The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-11-23
TWO EXPENSIVE BUILDINGS.


New York's elaborate capitol at AL
bany is built on land the first purchase
Tor which was made i'm 1868 at an ex-
pense Of $1,000 Other land was aot
quired as needed between 1863 and 1868.
when the first appropriation for con-
i struction was made. and in 1870 addi-
tlonal lan1 10 the value OF nearly $780,
| 600 was purchased. and thereafter the
4 work OF construction went on. on JAN
| Z, 1913, eight years after the laying Of
| the corner stone, the present capitol
was occupied. but work in il has been
continued since. as the eXigencies OF
| the legislature and The public offices re-
quired.
According te Comptroller Robert re-
port made 10 the last legislature, the
total cost Of the state capitol up To Jan
i, 1899, was S24. 244. 1922 and of this sum
s543.llS was for the purchase of land
ard the balance for construction. labor
supplies and interior furnishings and
decorations. The Albany capitol *
pointed at frequently as the most ex-
pensive building in the country 1t has
entailed an enormous expenditure OF
public money.
Buildings constructed through legis-
lation and subject to labor regulations
which are onerous to the state, often
are unduly expensive, but il Is not an
exceptional building in this regard. AL
bany has rival in the city OF Philadel
phia. the City Hall OF which has cost
nearly as much as the Albany capitol
and from recent indications Fl may cosr
considerably more. The official archi-
tect recently submitted TO the public
buildings commission a report on the
work still to be done to finish the build
lng. 1t is expected that $4,000, 900 add- |
tlonal VIII be required to complete the !
buildings. and that between two and |
three years Will elapse before this can |
De done. To date the cost has been |
S22.5Ol 800, appropriated by councils uD |
TO Jan. l, 1899. $l6.s43, 334 Of this was for |
construction.
Precpitancy is seldom characteristics |
of Philadelphia or of its public works |
and the building OF the mammoth cisy |
nall in that town has been going on |
for thirty years. During that period
the business Of the city has grown
enormous and the commission has had
10 meet the requirements as they arose
The population of the city of PhiladeI
phia at the time of the beginning of /
the construction of the city hall the |
original commission TO supervise which
was provided for i'm an act OF the Har !
rlsburg legislature in August 1870, was
$4,000. At that time the various public
dtpartments which are now provided
FOR in the CITY hall occupied ffty-two
offices, whereas the present number OF !
offices occupied is 1i3. showing the
growth OF municipal business i'm the !
meanwhile. the present population OF
1000. 600. being nearly
iouble What il MAS when the cnns4rl+e--
ton Of the city hall was first under I
aken. Last years appropriation for |
he city hall was 81 1000 600 and other '
vcrk uron IL will require. IL is estimate [
a $4,000. 000 additional on Jan. /, 1899 {
mis- was the COMPARISON between the
AlbGry capitol and the Philadelphia I
lty hall In outlay; Albany capitol SEA {
itlO2; PHILADELPHIA city hall. $22, SOL J
81. !
The Albany public building. IL will BE- G
observed, Ia somewhat ahead i'm the r
mount expended. but OUTLAWS upon IL v
ave practically ceased. whereas the
'h'adclphia city hall is not yet COM +
leted and probably before the begin Il
lng OF heXt year will exceed in cost
he sum expended bv New York for it's n
'ate coritol Unlike the Albany struc- II
ure which is at the ton Of a hill. the -
Philadelphia CITY hal is so well stu -
ted for pedestrians that many thou :,
ands OF Philadelphians pass through 10 =,
ach day. how many the Philadelphia | ~
has not computed. -