The New York herald., 1872-07-14
A Response to the Crow
ing Demand.
Description Of the Building
and Adjuncts.
Another Mammoth Metropolitan
Ornament.


Increases and that Of the public generally is at
tracted thereto, not only because there is nothing
In which New York city has been more behind the
requirements of the time than In its market build
ings, but because the enormous structure which is
now approaching completion is said by General
Mcclellan to be third larger than the main mar
ket building of Paris, which has rated until now as
the
LARGEST IN THE WORLD.
Though even yet subject to the dstracting effects
Of the appearance of confusion which 400 workmen
engaged in all the various departments Of labor
to its completion is calculated to pro-
duce, there is, Notwithstanding, an effective con.
sci0usness that the structure Is an additional
variety.
To gain an idea of the extent OF the structure
without having viewed it 1t is necessary to map in
the mind line OF foundation stone forming a sub
stantial boundary to
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND
square yards OF market flooring. The dimensions
of It's base, and, in fact its only business door, are
900 feet in length by 200 in width of interior measure
ment. The structure which has been reared upon
this vast line OF foundation, and which is now, In
oil but It's minor Details completed, Is worthy of
brief attention. The materials OF which 1t Is con.
structed are Lockport stone, Philadelphia brick,
better known as English cement, and parti-colored
slate Upon the foundation which required great care
and Judgment in laying, and to the preliminary re-
quirements of which the engineering skill of Gen.
eral Mcclellan was called, presumably safe, de-
scription OF what is now visible to any visitor
may now be laid
THE FLOORING
consists of four-nch thickness of concrete firmly
laid upon the substrata bed. Over the concrete is
two inches of asphalt similar to that of which the
floor impervious to water and therefore OF
water from Croton pipes without injury, there is
now laying surface covering OF Portland (English)
cement Of one and half inches in thickness. This
when complete and thoroughly hardened Will, 1t
Is believed by experts in such matters form the
most durable and most readily and easily cleaned
rolled and hardened this floor, laid out In blocks
Is to be handsomely colored, so that even its
groundwork may present both cleanly and CHEEKY
appearance, which may easily be made enduring by
a continuous use of the 900 CrotOn water openings
now laid in or the form Of the outer structure the
materials Of which have already been named, a
correct idea may be had when 1t Is said that 1t Is IN
what Is known as the
LOMBARD STYLE.
It's most prominent distinctive features are its
elevated, long and, so to speak, domelike arch OF
root, ana its various towers and more subordinate
elevations designed for ventilation. AS you come
within advantageous view OF its land front and
side on Eleventh avenue and Thirty-fOurth street
you nave 1tS DrOad LOmDarOaN IrOnU ulSbncuVely
present and its heightened Thirty-fourth street
side receding IN admirable perspective. Attrac-
lively inscribed on the front is the title,
''MANHATrAN MARKET, 1871"
And with the elaborate architectural design of
the structure, In brick, frightened and relieved by
the tasteful trimming of lighter stone the effect is
line view, in front, the eye is satisfied with the
towers by which either extreme of the front is
finished; but, unless viewing the structure from
some more favored and distant point the effect OF
the main, or central, tower is lost: This rises
spire symmetrically dwarfs the subordinate 'front.'
rear and intermediate towers, which, when
seen alone command attention, but when viewed In
aduncts to the effect produced by the main eleva-
ton. 1t is, in fact the remarkable symmetry of the
front and rear and the main entrance ways, which
are midway on either side, which at first glance
withholds the attention from the extended walls
and the e'- t-r
MAGNIFICENT ARCH,
which is the largest now forming the covering Of
walls, which require no other description than that
they are eaborately wrought in the style named
the grand arch of the roof springs first for graceful
to the extent Of 80 feet, then rising roundly
to near the crown, where 1t reaches
from either front. This is again surmounted
by ridge line OF ornamental irOnwork which is
filled In with glass working upon pivotal centres,
and thereby adding to the ventilation whenever il
may be required. This work closes I'm the roof,
from out of which, as ntimated, rises the central
Its four fronts ornamented by
THE LARGEST CLOCK IN THE WORLD.
This indicator Of time is already near to its CON-
pletiOn and Is, at contract price, to cost $37 000
on each OF the subordinate towers there are to be
clocks guaranteed 10 give the correct time to all
who pass the surrounding streets and avenues, as
well to all the watermen who pass the river front
The subordinate towers are in keeping with the
central one, though differing in the minutia of their
form. One OF each pair, on either front and side,
Is, like the main tower, dome-like in base,
and terminating In lour-sided spire. The
form In the upper region while its base is series of
columns interlaced with open wood. which again
adds to the power for ventilation, which has been
provided with liberal care as shown in the fact
that, subordinate to the subordinate towers there
rises along the long line OF the arch twelve venti
lated coverings, which in form In keeping with
the general architectural design. And in addition
to these, the rising sides OF the grand arch contain
in an additionally ornamental form,
FIFTEEN HUNDRED WINDOWS,
all Of which may be moved on their pivotal centres
by the men in the markets below.
The covering OF the grand arch and the Sen-
tral and subordinate towers Is also one OF exceed
ingly attractive appearance. The material used is
slate, but OF different colors, In which touch Of
The groundwork of the covering Is blue slate
while the ornamental design Is worked out
In slate Of red and white, the Fighter of the three
serving as an illuminative for the others, and the
whole forming, as the workmen claim, the
ID roo structure known always
and that OF. st. Peters, in Rome. Such is the
structure seen from the adjoining streets,
who has followed the description enter
the enormous enclosure and learn what
the eye conveys to the mind little other than an |
impression OF vast space walled in, and thus sepa-
rated from the eternity OF space beyond At length,
however, the massive columns rising to the support |
or the grand arch and the still grander central |
tower fasten the attention. and the spectator nnds
himself In an effort To measure the several
MAGNIFICENT DISTANCES
marked OF bv the columns WITHIN. Nothing other !
than time and continuous effort can famarize the !
mind with the extent of the space enclosed. Let |
the city resident imagine a structure fully !
one-tnird larger than the "Grand Central Rail-
way building" and think what space would be
involved In that extraordinary boundary, not
filed In on sides and ends with offlces,
but open entire, from 'front.' to front and
rom side to side, and he may have some apprecia-
ton OF an interior view Of the present structure.
In this vast space and along the moor already de-
scribed there are to be constructed
ONE THOUSAND AND TwENTY-sEvEN STALLS
he To hol ln trad