NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION, Hon. HAROLD L. ICKES, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. ICKES: In response to request from the chairman of the advisory committee to the Capital Auditorium Commission, I submit the following statement on the attitude of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission toward the proposal to locate a national auditorium on reservation 10, bounded by Constitution Avenue, C Street, John Marshall Place, and Third Street NW. This location for an auditorium was first included in the Commission's plans for the central area of Washington in December 1935 when special studies were undertaken for the vicinity of the intersection of Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues with a view to finding an appropriate development for that part of the former Municipal Center site. It appeared to the Commission that this site was particularly suited for an auditorium because the intersection of Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues was a natural focal point in the plan of the city and was strategically situated in relation to the Capitol, the White House, and the Mall, and convenient to the hotels and to the Union Station. It was also less likely to produce congestion during the morning and evening rush hours than would a large Government office building. Subsequent studies by the Commission have shown the desirability of designing the auditorium as one unit of a group of buildings occupying the whole of the original Municipal Center site. The general nature of the plan now proposed is shown by the Commission's attached base plan for development in this vicinity. Very truly yours, FREDERIC A. DELANO, Chairman. THE COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS, Hon. HAROLD L. ICKES, Chairman, Auditorium Commission, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. ICKES: The Commission of Fine Arts approve the location of the proposed national auditorium on reservation 10 at Third Street and Constitution Avenue. For the Commission of Fine Arts. Sincerely yours, GILMORE D. CLARKE, Chairman. The Chairman. All right, Mr. Finnan, tell us all about this. STATEMENT OF C. MARSHALL FINNAN, SUPERINTENDENT, NATIONAL CAPITAL PARKS, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE The CHAIRMAN. You are with the National Park Service? Mr. FINNAN. I am. My official capacity is superintendent, National Capital Parks, National Park Service. The CHAIRMAN. All right. Mr. FINNAN. Mr. Chairman, your advisory committee started to hold meetings immediately after the first meeting of the Auditorium Commission on April 30. As a result of a great number of letters and general interest that was expressed by the people of the District of Columbia, the advisory committee decided it would be better to have open meetings and let all of those interested individuals appear before your advisory committee to make recommendations and suggestions, and that was done, and open hearings were held on May 24 and 31, 1937. Incorporated into the report which will go into the record are many of the suggestions which were obtained from those citizens interested in an auditorium for the Nation's Capital. Without repetition, because this is in your report too, the auditorium should serve for such events as the inauguration in times of inclement weather, the inaugural ball, if that is ever revived, official meetings of departmental and independent offices of the Government, Government exhibits for educational purposes, national conferences, international conferences, civic gatherings, such as mass meetings, conventions, commercial exhibits, symphony concerts, grand opera, and sports, if it is desired to have sports as one of the features in this auditorium. The CHAIRMAN. Did you receive any protests against its erection? Mr. FINNAN. We have received no protests at all, Senator. Every comment has been favorable and every one here seems to be interested in the construction of a national auditorium. We strongly recommend, Mr. Chairman, the auditorium but utterly national in character and that its primary function should be for national purposes. However, in order to help finance it, we think certain activities which would bring revenue and would not be out of keeping with the dignity and purposes of the auditorium should be permitted. We gave careful consideration, Mr. Chairman, to a number of sites. I think all told we studied about 12 different sites. The CHAIRMAN. Under this bill, do we provide for the site, or is it left to the Commission? Mr. FINNAN. It provides for the site of the auditorium. The CHAIRMAN. I see it is to be located on reservation 10; it may be very appropriate to go into the question of sites, however. Mr. FINNAN. If this committee so desires, we have comments from the various officials of both the Federal and District Government recommending this site on reservation 10. The CHAIRMAN. Are those the copies you have submitted? The CHAIRMAN. I think they might be put in the record. Mr. FINNAN. They are not voluminous. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, we will put in the record the comments of the Capital Park Commission, District authorities, and so forth. Mr. FINNAN. And also from Mr. Van Duzer, of the Traffic Department and from the Highway Department and Water Department of the District of Columbia. The site seems to meet generally all of the requirements, with the exception of automobile parking, which is going to be somewhat of a problem. The CHAIRMAN. You might, for the record, describe the location of the site. Mr. FINNAN. The site is bounded by Constitution Avenue, Third, C Street, and John Marshall Place. The CHAIRMAN. Northwest? Mr. FINNAN. Northwest. There are possibilities of developing parking in several locations close to the auditorium site, and if these possibilities are carried through, and it is reasonable to believe they might be after the auditorium is constructed, we believe that ample parking facilities can be created at a later date, although they do not exist at the present time. Your committee has gone very carefully into the matter of capacities. There are a number of auditoriums throughout the country ranging from very small municipal auditoriums to the large one of 45,000 capacity in Atlantic City. The CHAIRMAN. What is the capacity of the Kansas City auditorium? Mr. FINNAN. The Kansas City auditorium, I think, Senator, is about 15,000 or 16,000. After consulting and obtaining the advice of a number of engineering people qualified to speak on the subject, we would recommend an auditorium seating approximately from 15 to 16 thousand people in the main hall, and then additional floor space for exhibits of about 95,000 square feet. The CHAIRMAN. And several small rooms? Then your Mr. FINNAN. Yes; and individual conference rooms. committee is very much impressed with the need of a hall seating about 3,000 people, which would be acoustically perfected. Senator TRUMAN. The Kansas City Auditorium has one seating 2,500 and a smaller one seating about 500. Mr. FINNAN. Yes. If this 3,000-capacity hall is constructed it would permit of grand opera, symphony concerts, and cultural activities of that sort, which cannot now be given in Washington because we have no such place of sufficient capacity. With reference to nongovernmental uses, we believe that perhaps this type of use would be comparable to governmental use and might even exceed it in the course of a few years. Washington has approximately 190 conventions annually, totaling about 125,000 people, and in addition to that there are a great number of conventions which have tried to convene here but were unable to do so because of the lack of facilities, and if this committee would desire, I can submit a list of the conventions which were held in 1935 and 1936 and a list of the conventions which would have been held here if the facilities had been available. If you would like that, I can insert it in the record. It is only about 2 pages. We have all of the information on it. The CHAIRMAN. All right. Senator TRUMAN. The entire cost would be borne by the Federal Government? Senator CONNALLY. The District owns the site and they cede us the site. Mr. FINNAN. I might say, Mr. Chairman, the District paid for the site approximately $1,700,000, which they will be willing to donate, and we have a letter from the Commissioners saying that it will be turned over to the Federal Government for the erection of the auditorium. It is estimated the auditorium would cost approximately $9,000,000. The CHAIRMAN. That is only a rough draft estimate; that is, there are no detailed plans or estimates? Mr. FINNAN. That is right. Senator TRUMAN. The Kansas City auditorium cost about $6,000,000 to construct and the site was in addition, which would make it about $7,500,000. The St. Louis auditorium cost about $7,500,000. The CHAIRMAN. When were they built? Senator TRUMAN. I do not remember exactly but it has been within the last 4 of 5 years, from 1932 to 1935, both being P. W. A. projects. The CHAIRMAN. I assumed they were. Mr. FINNAN. This $9,000,000 is not exorbitant when you consider it is in a location adjacent to the Federal triangle Senator TRUMAN (interposing). Buildings here in Washington cost more than any others because of the monumental type which other cities do not have to have. Mr. FINNAN. That is true. I do not know whether it is of any particular value, but you will recall that this auditorium was first brought to light by Secretary Ickes and Senator Connally after the pneumonia inauguration 2 years ago. The CHAIRMAN. You should give the credit to Senator Robinson for proposing it originally. Senator Robinson introduced the bill. Senator TRUMAN. That was the rainy day inauguration? Mr. FINNAN. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. I do not want to detract anything from the credit due Senator Robinson for proposing this. Mr. FINNAN. I would like to make that correction. We have checked with the Weather Bureau showing the weather for the inauguration date from 1918 to 1927, and I think it shows very conclusively we can count on not very many outdoor inaugurations. The CHAIRMAN. Have you put in the record the letters from these various people? Mr. FINNAN. The letter from the Fine Arts Commission and from the Commissioners will go into the record. The CHAIRMAN. Yes; let those go into the record. Do they all approve the site? Mr. FINNAN. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. I would like to have you discuss the reasons for rejecting the other sites. Mr. FINNAN. After we looked over 12 sites we had to eliminate 10 of them for either one or more reasons; they were not large enough, or inaccessible, or did not have proper transportation facilities, or other facilities, or were not in a favorable location with respect to the central district of the city. After eliminating ten, it was boiled down to the Municipal Center site and the East Capitol Street site. Your advisory committee was somewhat split on that for a time, but after giving it very careful consideration we found that as far as getting people to the auditorium readily, moving traffic expeditiously, the Municipal Center site has many advantages over the East Capitol Street site under existing conditions. Practically all of the interested groups in the city, including the Board of Trade and other civic bodies, favored the Municipal Center site, and we had that testimony, which was presented to us, if the committee would like to see it. The CHIARMAN. Do you think that should go into the record? Senator TRUMAN. I think it should be in the record because we will be questioned on the floor about these sites. The CHAIRMAN. Put that in the record also. Mr. FINNAN. Also, if you would care to have it for the record, we will show the other 10 sites which were considered and the reasons they were eliminated. The CHAIRMAN. Just so you did not pick out a site, but gave them all consideration. Mr. FINNAN. Yes; and the reasons why they were eliminated. Of course, we had some sites proposed by private individuals who owned land and wanted to sell it to the Government, and we eliminated them on the basis we did not have to buy private property. Are there any questions, Senator? The CHAIRMAN. Senator Andrews, we have been having a hearing on this bill to provide for the auditorium. If you care to ask any questions of Mr. Finnan, who is a member of the advisory committee, you may do so. Senator ANDREWS. The site is where? Mr. FINNAN (indicating on replica of Mall). Right here, Senator; that is reservation 10. Senator ANDREWS. It is a well-located place? Mr. FINNAN. Yes; that was the testimony. It is closely located to all of the big hotels of the District, which we thought was one advantage, and Mr. Van Duzer has given us a very comprehensive report showing how traffic can be moved and the number of automobiles, busses, and streetcars that can reach that area in a given time. The CHAIRMAN. If there are no other questions, we thank you, Mr. Finnan. STATEMENT OF JOHN NOLEN, JR., DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION Mr. NOLEN. This site, Mr. Chairman, has the full approval of the Park and Planning Commission, after very extensive studies that, in a way, antedate the studies of the past year of the Capital Auditorium Commission. The proposal fits in very appropriately with the Commission's plan for the development of the whole central area of Washington, tying in with the street plan and other public buildings in this area, the zoning plan, and with all other considerations that are pertinent. The CHAIRMAN. Of course, I suppose that is all based on the further theory that the building, when constructed, will be harmonious in architecture with other public buildings in the vicinity? Mr. NOLEN. Yes, sir. Of course, that is a matter for the Fine Arts Commission, the exterior of the building, but the National Capital Park and Planning Commission has been concerned that the use should be appropriate to the neighborhood and to the other uses in this vicinity. I think I can best illustrate that by referring to the plan, as it now stands, for the entire central area and show its relationship. You will recall that the plan of 1901 under which Washington has been growing, modified in recent years by studies made by the Planning Commission and approved by Congress, contemplated a group of buildings about the Capitol associated with the legislative establishment and a group of buildings about the White House associated with the Executive establishment. That plan had to be modified due to the increase in the needs of the Executive establishment, particularly since the war, to include the triangle development, and now under an act of Congress just approved, the extension of the public building area west of Seventeenth Street along Constitution Avenue to the river. Previously, in 1930, Congress had authorized acquisition of areas for Government buildings south of the Mall, as |