The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-22
The Federal Building.


the supervising architect Of the gov
eminent Ii in favor OF q public build
Ing In Seattle to cost not less than
s750.Ooo or 100000. and he is willing to
recommend that one costing 100000
be erected. This recommendation Is
based upon an investigation OF the
needs of this city as center for doing
federal business, and. inasmuch as
these Investigations should take into
consideration both present and prospec-
tive demands, the advice Of the SUPER
vising architect ought to carry great
WEIGHT.
In the eagerness to get public build
ing the serious mistake has been made
in many cities OF accepting any
thing that was offered. provided
1t was building The result had
been that many Of the government
buildings are now small and wholly
unsuited to the needs OF the pres
ent time. In the West especially
many cheap structures have been
put up which, while they were adequate
to the demands Of the times when built.
are now crowded with tenants and
quite unsuited to the needs OF ever-in-
creasing public business. Insignificant
in size and OF an architecture supposed
to be appropriate for a small building
in small place. they have with the
growth Of the West been surrounded
by more stately modern structures
which make them offensive In an ar
tistic sense. to say nothing Of their
uselessness in accommodating officials
in the employ of the government.
No such mistake should be made in
Seattle. The government will need a
large building here. and the people
should not be satisfied with an inferior
structure OF common design which ten
or fifteen years from now Will be cut up
into small offices and so crowded as to
make every tenant uncomfortable and
the transaction OF business difficult.
There IL not a federal department rep
resented here the business of which will
not increase, and 1t will be well to take
this fact into consideration. The amount
of work now being done by men in the
employ Of the United States is large.
but It is nothing compared. with what
will be done in the future. The needs
of the postoffice are growing constantly
as its business increases. The federal
court is here with marshal. attorneys
and other officers and should be accom-
modated in a federal building. There
is the deputy collector Of customs and
the attaches of his office, with a busi-
ness more important than ever. The
same may be said Of the internal rev.
enue office. the land office, the office OF
United States inspectors and special
agents. Here is the assay Office. which
will in time grow into q mint, purchas-
ing agents, supervisors of naval con-
struction and several other government
officials. all Of whom ought to be ac-
eommodated in building owned by the
government.
Equally important are the officers
stationed here for the purpose Of trans
acting the business of the war depart
ment. With the establishment of the
army post and making Seattle the
headquarters Of the department Of
Washington and Alaska. the necessity
for ample accommodations can be cas-
lily appreciated. The force, both of off,
GERS and clerks. must be considerably
increased as the Alaska service is en-
larged and this is made an important
point of shipment for the Philippines.
The engineers are already here, and
their work will increase year by year.
recruiting office will be maintained.
and the demands of the army alone
will require the use Of building of no
small dimensions.
In view Of present needs. which neces-
state the renting Of quarters in half a
dozen buildings in different parts of the
city, and taking into consideration the
probable demands of the future, 1t can
be seen at once that large building
such as the supervising architect recon-
mends Is needed here about as much as
in any other city of the country, and if
proper showing is made Of present
necessities any congress disposed to
deal fairly with all sections OF the coun-
try cannot fail to be impressed with
the inadequate accommodations now al
lowed federal officials. 1t is to the
interest Of the government to erect a
building here, and II it is to be con-
structed with the idea of providing for
the government needs for many years
to come it cannot be built for sum
less than that suggested by the super