The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-23
PLAZA SITE ABANDONED.
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT
TO 90 TO CLdREMONT LAWN.

Committee-Innppropristeness OF tho site
"a FiFst selected New Manifest to All hut Him.
Tho Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commit
tee has at last yielded TO the almost unani'
nous protest OF tho artistic world OF New YORK
in the matter OF selecting n sito for the monu'
mont. Some timo ago oil tho members OF the
committee. with tho exception OF Recorder
Got and President Mcmillan of the Park Board
put themselves on record as favoring the So
called ''Plaza sito'' near tho entrance to tho
Park at Fifty.ninth street and Fifth avenue.
and when architects wero invited to submit
models thoy we're told to make their designs to
lt that spot. When 1t became generally known
that the committee was determined to erect
tho monument within the shadow OF three
towering buildings, a storm of protests arose
and the scheme Of the committed was defeat
ed by the adverse votes of tho two expert mem'
bers OF the Municipal Art Commission.
.. It was then thought that the whole project
Of erecting tho monument would pass into the
hands Of the new Art Commission Of Greater
New York. but tho Mayor, who had been all
along the most vigorous advocate OF the Plaza
site, determined to make one moro effort to
settle the matter before his term of office OK.
pircd. with this end in view he called the
Memorial Committee together and told the
members he was willing to consider a new site
81 one could be selected that was sure to meet
with the approval Of the expert members
OF tho Municipal Art Commission.
q. W. & A. A. Stoughton, whose design for
the monument had been previously selected,
wore consulted. and at yesterdays meeting
they wcro able to submit plans for the erection
Of tho monument on tho lawn at Claremont.
1000 feet north of Grants Tomb. They said
that the design selected could be erected there
without any radical alterations. and the new
1ttA aar,a En- rnnaf yrtth thn apnrnual Nf oil
the members OF the committee except Gen.
Coils. Charles T. Barney, President of the
Municipal Art Society, who is o ember Of
the Municipal Art Commission, was present,
and no approved tho site without hesitation.
lilo said that he could not speak for J. Q. A.
Ward. the other nrtist member of the commits
sion, but he had no doubt that he would also
vote for 1t.
All this was done in secret session. In the
open meeting which followed, o resolution
was introduced at tho suggestion Of the Mayor
TO reconsider tho vote by which the Plaza site
was chosen. The resolution was adopted, Gen.
Goft moved that the Claremont site be chosen.
Gen. Coils objected. lie questioned the right
OF tho SPECIALIZED experts" Of the Municipal Art
selected, he said, by q committee appointed by
the legislature prior, 70, the creation of the Art
the opinion OF the Corporation Counsel as to the
powers of the Municipal Art Commission in the
matter before his vote was recorded.
said he would not favor anything that would
cause further delay in the erection of the monu-
Corporation Counsel for an opinion in this mat,
ter" he continued. III the Art Commission
has no say CONCERNING the selection of a site,
why, / would like to ask, were its members
consulted, and why was tho question ever re.
ferred TO them for APPROVAL We have asked
for their opinion. and 1t seems to me to DO wrong
TO go back on it now, simply because it does not
suit some OF our members. The plain intent Of
duty OF receiving works of art o adorn public
places the bcneti Of the opinions of the experts
ture certainly intended that the Art Commits
sion SHOULD, be consulted before the monument
suited three recognized experts before we Sc
lected the design Of Messrs. Stoughton. and the
Same spirit should, now domino Q our action
Presiden. Mcmillan said that the Park Board
deomed it q duty to submit nil designs to the
Art Commission, and that he was in favor of
A. Gouiden Chairman Of the Memorial Com
nlittee OF the Il. a. X. said he had no doubt that
.hs p As1 commission : M and tha hah q. the M.I POWER 9Ei,,int to ~ reject zee
for the change.
The Mayor then called on Mr.: Barney for an
Judgment the Clarcmont site was in every way
excellent and suitable for tho Soldiers: and
s snieSrs ap @Sa%misfsd; for @G tha leemori the y. s s%ail
did consider the Plaza a proper place for it" he
added,
81 give notice now that I. MS a member of this
committee. will ask the opinion of the Corpora
tion Counsel said Gen. Coils with consider
. eolemnly decided it was when wo decided to
erect this memorial in tho Plaza. Is it fair
now to the architects who were asked to COM
pete on tho supposiiiOn that il was TO be erected
there that they should have no chance to sub
: init models for the new sitei am opposed TO
monument is not merely Intended to be msthet,
&c or ornate. 1t will possess educational quail
ties As well. and want to sec it erected whore
u VIII appeal TO the greatest number Of people.
1t would be wrong TO erect it on a spot where
none but millionaires can see it. 1t was not
the people who ride in carriages who saved the
Union. | had rather that the monument were
placed in the Five Points than on the Glare,
monument where the greatest number of chill.
drcn can see it,"
Recorder Goff took Gen. Coils up rather
sharply on that part OF his remarks which con.
ocrned millionaires. 81 d MT know OF any spot
where more of that class of our citizens could
1T would he surrounded by the houses of such
men as Coils 7. Huntington. Cornelius Van
MilIionaircs' Club itself is Just across the Way
Us. II have no objsetion' to the millionaire
looking Mt 1t, but l don't want it erected on a
spot where they can view 1t exclusively"
Several, letters were then read from art ex
gerts indorsing tho Clarcmont site. Russell
The accepted design for the Soldiers and
sa,tprsI m to- tho F fGfs n mot sSsm p PsSSliaT'y ,S TSI
that 1t would be even better placed ut the norti
end of Riycrsido Drive"
Prot. Ware wrote:
THE design by Mr.. Sturgis
Mr.. Hamlin and myself and adopted by tn,
commission seems to me In IN ny respects bet
ter suited TO this position lItivcr idc Drive
tn n to that fir I suggested, though In this NOR,
exposed 20 ition 1t may be desirable to modif,
1t in some OF the detail 1t was elected in tn,
nrst place not as specially uitcd to the Plaza
but on account Of the intrinsic artistic merit
which gave 1t n distinct superiority over all It
competitors. These merits would be more con
tpicuou in this position tn n in the other.
Mr.. Hamlin desire me to say that he en-
TREY, agrees with me in thi opinion and in ais,
thinking that the nciGhborhood OF Grant
TOMB, since II is not near enough to be brough
Into direct comparison, makes this location
particularly appropriate one
Bruce Price, who wR the consulting nrchi
tect to the Memorial Committee, and who ar
ranged the details of the competition, had thi
to say about the proposed change of site:
In the matter of the removal of the site O
the Soldiers md Sailors Monument from tn
Plaza to the Twelfth avenue viaduct AT 1871
street, l am FREQ to say that / think the CON
mission Is to be congratulated. The site /
much more desirable than the one at the Par
entrance. . ! have always held tina
the PLAZA site was n most unhappy ono for
monument OF the character thar tho Memoria
Committee could, erect. | think ! am o