Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-03
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
ExTRAvAcANCE IN THEIR CON-
STRUcTloN GENERAL.
a Movement in Compress 10 Have Local krchl-
ieeis Rake tho Plans and Super.
intend Ire Work.

Washington, Jan. IA great deal Of
talk Is going on about the cxtravngant
cost Of government buildings, and the
vew small results of largo outays Of
money. A government building costing
less than $4,000 is not often found,
and the average is probably $4,000 or
100000 In cities whore half Of such
sum Of money puts up magnificent
business houses for private persons, the
postoihces are very common, sometimes
shabby looking affairs. The proposed
structure at Fort Worth Is case In
point. The plans and perspective show
q house that would be taken for $780,
COO or $4,000 residence but it is to
exhaust the entire appropriation of S11J,-
600.
There Is a movement to do away with
the construction Of the ones that are TO
be built in the future ON the plans Of
the government architects. There is oppo-
sition to these plans ON the ground that
they are all Of the same kind, and of a
style Of architecture that is not handsome
or imposing. last session Representative
Torsney, of Missouri. introduced bill
which was passed by the house, aud Is
now on the senate calendar Its fate de-
ponds largely on the anti-opuon bill,
which has the right-of.way, and which
may be kept from vote 10y the method
called talking IL TO death" for in the
senate there IS no cloture rule, and every
body huk chance to speak and 10 talk
az long as lac chooses. 1t provides TINT
the secretary of the treasury may select
Eve architects from the city where the
building Is to be built, and open the
plans to competition, the prize TO be
the superintendent OF the construction
Of the building at certain percentage.
This will prevent plans for u million
dollar structure being drawn by clerk
nt $40 month uuuer the direction Of
the Chief architect. lt VIII also stimulate
competition and improve the Wchtect-
urc of the various public buildings. The
receiving Oh n percentage would be
great thing financially for an architect
as well as nn advertisement for nun.
1t would improve the quality of the
work.
As it II now. q percentage oi the cost
goes To SOME government Oihcer who
lives in the town where the building
is being erected, aud who h the custo-
dim ot IT. when Ii is completed. There
Is also superintendent appointed,
for political reasons. who draws The
good per diem of IS. and who therefore,
is not apt 10 hasten the construction
OF the building. An instance OF this
kind is the public building at Detroit,
which was commenced years ago, and
which has not as see grown above the
foundations.
Ii is also brought forward as an argu-
ment ia favor of Mr.. Tamneys plan.
that the average cost OF private and cor-
pOrutc buildings Of the best class IL from
80 20 80 cents q cubic foot;
that the cost OF government buildings
ranges from 80 cents TO 81 n GU
bis foot. The American Institute of
Architects favor Mr.. Tarsney's. bill aud
Representatives of the institute will come
here on the 9th of January 10 push It's
passage.
As n sample-posdhly Il is an aggra-
waited casr-of the way the custom OF
having the treasury architects make
plans, it Us recalled that, whom the post
office nc kuusas City was constructed IN
tST4S9, 100000 was expended out of
small appropriation 20 mako trenches
thirty feet deep in the Limestone natural
foundation underneath the building so
that foundations for the wall might be
laid. Now this was making the wall
built by man superior TO that constructed
by nature A similar thing WIS 10
have been done in ST. Paul, but the ar
chitects were persuaded that the lime
stone foundation of that city was subj
Client. That shows one of the results
of huving plans made a thousand mites
from the place wher the building 81
10 be erected 10y men who know nothing
Of the geological structure of the locality.
OF course there are places in the
country where such deep trenches for
the foundation walls are necessary, but
they are not In place whore tie AL
mighty had placed natural foundation
already.