Evening Tribune Dei Moines, lowa
¦
WACtoQuit !£££? Hotels Here
H i.n e i r r. d i-p nI< he• r corn
Washington earlier this week -aid tli- WAC enlLlrae.it drive ¦in* been disappointing. The dispatcher «.td in* aimy la read) lo lake upwards of 130,-Into I he corps but umber* only
By Fred Lazed. The/ftr^iy seventh servict [
Ju.it how soon the buildings wil be relumed to their owners was not immediately made clear. ,
Henry S. Frankel. president o(
comaandf announced Thura-JYowier Bros., which .
day at Omaha. Neb., that the lOransky building, said a board of
army officers had notified him [him Wednesday that the government Is cancelling Its lease there as of Feb. 1, 191*.
Alex Fitihugh. sccrctarj of Ihe Greater Dea Moines commlt-mltlee, uld the same board notilled Mm Ihe government Is cancelling Its lease on the Coliseum, effective Jan. 1. 1914.
Hotel Savcry. ,np Chamberlain; hotel and the Plaxa hotel were taken over by the WAC Sept. 12. 1913, after announcement had been made July 11, 1M2. that the hotels were being leased. Most of the WACs housed In is ihreo hotels took their advanced studies in classrooms fitted up In the Oransky building on Eighth si. while some others, tn |the motor transport section, took MM of their work at the Cham-Iberlain Hole! garage. Seventh and High sis.
Chet lUrtnaglr. secretary of
the II and 11 Oarage Co.. onn-
. era o( Ihe Chamberlain Hotel
, garage building, -aid ihe army
officers had notltlrd htm Ihe
government i» cancelling that
lease as of neit June 30 but that
the garage company could take
Ihe building over Immediately If
It uants to.
•-JHarlnajle said he Informed the
¦Men's army corps is moving out eff all'the Des Moii.ee propertiee it has occupied here , downtown and at Drake university.
The WAC will continue as uvnsl si Fori l>es Molnev
The service command sold the following properties are being ¦Inactivated Immfdlately": Hotel Savcry. The Chamberlain hotel. Tho Platn hotel. Tho Chamberlain hotel gars**.
The Oransky huikllng. The De> .M.iiiu- Coliseum. Three building* at Drake un<-vcr.lt>.
Although the message did i>ot Istatc specifically when the WaCb [will move out of tho eight properties. It was lear.,cd from other sources that vacating of the build-igs Mill start Friday. Special lata. The downtown and Drake upl-i ¦ versliy properties have been usedi since the summer and fall of l(rl2 I for the training of WAC auxiliary [¦peclallsU who had completed bask training at the Fort; iDes Holnea army post and were oltuxn the company does not linking special courses in admlnis- wam the garage before nest June
Itratlve fields or In motor transport work.
The message from the seventh lervice command said:
"The pcnonBcl housed and iralned Id these building, in ihe past win be moved to Fjrt De. Moines or lo other army training schools."
! CoL Frank U. McCoskric. WAC commanrfont here, said he has not yet been advised as to whether aU of the girls housed downtown will be transferred to Fort Des Moines. At one time the downtown personnel of the WAC touted 2,700 women. Colonel McCoekrle said Thursday that recen'.ly, however. It has totaled only 350.
The service commsnd message gave no offlclal reason for release of the downtown properties.
because it now operates the Seventh st. garage directly across the street.
Drill HaJL The Coliseum was tsken over by Ihe WAC on Oct. 3fl, 1W2, and « used as an indoor drill hall, recreational center snd for soi tlasstoom work.
' The Drake university buildings were taken over Oct. 1, 19*2. They included the women's gymnasium, the men's dormituq
