New-York tribune., 1867-03-14
FINE ARTS


In the course of the public discussion WIN regalu
60 tho general subject Of the Post-Othce' anu
siops have been made to tic opinions of MT UPohh'
ar as 20 the unfness of the Park as site ior that
important building Mr. UplOhn is one OF our Oldest
most experienced and respected archtectS, ana hS
vjews afbentitled to much consideration we nave
therefore taken pains to give Our readers the benefit
of them.
AZ the meeting of the Institute Of Architects on the
lat of February to prepare reply to the advertise
Yoant Of tbe Commissioners of the new Post -Offlce
asIjnS for information from members of the pro-
fesSiOn i'm regard TO the terms OF the cOlnpeuuol
Mr. Upjohn, the President, opened the ulsc9sSioh
with earnest argument against tae p[OPPSee Si.o
and we give below bret OuIlne %. pd
his remarks. Mr.. UpjOhn urged that the
area on which it was proposed to bulld tne fost-
Office was not only of vital importance 10 the cty as
An OMEN breathingspace but il of equal value on
artistic grounds. A crowded, m0n0tOn0uS arrange
ment of streets in the plan OF city is defect that
mora conspicuous and New-YOrk already suffers SO
much In this particular thatit cannot afford to part
with even portion of the City Hall Park the whole
of which should be literally adorned, and forever
kept Open There were, in his opinion more ellgiDle
sites for the POst-0ffice in the immediate nelghD0I
hood. The Government, In conjunction WIN Tue
Cifv certainly had the right of eminent domain,
and could take any well-selected grOuna al u idlt
valuation. Every merchant had to pay the market ar @
price for bis business site and there seemed TO oe no
reason why New-York should help the GOyernlnent
to avoid this legitimate expense by making over TO
IT. for the purposes of PoSt-Stilce eAIe1e!{ N it
abba land that if he was rightly informed, the CITY
had never paid for and that had been, ON the 0ther
hand intrIsted to ITS care as gift from private moi
IN late Competition for the law offices in England
the Commissioners having the matter IN charge nau
consulted with architects on the subject OF the SITE
but this had not apparently been done IN the present
Gaze Certainly no professional report had been ald
before the public to which the commissioners coulu
refer officially in reference to Their decision so that
no one to-day really knows why the representatives
of the city have selected the lower end OF the pubic
park as site for Post-0ffice building The loca-
tiOn did not seem to him, moreover, well chosen I'D
reference to the special needs of such structure
which required convenient uncrOwded approaches,
and could not, therefore, with propnetV
be erected on the two most thronged th0r0ugh1ares
of the city Thirty years ago the Custom fOuse ana
Exchange were built. In both of these eases mli-
lions Of dollars had been yalnly expended because use
their puTpOses He had fOreseen these diftculeS al
the time and had refused to submit designs but had
on the other hand, recommended the building OF
plain substantial buildings for the uses OF the
Custom-HOuse in the square surrounding Tue
Bowling Green. 1t might be sald t9at pa,
which the meeting had been specially called TO-
gether but he entertained different OplnlOh anu
rs he%as well aware that his views were snatS M pS
that although it might be improper to lay very de-
Cded stress this point in any reply that might be
prepared to the advertisement of the commissioners
stli entire silence on the subject would be so liable
to misconstructiOn that it ought II possible oe
avoided.
Mr. l.. Prang Of Boston has published new chro-
mo-thOgraph from one Of Mr.. A. +. Taits pictures
'Quails' This time we have no fault to find-and
we are glad of it-with Mr. Prangs way OF publish
ing He has taken honest pains to prevent any one
being deceived into thinking these pictures genulae
Oil-pantngs by printing his name as publisher on on
the picture itself and has given Mr. TAFT full credit
for his work by putting his signature where he who
runs may read This is it should be, and now If
Mr. Prang win vary his subjects little we shall very
heartily welcome the work he can do Spring IL com
ing, and Summer and Autumn after. and we do not
know what could be peasanter to see in all the shop
windows than Mr.. Farrers beautiful Trailing Ar
his equally well-painted "Ciemstis' OF Henry New
mans Fringed GeAtans." We sure that good
copies of these lovely things would not long stay IN
the shOp-wndOws and we, for one should be glad TO
see them hanging our own walls.