The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-06-28
THE PLANS COMPLETED.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW UNION
BUILDING ON G STREET.
Where the City Post Office will BE Tenn
porarily Located-The Contracts to
BE Awarded This Week.

Contractor Gleason has about completed
the gging of the foundation for the Union
Building, portion of which when finished
will be occupied by the city post Office until
the big structure on Pennsylvania avenue,
between Eleventh and Twelfth streets is ready
The contracts for the construction Of the
Union Building, will be let this week and
then the work will be rapidly pushed forward
until completed. The location of the new
post Office is now on G street, between Sixth
and Seventh. The plans for the building
which were drawn by Architect Appleton P.
Clark, jr., show that it will be one of the
finest structures in the city, and will be
handsome addition to the attractiveness of
that neighborhood. The building has a
frontage of 103 feet inches on g street, with
depth of 212 feet 6 inches. 1t will be six
stories in height with basement and attic.
The front will be of red brick laid in red
mortar with granite trimmings, copper cor.
nice, and terra Gotta capitals. The central
section projects slightly beyond the building
line, and terminates in large archway in the
sixth story, forming the special feature of the
front. The entire structure will be of iron.
the only wood used being that employed in the
windows and doors, thus making o perfectly
centre of the building, each flight being eight
feet wide and inclosed with metal screens
which form the balustrade. There will be
three hydraulic elevators. Two for passen-
gers and one for freight. The machinery for
running these will be located in sub-base
ment in the centre of the building, as will
also the boilers for heating, pumps, etc. 1t
| will require two 200 horsepower boilers to
oh
| heating. The building will be lighted by
! electricity.
| The City Post Office will occupy the base
| ment, first and second floors. The public
| entrances will be in the centre and the western
| side Of the building, and will be four in num-
| Der. A corridor Is feet wide and 200 feet
long will extend across the front from the
| western side to the central section and then
run down the centre of the building to the
| elevator and stairs, on which will face the
| letter drops, stamp-windows, and general de-
| livery toward the front. At the corner of the
| turn will be bureau Of information, and
| along the central corridor Will be the lock-
boxes, carriers windows, etc. On the right
hand side Of the central corridor will be the
money-order and registering divisions. To
the rear Of the corridor, extending across the
width of the building, will be the mailing
division. In the rear of the building there
will be large archways, into which the mail
| wagons will back, thus allowing them to load
and unload under shelter.
In the basement will be portion of the
registry division and lockers for the carriers
Each carrier will be supplied with metal
locker. The balance of the room has not been
assigned.
On the second floor will be the postmaster
and assistant postmaster's rooms the cashier
and paymaster, vaults for storage of stamps
etc. In the rear of the building the Railway
Mail Service will be accommodated. The bal
ance of the building will be used for office
| purposes.