The San Francisco call., 1896-10-30
Gloomy, Dungeon Like Effect
Proposed for the New
Structure.
TOWERS OUT OF PROPORTION
But There Is a Premise of Elegant
Appointments for Cour trooms
and Offices.


please the people of San Francisco. The
plans were after the style of Italian
renaissance, and were drawn under the
immediate supervision of jeremiah
O'Rourke, talented Irish architect.
O'Rourke soon resigned his official posi-
tion, and was succeeded by William Mar
tin Aiken. Mr.. Aiken is nothing if not
romantic. 1t win be remem bered that he
made trip to California He saw the
Mission Dolores, visited the Stanford Uni
versity at Palo Alto and resolved that the
halo of romance should surround his de-
sign. He determined to give the building
a gloomy, dungeon-like effect, with low,
deep and dark grated and arched door
ways. But not too somher, however, so
he stuck two campanile towers on the
roof.
The result battles description. THE CALL
correspondent showed a photograph OF
the design TO number of experts to-day
ut Is an architectural monstroslty,"
said one of the most famous architects in
the United States, the designer of several
Government buildings. There are cor.
ner pavilions, but no center pavilion at
all. This gives the facade a severely
plain appearance. The center should have
been emphasized by pavilion. The cor
ner payilions should have been elevated
above the baIustrano, with the center
pavilion towering above all. Yet we
might have forgiven all if the architect
had not surmounted the structure with
two monstrous towers. 1t was evidently
his idea to give the building an Alnambra
effect. do not see much in his design to
suggest Spanish Renaissance" as he
calls it. But if he wished to ornament his
roof with turrets he might have better
arranged them. The Madison square
Garden, New York, is castellated. There
are at least five campanile towers, but.
they are arranged discriminatory. Be-
sides, these turrets on roof garden thea
ter are well enough. Tney are lighted
brilliantly to advertise the show, but l
think turrets are singuarly out of place
on a Government building. Uncle Sam
does not need to advertise his business
The design is not appropriate. Another
objection l have is the row of square win
dows OH the lnezzanine floor.
You will observe that the large archei
doorways and windows of the ground
floor and the windows or the third floor
are out of all proportion TO the small
square meZZanine windows. These small
mezzanine windows are only lit for the
attic"
This opinion of an expert was concurred
in by other architects, who for professional
reasons reluctantly criticized the Govern
ment architect. Others who saw the pic
ture, although not versed in structural
technology, were almost moved to tears
when they behelu 1t. Heavens" said
one, ''the architect must have had two
turrets in stock he didn't know what to
do with. so he stuck them on his Spanish
renaissance roof" Another iayman sug-
gested that the two high turrets gave a
very realistic billy-goat effect Another
wag said by erecting only one tufret on
one end of these roofs the tout ensemble
would be a la locomotive, or with three
turrets there would be a devilish pitchfork
suggestion.
But Mr.. Aiken is apparently we'll
pleased with his design. The following
description was given out to accompany
the photographs:
The new Federal building to be built on the
square bounded by Mission, Seventh and
Stevenson streets is TO serve not only as q City
Postoffice but also as United States Court
house. The. .Postoffice occupies the first floor
and portion of the second while the third
floor ana part of the second Will be devoted to
the courts and their dependencies On the
second floor will also be the offices for the
United states Pension Agent, while the
Weather Bureau will occupy partial roof
story in connection with the towers.
The building above the first story is in form
like all angular letter 'U,' with the base
which forms the main facade, on Seventh
street. In the first story and the courtyard
which is rooted. is the Postoffice working.
room. Corridors run through the center of
each division parallel with the three streets
The Offices of the Postmaster and Assist tant
Postmaster face Mission street, while on the
opposite side OF this corridor is the registry
division. The Seventh-street corridor has
upon one SIDE the screen ontaining the de-
livery windows, boxes and mailing drops and
Oh the other the stamp and money-order de-
partments and cashiers Office
The Steyenson-Street corridor gives access to
the working-room. At the junction of the
side and seventh-street corridors are placed
the stairs and elevators, in near proximity to
the princlpai entrances, and an information
bureau for the benefit of the general public is
found at the corner of Mission and Seventh
streets, making the plan as a whole most COM
plete and accessible.
The center of the Seyenth-street side on the
third story is to be occupied by the United
States Circuit Court of Appeals, the highest
court of the district, while at Mission street,
or the sou thwest corner, is the Circuit Conrt
and opposite, at Stevenson street. the District
Court. All the courtrooms are provided with
the necessary rooms for Judges, juries, clerks
and witnesses The United States Attorneys
offices. two law Libraries and large fleroom
for the various documents in charge of the
District Court are on this floor, and the United
States Marshal has suite of rooms at the back
of the Stevenson-street wing, connected di-
rectly with the ground by a private staircase.
On the second floor, under the District
Court and easily accessible therefrom, are the
rooms of the Grand Jury and Master in Chan
Gerry and number of petty jury rooms The
central part OF this floor is devoted to the use
of the railway m all service and postoffice in
spectors, while the pension Office occupies the
southwest corner.
The Circuit Court of Appeals, as BELTS its i'm.
portance, will be the most elaborate room in
the building, finished in white enamel embel.
lished with gold, with vaulted ceiling of or
plaster. The other courtrooms will
be handsomely hnshed in various hard wooos.
as we'll as the connecting offices and libraries.
in which latter the bookcases will form part
of the permanent decoration.
The corridors of the first story will have
yaul ted ceilings finished in mosaic and orna-
mented plaster. while below the springlng of
the vaults the walls will be entirely of native
marble The remainder of this story will be
finished in hard wood. The exterior OF the
in style, will be built of cream-white mable
around the entrances, but richly
decorai ed above the third-story stringer course
and capped by deeply projecting cornice and
a balusrade of elaborate design. Crowning
all will rise two towers above the intersections
of the corridors on the southwest and north
west corners. These towers, while adding
much TO the appearance OF the building, viii
also serve useful purpose, as they are in