The Portland daily press., 1868-01-15
The C;ay and County Building.


No doubt the present City Governuent is
composed Of very human and fallible beings
none but Democratic administration is made
up entirely of saints but We protest that the
new City aud County Building, raised from
the ruins of the cid one, is not one OF the
crimes which posterity " i'll lay to the charge
of our present municipal rulers. On the con-
trary this building would be credit to any
city anywhere. 1t is q great Improvement on
the old plan. The work about it is done in the
most substantial and durable manner. The
finish of everything will bear inspection. There
has been no Sinking and no veneerinS. The
more the people look into the work on this
building, the better they viii be satisfied.
What is better, the people of the next genera
ton will ALSO be satisfied for when they come
into possession they will find that their inter-
ests We're not neglected, but carefully consid-
cred in the solidity and Iheroughness of this
building. Portland has few public attractions
no gallery Of paintings, DO public statues.
let us-be grateful that we have at least a city
building and public hall, which the stranger
may admire ,and to which his attention may
be directed without shame. ~
The hal-although the same size as before
the fre-has been SO improved that it will seat
one thousand more than then-and in any part
of the gallery, speaker can be heard as plain
ly as from the center OF the main floor It is
very much better ventilated and the mode of
heating is SO changed that instead of having
the coils above, they are underneath the floor
in air chambers, and the air is taken direct
from out doors.
The members of our City Government have
now moved into their new quarters, and their
rooms are very neatly and pleasantly fitte / up.
They are finished with black ash, which is sus-
ceptble of a very high polish. The Mayors
rooms are tastefuly finished, and the offices of
the City Clerk, Auditor and Treasurer are con-
venient enough. The rooms are occupied the
same as before the fire, with the exception
that the Loan Commission Office is now where
the Civil Engineers was then. Off the Audi
tors and Treasurer's Office is the vault that
stood the fire 50 well, and which is now used
with the same carpet on the floor that
it had at that time. Under the main stairway
another vault has been built for the purpose Of
storing old papers. This is grand idea, for
this proved obe one of the safest places in the
whole building at the time of the confagra-
ton. -.
The rooms in the County wing of the build
ing are arranged in an equally satisfactory
manner. Those to be occupied by the Supreme
Court to-day for the first time, make afgreat
contrast with those used for this purpose dur
ing the past year and q half. The room used
oy the Cumberland bar is very we'll planned.
and off this, the one calculated for the Jury
men is very pleasant.
We were glad to see that the rooms for the
Public Library in the rear Of the building are
in good state OF forwardness. 1t has not been
from want of effort on the part of the man.
ayers of the Institute that the rooms were SO
long delayed, but from the urgent necessity of
other public work. These rooms are large,
airy, and well lighted, and comprise main
hall for the books and two smaller rooms-one
for the Librarian and the other for the use of
the student making references. The shelving
is nearly completed and we are told that the
room win accommodate nearly ten thousand
books.
The architectural improvements of this
building, both inside and out, speak well for
Mr.. assett, who has by constant attention
succeeded in accomplishing work here that
will always be pleasing to look at, and which
fer durability, must give perfect satisfaction to
ALL :,
In comparison with municipal buildings in
other cities, ours takes u high rank. The adj
dition of the extra story and the elevation of
the dome, give the building much more i'm
posing effect from Exchange Street than it
had before the fire, and the Myrtle Street
facade has always been deservedly admired.
Within and without the building is, once
more, a credit to the city-a public work
which will ultimately add to the fame and the
wealth of Portland, and be monument Of
which no one of her citizens need be ash AIMED.