The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-30
THE CITY HALL SITE.
Citizens Meet and Approve
the Plan to Purchase
the Entire Block.
LEGISLATIVE AID TO BE ASKED.
The Increased Value of Property
Will Soon Pay the Additional
Cost.
LEGISLATIVE AID TO BE ASKED.
ONLY ONE VOICE IN OPPOSITION

A number of representative property
owners met in the Aldermanic Cham Der
last evening to consider the propriety of
recommending to the City Hall Commis'
sioners the purchase of the remainder of
the block upon which it is proposed to
erect the new municipal building. The
meeting was called by Mr.. Joseph A.
Dear, President of the Board of Trade, at
the request of several members of that
organization. and he was chosen TO pre-
side.
Among those present were:-Sinking
Fund Commissioner Jacob Ringle,
Daniel Cleary, ex-Finance Commits
sioner Joseph Warren. James P. Hall,
John D. Carscallen. President of
the Third National Bank; Corporation
Counsel Edwards, City Hall Commits
sioner DATE, Philip Martin, DR.. L. j.
Gordop, Judge Kenny, Dr.. Voudy, DR..
Isaac NJ. Quimby. County Superintend-
ent James E. Cannon, Alderman Hoos.
George w. Watson. H. " Condict. John
w. Heck, Police Commissioner John d.
Feeney, and Tax Commissioners John
Gorman.
Mr. Dear stated the object of the meet.
ing, and said it was very. evident
tlemen who signed the call. chat
our citizens generally were disguised
with the location selected for the new
City Hall. on an obscure street. cramped
for room, with no chance to secure any
architectural effects, and the question
was wnethet it would not be better to
suspend all further proceedings IN regard
t. the erection of the building. until legis-
lsiiSe sanction could be had for the en-
largement of the site. SO that the Duild-
lug could front on Grove street whiC
was more prominent than Henderson
street ever can become.
Mr. Warren was not satisfied with the
present site. A City Hall there, he said.
would be too obscure and could not be
made an ornament to the city or as
prominent as it should be. Many OF our
cillzens were opposed to the site. They
desire City Hall aud surroundings that
would be "a credit to the city, and he
hoped he would live to see Jersey City
have City Hall that it would not be
ashamed OF.
FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE CITY.
MIR. Ringle offered a resolution to the
eject that the City Hall Commissioners
be recommended to purchase the other
TT on of the block, IN order that the site
may be made more suitable and allow for
widened approaches. iu urging the adop-
tion of The resolution Mr.. Ringle said it
nignt be said that the financial condition
expenditure, but that cannot be claimed
when. at present. our bonds We're selling
It 107 40.
LET us have building that will be a
credit to the city," continued Mr.. Ringle,
"and not put up with either a building
Or site not fitted for the purpose. When
property owner erects building he
n wants il to be an ornament both to him.
self and the city, and public building
should be erected with the same idea"
il Mr.. Hall thought the action of the
"A meeting should be directed to the secur-
y lug of Legislative aid to obtain the
necessary appropriation to enlarge the
site by purchasing the property required,
rather than recommending the Commits
siouer TO do what they have no power to
accomplish.
Commissioner Datz being called upon
to express his views said he was simply
an agent for the people to carry out their
wishes, and it was not his place to make
suggestions, however, he would answer
all questions that might be put to him.
II that way he stated that the total
amount OF money provided for the COM
mission was S291. 600. $4,000 OF which
had been paid for the property already
acquired and s., 900 realized by the sale of
old property. This left only the present
City Hall and the building of the Street
and Water Commissioners TO be sold, and
of the money realized by this sale the
in excess of that amount must 90 into the
sinking fund. The purchase of the
additional property suggested will require
from $4,000 TO $2000O0. calculating on
the price recently paid by Mr.. McKensie
for one of the lots and houses On the
block, which was $15,000
COST OF THE ADDITIONAL PROPERTY
MIR. Cleary said that price was de-
manded and given because the property
was corner adjoining the proposed City
Hail. Mr. Cleary claimed to have been
the first one TO advocate the purchase of
the entire clock, and said that hail
built on the present site would be only a
botch. Commissioner DauZ believed that
4 the city would never have q better oppor-
4 tunity than at present to purchase the
4 remainder of the block. The land now
owned by the city was worth
= to erect a building to cost $1,000
a and TO purchase of the additional land at
"A $500 would be money well expended.
~ The surrounding property cannot now be
N purchased for less than from 25 to 100 per
n cent. increase, as its valuation since
4 the City Hall site was purchased has
increased more than double. Judge
Kenny recounted the different acts
"A passed by the Legislature for the building
of City Hall In this city, and as there
Y was no trouble in getting from time TO
II time the amount Of the appropriation for
"a lduuS huQ OuliuluR Qp w ttcusVoO uc
saw no reason why an additional
\ Bappropriation increasing the amount to
$3.50. 900. could not be obtained from the
next Legislature, which with $500, ,O0U
from the sale of unused property, would
make up the 100000 required. tax
payer and good judge of the value of real
estate. had estimated the value of the six
teen lots and buildings in the plot re-
quired at S136, 900, and adding to that $24,
600, 100000 will be sufficient margin to
recompense the owners of the property
for all loss and Inconvenience they may
n suffer.
MIR. Carscallen was In favor of improv-
< ing the site, If possible. aud believed it
would be wise and proper TO secure the
N addition provided, If 1T was done in q
shusiness way. He did not agree with
Commissioner Datz in regard 10 having
ito pay such high prices for the property.
kand the city could not be made to pay
it. He had always looked upon the
whole scneme as being badly managed.
{ was started wrong aud carried on
Erong. It was started in toe
mall way. The building erected
Sshoald not be only for the
present, but one to answer for years tc
rome. It seems now that the whole
hcaeme had collapsed. because the cost
ie iIhed little over S250,000. Although
*an effort hrd been made TO squeeze II
witbin the Appropriation by taking 6
N ng off here, few pricks there, some
rupping and pile or two. They should
he 4on nh roc