Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-19
NEW CITY HALL.

Report or the Commitiee' on Public Grounds
and dBuiidipss-Ohi Sandstone VS.. virginia
Granite.
AT the called meeting OF the Common
Council held dav before yesterday the fol-
lowing report Of the Committee on Grounds
end Buildings was presented. and. on mo-
ton OF Mr.. Siraus. laid on the table:
The Committee on Grounds and Build
ines most respectfully report that we, 10
attempting to carry out the wishes Of the
Council In having the proposed new City
Han erected In accordance with the plans
submitted by T.. 4. Myers. OF Detroit, have
given the matter our careful consideration.
ana by every means consistent with due
regard to the strength and appearance Of the
structure hayefailedto put Il under contract
for construction. The first call made failed
TO secure bid for the building complete
or independent bids sufficient 70 complete
II. The second call secured several bids
for the entire building complete, but none
came within the amount mt our disposal.
On each occasion your committee were
informed by contractors OF known
reputation as builders that the item
Of granite work was the great bar
rier 10 our success in bringing the
amount within the limits Of the appropria-
tion. Your committee, believing the plan OF
Mr.. Myers to be much superior 10 any other
presented, and Just such rs our city needs,
and also Influenced TO becoming extent
toward Mr.. Myers. the architect, because OF
the labor bestowed and the expense incur
red in getting up the plans, requested him
10 make such notifications in the finish Of
the elevations and otherwise as he might
deem necessary 10 overcome the difficulty
OF excessive cost.
Such notifications have been submitted
TO the committee and examined by the CITY
Engineer, also by competent builders, and
we have no encouragement 10 believe that
The modified plans "a tracing OF which we
submit for your iDspection) gan be brought
within The amount Of 100000.
From all the information we can gather
we ore led to believe that the plan by Mr..
N.Y. ers is the enc our people prefer; there.
fore, as We have not the authority to
90 beyond 1900 200, and as we believe
we have exhausted our efforts to se-
cure. the building by such plans with
granite elevations, we conceive il to
be our duty TO present the matter TO
you for further consideration, and in doing
so we beg leave to suggest that II II Is the
will OF the Council that the original plans
adopted by the Council shall be carried
into execution an additional appropriation
Of say S125,G00 must be made. IL the modi-
fed plans submitted 10y Mr. Myers for your
consideration should meet with your ap-
probation, then an additional appropria.
ton OF say $4,000 would be needed.
Mr.. Wilson, OF the Amherst Stone Com
pany, OF Ohio. hasAbeen before your COM
mittee and made statements relative TO the
stone under his contract, giving evidence
that IT is largely used throughout the United
States and Canada in public and private
buildings, and in every case has given SAT-
isfaction, after standing many years, eX-
posed to the frost OF northern climates, and
also 10 the more mild and variable climate
OF the South. Whist Mr. Wilson does not
CAIN that the sandstone can be placed here
at a cost materially less than the granite,
yet the labor required in working II
is so much less that there is great
probability Of securing the building
in accordance with the original de-
sign, near the amount at our disposal.
We therefore believe il would be well to
invest the committee with auihority 10 in
ylte bids for the erection OF the building,
substituting the Ohio sandstone for granite
for all elevations above the water.table OF
the first story. granite TO constitute the
material up to said water-tsbe. We there
fore ask your concurrence In the accom-
panying resolution:
ReSOiu6d. That the Committee on Grounds
ard Buildings, with the assistance Of the
City Engineer, be authorized to invite pro-
posals for the erection OF the new City Hall,
on the plan Of +. +. Myers. with such ma.
terial and finish as they may deem best.
and report the result back to the Council.
W. II. WILLIAMS,
Chairman Of Committee on Grounds and
Buildings.