Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-08-03
YORK UNDER w4Y.
Operations Commenced On the New Parish
Building for Old swedes Church.

Operations Commenced ON the New i'arish
building for Old swedes Church.
The excavations incident 10 the cree
ton OF the handsome parish building at
Old Swedes Church for Sunday and
secular use, in which so much interest
has been manifested by the Hon. Thomas
F. Bayard, Ambassador to England, and
through whose efforts the fund for the
establishment of the building was
created, were commenced Saturday
morning, and from this time on the con-
tractors will rapidly push the work to
completion. Men are now busy at work
upon the spacious cellar, which Will ex-
tend the entire length Of the building
and as soon as the basement is Of suita-
Bile proportions the laying OF the ma
sonry will begin.
Considerable time was required in the
preparation of plans and the considera-
ton of bids for the building, and not
until this matter was carefully attended
to was it time for the excavations 10
begin. At the time Of Mr. Bayard 5 de-
parture for England not quite sufllclent
money was in hand to finish the build
ing in accordance with the plans de-
termined upon by that gentleman. The
money collected by Mr.. Bayard, how
ever, was left with Samuel Bancroft,
Jr., as trustee, and additional contribu--
tions received by Mr.. Bancroft are OF
sufficient proportions to warrant the
commencement of work.
The building will be of the colonial
style, and will stand along the Seventh
street front of Old Swedes Church yard,
and Just east of the massive archway at
| the entrance. II will be two stories
high, with basement, will have front
| of go feet on the Seventh street side and
an outside depth of 40 feet. There will
be ventilator and belfry on top and
hip roof of slate. The basement will be
of solid granite walls and the main
structure walls will be Of hard brick.
In the basement there will he mems
club rooms, smoking, reading and game
room, and all the equipments of regu
lar parish club. There will also be heat
ing apparatus and storage cellars. The
rooms will be SO arranged that they car
all be thrown into one room, as the oc
casion may require il, for lectures anc
entertainments.
On the first floor will be the mems
Sunday school room and infant room
with partitions SO arranged that the.
may also be thrown into one large room
for Sunday-school exercises or celeora
tions. On the second floor there will
Z be a large assembly or guild hall, TO
entertainments or other parish purposes
There will be one main stairway lead
ing from the main landing. The lava
, tories will open off the stairway. IN
=, Bible classroom will be on mezzanin
+ floor. There will be heavy arched win
1 dows for the basement and the usua
t hip windows in the upper stories.
e The contractor for the building
e William IL. Foulk and the architet
i Frank r. Carsweh 1t is the desire {
: the contractor to have the building con
e pleted about the middleaof Decembe
and there is every probability that I'll
0 work will be done by that time.
: Already the residents Of the porto
y of the city surrounding Old Swed
is have begun to hail the possibility OF d
e new school with profound joy, al
l. many predict at the outset that in tt
e course of time this heretofore neglectt
3, community will point with pride. to u
il parish building as an institution.
L which the neighborhood may well fe
proud. For the structure will not on
re provide place for Sunday use, b
G also suitable accommodations where u
70 youth of the neighborhood may find
10 evenings enjoyment in reading rool
he or at games or in the parish club-rool
n Taking it all in all, the new structu
es will be one of the most needed and w
Of afford the residents more adyantag
Of and pleasure than it has been their go'
Is fortune To enjoy in recent years.