New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-11-09
OLD-F4SHIONED ARCHITECTURE.

THE DAYS OF THE GREEK PORTTcO IN NEw-YoRK
AN OLD MANS REGRETS
whte-haircd. pleasant old gentleman stood
gazing up at the tall Greek columns of the Custom
House, from Wall-st.. the other day. with evident
admiration. Turning to TRIBUNE reporter. who
was passing. no exclaimed enthusiastically:
"Did you ever SEQ q finer specimen of the old
Greek portco than thati Every one of
those eighteen columns ia single, solid
piece OF granite. You don't see much
of that sort of work IN Now-York
nowadays Thirty feet good from base to capital in
those shafts aud three feet in diameter. They'll
weigh nearly ATTY tons apiece. There were two
shorter ones in the old Mechanics Bank across the
street which was torn down last winter. 'They
weighed thirty tons each aud the vandas split
them all TO pieces when they took them off, because
Il was n little easier to handle them that way.
Those over there in the portco Of the Merchants
BANK are of the same size IA those of the Mechan-
les Bank
"Yon are u good deal interested In buildings
observed the reporter
al ought to be' replied the old
gentleman, i've planned and built enough of them
IN thi, part Of the city during tho last nifty years.
Every inunle has Va own particular expression 10
mo. I like hoar sinipic STYLES wc used to build
whon was hoy, when there were none of these
tail hudns' after tho Renaissance manner and
masa,ve huhne though, of any kind, except spch
hs Hione pigeon cuops m tho Post Uillte, Hea what
r'cAs were 'ise, ~ the Cmstom House liity wears
where, II uHrh to yet tiicsoine ~ he lohH IOWA ~
residences With thnif painted wooden pillafs Now
like a. come hpioHa hem on tho sln Atirets 90 ~
the rn,adeh Of the old churches This Custom iousp
Was teileoed all over no eity Ihoaa 'nRy columns
always looh Ia mr like grave of old foiesl Trees
that have boon ntahding Tor oehihiins inc
kstor House Is reflection and u has three az fonf
biz eolnnns nj tho entrances then there's tho
iombs IN tho Egyptian manner, M us n,'''ts nio
ugly looNing things Tho sub treasury, down
tho street" c0nllnnod tho old gentleman. IL an
otner nne specimen Of tho old school More cheer
fnl-looking TIA marble walls ara than the Custom
House. and tho massive columns on tho portlco arc
even more massive but they ara III sections i've
If yOn want to see something handsome, though.
step inside and look at the marble columns
within the oo b.ldn ding, rsey feet a Ssh a s@i
20 ished. They are getting little yellow now
good flesh color. 50 that they look like great
human limbs. There are good many hno polished
shafts Oh the buildings about tho city oil white anu
colored marble. and some OF granite. but most Oi
them are not more than ten or twelve 1eet ana
slender There are two hne polished urahlte snaa7
Life Insurance Company has two more at the main
entrance of its new building III Ma sau-st;;. these
LII liz. the Ba ist . oS. Of the sod soa
most massive since the Equitable. There is enough
stone In tho portlcO to over the entrance to build
any average house, and the lmtels are blocks OF In
diana Limestone eighteen feet long and three iest
thick"
"Brownstone is not favorte nowi"
"No. it won't stand the climate All the older
buildings hat used it show the wear and those hne
pillar in tine pOrticO OF 81 lauI's Church are emp
ping of at the Joints. Yes the character of build
ing IN the city IN tho last ten or twelve years has
improved. would like to see what It will become
in 1875" sand the old gentleman with sigh rs he
pursued his way.