitary and ventilating engineers. The legislation providing for this change is found in the legislative act approved May 14, 1928; the provisions of said act being as follows: Senate wing reconstruction: To arrange and reconstruct the Senate wing of the Capitol in accordance with the report of the Architect of the Capitol contained in Senate Document numbered 161, Sixty-eighth Congress, second session, with such alterations as the Senate Committee on Rules may from time to time approve, to be immediately available, and to remain available until June 30, 1930, $500,000, to be expended by the Architect of the Capitol, under the direction and supervision of the said Committee on Rules, without compliance with sections 3709 and 3744 of the Revised Statutes of the United States: Provided, That the Architect of the Capitol is authorized, within the appropriation herein made to enter into such contracts in the market, to make such expenditures (including expenditures for furniture, materials, supplies, equipment, accessories, advertising, travel, and subsistence), and to employ such professional and other assistants without regard to the provisions of section 35 of the public buildings omnibus act, approved June 25, 1910, as amended, as may be approved by such committee. Under such plans as have been submitted, it is believed that a great improvement in the comfort and the health of the occupants of the Senate Chamber may be expected as a natural result, and it is also intended that work shall be commenced immediately after the close of the second session of the Seventieth Congress, and, unless unforeseen conditions arise, that it will be possible to complete this work in season for the reassembling of the first session of the Seventy-first Congress. IMPROVING CAPITOL GROUNDS Under this appropriation funds are provided for the general care of the Capitol Grounds containing 58.8 acres and including many miles of roadways and walks. That portion of the Capitol Grounds containing area devoted to lawns has required during the past year 131 bushels of grass seed for the purpose of reseeding and improving the condition of the grass in this large park. There have also been used 750 cubic yards of fertilizer, some of which was used in enriching shrubbery, and the trees and shrubs have all received suitable attention. Three trees have been removed and seven new trees planted. The past season has been unusually favorable so far as weather conditions are concerned for the best development of the trees, grass, and shrubs. The ample rainfalls, supplemented by judicious watering, have tended to produce a good condition of the grass, and the foliage has been unusually heavy and of good color. It should be stated that every year there has been an attempt to return to the ground leaves which have fallen from the trees and which have been properly rotted so that they are good fertilizer. This is one of the most natural fertilizers for grass and plant life. There have been planted in the plant cases on the terrace 9,000 tulip bulbs at the proper season. These bulbs have provided a variety of decorative color for the walks surrounding the Capitol upon three sides. The small grass plots in front of the east portion of the Capitol are provided with an automatic sprinkling device, and this has been used at times when rainfalls have not been sufficient. The condition clearly shows the benefit which could be obtained if this system could be distributed through the entire grounds REPAIRS TO SIDEWALKS This title may be somewhat misleading and perhaps should be more correctly stated as renewal of sidewalks, for while in some cases repairs are made, these repairs only cover small areas while the renewal consists of taking up of the entire sidewalks, carrying away the old material to the dump, resetting curb and relaying an entirely new sidewalk under the improved condition of better material and a more adequate knowledge of the methods to be used in providing the best possible sidewalks for the Capitol grounds. During the fiscal year the entire sidewalk on the north side of the grounds leading from the top of the hill down the grade to Pennsylvania Avenue, and the connecting walks leading from this walk on the north side to B Street at Delaware Avenue and to B Street at North Captiol Street have been renewed. This involved the laying in place of 5,875 square yards of sidewalk. It also made necessary the resetting of 3,880 linear feet of 2-inch curbing and the resetting of 225 feet of 8 by 20 inch curbing on B Street and Delaware Avenue. The work of replacing the sidewalks on the west side of the Capitol Building has been in progress for some time, and it is hoped that during the coming fiscal year this important work may be completed. VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING OF THE SENATE CHAMBER AND HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES For many years the method of the proper ventilation of these two legislative halls has been the subject of deep concern to the Members of Congress, and a variety of opinions have been presented outlining what seemed to be the best plan to adopt. During recent years marked changes have been made in the planning of a ventilation system, and the old idea that ventilation consisted purely in furnishing a public room with plenty of fresh air and means for the exhausting of the vitiated air from the Chamber have now been set aside for the reason that other conditions enter largely into the demands which should be met in order to make a large public hall suitable for occupancy It should be remembered that these two Legislative Halls of the Capitol are different from the ordinary public halls where large numbers of people congregate; in this respect the usual audience chamber is only occupied for a short period of time and not for several hours as in the case of the legislative chambers of the Capitol. For this reason the air should be conditioned so that the temperature would be neither too warm nor too cold and that the humidity should not be too great nor too little, so that in these days we speak of air conditioning in relation to ventilation meaning thereby a proper treatment of the air before it is supplied to the legislative chambers. Before a determination of a system had been arrived at a commission was appointed consisting of well-known experts in ventilation and air conditioning. The commission was constituted as follows: Prof. C-E. A. Winslow, chairman, professor of public health, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. D. D. Kimball, consulting engineer, New York City. F. I. Cooper, heating and ventilating engineer, Boston, Mass. A. M. Feldman, consulting engineer, New York City, N. Y. Mr. R. E. Still, vice president American Blower Co. Mr. R. E. Hall, engaged in ventilation of theaters, New York. L. R. Thompson, surgeon in charge, Public Health Service, Washington, D. C. David Lynn, Architect of the Capitol. Dr. R. F. Sayers, chief surgeon, Bureau of Mines. Mr. Leonard Greenburg, sanitary engineer, Public Health Service. This commission examined the conditions existing in the Hall of the House of Representatives and in the Senate Chamber and from such examination determined what results should be obtained by a properly selected system for the air conditioning and ventilation of these two chambers. It is proper to state that hearings were held relating to the subject of ventilation and air conditioning, and that after the matter had been fully discussed before the Committee on Appropriations an act was prepared for the purchase and installation of an improved system. The act is as follows: For the purchase and installation for the Senate Chamber and the Hall of the House of Representatives of complete, improved ventilation, dehumidifying air conditioning apparatus with automatically controlled ducts and water piping for the connection of the different units of such apparatus, and for all necessary structural alterations required for such installation, including personal services, advertising, traveling, and other necessary expenses incident thereto, $323,000, to be available immediately and to be expended by the Architect of the Capitol without compliance with sections 3709 and 3744 of the Revised Statutes of the United States. Owing to the delays, due to advertising for the purpose of giving proper publicity to the manufacturers and dealers, and the convening of the committee to examine the proposals submitted, it was not possible to commence this work prior to the close of the fiscal year 1928. The time, however, has been well occupied in attention to the necessary preliminaries, and it is planned to have the system in operation in the Hall of the House of Representatives in time for the convening of the second session of the Seventieth Congress. The introduction of this improved air conditioning system in the Senate Chamber will necessarily be deferred until it can be installed in connection with the proposed changes in the relocation and reconstruction of the Senate Chamber. WORKS OF ART IN THE CAPITOL Five accessions have been made to the works of art in the Capitol Building during the past fiscal year. The number of works of art in the Capitol Building now totals 301. The accessions referred to consist of two statues placed in Statuary Hall, one portrait for the office of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, one portrait for the office of House Committee on Appropriations, and one marine painting for the House Committee on Naval Affairs. On December 8, 1927, the statue of Alexander H. Stephens, the second statue received from the State of Georgia, was unveiled in Statuary Hall. Appropriate exercises of presentation and acceptance were held and the program was of more than usual interest. The seated statue of Alexander H. Stephens is of Georgia marble, and the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, was present at the unveiling and was given a conspicuous place on the program. March 30, 1928, exercises were held in the committee room of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs commemorating the presentation of a portrait of Henry D. Flood, a former chairman of the committee. Addresses were made by Governor Byrd, of Virginia, who delivered the address of presentation, followed by the unveiling of the portrait by Byrd and Eleanor Flood, children of the deceased chairman. The principal address was made by Hon. R. Walton Moore, a Member of Congress from the State of Virginia. (See Congressional Record for April 17, 1928, p. 6945 et seq.) The portrait, painted by M. Hartman, was a gift from Mrs. Flood, the widow of the chairman. |