New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-17
THE QUESTION or A SITE.

The signs OF increasing hostility 10 the lain-
many project for dcmolishing the City Hall
arc gratifying and hopeful. They appear in
private conversation in general discussion
wherever men gather to talk, and IN the news
papcrs. 1t is obvious that suitable effort
will produce an imprc ssvc demonstration OF
popular opinion. Tho City Club, we under
stand. is rallyng the opposition, and other or
carnations are bringing their strength TO bear
We hope that all the forces thus coming into
line will be applied TO the single purpose of
kceping the City Hall where it is. IL would
be a mistake to cXpcnd time and energy upon
the alternative proposal t. take down that cdi-
fec for the purpose Of setting it up somewhere
else. If il is to be saved it ought to be saved
vLcrc il is. Transferred u another site II
would lose most Of its significance. More
over, the transpanting of it would be costly
lob. and those who advocate such an operation
arc sure to ALLEVIATE some part at least OF the
interest which is now felt in tho movement to
preserve the building and which can be GER
tainlv increased by judcious effort.
If skiIful architects were perfectly free to
devise a plan for a new municipal building
near the old one which would not encroach
upon the present City Hall or in any way
diminish its beauty. We have no doubt that
they would accomplish the task without serious
difficulty. new building is unquestionabIy
needed On that point there is practically no
difference Of opinion. II is equally clear that
n site in the immediate vicinity of tho existing
str,cturc-that is, in the municipal centre OF
| New ork- ought 10 be chosen IL never has
been satisfactorily shown that there was no
| available site outside the limits of the little
park. The protractcd search for one was not
| sincc,clv conducted For reasons Of their own
| tho CITY authorities did not want to find al
| exterior site. Their intention from tho first
was TO bring only Objectionable locations into
| consideration. and so by the process OF ex-
clusion to convince the community that the
| projected building must be erected in the park
| II may be that they have succeeded in pro-
ducing conditions which forbid the choice Of
,ny other site. Assuming that they have We
refuse to admit that it is necessary to tcal
down the City Hall to make room for sue
cessor. The Registers Office. the General Sos
sions Building and tho engine house ought II
| be demolished in any case, and their remova
would clear a large space at the northeast cor
ncr of the park The northwest corner is now
unoccupied, and upon either Of these sites q
commodio,ls building could be constructed.
We do net suppose that Mayor Gilroy ant
his colleagues would be satisfied to be restrict
ed within such comparatively narrow limits
and perhaps experts would agree that build
ing at once adequate and INTELLECTUALLY cred
table could not be put up on site OF tina
size and amid such surroundings. The opinion
| Of competent architects on that question would
| be valuable and ought TO be obtained But !
il were adverse it would not involve Of neccs
sity the destruction OF the City Hall. There i
another building which could lie far bette
SHARED. if more room is imperatvely required
The County Coult House has no claim to cx
istence except a small measure of utility. ]
is not stately or beautiful or excellent in an.
particular. The fact that it cost five or 81
times as many millions of dollars as it ough
to have cost is entirely Irrelevant. IL is no
worth any more on that account. And,
sentiment has place in the discussion, ther
would be no small satisfaction in having mi
monument of shameless rascaliy obliterated
especially since it seems to have lost whateve
value it may once have had as an awful warn
ing. There is no question that if the Count
Court House were out of the way, as well a
the insignificant and dilapidatcd structure
which stand east of it, an ample and admirabl
site would exist for the new building.
would then be possible TO put up an edfce G
such character as to preserve if net enhanc
the beauty of the City Hall. and to suppl
every requirement of the municipality now an
hereafter.
We do not now advocate the demolition
the County Court House, for we do not fe'
assured that some other alternative is n,
feasible But we do not hesitate to repeat tn
assertion that if it comes to choice bctwee
that ugly relic Of the Tweed era and the a
tractive memorial Of old and honest days New