St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-21
4 LIBRARY BUILDING POSSIBLE.

There are presented in our local col
umns this morning the outlines of a
scheme by which the people of st. Paul
may be supplied with their greatest
need, a public library building, as
speedily as it can be built and with
payer. This proposition is so startling
that it will command wide interest and
should be studied carefully by our cit
jzens. None of the details are as yet
Obtainable, the persons interested pre-
fferring properly to lay those first be-
fore the members of the library board
end the city council. 1t is, therefore,
not yet possible to express a definite
and final opinion upon it's merits. We
may go so far, however, as to say
that it certainly appears attractive on
tts face, and to the advantage of the
people of st. Paul
1t is proposed, by persons Of unoues-
fioned responsibility, to erect upon the
st. Peter street end of the market
house property such a library build
ing as will satisfy the needs of the
public library Tor many years to come.
ana be an ornament and a credit to
the city. 1t is to have it's frontage
and its main entrance on st. Peter
street, and tc extend back upon Sew
enth as far as may be necessary to
accommodate the library properly. 1t
is fO he ctr.io
constructed for library purposes, in the
flight of the best that has been done
in that department of architectural
work. 1t is to be presented. when
complete, to the city of st. Paul with
put any charge whatever. In consid-
eration of this service, those who are
ready to make the proposition will ask
that there be given to them a ninetv-
nine years lease of the balance of the
lot now occupied by the market house.
including the Wabasha street frontage
and that portion of the Seventh street
line not occupied by the library build
ing. These are the main features of
the suggestion.
AS we have said, SO much depends
upon the style, size, material, cost and
fitness of the building to be put I'D. that
the G b cannot say as vet what
answer should be made But. assum-
ing that these details are settled to the
satisfaction of the city, it seems to us
that this is a splendid opportunity for
Settling at once two vexed questions.
how to get library building, and what
10 do with that white elephant, the
market house property It has been
agreed upon with practical unanimitv
that this property should be sold and
The proceeds devoted to the constr,1c-
tion of library building. Legislation
cooking to that end was obtained. and
bids were asked for. But no offers
were made which the city could think
of accepting. Meanwhile the old mar
ket building is constant charge ,1non
our revenues, and propositions have
been entertained looking toward a lease
at a nominal rental merely to get rid
of it. This would tie it up for a num-
of a valuable site, and postpone indefl-
mtely provision for a library building.
1t seems to US that this plan, alb
stractly considered. is really of more
public advantage than those hereto
fore in favor. For instance everybody
would have been satisfied if this prop
erty could have been sold outright for
enough cash to purchase q site and
erect building for the library The
met result of that transaction would
he that the city would part with title
TO the market house property, while OBJ
tanning a library building and site. If
the present proposition should be &C.
cepted, the net result would be, as in
the other case. that the city would
obtain its building and site; but it
would not part with it's title to the
market house property, and at the cx-
piration Of the lease, the ground and
the improvements which should be
erected upon it would become once
more the property Of the people At the
first glance, therefore, it would appear
that the offer under consideration is
pna Of advantage to the public of ST.