New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-09
SUGGESTION FOR A SITE.
rA1,5rnRAI, HEIGHTS PROPOSED FOR
r51n NETWORK PUBLIC LIBRARY.
croRGp MAcCrrIoCfs MILLER THINKS 1T HE
MOST ADVANTAGEOUS PLACE FOR THE
MAIN BI1LpINo,-REAsoNS FOR
HIS OPINION.

HIS OPINION.
Soma interesting suggestions have been nnaae Dy
George Maccui.och Miller as to the most oesiIap.e
situation FOR the building Of the propose" ->"
York Public Library. Mr.. MiHer mas n'1u io'e e"P0
piano. IN the matter OF selecting advantageous
So. tor ,u,c buildings IN New-York, ana IN tAe
last twenty years he gone over the ground care
fully several times IN connection win inc va
Of 81 John the Divine and ST. l'Ses HOSPITAL M
Miller said 10 a Tribune reporter yes'eruaS' III"
oues,.o, az selecting site for the proposed con-
eol,dated interests OF the Tfden trust fIho anu
On. Aston and Ienox libraries is most important
one, and on the proper settlement OF the proo.en
will In a large measure depend the usefulness vi '''
most important step in education. Inc s'eP " "
..k.n nv the men having this matter in hand IS not
m ,ennorarv one but TO last Tor ali time 50 1a'
as New-York Ciy IS concerned and their oecs'o'
Will greatly affect the growth and development OF
New-York I fully impressed WIN 'he DeN.-
that TOO much care and attention cannot De gwen ~
this matter.
OVER THE GROUND TWICE.
"J have been over the eround in very thoroue"
manner twice. When We were looking for SITE ior
the Cathedral OF ST. John the Divine some twenty
,s,-s 400 we canvassed the city from one eld TO
On. other We first thought Of securing those TWO
books OF ground bounded by sNtn ana seven"
ayes ard bv Fafty-seventh and fnty-hlnth SIS,
e,ppos.ng that could get Ffty-elgh'h-s'' oiosoN
for tina. distance. But even in those days we soon
ca,. ~, the conclusion that this situation was much
700 far downtown. and that In the course OF years
Il would be as separated from the centres OF popu
lation almost as Trinity Church now is' We uieh
cast about Cor a site much further uptown aho
finally decided upon the present one bounded by
Amsterdam and Morningside aVes ana Ohe-huiiuieu
snd-.cnth and One -hundred-and- thirteenth SITS.
..I, Is one OF the most difficult things in the
world TO secure proper site for large public buld
ing In New-York. The city is so peculiarly situated
geographically that it is almost impossible 10 find
Mt Tho
10 the proposed consolidation of those great library
interests My suggestion IS that the main library
building be erected on block OF ground on Came
dral Heights, just north of the Cathedral De'weeh
Amsterdam and Morningside aves.. where al the
rare collections and valuable manuscripts when
would not be of everyday interest to the reao'ns
masses could be stored and then have oranch
Nbnar,es with complete duplicate sets of popular
hooks and encycopae dias in them, in all the great
centres of population. where the worklhsHia" Nd''
GET at them evening after MIS- GA! "o'N
without making a pilgrimage. or course, the idea
of great public library IS to accommodate the
reading public and elevate the standard of educa-
ton in the masses. This believe can only DC ne
done by establishing branch libraries bui ,m men
hans an equally important one. ana mat - the
faclitaton OF work by men VINO are sdv
feature OF the proposed consolidation scheme
IN AN EDUCATIONAL ATMOSPHERE.
Now 10 my point. Where could the ce"l"i
hu,d,nr Of the New-Yorl Public Library be more
edvantageously situated than on Catheurdi
Heights where 1t would be surrounded py tle
Greatest group of educational institutions IN the
country. or perhaps in the world There IS wneae
Counbia College with It's vast treasures on euuCs
fionaI lore is TO be situated; there the greHa..
Cathedral of ST. John the Divine IS being p9ir,
there too will be 81. Luke's Hospital alloTulns
every facility for special study of diseases IN ever
form and there we shall have many other lhsu-
buttons which will afford uneQualed accoinlllouis
ZION for study in their several lines man mar n
Ing researches in a certain branch OF medicine IN
the great library will have living SUBJECTS 20 neiP
him in his inyestiea tons In ST. Luke Hospital
II he ia making original research in astronomy IN
The library there will be Columbia College JUST across
the vay placing her observatory al his disposai,
~ he is making experiments in chemistry, there
Studying music, there is the great catheoraI .
There Is nothing like working IN an atInospie,
of education, and Cathedral heights Is uestheu ~
he n seat Of learning that will rival OXFORD IN
sdwantare 10 have the proposed Public Library
nlaced on Cathedral Heights. where it will be in
an atmosphere of learning and scholarship.
"As 10 the objection Of its not 0elng coilVeHleil'
IN reach we must think of the marcn OF the popu-
iation northward in NewYork City. 1t has oeen
Estimated that already half a million people IN the
civ live north of Northumberland tenth-st. ann
ne when the buildings of the Public Library, 90
lumbia College. st. Lukes Hospital, ana 0tner IN
stitutions proposed for Cathedral Hegnts ere
competed and ready for occupancy? II may realIS
be asked f Cathedral Heights is not too far down
town instead OF far uptown. AS the popula-
ton moves northward, lines Of rapid transit WI
be opened so that Cathedral Heights will be quite
as accessible as any part of the city