St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-17
ARCHITECTS COMPETE
In Their Designs for the New County
Building.
MANY HANDSOME PLANS.
Twenty-Three Elaborate Designs Sub
mitted---General Idea of the
Collection.

If the gentlemen who compose the
court house and city hall commission of
Minneapolis cannot suit their fancy in
the twenty-three designs which have
been submitted for the proposed build
ing, they will certainly be hard to
please. This was the verdict of the
hundreds of interested people who y9s-
terday inspected the collection On view
in the Boston block. Last fall the com
mission issued circulars and scattered
advertisements notifying architects that
competitive plans would be received.
A general idea was given of the build
ind desired and the rest left to the
intelligence and ingenuity Of the archi-
tectS. One extension of time was given,
and finally Feb. ID selected as the date
upon which the time would expire.
While the twenty odd architects were
at work on their plans, the commission
skipped, off to the East to inspect noted
buildings, and gain few ideas of their
plans, to be better able to Judge OF the
plans submitted.
On Wednesday, c. F. Preston,
secretary of the commission, held
open house for the architects
and twenty-three of them called and
left their cards. Yesterday afternoon
the result was placed on exhibition, and
the public turned out to inspect it.
Certainly this result is gratifying. No
picture gallery ever was viewed with
livelier interest. Every imaginable de-
sign was presented. While the rennais-
sance was popular, the modern, the Ro-
manesQue, the French gothic and vari-
Gus combinations, classic and modern,
In lHNfr I'd II,
style and design as in price, but the
plans, without exception, all called for
stone. None of the architects held
that the limit of $l,000,0OO to 81 $780,
| 600 would be strict, so the plans
contemplate buildings running as high
as 100000. Most of them are upon a
sliding scale, presenting designs to meet
any figure desired, depending upon the
material used. The plans also provided
for simple or elaborate finish, as might
be desired. Some have high towers and
steep French roofs, while others pre-
sent dOmes and fiat topped buildings;
some resemble state capitol in effect,
while others are copies, modified, Of
prominent buildings throughout. the
county. All of them are beauties and
highly creditable, except one, which
came from st. Paul and which, 1t is
thought, was sent as a joke. =. =
1t is difficult to say which was the
| most popular of the designs submitted,
but those submitted by YOst Bros. and
w. A. Dennis d Co.. of Minneapolis:
Alexander Murrie, of st. Paul. and E.
E. Myers, of Detroit. Accompanying
the Yost design was perspective Of the
rotunda, OF atrium, which was exceed
ingly pretty. The design predicates a
SiX-stOry, massive structure of cut and
dressed stone, with square clock
tower rising 400 feet. The Dennis de-
sign is the most ornate. beyond doubt,
and shows a four floor dressed stone
structure, with central tower and four
corner towers. Murrie's plan is the
modern Renaissance. with cOmbna-
ton of Ionic, DOric and COrinthian, and
his idea is for Indiana limestone. Myers
has an elaborate ROmanesque building
of rough stone, with graceful towers
and huge central arches.
NJ. f.. Bell, late supervising architect
OF the treasury department, shows a
fine building and pleasing departure
from the governments stereotyped
style.
Orff Brothers show fine Gothic
building, five stories, with high tower.
j. d a. l.. Haley have one Of the few
designs which substitutes a dome for a
tower to good effect.
Long d ReeS have two plans, one of
classic style with two buildings con-
nected as are the stems of the letter III.
and the other handsome Romanesque
design.
Omeyer & Thori, st. Paul, hang a de-
sign which is very striking, from its
many towers. 1t is a combination of
the Italian and Romanesque styles.
Handy IL Cady have two designs, one
of the Italian architecture and the other
of French Gothic.
EdbrOok & Barnhow, Chicago: sc. F.
H." Minneapolis; j. Cast. San Fran
cisco; c. F. COllum, Philadelphia: ben
Hur," w. ID. Kimball & Co., c. B. Sea-
ton, "L'EtOile du Nord'' and F. E.
Hoover, Minneapolis: Mcdonald Bros,
Louisville, KY, and II. Maltby, st. Paul.
all presented varying designs of I'M
doubted merit.
1t is impossible in the limited space
of newspaper article to give any ade-
quate idea OF the beauty and finest of
these designs. Competent architects
not in the competition say the collec-
ton is an admirable one, but is the gen
eral opinion that not one of the most ac-
ceptable designs can be carried out for
the money now available.