The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-19

CATHEDRAL PLANS.
The Design Submitted by
0'Rourke & Sons For
mally Adopted.
BUILDING WILL COST s1,OOO,Ooo
Work Will Be Begun As Soon As
the Architects Prepare Work.
ing Plans-Description
Of the Structure.
BUILDING WILL COST sl,OOO,Ooo
Especial to THE Jersey city News."l

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News."]
NEWARK, Nov. 10, 1S97.-Plans for the
n~iNion-dollar Roman Catholic cathedral
to be erected in this city nave been de-
cided upon. jeremiah O'Rourke & Sons
architects, of this city, were selected te
supervise the big contract, their design
having been accepted by the committee
in charge. There were three other COM
petitors and each plan was carefully con-
sidered by the committee, one day to each
plan. The committee thoroughly con-
sidered all the preliminaries leading UP to
the construction of the cathedral before
it took up the plans submitted by the COM
peting architects.
AS has been told in 1.-THE News" work
will be commenced without delay on the
construction of the edifice, and it will be
paid for by Individual subscriptions by
priests and laymen and by assessment
levied upon the different parishes in the
diocese of Newark. Bishop Wigger will,
of course, BIZ at the head of the COM
mittee having the matter in charge. The
Bishop is delighted with the plans ac-
cepted. He is now enjoying good health,
and is therefore in a position to do a great
deal of energetic work for the new cathe-
dral.
The new ediice will be known as the
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. 1t will be
erected on the block bounded east and
west by Clifton avenue and Ridge street,
and north and south by Fifth and Sixth
avenues. The main facade will face south,
fronting Sixth avenue and about fifty feet
back from the street line.
The building will be continental gothic,
style of thirteenth century, n will have
two grand towers. 1t will be a typical
Roman Catholic Cathedral, complete in
all its parts, consisting of nave and aisles.
two transepts, a large ehancel with ambu-
latory. There will be a spacious atriun
and v~estibules, and the choir loft will be
directly over the organ gallery. Around
the chancel ambulatory will be eight
chapels, two of which will face into
TRANSCRIPTS. One of the chapels will be
quite large NJ will be supplied with a
separate sacristy and clustered passage
to n from the future episcopal resi-
dence, which will be built adjacent to the
new cathedral. and which will be occu-
pied by Bishop Wigger, who will Their
give up his residence at Seton Hall Col
lege, as has already been told in 'sThe
News
The foundation walls of the new build
ing will be Of granite. The total interior
width will be e~ighty-six feet, and the in
terror width Of the ransepts will be forty
four feet. The total interior length of tbs
and rear chapel, will be 25S feet. The total
exterior width across transepts will be
$50 feet. Exterior length from front to
rear walls, 309 feet; height of nave ceiling,
oG feet = hniUbf nf 9iEla pNi1inCs 40 fant
The total floor. area of the church and
chancel will be about $4,000 square feet
There will be seating room for 1900, with
ample standing room for $500 additional.
The crypt. or cellars, will extend unde
the chancel, chapels and sacristies only,
with iron beams and brick arches to sup
under the site will be of gray sand
tone, and foundation walls and piers will
be level in solid rock.
The diagonal position of the towers
gives great breadth and effectiveness to
the facade. and variety and beauty to the
prospective effect when erected. The east
ern tower, or as it will also be known,
the "GesiI" tower, will consist of -four
the spire, and may be from 800 to $50 feet
high. The second tower, caller the "B. v.
NJ" tower, will consist of three square
stages, two octagonal stages and the spire.
and may be from $50 to 500 feet high. Both
towers will be built of stone.
In the elevation the towers and spires
Will lOL CG Treated hike. l. neY are QlIIer-
ent in design and different in height. This
carries out a recognized rule of ecclesiasti-
cal architecture. as we'll as an old Catholic
tradition and custom. The "Gesu'' tower
and spire is DISTINGUISHED by strength and
dignity in its treatment. the square plan
developing into the octagon at the fifth
stage. The western or "B. V. M" tower
is treated in a more elegant and graceful
manner the square plan developing into
the octagon at the fourth stage. The
eastern tower is emblematic of our Lord,
while the western tower is emblematic
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The three spacious front entrances
shown in the plans will admit the con
gregation from, and in exit deliver them
on to, a large piazza or platform, from
which by three low and easy steps the
ground may be reached. Each of these
entrances will be Sx14 feet.
In the ~tyrnpanum over the front en-
trance doors viii be bas-reliefs in stone
or stained glass windows, with appro-
pirate subjects thereon. The transept en-
frances will also be spacious, and will
be treated in a similar manner.
All interior masonry arches are to be
built of best hard burned brick. The nave
and chancel columns are to be of polished
Scotch or American red granite, made as
small as is consistent with correctness Of
proportion and the weight. they are in
tended to carry. The carved caps of the
columns. will be of white marble. The
bases of the nave columns will be of
polished.
The internal construction frame will be
of steel. The roof will be covered with
porous terra-cotta and blue or red slate.
BILE. The sanctuary ratings and chapel
ratings will be Of marble also, and will
have bronze metal work gates.
Al windows are to be filed with heavy
stone tracery, and the stained glass WIN
dows will be enriched with such scrip