New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-24
TIE OUTRAGE IN CITY HALL PARh.

TIE OUTRAGE IN CITY HALL PARh.
The enormity Of the plan which involves tne
sacrifice of the entire eastern side OF the C'ty
Hall Park for huge and unsightly municipal
building is made plain to the people OF tnis
town with convincing and crushing lorce III ue
diagrams and descriptive article when aPpeaf
on another page Of this mornings ihihOsh'
Public opinion has not been sluggish III oe
nOuncing this monstrous scheme; out proOaoS
few of those who have not made personal IN
spection OF the ground plan a. proposed by the
Sinking Fund Commissioners realize the evil III
all its magnitude Our diagrams make the
whole matter as clear Us sunlight.
Instead of a small section at the northeast
corner of the park being built upon, as was
universally expected when the law was passed,
all of the park east of the Court House and
CITY Hail. down to the front line OF the latter
buildng, ia to be covered with this msshapen
nile, excepting only narrow strips along the
sidewalks and o little space between the two
structures named and the new building. This
nondescript affair is to be 400 feet in length
and 100 feet wide, except at the southerly end
where the front wall is to recede 80 feet on
account Of the angle between Centre-st. ana
Park Row. The portion Of the building south
of this recession is to be sort OF annex to the
main part and of considerably less height, and
will certainly present a grotesque appearance
As will be clearly seen from the cut on another
page, this proposed edifce will cover so much
territory that the great Stewart Building IN
Chambers-st il lifted up and placed in the
City Hall Park, would occupy only two-thirds
of the acre and q quarter to be built upon, leav-
ing. almost, if not quite, room enough for the
City Hall itself to stand within the space set
apart by the Sinking Fund Commissioners for
the new building. In other words, $4,000
square feet of the already too contracted park
are to be surrendered for this projected mon
strosity.
Assuredly the people of New-York will never
consent to such an outrage. No such scheme
was dreamed of when permission to place
building for city purposes in the park was
granted Furthermore, there is not the slight
est necessity for it. That the Offices OF the city
REQUIRE more room is conceded fact Surely
II would be far wiser policy to purchase the
Stewart Building outright than to put the City
Hall Park to such base use. But the city IL
amply able to buy a site in convenient place
III OfQSF 10 pItNtilt ~ hi ShNi N"Nh
ment on the only open space between the Bat
terry and Union Square. Even this is not neces-
sary to any large extent. The second diagram
in the article referred to shows that the city
already owns a good share of the triangular
block on which the Stats Xeitung" Building
stands. The assessed valuation Of the parts Of
this block not now owned by the city Is
S542,6O0, which shows that the property could
be bought for less than ~, 900, 600. There
could be no better place for municipal build
ing than this.
There is no legal obstacle to prevent the
Sinking Fund Commissioners from proceeding
to make contract for the structure proposed
The architects plans are to be opened on Aug
ust /. The bill pOstponing the erection of the
building for year was cast out OF the Assem-
bly, by a solid Democratic vote just before the
adjournment. Tammany Hall doubtless en-
poets to profit largely through tie work pro-
posed to be done Now is the time for the
people to register their protest against what
threatens to become public calamity, and to
do it in such an emphatic way that Mayor
Grant and his fellow officials will 60 no further.