Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-04
DAILY HERALD.
THE NEW QUARTERS.
The City Hall to be Opened
Next Week.
THE INTERIOR ARRANGEMENTS
Where the Officers Will Hold Forth,
Cost of the Building-0ther
Important Facts.

Now that the time lS taSt approaching
when the officers of the municipality
will pick up their books and other be-
longings and move into their new quar-
ters in the pile on Fort street erected by
the city for their accommodation, brief
description of the interior of the building
and the location of the different offices
may be of interest. The exterior of the
City Hall and the "tower" have been
written about enough to more than
eatisfy both the architect and contractors,
and there are but few citizens who have
not gone out of their way to see that part
of the structure, but the interior has
until recently been in such q chaotic
state that it has been impossible to OBJ
tain any clear idea of its general ap-
pearance.
After passing through the arched en-.
trance Of the building on Fort street, one
stands within spacious vestibule, in
each corner of which are two carved oak
covered pillars. The floor of the vesti.
bule is tiled with Georgia marble, and
the sides are covered to height of about
six feet, with a wainscoting OF the same
material, held in place by small nickel
plated screws. This manner of flooring
and wainscoting obtains throughout the
entire building, with the exception of
the floors of all offices, which latter are
of white oak. In the main building, after
the vestibule is passed, wide marble
paved hall leads across the building, and
other corridors lead from its either end
down the wings. To the left of the en-
trance, on the first floor, City Clerk Teed
will take up his quarters in three spa
cious rooms. He will, moreover, have
the use of three.etcry vault in the cor
ner of the building, fitted up with spiral
iron staircases.
Auditor Lopez will occupy single
room on the right of the entrance, and
Tax Collector Len Thompson will use the
large, airy and well-lighted Office at the
southwest corner of the building. Treas
urer johnson has been allotted the office
next in order on the south side of the
building, and the space between the Tax
Collectors office and that of the Treas
urer has been divided into two vaults, to
be used by those officers. Assessor
Fischer's office, on the south side, and
next to the Treasurer's, is about the
largest room on this floor.
Of of the north corridor open the
rooms of Chief Engineer Strohm, the
Board of Public Works, and Building
Inspector Murchmore, separated from
those of the City Clerk by the side en-
trance to the building. All of the offices
on this floor are finished handsomely in
white oak, and have been fitted up with
portion of the room to which the public
is admitted from the private precincts of
the officers and their deputies.
A broad oaken staircase, branching
near the top, leads to the second story
from the main cross corridor of the first
floor. The ratings of the staircase ale Of
iron, and were sent to Chicago before be-
ing put in place to be treated with the
Bowerbarf process, which makes them
absolutely rust-proof. The pillars about
the central we'll, through which the stairs
ascend, are made of iron, covered with
plaster and then encased in carved oak,
the whole making. an absolutely tire-proof
column. About every ten feet in the
ceiling of the corridors on each floor oc-
cur cross beams also OF carved oak, which, +,
though artificial and having no connec-
tion with the framework of the structure,
are great addition to the appearance Of
the walls.
The Council Chamber, in the south.
west corner of the second and third
floors, is being fitted up with no regard
to the expense. The City Fathers will
do their work in an apartment whose
splendor will be unequalled by any Of
fice in the building, and perhaps by any
thing in the city. The side of the room
facing the street is composed almost en-
tirely of glass-colored lights above and
large plate glass in the lower portions of
the windows. The ceiling and walls will
be magnifcently frescoed, and gallery,
entered through the third story, will
hold visitors who wish to see the Solons
at work. President Frankenfeld will cit
behind an elevated desk, which cost
$1,000, and will look across the room at
the 81, 700 mantel, which is now being
placed in position on the south wall. He
will also occasionally glance up at a
clock, for which dial has been placed
in this mantel, whenever the Council
appropriates enough to pay for it. The
Councilmen will sit around the Presi-
dents pedestal, behind desks of
their own, arranged after the
fashion of the United States Senate.
The sides of the chamber are paneled in
oak to a height of about ten feet. The
room measures 40 by go feet.
Leading from the Council Chamber
across the front of the building is pri-
vate passage or lobby, for the Mayor
and Councilmen. Opening off this
passage are the committee rooms, occu-
pying the middle front of the floor, and
at the north corner are the Mayors
private offices, three in number, and
connected with the Council Chamber by
the same passage. The City Attorney
has two offices on the north side of this
floor, connected with the Mayors offices
and the Superintendent of Streets will
occupy two rooms further down the
corridor.
Health Officer MacGowan has been
allotted an Office at the end of the wing,
on the same side of the building. All of
the south wing not occupied by the Coun-
Gil Chamber has been given up to City
Engineer Fred Eaton, who will have
three rooms.
All of the space on the third floor will
be used by the Library, which occupies
the front and north wing, the gallery OF
the Council Chamber, in the southwest
corner, and the three rooms OF the Board
of Education, in the south wing, which
we're originally intended for the City Court
rooms. The Library is now practically
occupied, and Librarian Miss Kelso is now
bringing order out of chaos in arranging
and classifying the books. The Library