New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-11
CITY HALL PARK THRE1TENED AGAIN.

CITY HALL PARK THREATENED AGAIN.
Mr. Blumenthars bill permitting the erecuon
of the new municipal building in the CITY Han
Park has been favorably reported to the AS
sembly, and is expected to pass that Dody' LII
that case the duty of defeating 1t VIII rest upon
the Senate, and there ought to be no douo1 oi
its fate The city authorities have not per
mitted their wishes to be proclaimed, but there
is good reason to suppose that they are desirous
IF ruttinp IT'D an immense and costly structure
within the narrow limits of the park, and no
slight cause for fear that they are intent on
p,llIing down the City Hall to make more room
for it, They did not accept with satisfaction
the popular verdict against further encroach-
ments in the park which was finally empodied
in the statute of exemption passed last year.
They yielded practically because they had to,
and the recent report on the subject which, by
the process of exclusion, had the effect II not
the intention of rehabiitating the old scheme
gave them undoubted satisfaction.
Now the fact is that for such building as
the Mayor and his advisers have III MIND the
park does not contain sufficient area OF I'M
occupied ground. That may be admitted az
once but not with all that it is held In some
quarters to imply. The admission does not
mean, for one thing, that the new municipal
building must go uptown to some point remote
from the official centre of the municipality. such
a transfer would infiict enormous inconvenience
upOn nine-tenths of those whose convenience
is OF chief importance, and would be In every
way irrational and injurious. For another
thing. the admission that there is little unoccu-
MED space in the park does not mean and ought
not even to suggest the idea that the City Hall
must be torn down to make room for a sue
cessor. That structure is venerable, and it Is
beautiful. 1t becomes more valuable daily, as
the era of its construction reccdcs. 1t is a de-
light to the eyes of all intelligent behOlGcrs and
q constant lesson in the fundamental principles
of architecture. The covert suggestion that 1t
might be obEterated with advantage TO the city
is intOlcrable.
The acknowledged lack Of space in the City
Hall Park has just one meaning IN connection
with the necessity for q new municipal build
ing, namely, that site for the purpose ought
10 be acquired elsewhere in this vicinity An
inexcusable bunder was made when the chance
to utilize the Centre-st. property to the tull
extent was thrown away. The site on which
the criminal courts building is going up is
ample for a structure capable Of providing Tor
all the combined needs of the city government
which are now inadequately met If the oppor-
tunity there offered had been seized an immense
saving of time and money might have resulted.
We suppose it is now too late to serve the city
in that way, but the original blunder is deplor-
able We are not, however, reduced to the
necessity of building in the City Hall Park.
Thele are other sites obtainabe, and we look to
the Senate. to take such action on the Blumen-
thai bill, if it is passed by the Assembly as will
compel the final selection of one Of them.