The Republican journal., 1901-07-11

DOME OF CHICAGo's NEW PosToFFICE.
tor feels confident that he will have his
part of the work done at the appointed
time.
At present there are fully 200 men at
work on the postoffice, and within a
few weeks it is expected that the roof,
all but the dome center, will be in
place. By fall the great dome. with it's
gold leaf thing, will be rejecting the
sunlight, and the interior of the struc-
on whom will devolve the task of
making the Chicago postoffice one of
the most beautiful of all Uncle Sans
buildings.
Visitors to Chicago will not have to
sseek far if they desire to see how work
is progressing on the building. The
site is very fine one in the business
heart of the city. 1t is a full block,
396 by 321 feet. and sure to be sur
rounded by the inevitable skyscraper,
a number of which type of buildings
are already there. The block is bounded
by Adams. Dearborn and Clark streets
and Jackson boulevard. The site is
that of the old postoffice, which was
torn down to make room for the new
one.
According to Government Superin-
tendent Leo Canman, about third of
the stone necessary for inclosing the
walls has been set in place, and all the
stone needful for completion is cut and
In the city. This has done much to
simplify building prospects and to war
rant the contractor in his belief that
he will be through on time. The stone
used and to be used has come all the
way from Frankfort. Me-. via Perth
Amboy, N. j., whittier it was taken by
steamers.
Government work is never hurried
and, as is well known. is sometimes
done at very leisurely gait, but Mr.
Canman does not feel that the CElca-
go building is going up slowly. When
the stupendous dimensions Of the build
ing are considered. one win adult that
construction is proceeding rather rapid
~ than otherwise.
The postottice is 1900 feet around at
the second story. 1t will require 5000
900 bricks, seven tons Of steel and mil
lions of rivets to hold beams and grid
ers together. For purposes of compar,
ison one may say that in the big Mar
shall Field building at Clark and Adams
streets there are LOCO cubic feet OF
stone. In the postoftice the nen are
laying more than :.s22.OO0 feet OF stone
every month.
MIR. Canman furnished me the other
day with some interesting statistics re-
garding the work. Every 30 days 400
900 bricks are laid into the walls. Steel
columns weighing Is tons apiece have
been handled. and stones weighing Is
tons each have been put into place. In
the ordinary steel skyscrapar stone
work is laid on the front only or at
most on the front and one side. but
here stopework completely girds the
building.
Mr.. Canman will not attempt to state
the day when it will be possible to
have the scattered government Offices
in Chicago once more under the same.
roof. He admits that when tt Na..s4
and roof ere complete the work on the
interior will still be Ecrculaan task.
when Contractor Pierce Eas completed
the roofing and the building OF TIE
walls. work on the tower will be next
In order. but 1t ts not thought that
there will be any delay IN this part OF
the undertaking. as the builders will
not have to wait at all to OBTAIN the
necessary supply OF steel.
The fact that the building will be a
two story one. surrounded by skyscrap-
ers. and the further fact that the law
requires that the edifice shall extend to
the limits OF the site. gave the archi-
tect. MIR. Henry Ives Cobb. something
to think about. When Mr.. Cobb first
approached the difficult task before
him. he was told by Postmaster Hes.
ing that. no matter what style Of build
ing he might design. it must be one
that would admit OF light and air in all
parts Of the structure.
Mr.. Cobb devoted considerable time
to study Of meeting these require
nents without gripping governmente
service or producing building thatll
would look like lonely toadstool in a.
forest, and SO well did he do his work
that he has evolved what will be, de-
spite the environment, an architectural
thing of beauty. The plan adopted pro-
vides for two story building covering
the entire surface of the lot, with q
>. cross shaped portion reaching skyward
six stories more, the center Of the crest
rising into an octagonal dome. The
style Of the architecture 10 simple Co.
rinthian, kept free from the superhu-.
GUS concentrations adopted by many
designers in Corinthian art.
The great dome will be one Of the
most attractive features Of the post
ndica IL speci1catiQnR are followed, 90