The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-09
INAUGURATION OF THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CLINTON HALL.
Speeches Of Gsvernor Seymour, ). Reneyn
Brsdhead and Others,
&c Nc DC.

very large audience assembled last evening at the
Church OF the Purans Union square to witness the
inaugural ceremonies of the Mercantile Library. Tho L.
brary was frat open to the public on Wednesday
evening and last night the event was celebrated by
matchmaking at the above church. The su5isnce was
composed mostly of the members of the lbrary-young
men, merchants clerks in this city-accompsnied by
their mothers sisters, and sweethearts, altogether a
company, for beauty, difficult 10 surpass
The library transferred its old location on
the of Beekman and Nassau streets to the
Clinton Hall in April last, and Of this build ng-the old
Aston Place Opera House transformed-we published
full description in the HERALD the 9th last March
Another brief account, however, of the building will not
DO undressing at the present time.
The Mercantile Library for several years past has been
ouch cramped for room in its quarters in Deekman
street and after the urgent solicitations of its members
the Clinton Hall Association decided TO purchase more
favorable site for the institution. The Place Opera
House being for sale at the time of the resolved change
OF locality, it purchased behalf OF the Clinton
Hall Association, and for the of the Mercantile Lii
brary The cost of this property STAG oO0 and
amount necessary for its alteration library purposes
has about $!5 600 making the entire outlay
upon these premises not much, if at s short Of 1925
600 The description Of the building is as follows:
THE BASEMENT.
The basement of the bEiainy is turned into lecture
room capable of seating eight hundred persons which
il well and provided with -four different places
OF entrance In am emergency, the ente room could
be emptied in less than two minutes The room has
gradual from the plat TO the seats SUN
Gent 10 allow the lecturer to be seen from every mart of
il. Around the room, against the wall and at the rear,
Large iron pillars FUNDED with CORN han caps sup
port the upper floor.
set into solid brick walls under the charge of the Cont
mental Insurance Company and from these, iron pipes
running through each story OF the building coavey heat
The ceiling of the lecture room is handsomely deco
rated and TO be used for the various of lee
institution the place meeting
for the Clinton Union Debating Society, literary club
numbering between .wo and three hundred members and
connected with the Mercantile Library Association.
We understand Also that this viii be offered to
ing societies. newly organized through energy of Mr.
Douglas Iefngwel in which to hold their regular
selves incidentally and almost necessarily to libraries
and when under good management valuable aoqui-
sition and exert great deal of good
THE FLOOR.
The first floor has been divided into stores and spac
hall full twenty feet Siie ming through
the centre of the building from the ground oor to tue
roof opening both Aston place and Eighth street
In the internal arrangement of the building, while am
pie provision has been made for all the purposes of the
library let the Important consideration of to
be derived from rents to be applied the increase of the
elusive Of the hall been made nte stores
running through the BUILDING from Aston place to Eighth
street Six of these stores are made on the first floor
all Of them calculated for heavy business purposes.
They all well finished, and lighted with windows on
both streets
Travelling the great central stairway to the second
aoor We have side, towards Broadway, the read
ing room of the library and the other side of the
stairway a long hal, running through the building
lengthwse, either side of which several small
rooms well lighted and desirable for Off ces various
business purposes.
The reading is of the largest and of the
most magnificent in the country 1t is sixty feet wide,
and ninety feet long and before stated occupies the
second story, west of the central hall 1t is lighted By
ten large windows-hye Astor place and Eighth
street The ceiling itself is handsomely frescoed and
richly panelle5, supported by twenty elegant Corin
THAN columns, standing against the wall round the
entire -Four hundred persons comfortably be
seated here at time, each engaged in his studies
and medtations without giving the least disturbance
with na;ntngs and n"usone 1 nteI up
newspapers periodicals, aud the light literature OF tho
Gay, are spread out upon tables in this
THIRD FLOOR.
Continuing our way up the next story, over the
reading room, have the library. The shape o. this
room Is euptical, sufmounsed with handsome panel
led acme. The centre s surrounded by sixteen large
autsd Cornthian pillars from which to tho halls OF the
building radiate sixteen acoyea each lighted oy
rate window the roof in addition the side win
of this story Bookca are also placed around all
balconies This viii give place
to 30 900 VOLUMES, which number, Judging from the
present prosperous coniioa Of the institution IL will
soon possess.
the dome in the centre of this room IL suspend
ed large chandelier and gasghts jet out from every
column giving the whole in the night time when
lighted up, very rich cppearance.
FOURTH STORY.
This story, on the wet side Of the hall Is cut off
by the library and the other portion OF II divided
into lodge rooms and class rooms The Mercantile Lii
brary yearly provides instructors classes in
languages and sciences for which Auc commodious
rooms are prepared in the fourth story
THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING.
The building externally is not changed except with
windows and decorations. Around the building under
the caves are carved images Of Minerva with the cadu
signed and executed On the second story each
window Ia carved in stone the owl, embemstic of wis
dom, and Indicative OF the use of the building
The whole building has had coating of msstic and in
the east end facing the square is niche, in which,
description Of the building viii be placed large statue
OF De Witt Clinton, from whom the Clinton Hall Associa
ton took its name This corporation established
90 rty after the death of the iustrous Governor
his name was upon every tongue and his memory every
where reyered The company took the Of Clinton
ana the building which they reared in Beekmcn street
has always been known Clinton Hail. There rea
SON Why the name should not be transferred to Aston
place, with the library II is right, have before
stated that some ailegorical figure, symbozng the
deeds Of the great Clinton and statue Of himself should
look down upon the square from the east end of the
building and thus per etuate his the associa
ton as IL contemplated This will be.a beautiful and
appropriate ornament to the building.
The entire building lighted gas The location
one OF the best perhaps that could be fouud 1t is
italy situated enen OF access from quarter of
the city Broadway and yet far enough removed be
out OF the hearing OF its uprosr aud confusion 1t Ia
bounded three sides by spacious streets aud public
II within that literary formed by the Aston Lii
brary, Society Library the Cooper Institute the Bible
within throw of it, and which appear to point
out this locality the best fitted for public library of
all others in the city.
The Association now own over forty thousand volumes
and roll list OF members counting neas FIVE thousand
Settled into Its new dignity, with increased ad
vantages Of locality, room, light, &c, it must be-
come the first library in the United States instead OF the
9th, which position i now occupies. To meet the ex
penses by this change Of location the Clinton
hall Association has been compelled TO call upon the
merchants Of New York for 100000 to be taken in
shares.
The most OF this amount we learn Is already taken
up This library it is wel known is the voluntary offer
ing OF merchants TO their clerks In former
count OF the 9th OF March last sketch or its
history contrasting its infancy with its present prosper
condition, quoting from ts annual report and
from the eloquent annual address of late President
George Pcckhsm; but we have not the to repeat
this
THE CEREMONIES LAST NIGHT.
After the audience seated, among those we no.
tioed upon the stand were Governor Seymour, Hon