The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-02-07
Tha City Hall.

sfSnaainQ, No m3p---afeuitees'
fudge. no,;ceman, officer nay, not even cat''
zen Ne. 1 or No. s-dares TO say WORD 10
Eta aessace. and down the old building must
come It IS frail and tottering, ana now
ever indifferent some people may oe eon
cerasnc the lives of officials, 1t comes 10 'u
vcey persons of our citizens, ne"'y ~.
whom are called to attendance upon s'M0
s,nns, In session In that house. or :"
s.vss or ras- or waterfalls, and just tnea
.ha, NOV ha overwhelmed with the 'u'us y,
~. notwithstanding that they no'o
49, and derive neither per d,eSs nor
quarterly instalmeuts Of salary. sucn - Tue
nature of the obligations of the people
q Fiat justitia rua.'' ceiling! ,..>.
But how is it that this City Hall Is no"
standing notwithstanding that 1t has oeen
charged and accused and by common op'n'
ion condemned as faithless and unreiia'ie
editice for many years? We cannot answer
this question, except that work, which costs
money, is always putoG as long as posS'o'e
1nIess the doing Of such work coniers some
personal benefit upon somebody. 1hen
somebody spurs and kicks and scolds un'li
Tho work il done. But the old City Hall
1vas az good rs it could be so far as personal
bcne6t to the neigbborhood was concerned,
and making it better didn't enhance any
body's real property. So the SUBURBAN
grades and cutters and curbs were more
pressing upon the city treasury because
thew were demanded in order to enhance
adjoining territory. What if the old hall
was a it'll. ricketty; it no doubt had some
wears of service in it, and the risk was not
great to city officials, and Judge GUIGoNs
court would not have far to fall if the floors
gave way. So it was not hard to reason ac-
ouiescence into its postpouement until Ger
tain border improvements were complete
and certain parcels of ground bought by the
acre should be sold by the foot.
But Judge GUIGoN, looking more to dan
ger from above by falling ruins than from be-
Ioy by precipitation into the cellar, deter
mined that the flattering JUNCTION by which
the Council (Which had found room for
itself outside the HalD postponed the build
ing of q new hall--in order to attend to
more pressing demands-was delusion, and
took steps which have led to the condemna-
fion of the edifice.
We have not doubt that the city legisla-
ture will gracefully yield to the sentence.
They know how to value the lives Of their
constituents and il they have been slow to
perceive danger, now that it is brought
yividly to their eyes they will make haste to
ward it of. They will not have very diff
cult task to make provision for courts aud
offices till a new ball may be constructed.
We hope that when 1t Is built it will be one
worthy of the city.
This brings US really to the serious part OF
this article, and rendering our best respects |
to the Council--which being our Council we
have q right to lecture occasionally in. |
yite their attention to what we have got to
say.
The City Hall was designed by the VEN
cradle LArBoBs of Baltimore, the father OF
the distinguished engineer of that name who
was Ia this city yesterday as member OF
board OF engineers whose labors are vitality
important to US. The edi6ce has been pro-
nouueed by accomplished architects to be
f4ultle>s in its architecture. It has been
further said that its equal was not to be
found in the country. Whether 1t was faith
fully put together or not we cannot say,
but it was built in honest days, when good
material was always used.
The building, however, has been altered,
and 10 making the change which was ordered
it very probably received its mortal wound.
The old courtroom was circular, the walls
of solid brick, and they supported dome OF
great weight. Now, it was said that the circu-
lar shape OF the room made speech inaudlble,
and the lawyers and orators making dead
set at the circle they succeeded In squaring
it. This, it is now believed, broke the back,
so to speak, Of the edifce. Its chief props
are gone, and time discloses weakness that
has caused the present alarm.
Despite, therefore, the beautiful aud clas.
sic exterior Of the building it must succumb.
And now what? Will Richmond under
take at this time to build new hall? We
trust not. When we have hall we, and we
doubt not every citizen Of Richmond, would
like to'see in 1t temple of which we may
be prohd-one in keeping with the times in
which-we live. Every great city has made,
or Is preparing to make, It's City Hsii an Or
nament and glory to Its fame Baltimore,
for instance, Is putting up, building that
will cost sixzJor eight millions. Ii in pro-
portion to population We. were to put up one
of comparative cost, we should expend
million and q half of dollars. Certainly we
are not ready. for that. And it would be
far better that We should put off building a
hall until more ,propitious period, when
we could build one worthy Of ourselves and
of the times in which we live.
What, then, shall re doP First. Provide
hall for; the Hastings Court. Second. 1t
| it be decided that the building, after ex-
GLIDING the court and all public meetings,
is unsafe rs place for offices for the Mayor
and the other city executive officers-why,
provide for them too.
In the latter event 1t would be well for
the city to procure vacant lot, and put up
a temporary building extensive enough to
put every body, If possible, on the ground.
floor, where there would be no danger.
Thus quartered for q period of eight or ten
years, the city may then undertake a grand
City Hall. Before such time we would rather
not see any attempt made to bnild such an
edifce. We look for better times and