The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-11

sria,ios, 81 the arbltcc's design was

s.ss,s.,,eserlntton or the anhitcef's design was
S.s;ns,sd Il, The newspaper Oh tae occasion OF
fha LIVING OF the cornerstone: 81 noble
base men. or street story OF twcnty.eight feet
in delight, formed by . composition of pisas-
tiers and columns resting on heavy pliat!is or
poioStals OF the sidewalk level, and crowned
wish an cntab'ature. carries two stories above
*, both or Which are enriched by ornate WIN
dosvs. mud dressings admirably In kceTth.
wish the best examples of the style sesec'ca
The principal sntabiature Of the exterior
walls will be sipgularly effective IN dctai',
n,,on which will be seated one OF the most
nonspiouous roofs yet introduced In any
sSsiIetnra. rubl;c or private. erected In this
n,untrv. Ia the several faces OF the street
sides OF this roof are to be placed bighiy-bur-
Y,ished iortner windows, intended to be con-
struct ID OF stone or iron, above which the
ton OF the roof Will be flushed with cornice
and flcia, forming the seating of the bronze
grille Intended TO inclose the eutlre upper
section or fiat Of the roof. In ideallzing the
roof of the structure the architect has intro
luced several exceedingly novel and express
I've features Of finish, avoiding, it Is believed,
the .sameness Of expression which too often
cnaracterizes the Louvre and Mansard
roofs. The Devonshre-Street facade will be
subdivided into five compartments by q
'scentral projection fianked by two cur.
falns,' finishing at the corners of Water and
MIX With 'pavilions' The central projec'
fion' and the two pavilioas will be reSpee.
lively subdivided In their height by orders Of
pflasters, columns, entablatures, and balus'
trades, and the curtain finish Is to lie depend
snt for its effect upon the window-dressing
and attached entablatures and balustradcs.
In GrJf fnr
where the order Of the first Tor street, story
before referred to is to be carried uniformly
through the entire length Of the three street
facadea. The principal central entrance IN
the DevonShire.Street facade communicates
with n broad staircase. located in noble
hall, communicating directly with the Sec
ond. third, and fourth stories. The remain
Ing entrances of this side Of the building
give access TO tho p6st-otilcc corridor, twelve
feet In height, above which the strong light
to be secured by the liberal window open.
ings Of the first story will insure the tutl
lighting of the post office apartment behind
the corridors Of this and the other two streets
on which the building bounds. Both The
corner payiIions of the Deroushire-S,rcct
side are repeated on the Milk and Water
Street sides, and the architecture Of these
last viii correspond In detail and finish with
the Dsyonshire-Street front aforesaid. Two
groups of statuary arc designed in the CEN
trail protection Of tho Devonshire-Street side
one OF them TO crown the principal entrance
and tho other group to surmount the me
stone attic which covers the central pro-
lection aud faces the more elevated portion os
the roof over that side Of the structure. The
central group OF statuary, on the attic, Is 10
be ianked by sculpturcd eagles respectively
located over the two outer corners of the at
tic.'
The Boston post-oflce has been somewhat
Of migratory institution. During the siege
Of Boston It was removed to Cambridge,
but was brought back again after the evaeua'
ton of the town by the British. In the last
ninety-six years it has been rcmovcdat least
eight tines. For the last eleven years it
las been without Interruption i'll the Nor
chants Exchange building in state street,
but the present Is Its third occupation Of the
same quarters. The Government has never
owned the building in which the Boston
Dost-cfflce has been located. In the magntil-
cent structure above described the upper
stories will be occupied by the Suh-Trcasury,
which at present has its quarters In the der
chants Exchange building over the po<t-of-
flee. The new building had been in process
Of erection more than two years and it
would have been two years more Dcfore II
was wholly finished, although much earlier
occlp ton Of the post,oflicr quarters was
contemplated. When cOmpleted it would
haze cost more than S2,OO0,O00.