The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-17
RECORDON SKY SCRAPERS
NEW LAW BUILDING GOING Up IN RE-
MARKABLY QUICK TIME.
ArrOw-Shaped Lilies from TOwpath
Furnish the Exterior DecOra-
tive Design.

The new twelve-story law building on East
Market street is almost ready for the be-
ginning of interior work, and it is said that
all sky-scrapng records have been broken
in the rapdity with which the structure has
gone up. The steel frame is completed and
the masons are now working on the eev-
enth story. The building will be ready fer
occupancy in July. three months ahead OF
contract time, which gave the builders till
the latter part of September. On Dec 20 the
contractors left the sidewalk and Jan.
q. about five weeks later. the steel frame
was finished, the terra Gotta for nine sto-
ries was on and the brick work of ten stories
had been set in place. This unusual rapidity
is due to the fact that the people interested
did not start to build till they were quite
ready The building will contain a million
brick, and the weight of the steel will
amount to 800 tons. There are 260 office
rooms. three storerooms, a law library, 34x64
feet, on the top floor, and several consulta-
ton rooms to be used for larger gather
ings than could be accommodated ordinarily
in a lawyers office. Three-fourths of the
building has been leased.
In the exterior decoration of the Law
building are entirely new ideas. Mr.. Glib
son, the architect. with a view to making
the building partake of an American archi-
lecture, resorted to a decorative scheme that
has not only furnished striking effects, but
has drawn it's theme from Marion county
flora. Up along the towpath the arrow
shaped lily plants to be found in the low
lands between the river and the canal and
in the canal itself are part of the natural
beauties of this attractive stretch of scenery.
These lily leaves the architect has studied
carefully, and after noting the curves of the
leaves and the peculiarly graceful, flowing
effects of them he has worked these into
no less than thirty-five designs, each diff
feTent in its scheme, yet all following the
central idea of the leaf. These designs,
some of which make fine geOmetrical shapes,
have been reproduced in the teFra-cotta
blocks which make up the front of the
extensive front Is marked by some idea
from the towpath lilies. One block has a
circle of the leaves, and the flowing erect
spoken of almost gives the appearance of
moving leaves. 1t is surprising that so
much life can be given to a conventional de-
sign. Mr.. Gibson first made blue prints
from the leaves themselves, and, notWith-
standing he has obtained thirty-fiVe different
designs, he by no means exhausted the pos
sbilites. Once before, on another building,
he obtained decorative designs from the pc
culiar seed of the maple. AS far as he knows,
the arrow-shaped lily leaf has not been used
i'm American architecture heretofore. ON
the buildings front several columns run
from bottom to top. and on each column
are five different designs, used alternately.
The cross pieces are made of still another
design and even to the balcony, far up to
the top of the structure. the lilies appear in
other forms. A lawyer asked the architect
what relation lily leaf, particularly an ar
row-shaped one. had to a law building, and
the reply was that the arrow was origin
ally the only form of law, and the use of
way was only an instance of poetic justice.
This, however. did not move Mr.. Gibson in
making his selection, his only idea being to
secure a beautiful decorative leaf.
All the terra Gotta used was made in this
city. as well as the iron work. The steel
came from Pennsylvania and the white brick
from Brazil, Ind.