Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-05-16

EDITOR DAILY HERALD;--ln the mat
ter of new location for the eiry hall,
1t is to be hoped that broader view
than the question of present needs will
prevail. The bane of our municipal
system for years back has been a mar.
rowness which looked only at present
needs, and failed to plan for the future.
We are now reaping in almost every de-
partment of our city the fruits OF this
short-sighted policy. We still are gov.
erned too much by the old idea that this
is small town, whose natural center is
the plaza. 1t is time we were waking
up TO the fact that it is city, and must
have city's breadth of territory for its
growth, and should have public build.
ings and public grounds Commensurate
with the possibilities of its future. Two
points are to be especially considered in
locating the eity's buildings.
First-The space must be ample, not
simply for this year or for the next, but
for the time when the city shall have
attained to its growth. Already we lind
we have outgrown the site selected only
three years ago, upon the corner OF
Spring and Second.
second--The location must be central,
and in deciding which is a central looa-
ton it is not the city as it is to-day, but
the city as it will be five or ten years
from now that is to be considered. Else
by the time we have our buildings fairly
completed the city will again have
grown away from them.
II has been proposed to locate the city
buildings side by side with the county
buildings upon the old high school lot.
There are two serious objections TO this,
In the first place it will only be repeat
ing the blunder Of the past, Of selecting
site go small that in few years we
will outgrow it. And in the second place
the line of future growth Of the city is
so plainly marked out that we can see
this site must soon cease to be central.
1t is now evident that the line of tbs
citys growth is towards the plains south
and west. Ihree-fourths Of the future
population will be south of LIST street,
and buildings north OF that line will be
entirely on one side of the public needs.
Ii we now locate the City Hall upon the
old high school site, il simply means that
within a few years We shall again abau-
don the buildings we have erected, and
60 to the expense of others nearer the
center OF the city.
The question is whether we shall
allow ourselves to be governed by the
short sighted and selfish ierests of the
present, or look a few wears ahead and
plan for the futuref We shall find il a
costly thing to be abandoning our city
buildings every few years and providing
others; and the difficulty of securing a
block OF land, such as we should have
for city purposes, and suitably located,
will yearly grow greater
At present only two such blocks are to
be found, one, the college property on
Sixth street, the other, on the same
street three blocks further west. If the
securing Of proper location is delayed
few years longer, the city buildings,
when they are moved, as they will have
to be, will have to 90 out as far as
Twelfth or Pico street. No suitable
space will be available closer in.
As stated in an article in the Times
few days ago, we shall do wise thing
to secure City Hall grounds ample
enough to also allow of the erection by
the city Of an exposition building. No
better advertisement of the city abroad
could be found than this, while nothing
could add more to its attractions.
1t is to be hoped that in this matter
broad views win prevail and that mar
row and selfish business interests will
not be allowed to interfere with wise
planning for the future such as may
secure, while it is yet possible to do so,
site for the public buildings that may
be worthy of the city which Is so rapid
ly growing up about us.
j. P. WrDNRY.
Les Angeles, May ID, 1885.