Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-12-17
THE FEDERAL BUILDING.



Architeet-A Beautifui Interior.
Supervising Architect Aiken has
made bis assignment of the rooms in
the new Federal building which Is ap-
preaching completion at Ninth and
Shinley streets. On the first floor will
be the postoffice department. This has
Ninth, and there is mailing platform
In the rear. At the Shipley street
entrance is vestibule whonce one
may enter a short lobby to one of the
stamp windows or TO the staircase and
elevator for the upper floors, or to the
main lobby which takes up nearly the
whole Of the Ninth street front. This
lobby is broad and high. 1t has tile
floor and waihscoting in mahogany
6 feet 10 inches deep. 1t looks through
wide windows out upon Ninth street
and in towards the large working room
of the postoffice. The working room
will be divided from the lobby by a
postoflice screen which contains more
than 900 lock boxes and different
windows for transaction of business.
Plate glass will be put in between the
screen and the ceiling. At the extreme
west of the lobby is the money order
and registered letter department Al
tine eastern end OF the building Is the
postmaster's room and at the western
end the assistant postmaster's room.
Vaults are provided for the stamps and
other stock of the postoifice. The walls
are finished in white with interior
girders beautifully decorated.
To reach the second floor one may
either mount the staircase with its
Lake Champlain steps and its wains.
coting of the same marble, or he can
take the elevator which will run from
the basement to the third floor a
richly finished corridor runs along the
second floor. At the western emu are
| the judges rooms, the library and one
of the two rooms assigned to the United
States District Attorney. Then coming
| towards the eastern end of the building
or the Ninth street side are second
room for the district attorney, the grand
jury room, two rooms for the United
| States marshal and two rooms for wit
nesaes. Then to the south are the
office of the United States COM
missioner and clerk of the court, aud
| the United States court room, perhaps
| the handsomest room in the whole
building. 1t has high ceiling and is
| finished in the deep mahogany that is
80 attractive. Tho wainBcoting is G
feet 10 inches high. An open fireplace
| in the room extends several feet higher
than the wainscoting. The JUDGES
bench will be placed at the western end
of the chamber and will be convenient
| to his rooms. Five Of the second floor
rooms have open fire places with high
| mantels of Tennessee marble.
On the third floor two rooms at the
western end have been assigned to the
| civil service department. The internal
revenue collector and deputy internal
revenue collector, together with the
gauger will have two rooms A room
under the tower is unassigned for the
present. East of that two rooms will be
occupied by the collector of customs
and the deputy collector of customs.
Looking towards the south there are
two rooms for prisoners and TO rooms
for jurors. This floor has an OAK
finish. 1t has three open fire places.
| The fourth floor will be used
altogether for storage From the third
floor staircase leads to the fourth
floor whence the tower il reached by {
spiral staircase. The clock tower il
about seven stories above the street
The clock room itself is higher thar
the Equitable Building. Its dials are
6 feet 10 inches in diameter, although
from the street they do not look &c
large.
The building will be provided with
electric and gas lights. There will bt
hose reels on each floor for use in cast
of fire.
| Tho ;ntnr;o. l., ,no,,,,;,,, @lo ,suo,u
ance it will have when it is completed
and ready for the inspection of thu
general public. Wilmingtonians canno
but fail to be pleased with the hand
some building that Uncle Sam hal
designed and built for them. 1t nigh
be we'll, in view of the possibility
that the building will be ready for ser
vice in February, to begin to consider
the advisability of holding some kline
Of a celebration in honor of its opening
After reporter of The Gazette
had gone over the building Wednesda,
afternoon mis- attention was called t
the fact that there will be two room
in the structure for the use OF tn,
secret service department. Ii one die
not know about 1t there might be som,
difficulty in locating the rooms which
will BIZ at the disposal of the govern
ment's detectives. All that can be seel
from the outside of each room is a.
aperture possibly IL by Is inches, bu
behind that aperture there is room fol
a man to sit and watch what is goins
on in the working room of the post
office. One of these rooms is to th
side of the postmaater's room and th,
other to the side of the assistant post
masters room. and both of them ar
near the ceiling. They are entere,
from the basement only.