The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-09
LIBRARY S NJ " HOME
Trustees Invite Competition
From Jersey City Archi-
tects for Proposed
Building.
COST MUST NOT EXCEED sl2o,OOo
Plans Must Provide for a Four
Story Structure to Accom-
modate 100000
Volumes.
Requirements of the Trustees
Leave Nothing to Be- Desired--
Details of the New Lii
brary Building.
Requirements of the Trustees

The tustees of the Free Public Library
have decided to begin the erection
of the new Library building on the site
acquired by them on Jersey avenue, Mont
gomery and Mercer streets. The trus-
tees have $4,000 to spend on the build
ing, which amount cannot be exceeded.
In order that the designs for the building
shall be the best procurable, the trustees
have sent invitations to Jersey City arcnl-
tects to enter a preliminary competition
for the selection of the two architects,
who win be engaged as paid competitors
in the final completion for the new build
ing TO be erected on Jersey avenue, Mont
gomery and Mercer streets, at cost OF
$4,000. exclusive of furniture, ETC., and
of architects fees. The two architects
or firms elected will be paid for their SER
vices in completing their designs an hon
orarium OF $3.50.
Architects entering this preliminary
competition are required to send in three
plans and an elevation on Jersey ave-
nue. The plans to be drawn to the LIS
inch scale and the elevation TO 1-S-inch
scale A section to the l-l6-inch is OPP
tional. The drawings must be in black
ink on white paper and no shadows must
be cast, no brushwork foreground, back
ground foliage accessories of figures ex-
cept one standing figure in the elevation
10 give scale. These plans when finished
are to be sent to Prof. A D. F. Hamlin,
Free Public Library. Jersey City, on or
before April sc. 1898. and none will be re-
ceived after six O'Clock of that date.
On the following Monday Professor
Ifarnlin, the advising architect to the
Board, will open each package and mark
each sheet of drawings, and when all are
marked the sealed envelopes will be
handed to the President of the Board of
Trustees An examination of the draw
Il. Is ysin take place and TWO will be se-
lecred therefrom. The authors of these
designs will be invited to elaborate the
designs for the general competition, par
ssculars Of which will be found below. Jer-
sew City architects taking part in the
preliminary competition should retain
tracings of their drawings, in order that
if they fail in the preliminary conapeti-
tion they may elaborate their drawings
for the general competition.
TIE programme for the requirements o1
the proposed building issued are very
minute. and show that the Trustees are
determined to have building which
Jersey City people may look upon with
pride. The plot purchased covers apoul
: il 300 square feet, extending 2G0 feet along
Jersey avenue and SO feet east on Mont
gornery and Mercer streets, with an ex-
tension of 80 feet further east for
length of go feet, beginning 30 feet south
Of Mercer street. The new building there
fore can have light from three street
fronts and an area in the rear. Because the
adjoining houses on Montgomery street
are set back nearly ten feet from the
building line and inasmuch as the trus-
tees with eommendable judgment do moi
wish TO inJure these owners, tney requesl
cGmpeting architects on no account &c
Sextend the WIfole south end of the library
THAT is. the park front, out to the build
ing line
ing should have three stories and ROOT
story and be planned to accommodate tt
10000 volumes, of which l0,000 may be out
side Of stacks. the flrst story TO be " &c
Is feet high second Is or 221a feet and the
third II to Is feet high. if the second is
Is feet or of less height than IS feet i
the second is 221a feet, floor to floor. The
height of the roof story is left to the
architects discretion.
Since the Trustees cannot spend more
than $4,000 on the building, richness o.
detail and decoration are secondary te
sound construction. light and convenience
Elaborate adornment Is out of the ques
tien. The building must be fire proc
throughout or partly fire proof, ant
partEy of slow burning construction
Stack rooms, stairs, lifts and partitions
must be of incombustible material.
material is left to the architect; but the
trustees suggest that while an exterior
wholly of granite or limestone would Dt
acceptable, if cost will permit It is moi
deemed wise to sacrifice the convenience
or completeness of the interior design
and construction to external display
will be satisfactory if the usefulness OF
the interior be enhanced by means Of
the saving in cost.
The ground floor should, the trustees
Jersey avenue and one each on Mont
gomery and Mercer streets. The latter
entrance admittlng wagon dor TO the fo bay, Sla
the main stairs service, stairway ant
lit. On this floor viii be the stack room
feet. ~ the the Station Delivery, $50 feet; bind
ery. $50 feet; lunch, cloak and toiie
rooms, 1,OOO feet; newspaper room, 2,5O
feet; newspaper files, 5vo feet; ;,s ana stor' y,
S0G feet. making total area Of :, 100 feet
The stack room or wing Will extent
through all the floors, and It may ever
START in the basement and have up u
seven stack stories of ~ feet eacn 20
fhe preliminary competition it will suf11c'
to allow on each floor one foot Of ares
for 81 volumes, and provision must p'
made for 100000 volumes in the stacks
These stacks are to be s, g. II or 10 Zee
long. s or 16 inches deep and 81 to =
inches apart in the clear; interior aisles
Z feet. and wall aisles 21a feet wide
There must be abundant light from win
dows, as nearly opposite each @ cross aisl'
or sr3sace between stacks The stack room
or wing must be separated from the res
Of the library by solid brick walls pro
vided with f1reproof doors
= 0d6 so11are feet to be consumed as fol
lows: Stack room or wing, 1900 feet; worl
room, $40 feet; cataloguing room, 66O feet
delivery room, 300 feet; public card cata
logue, 400 feet; librarians room, private
100 feet, and librarians room, public, 20
feet; reading and periodical room z,5o
feet: ladies' reading room, $40 feet, an
stack room, 300 feet. The work room
and cataloguing should communicate witt
each other, and as abundant light IS re
6llired they are to be separated by glas
partitions only: s.. 3.
The cataloguing room Is TO communicat l.i
directly with the Librarian 81 = Z,
convenient to stairs and delivery desk,
A what is Easter without
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