Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-11
CITY BUILDINGS.
COURT HOUSE. JAIL AND GOVERN
MENT BUILDING.
Universities, Colleges, City Schools
and Churches Educational
as Well as a CONNER
cial Center.

last few years caused the present court
house, which is fifty by one hundred and
forty feet, two stories, to be by far too
small for the immense business of the
county, and as a natural result it was de-
cided to erect another on the public Square,
a block some years ago set apart in very
desirable locality for that purpose. Bonds
amounting to 500 900 were voted for
court house and Jail, thinking this would
be sufficient to erect such buildings as
the iveliest city and county in the state
would need. Plans for the court house
were drawn and those selected by the
county commissioners that it was thought
would be in keeping with the needs, and
a contract for building the same let
a few days ago, calling for sl97.3l9.
The contract was awarded w. II. Sternberg
a contractor of the city who had the lowest
bid among number submitted by prom
tnent contractors in Chicago, ST. Louis
and Kansas City.
BY way of parenthisis it may be added
at this point that in selling the 500, 600
Sedgwick county bonds there were many
bidders coming from all leading financial
centers and offering far more than in
other counties where bonds had been sold
people have in the city to refer to the
that Wichita man, VI. W. Levy, sub
mitted the highest bid for the bonds
The court house is located near the cen
ter of the public square.has front on
Main and Market of one hundred and
ninety feet and north and south eighty
feet 1t will be three stories. with base
ment and built Of Grouse creek stone. The
basement has been completed and is of
Yates Center sand stone. 1t is thought
it will take two years TO complete the
building. When finished it will be the
finest court house building in the state.
The Jail contract was awarded on the
9th of last April for S47 900 and as will be
seen the building is now almost ready for
use In keeping with other substantial
improvements it is one of the finest build
ings of the kind to be found in the west.
The building covers space of ~ x92 S,
and in height has two full stories, a base
7nent and an attic. The architecture is
modern, tending something to the Queen
Anne. The building will front east, hav-
ing the residence portion towards the
south, The residence is very conveniently
arranged, with vestibule, hall, parlor. din
ing room, kitchen, pantry and china closet
on the first floor and laundry beneath the
kitchen. The parlor is 15xl5, dining room
12x17, closet and pantry 4-6x6 each, kitchen
14x19. The second story of the residence
has one alcove bed room and three other
bedrooms of smaller size, with commodi-
Gus bath room and closets for each room.
A commodious staircase ascends from
front hall to one above, while a very COM
g., hi nd
TO hall below. From the dining room of
the residence, where provisions will also
be furnished for prisoners, a passage en-
closed with glass affords a passway to an
iron entrance door to jailer's corridor,
thereby affording the greatest convenience
for handling prisoners food without any
one but jailor having intercourse.wlth the
prisoners. The residence is also cut off
from the sheriff's office by strong iron
door, thus enabling the sheriff or jailor TO
have complete control of jail proper with
out in any coming in contact with the
family occupants of the residence part and
yica versa The main entrance to the Jail
proper is on the north and entirely away
from residence. Prisoners are brought
into the public yestibule which is grimly
guarded by large iron grating both inside
and out: To get inside this vestibule
bell is rung and the jailor comes out into
the vestibule from jailor's corridor and
closes an iron door behind him. Then
opens the large front entrance iron door
admitting the visitors or prisoners for eX-
animation. There prisoners can be
searched or visitors questioned before fur
ther admission is gained. Entering the
jailor's corridor on the right is a large en-
trance door to the rotary call room In
this door. or section of this door. is en-
cased the machinery for operating and
rotating the cells. This rotary cell struc-
ture is in two tiers, operated ON the first
and second stories, each tier containing
ten cells radiating from common center,
and which rotates bodily on
central vertical shaft, twenty-five
inches in diameter, and turn
ing upon conical steel rollers, like rail
way turn-table with which all are IA
miliar. The cell are surrounded with
heavy stationary combination iron and
steel grating, extending from floor TO cell
ing, with only one door opening in it for
eacn tier of cells, as the cell structure re-
wolves and the several cells contained
therein are successfully presented in front
=
possible for prisoners to be put into or
taken out from the cells, provided the door
IS opened by the jailor. but at no other
time is this possible, as all the cells except
the one opposite the door are securely
closed by the grating, behind which the
more ample and sufficient exercise CORR
doris are provided as well as a comfortable
and convenient bathroom for each tier of
these cells.
From the iailor's corridor one aScends by
an iron staircase to the first balcony, which
leads into the second tier of rotary cells
on the right and the square cells on the
left, as well as the first tier of misde
meanor cells \ second iron staircase
leads on another balcony and into an
other tier of iron cells for females. From
the first balcony entrance is made to the
hospital, which has n commodIous bath
room and water closets. Bath rooms and
water closets are interspersed throughout
tee residence and Jail, as well as China
and other closets, making it a model of
convenience and comfort, as well as the
most convenient and secure iails of the
period.
Both the court house and Jail buildings
are fire proof, and will be in keeping with
the wide awake CITY of Wichita and ban
ner county of the state.
GOVERNMENT BUILDING.
The government building half a block
south Of Douglas avenue on Market street
will have a front of one hundred and
twenty-five feet and one hundred and If
teen feet deep, three stories with base
raent- built of Bedford lime stone, costing