The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-10-16
MANKAYo FREE PRESS.
FRIDAY. OCTOBER le. 1885.
COMMUNICATED.

Editor Free Press:
Can you spare space in your valuable
journal for short communication, cali
ING the attention of the people of Blue
Earth county to the matter of selecting
n suitable site for Il new Court House. 1t
is n question i'm which every taxpayer
i'm the county il Interested, and of sur
ticient importance 10 be fully, fairly and
candidly discussed by the public press
of the city and county, and public meet
ings have been held i'm this and other
cities and towns in the county to discuss
and determine public questions OF far
less importance To the tax payers oil the
county, than the question of locating the
Court House, which the County Com
missoners have decided to erect, and
for which tax of something over $20,-
600 for this year has been levied. The
building, if erected according to the plan
drawn by architect Pass would be an
elegant structure, worthy the liberal
citizens of the county. The estimate OF
architect Pass of the cost of the building,
| if fire proof,as il should be, would not be
less than $75, 600 and might reach $780,
OO Such building deserves u site
where every portion Of the building
could be used, without danger To the
county records or books from dampness
and mould, as they are In the present
county buildings.
1t is true the county has in this city
what IL called the Court House Block
upon which the present buildings are
located, but by some freak of nature il
stands at about the angle of an ordinary
barn roof, and no amount of grading can
mt the block i'm such q shape that the
building would not have 10 be built up
on the extreme edge of the lot, or like
a brewery one end or side would be dul
into the side hill, and would be rs OBJ
iectionable on account of dampness anC
mould as are portions of the presen
county buildings. The opposite block OIL
9TH street, or the opposite block on 4tl
would have been very superiorand desir
able sites for the purpose, and have lit
tie doubt but what the block on 5th will
all the buildings upon il could be bough
for about the amount il will cost to grad,
the present site in IL proper manner
Hickory and fifth, from Hickory soutl
having been graded to the approval q
the County Commissioners, there is II,
room to doubt but what il is the inten
ton of the city council 10 continue tin
grade of 9TH street the entire length O
the Court House Block, and Ofthe Coun
tv Commissioners To grade the block b
correspond with the streets graded l.
their approval. Now taking into &C
count the retaining walls and the char
acter Of wall which would he require,
, Ia compare with the building propose,
10 be erected, and ] do not believe
competent engineer, accustomed TO tina
kind of work, with an eye To the beauti
fled i'm architecture and its surroundin
that would give the present site care
full examination, the topography an,
T material to he handled, that woul
estimate the expense of putting tn
grounds i'm proper condition for such
building at less than 5000 TO IS, 900, an
when completed il would be nothin
but clay bank, better suited to n brio
ward than the site of IN elegant Cour
House. IT IL possible that the block
opposite on ith or 9Th street cannot b
Obtained on reasonable terms, but Their
are other beautiful sites in town whicl
can be obtained at reasonable figure
and that need no expense for grading
For instance there is the Barr propert
on 2nd street, the John A. Willard pro
perry adjoining X. ID. Hubbard's resi-
:, dence, the Wolfram property, now OC
? cupied by Mr.. Taylor; the last is beau
3 tifnl site and has fine residence, whic
I
Adjoining the latter ON the north ar
some vacant lots; DO not know tn
owner, but beautiful site could b
found there. None of these sites men
toned perhaps contain full block, bu
are sufficiently large for the purpose re
quired and need no grading. I'm add
ton 10 those above mentioned is tn
Winship lumber yard, which has bee
talked Of Though il is rather low,
would he better than the petty clay sid
hill upon which To erect u Court Hons
worthy the enterprising people Of Blu
Earth county.
firmly believe that if the people G
this county would come and look owe
the different sites mentioned, Their
would he II universal preference fo
one oi those named, over the oil
site. And ! suggest to the taxpayer
who foot the bills, the propriety OF send
ing small delegation of responsible
men of good sound judgment and NOR
Interested in good use of the people
money than securing votes for some pet
ty office, to look over the situation am
report Ia their fellow taxpayers.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE