The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-30
CITY HALL CORNER STONE.
Work on the Building Progress
ing Rapidly Excellent In
ternal Arrangements.
Mayor Wanser's Comment Chief
Murphy Suggests a Parade of
Police, Firemen, Militia
and School Boys.

day, that there SnOuld % puuilS ce1opio
ton on the laying of the corner stone of the
new City Hall, is being warmly approved OF
by the citizens While some of the conserva-
tive ones talk about expense and who viii
bear it, those whom reporter of this paper
has interviewed look on the suggestion as a
proper thing to do.
It was well put by one man high up in
city affairs. "THE NEWS plan is a good
one said he. "If it does nothing else the
ceremonies viii impress on the minds of our
people that we are going to have building
of which we can feel proud.p
This morning this letter was received
JERSEY CITY March 3d. 1884
To the Editor of The Jersey CITY Nesos:
see The News is out for celebrating the lay.
ing of the corner stone Of our new City Hall
with appropriate ceremonies. No doubt tns
event viii be as memorable IN tais city as IN .nS
out to make its new municipal building historic
But the day here would pc more memorable II
the corner stone Of the York street school was
laid the same time as the memories Of former
DAYS would bring out great many or ne apt
scholars and hockey players OF forty years ago
WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK.
Mayor Wanser when spoken to refrained
from saying anything positive about the
plan but added as mild joke on City Hall
Commissioner Datz, who was standing near,
eff the City Hall Commission will Keep
within their appropriation that will be the
best thing to celebrate rather than the cor
ner stone laying"
Mr.. John N. Jones, President of the Board
of Education, said that the ceremony ought
to be signalized in the manner suggested by
THE NEWS.
takes up the subject and the citizens do their
share we can have grand celebration"
Mr.. Charles W. Allen also commended the
suggestion as did Finance Commissioner Aiva
A. Bedell.
Counselor N. W. Condict likewise ap-
approves Of the suggestion and said that II
the Board of trade will take up the question
and approve of it he will support it heart
and soul Chief of Police Murphy remarked
that THE NEWS suggestion was good one:
I'VE onght, = be said, Ito have 3 parade OF
the Fourth Regiment, the police and the
fire departments and school boys. We
could have one hundred policemen in line
without weakening for the time the city
force. Such celebration would be emi-
nently fitting for many reasons, but prlncl-
pally it would instil pride for our citys In
stitution."
THE HALL is GROWING.
In line with the cornerstone laying it Is
interesting to know that the new hall build
ing is rapidly growing This morning all
the granite blocks for Henderson street side
are being laid. Contractor Connolly VIII
conclude his piling contract by Wednesday,
and Mr.. English, the mason contractor, will
then be able to go on with the western half
of the building. IF everything goes along as
expected. the granite walls, which are lU1s
feet high all around the building, will be up
by at least the middle of June. The Indiana
limestone blocks, to sit on the top of the
granite walls, are already cut. and large
portion of them are already on the ground.
The granite used is from Crown Hill quar-
ries, Fox Island, Maine.
BEST PoRTIco IN THE STATE.
The four columns of the portico, nineteen
feet in height and two feet six inches in
diameter, will be made of Red Hill granite,
and are six inches wider than those seen in
front of the State House These will be be-
gun as soon as the granite walls are nm
ished The contractors say that the portlco
will be the finest in the State. Speaking OF
the towers there will be one at each corner
and over the portico facing Grove street.
The corner towers will be 125 feet and ap-
proach Moorish style. This will add to
the general appearance of the building, de-
signed in the italian Renaissance style.
The center tower is 100 feet in
height, and in harmony, of course,
with its four smaller brothers on
the corners. At the base of the tower prop
er and on top of the portico will be gallery
56x36 feet wide The place will be suitable
for our city officials when reviewing pa
rades. Ali the work up. to the roof. ex-
elusive of the towers, will be finished, it is
hoped, by the first of the new year. The
idea is to have the building enclosed as rap
idly as possible so that the men can get to
work on the interior
EXCELLENT INTERNAL ARRANGEMENTS.
The ground plans show that the halls will
be laid with Italian inlaid marble. The
floors will be tiled. Every arrangement has
been made to group the Offices together, CIV
ing as much space as possible to each.
The trouble of our municipal offices today
is the cramped space for storing the city
archives. For instance the Street and
Board Office at present has no fire proof
vault in which to store its papers. In case
of fire valuable documents would be de-
stroyed involving loss to the city of thou
sands of dollars. The City Clerks office in
the old City Hall has q vault, but it Is not
Scott1s papers. The Comptrollers too. is
helnmed in for vault room. In the new
building there will be no complaint for lack
of vault space. The City Clerk win in future
have an immense dry vault all to himself
So also will the Tax Commissioners, the
Street and Board Commissioners, the Comp
troller and Collector.
Under the present arrangement OF our old
City Hall one has. in paying tax bill, to
climb up and down stairs to reach the re-
quisite departments. In the same way a
citizen is hampered when he goes to pay his
49,
new hall The offices where money is to be
paid are all contiguous, and on the same
floor.
Then, for the lawyers benefit the District
Courts viii be in the same building, and for
the public at large all the municipal depart
ments, at present scattered over the city,
viii be grouped under one building
BEAUTIFUL ALDERMANIc CHAMBER.
Won't the city fathers put on airs when
they meet in the new AlderInanic Chamber!
This room is in the centre of the building and
is directly under the dome. It viii be nearly
ninety feet square and furnished in hard
wood In shape it is a paralelogram and
every attention is paid to its acoustic pro
perfies SO that words of wisdom which fab
from the lips Of our city fathers may not be
lost
The City Hall Commissioners it should be
observed, are bestowing great attention to
! tie building, (which, when finished ex.
claimed Commissioner DATE, cannot be sur
passed for beauty In the State. !"
Health and strength In @Rienzi" Beer
Eldot & Co.. 7ss Montgomery street.