Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-20
The New Library Building.
II IA EilIor al IA Dlsnnloh.

To ne Edi'or Of he DisDaica:
Where shall IL be lcoated? That is the
question. The late act Of the General As
scmbly appropriated about $500, 600 tor its
cost and appointed Governor Mckinney,
Colonel Frank G.. &utln. Colonel Morton
Marge, Colonel NJ. G.. Harman. and Judge
Henry W. Flournoy as Board OF Commis-
slOncr3 90 locate its site upon the Capitol
! Square. These gentlemen will have 70 de-
eide this question, but the people
Of Richmond are greatly interested IN IT
and I, as one OF them. respectfully desire
60 submit my views upon the subject. FOR
many years. both privately and IN the
newspapers. / have been urging The neces-
Sitv for the erection OF library building.
and my friends Billy Gilman and William
LOyeu8tciD years ago advocated bill IN
the Legislature 10 erect such % building on
the lot upon which the Valentine House and
tre city Hall now stands, appropriatIng
tho whole square between Ninth and Tenth
streets for the purpose. aud extending the
Capitol Square ont TO Broad street. mat
IS the besi site for the building, think,
beyond oil question; but this bill did not
pass. and 40 cannot now be considered, Tor
under the present act the pudding must
be located upon the Capitol square. on
the grounds belonging 20 the state. Inc
Capitol Square rs q lovely spot. It's unCu-
lalng surface, covered with green voTdure
IN springtme, ITS serpentine walks,
It's noble monuments refreshing the minds
OF all who behold them with memories Of
the greatest men who have adorned the
pas, history of our beloved country, and
IL, historic Capitol upon its highest hill,
filled with memorials which, trust. viii
never be lost IN the minds Of NiTglnians.
present p ctura of beauty that the eve
gazcs upon with exquisite pleasure. shall
anything De done 60 pat blot upon the
sceno: shall ANYTHING be done to inter-
Iupt the harmony Of the whole picture!
! think not. / hope not, for the Board OF
Commissioners are gentlemen OF too much
taste not 10 seq ~ glance that TO locate
tho building anywhere on the Square west
of the Capitol would be inhaTmOmOus ana
lo seu the beauty of the square and OF the
Capitol building itself; while 10 locate IL
upon the eastern side of the Capitol, ex-
cept upon n spot which / shall present
Is name. would affect inJurlously the ap-
DcaranceOf the Square. The fact IS there -
no place on the Square proper, where such
a building can with proprleiy be erected
when all the surroundings are considered,
Witlcutiuiury II the rules OF taste. But,
fortunately. within the provision Of the
act Of Assembly there Is spot upon winch
Oh. library can be erected which VIII not
detract from the beauty of the square nor
diminish its size-and that Is the spot
OF the board 10 have It erected.
Lot any one stand upon the eastern steps
of tine Capitol, or as he walks along Bank
street near 10y tho cu8tOm-hOuse, and LOOK
towards the Governors house. Ills eyes
Will not rest upon a slightly view. lie sees
low plank fence running along the SIDE
of the square behind which IS a low, long
stable, withits east in front, which, withthe
sl0ping garden adjacent 20 II, creates
no pleasure 10 look upon. That's the
place for the public library. Put II there
and DO injury Is done 10 the Square, lts
boundaries are nOtutrenchedu upon, nor are
its beauties lcssened, but they are rather
increased aud improved. Besides TINS To-
cation is as near as any other TO the Capt.
tot building and Is easily accessible to the
basement Offices. which VIII be IN the new
building II Is a quiet site, especially
suitable FOR the Court of Appeals, which
viii be placed in the building, and espe-
ciallv appropriate for j DrarY, whore read !
er- of the books can have quiet and com
pargtiyo solitude. and not be disturbed by
tine noise and confusion necessarily 10 De
feared II the location OF the bulidlng DE
nut anywhere else near the public streets.
Besides. a fine building put there, with
urettv architectural front towards the
Square and a similar one towards Twelfth
street from which "a graded entrance could
bee made, would be an additional ornament
u the public square, 10 mo cay, ana
source of Improvement and pleasure TO
the people OF the state. IL. y. W.
WHAT ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT SAYS.
To The Edtor of the Dispatch:
| was glad to observe "a few DAYS since
that YOU were of the opinion that the
plateau now occupied toy some buildings
pertaining to the Governors Mansion
should be the site Of the projected Library
building. | notice also that the commit
tee Yesterday. after making the tour OF the
Suuare, came TO no conclusion ID the mat
ter. Viii
am sure that the people OF Virginia
would be opposed TO any site that would
curtail the dimensions of our beautiful
Souare or obscure any of the attractive
vistDs from Franklin or Main street which
IL now presents. The latter would ensue
If the building were put either on the site
of the old courthouse or that OF the Dell
house. ANY one who has stood on Frank
I'm street, Church Hill. and looked this
way would condemn the one as destructive
of a charming prospect of green slopes
and rich foliage, and the other a. cutting
OH equally as beautiful prospect from
Franklin street up town, and shutting out
the view of the Square and monument
from Main street. More than this, 1t
would involve the destruction OF the vene-
rabe Dollhouse.
Those who have never been IN position
To know IL have no idea how much interest
| is excited amongst visitors and tourists OF
Intelligence by the Wow and history OF
rhis unpretentiOus bit of architecture.
| People who 20 abroad are frequently
| called upon TO grow enthusiastic over
pile of IVY grown ruins. winch they are IN
| formed were once the abode of Crusader,
! hut which. without this information, they
might have taken for an abandoned brick
| Eiln. Again, the guide book tells you that
some tower pierced by gateway, now oc-
| cupied by an old woman setting apples,
| once held the bell which aroused the
| burghers with the signal OF the call 70
arms; in fact, the tocsin. This the ola
| bell-house is TO US. The bell is cracked,
| the tower almost unused ana use,
| the citizen Of middle age can recall the
! three taps and the hurrying OF burghers,
| iDyalids md leave-Of-abSence men 10 inc
| Threatened point and could not see with
| ort REGRET the demolition of what proba-
| IN is the only rehc Of that sort III TINS
| coIintry. and one which will excite inter
! esd in ratio increasing with us age. Inc
| CLpitol-Street side Is out OF the question
| CIR many reasons. the chief Delng tnat
lRny structure put up there wouiG DC
dISerfed by the new City Hall. So, admit
| tine any force IN these remarks, We are con-
| fned by exclusion 10 the site OF your
| choice Moreover. il has its positive al,
/ vantaoes over the possible others. III VIII
be much higher than any of them Capitol
street beng excluded, and consequently
more airy and better lighted. For
library the latter fact should decide the
Inc bill is sensitive about meritricious
| ornament aud / suppose that the COM
mittee Will be very circumspect iest any
| hody's modesty should suffer; but with
| the amount now III sight there is not much
danger of the edifce being .oyer-orna.
mepted. This matter ought TO be decided
| forthwith. There is danger every day;
w. *fs
.,-.....to Ng.foritles I'm Now York.