Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-15
Many Uses to Which the "City
Hall" Has Been Put.
4 DISMAL TALE OF JOINT OCCUPANCY
How Municipal Offices and Courts
JostIed Each Other.
HALF CENTURY OF FRICTION

for more than three-fourths of century
as the "City Hail. and Court House." 1t
will be seen that the local government, as
early as 1920, provided in the municipal
buildings accommodations for the federal
courts and officers attache thereto. That
having been later given over near
ly entirely to those courts, the city gov
which gave them shelter when
they had no permanent home, now finds 1t
self as the courts were then. And it is to
be hoped that the District government will
receive at the hands of the general govern
ment as generous treatment as its predeces-
sor THE corporation of Washington gave
in providing for the judiciary accommoda-
tons in which to administer the federal
laws in the infarcy Of the capital.
From the experience gained during about
half a century with federal authority in
the eastern part of the building and mu-
nicipal power seated in the western por-
ton Ito say nothing of the basement in
which were armories for artillery and In
fantry, lawyers offices and living rooms),
there is a general local desire that in what
ever building erected for the District gov
eminent only municipal business shall be
transacted.
The Early Efforts.
The subject of municipal building came
when the councils mcJ in the Masonic Hall
on 18th street below the avenue in the
first decades of the city government the
mayor and committees were requested to
procure more suitable quarters. such action
having been taken in 1909 and again in 1874
The resources the corporation then did
not Justify large expenditure: III fact, the
means Were not at hand, either for city
hall other indispensable projects-the
education of the youth and the erection of
a penltentiary for IN" confinement of law
breakers. Congress, by the act of 1872,
longer, conferred on the corporation the
power to raise ten thousand dollars an
nual!y to carry out these projects. bat the
Intervention of war depression of business
and the difficulties with which the young
municipality Struggled. retarded the cree
ton oc the buildings, especially the city
hall
The city, through the lottery privilege
and the collection of taxes, had been en-
abled to erect the two school buildings and
the penitentiary tworkhouset, and toward
1870 the erection of city hall was de-
termined upon. The authority to use the
site uhe south portion of the Judiciary
Square, had been previously granted by
President Monroe, and the committees of
the councils proceeded with the work by
adopting the plan of G. Hadfieid architect,
which contemplated a structure surmount-
ed by an imposing dome. In justification
of adopting the plan for so imposing a
structure the authorities. after mentioning
the erection of the school houses and other
buildings, refer to the prior neglect of the
courts, which had been sometimes crowded
into small obscure rooms at the Capitol as
signed to them by the doorkeepers of Con-
gress and at times the tribunal to represent
the dignity of the national government and
maintain the majesty of its laws was COM
PEELED to seek temporary accommodations
in the most public rooms of public taverns;
thus presenting the disgraceful spectacle
of violations of law and punishment of
a m lFfr alnf ,avt
ments separated from each other by only a
light partition. The records of the courts,
too, upon the preservation of which the
fortunes, and in many cases the reputa-
tons, of not only the people of this District
but of great numbers who reside beyond
Its limits. in great measure depend. have
been, and still are, constantly exposed to
loss and destruction by fire and other
causes for want of secure places of de-
post. Under these circumstances the CITY
councils did not hesitate to assume a task
whith of right devolved on Congress, and
therefore they determined to erect not
merely building for the use of the cor
poration offices, but an edfice calculated to
anord ample accommodations and full Sc.
curity to the courts and records of the Dis
trict." :
Work Begun.
In the summer of 1899 the foundations
of the edifice were prepared, and on Au-
gust ~ the corner stone was laid with i'm
posing ceremonies. The published invitation
Of Mayor SmallwoOd to the citizens to take
part on that occasion says that the build
ing will be devoted to municipal purposes
and Will be the seat of legislation and of
the administration of Justice for this me-
troI,olis when it shall have reached it's des-
tined populousness, and is therefore to be
erected on scale worthy Of the uses for
which 1t is intended. 1t is therefore to be
constructed with view to a durability
which will extend beyond the age of any
OF the living"
The corner stone was laid by the Masons
Grand Master Hewitt 1he register of the
city, having charge. The address after the
Masonic ceremonies was delivered by Mr.
John Daw.
The building was so far completed thai
| the inauguration of Mr.. Carberry as may.
| or in June, 1922, and the organization Of
| the councils took place therein, and among
| the members were Messrs. W. w. Seaton
r. c. Weightman, VIM. A. Bradley and
| Gen. Peter Force, who afterward filled the
mayoralty. The lottery scheme did moi
prove great success financially, for there
| was sentiment in the country that such
| business belonged to the states and cou.t
| not be delegated to Congress. The firm
managing this business defaulted and thu
| corporation was sued in the courts. Con
| sequently the work was retarded, and Il
| may be said that it was never entirely fin
| ished. No attempt was made to place
dome on the structure, as originally plan
| ned and the north wall of the old buildin,
never received more than a coat of white
| wash toward its establishment
| Distribution of Rooms.
! AS the apartments were completed thu
officers of the corporation moved in, on thu
main floor, west wing, the mayor taking
the first room to the right. his clerk ad
joining. and next the register, while tn,
! collector of taxes took the rooms opposite
The large chamber to the left of the mall
entrance. 20 by 30 feet. was the chambe
of the board of common council mow use'
by Criminal Court No. o. and 1t was whel
occasion required used by the courts. TIL
board of aldermen located in the room di
rectly over the south door of the ives
wing now occupied by the Court of Ap
peals. and the rooms on this story were oc
cupied by the surveyor and committees
| In the east wing, main story. the marsha
had the rooms to the left and the clerk O
| the court took those on the right. TIL
large chamber now used by Criminal Cour
No. l was that of the Circuit Court for tn
District For fitting up the court rooms i
1929 Congress appropriated $4,000. Som
of the rooms in the upper story were use
BY the land record branch of the clerk
office and the Orphans Court and reglst.
of wills.