The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-04
4 SPLENDID EDIFICE.
.Hg VIEW crrT NAIL c0MFfHTEb
lyTER SIX YHxRR OF LABOR.
., wss.ireness, Architecture, and finisn
the structure Stands the PRIDE OF 'ne
Municipal Government.

,e,or nearly six years OF laborions toll
,- ,he part OF the city Council 'he ''N
Inner. and his assistants. as well as
,,sf Of architects. ovcrseers. and nrn-
. the handsome new city han OF
y smond has been completed.
an ornament TO the city, the pride
,he municipal government and
..r-e OF nafierlng criticism by all VINO
, upon ns splendid architectural
fauty its majestic proportions ana It's
,.encncss OF finish. Probably no Guy
trs south can boast Of so completely
-..tel headquarters for It's various OF
<0lq as Richmond. Inc ""e''"NN
,,.rc with is beautiful spires tow
I've the surrounding buildings,
"a overlooking the picturesque N"P''oi
800, has not only attracted genera
'...tfon throughout the state or Nlr~
l. INT has been spoken OF IN hsh
IS bv many connoissieurs or ercm-
.,.flre from northern and western '''les'
d. raint OF STYLE finish. ana beauty r,'
6.. ,,ri compare favorabiy with SIM
t.,is i'm Inc larger cities OF the
,ntrv. IL stands stately 'nales'.. .., 80
-. O. monument 10 the pefseNei"n,e'
,- and Nbcraiitv or the pcopi0
pie,,,,ond. and a splendid eNhio''ioH
:, tbe SKIN and taste OF those ""o
Ianned H. n. souare surrounded
A.. proad Capitol. Tenth, anu N'.'.
lots SIS graceful towers 'o"''i''' -
,,t ,,oov from every direction "hie
ti'ei,''p 49, structure itself attracts at
Ito, from nearly every pofuVh "a ~
.. About one million FIVE hnndreo ''ou-
"a dollars are represented by tne MAJ
$50 s,onee and polished granite oil inc
10. and the number Of days tnal
.,nc4 70 complete 81 can scarcely
=. estimated with less than two ,nou s co.,
Vet once finished. II VII s,s ond
many generations as the e',o ~ ,,,oits
most costly structure "i'"'"
~ the Commonwealth
A Hsnvy Undertaking.
Tor months and even years lle i -,
~ tho civ departments have peeh w." 49,
Wy l,tfd structure gradually assume
dccoifo shane Crowded tose'hOl "
.,su and announcement depall hieh'o a.
a.. old civ Hall now destined 10 w
,riled down. they Gazed WIN "'', -.
longing upon the heavy stones %
l,,,I,, placed I'm position, ana
49,, ,,ifb eager interest the workinen
e., new nut one block Of granite upon an
.rr~ The public officers were iooklhs
s,.s~5 10 the time when they would be
...-i, ouartercd in the imposing structure
now looming up in conspicuous proper
,l.-- from every portion OF the city.
r-.o members OF the City Council, too,
,.,rea down the vista Of the future anu
.,r-ht 81 the time when they would eN-
GLANCE their old dingy-lookng desks 1or
handsome polished oak desks. touched up
3. au the daintiest styles. and wondered
-oy and then 81 the splendid building
,~ --alid be completed Some Of them
crraelonally mentally propounded 20 theih-
e-Ivee fhe question whether or not they
-raniI remain as members g.. Inc lily
FATHERS long enough 10 hear their voices
resembling through the columns or lhe
ttr edi0ce I'm the interests Of the Capital
rrv. They grew impatient. and stamped
their feet impatientiy by reason OF Inc
delay. ,.... ..,
ef-i.tnres Of this kind are not erected ia
q month. or even I'm a year Archiiects'
sruneers. contractors. otersesrs, artisans,
and aborers have 10 put their heads to-
rlffer and urite themselves INTO an or
rrrf1.tion for the common good IN order
=. rorouiete such "a building. The work,
1nost OF g. was VI "a very heavy ana TIME
consuming nature. Stonecutters spent
DAYS. and weeks and months preparing
ale massive Hooks of granite for posi-
lions in the walls. and steam power had
~ be called into service - place these
neUy materials
d. was necessarily a slow and cautious
undertaking and after an the talk six
vars was only % moderate time TO COM
pete il. under the circumstances.
They are Now Happy
Those who are 10 occupy the new city
llan are now as happy as ff0licsOne
lamb I'm spinsume. They indulge I'm
suppressed smile upon viewing the hanu-
some structure, With its spacious quarters
SIS private retreats. and its splendid equip
NIL g van q &
ploye sauuterine through the corridors ana
taking au occasional peep into some OF
she offices "Lo. De is glad and bis heart
bubbles FORTH
The corridors and the various apart
mcnts of the building presented a busy
appearance during the past week. Work
men were engaged ln adding Few nnal
touches ly way Of vanishing. polishing
and The hks while a large number of men
were securing the floors. washing the WIN
dlNe, and removing the smaller
debris here and there about the build
lHg in many 0f the offices and larger
rooms could Doe heard resounding
through the corridors the sharp rap OF
the hammer. as the carpet men tackled
down some substantial and handsome pat
terms. Many OF the carpets have already
I.cn LAID. and others will be lard this week.
Draymen hustled about i'm the court
rooms. and deposited the benches. desks
ana prcttly pOhshed ratings Tor these de-
parlments, while ihe familiar words "all
together" announced that furniture of a
heavy kind was being placed tn position.
No More Jokes.
liz may be hard TO an who have not
visited Richmond within the past year
10 realize the fact that the home of
ler municipal government is at last COM
p.etod. 80 may be hard for even many
~ Hfchmouds citizens 10 conceive at
fhc fact that the building Will be occu-
We'd by most Of the city departments
within the next two or three weeks
81 may even be- a loss 10 the joke supply
Of the average minstrel show TO say
shat the cdihcc just north Of the State
capitol has at last assumed the shape
- completion. Nevertheless IL IS true
md NOT "a Dsh YARN. No more can the
Vague future be- expressed by the com
parson. "Whcn the new city Hall IL
completed no more can the sport about
town measure the coming years from
lcw city Hail standpoint; no more viii
fle completion of the structure be a
synonym for "a distant prospective "A topic
for the coming pencration. or an incen-
Tive for a joke among residents of the
city. Richmond now has a hail built Of
niTN ID .iv MI az.