The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-23
new FREE LIBRARY.
Trustees Direct Successful
Architects to Prepare
Working Plans.
LIST OF COMPETING ARCHITECTS
Many Designs Thrown Out
Because Rules Were VIC
lated Work to Begin
at Once.

The trustees of the Free Public LIZ
brary do moi believe in letting the grass
grow under their feet in the matter of
the new building on Jersey venue HAY
ing, as the News, announced yesterday,
selected as the most meritorious plan that
of Brite & Bacon, of New York City, they
at once sent word to that firm to begin at
once with their working plans.
When these are received in Jersey City,
the trustees will go over them, and as DR..
L. J. Gordon expressed it, keelhaul them,
and when they are passed to the salts
faction of the trustees. the specifications
will be drawn up and advertised, bids
will be received, contracts will be award
ed, and the work, the trustees hope. will
be begun in September next. IN one year
hence, D. Y, the new home of the Free
Library will be a condition and not a
theory.
There never was any competition man
aged on a fairer plan thar this now finish
ed. The trustees made such regulations
that no mortal eye, unless there were
Cathode rays in some trustees eye, could
tell whose plan was before 1t. Many
Of the competitors worked their designs
with a Maltese cross or some insignia or
device. When this was perceived the plan
was instantly rejected because it violated
one of the principal rules governing the
competition. Neither was an architect al
lowed to put on a background to his plan,
foreground, clouds, accessories or figures
except one standing figure to give scale
This precluded any possibility of recognd-
ton or collision. The trustees are graft
fed that the competitors numbered some
of the best in the profession in the United
States. as the following list of those who
sent in plans will show
Sutherland Brothers, Washington, DC;
C. +. staub, St. Louis; l.. B. volk, Brook
lyn; Harry D. Coll, Cambridge, Mass; f.
NJ. Wakefield. Boston; Davis & Brooks,
New Britain, Conn; Henry Palmer, New
York City; F. p. Dinkelberg. New York
City; H.gW. Congdon, New York City; w.
S. Dalton, Cleveland, Ohio; Hobart A.
Walker, New York; Calvert Kiesling,
Boston; Totten & Rogers. Washington,
d. c.; w. C. Brocklesby, Hartford, Conn.,;
Frederick Lansing, Brooklyn; J. M. Law
lor, New York; Knowles & Morrison, Jer-
sey city; Rankin & Kellogg, Philadelphia;
OAtdA " LIN ~fC0 1OAh, DOWA
Hauser, New York; Hugh Roberts, Jersey
city; Alderman & Ross. New York; w. B.
Tubby. New York; Fl. Baechlin, Newark;
Benson & Brockway, New York; Cyrus
f. Dean, New York; H. f. Ehrhardt, New
York; C. w. & A. A. Stoughton, New
York: Kohn & Thomas, New York; Smith
& Bloodgood, New York; Fingland &
Savers. Brite 6 Bacon, New York; How
ard & C~auldweil, New York; VIM. Atkin-
son, Boston,; Pierce & Gage, New York;
Ward & Davis. New York; Lord. Hewlett
s& Hull, New York; Whitney Warren, New
York; Stone, Palmer & H%ornbostel, Jersey
City. P. ". Roos. New York; j. H.
Freedlander, New York; Tracy & Ma
gonigle, New York; Neville & Bagge, New
York; L. B. Wheeler, New York.
Out of this long list the committee Sc
lected seven designs which in their opin-
ion met the requirements of the problem.
due regard being paid to practical con-
venience n to artist merit. From these
seven the trustees selected one. that of
Brite & Bacon, whose names they were
not of course aware of until they had
made the award and opened the sealed
envelope bearing the same number as on
the plan. namely Al.
All the other plans were then returned
to their owners excepting the seven, and
six of these will be retained in the GUS
tody of the trustees until the award of
the contract for the library building or
the dismissal of the architect.
In working out the drawing and super
intending the erection of the building the
architects will be paid a commission of 5
per cent.