The morning times., 1895-11-25
NEW DISTRICT BUILDING
- y ~ - =
Commissioners Will Urge on Con-
gress the Necessity Of One.
1fan Appropriation A Is Made the Struc-
ture vJul Eclipse Unfinished
PostOffice.

Should the plans OF the Commissioners
for municipal building and a court
house be Endorsed by Congress, there viii
be erected in Washington within the next
few years a structure beside which the
new postoffice will fall into comparative
insignificance.
IL will probably be built in Judiciary
Square, on the site of the present so-called
city hall, building without first-class
conveniences and which, according to
modern thought, is in all respects a back
number. 1t is known that In all the pre-
vious speculation as to the location OF tue
new edifice, the Commissioners and others
interested have Invariably given the city
hail site the preference, and the idea is
To supply a long-felt want for the District
officials, and at the same time provide
up-to-date quarters for the courts, from
the police magistracy to the District
tribunal OF last resort ,,,lil..., .,.l s.t., y
The District, it is understood, is at
present paying an annual rental of about
$4,000 for the accommodation of the
several departments of government, and
the police court is an extra pull upon tue
exchequer. to say nothing Of the incur
renee OF other incidental expenses.
hC W hCi vi ave-
nue.. is the official headquarters for up
wards OF twenty distinct branches OF the
local machinery, while almost directly
opposite are the District courts and their
adjuncts. 1t is believed that the made
quatc accommodations afforded for both
these interests can be SO impressed upon
Congress that an appropriation can be
secured for the proposed structure. Its
architectural designing viii be a model
nf the host W ypflQpf nrpdft
the capital. -. ~.
The money interests to b served VIII
necessitate a basis 50 bruad that the first
appropriation OF 100000, as estimated
recently by the Commissioners, viii be but
a small part of the estimate outlay. Pro
vision viii have To be made for the Cominis-
sioners themselves, as the head of the mu-
uicipality, and with them suitable quarters
for the health office. with the executive
department. chemical laboratory. and sani-
tary officials; the assessors office. the
collector the water department, the auditor
and the building inspector, each Of which
wiilrequire more spacethan isnow accorded,
and each with needs corresponding in In
crease with the growing demands OF the
rapidly developing city.
Other divisions OF the District govern
ment, now housed in the Walker building,
are the several important branctessof the
engineer department, under Capts. Fie-
bcger. Burr, and Beach. respectively; the
police department and fire department,
superintendent OF street and alley cleaning,
the special assessment. division, .superin-
tendent of streets, sealer Of weights and
measures, superintendent of charities. sup
erintendent of telegraph and telephone sery-
ice, the sanitary officer, and last, but not
least i'll Importance the board OF assistant
assessors, whose duties also embrace the
supervision of the excise matters. @ 5-.....
There is but scant space In the present
quarters for these and other officials not
enumerated, and when to this array VIII De
added the numerous COURTS, the register or
wills and the recorder of deeds, the build
ing for their accommodation, it will be
apparent, must needs have an extensive
roof and cover q broad foundation space.
There is somewhere laid away a design
once made for the new building, but it is
understood that it viii be sahjeeied TO, q
great deal of revision. the prepared plan be-
ing intended as a skeleton only.