The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-25
A GREAT JUSTICE HALL.
Courts, Police Quarters, Prison ana
Hospital ALI Unaer One Roof.


The new hall OF justice at San Francisco.
which II nearly completed. has entirely
changed the appearance OF the north end
OF kearney street. The tower, which
rises to a height Of ITO feet bears q big
clock. which may b. seen from all parts
OF the business district. Like all public
works in this city. the ham Of Justice has
been slow In building. The new city nall,
only recently completed, was finished only
after twenty-five years Of tinkering at
various wings and towers. and cost more
than 100000. II could be built today
by any private owner for 3l.5oOoo0. and
built in far better style than the city
built IT,
The corner stone Of the new hall OF jus.
tice was laid on December o. 1885, and II
was expected that ten months would zee
II finished and ready for occupancy In
stead OF this the new building will not be
ready for tho various departments for
three months. It will cost about S32s 900
The hall II In Italian renaissance style.
Ave stories high. with q central tower
The two lower stories are OF stone. the
others OF brick and terra-cotta At the
corners are paviiions crowned with domes.
feature Of the central tower II two long
windows running up four stories. The
clock on the tour will have four faces,
each eight and half feet in diameter.
II viii strike the hours and half hours,
the bell weighing 1000 pounds. As the
sides Of the tower are open this bell will
be heard long distance.
A novelty In arrangement will be the
placing Of the city prison on tho NTH floor
instead OF In the basement On the first
floor are to be quarters for drilling the
police, and on the second floor the quar-
ters for the force and administration Of
hces: on the third the poAce courts on the
fourth the criminal superior courts, and
on the nth the city prison, together with
a model receiving hospital In all the
appointments the police quarters are 10
be unsurpassed In this country
This fine building supplants the old po-
lice quarters and hail OF records. which In
turn occupied the place once famous as
the Jenny Lind theater in early DAYS
Prior to the building Of the theater, the
site was notorious as the location OF the
largest open gambling he'll OF San Fran
cisco In pioneer days. The building was a
low. one-s:ory affair. open day ana night.
and all kinds of gambling games were run
in plain sight Of passers-by on the street.
Bayard Taylor and others have given
graphic descriptions OF this iawless re-
SORT, where thousands Of dollars In gold
passed over the gambling tables every
day. Directly opposite q old Portsmouth
square, where sailors and marines from
the sloop-of-war Porssmou.h rais~a ,ns
American nag on July 8. 1876. 20 proclaim
the occupation OF Northern California by
the United States. In those days and for
twenty years IL was known as the Plaza.
7, was the scene Of many exciting eveufs
In pioneer days. az IL was the fayort,e
place fer holding mass meetings, and sew
erai criminals were ynched there. This
old plaza IL now ornamensed with anf
trees. and In the center In the Stevenson
monument and drinking fountain. erected
20 the memory OF Robert Louis Stevenson,
I, is rectangular granite block. ten fee.
high surrno1nted By bronze casting Of
Spanish gaiieon- II ~as placed here be-
cause the square was favoFite lounsing
place Of Stevenson when he was herr. 4
being thronged with the strange foreign
types from the 'Barhary Coast, and the
senement district that be met and studied.
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