The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-15
selma's Public Building.

Sid H. Nealy, special representative of
 the Government, arrived in Selma last
 night for the purpose of picking out a suitable site for the new postoffics build
 ing, authorized by the last Congress to
 be erected in this city.
 Mir. Nealy rode all over the city this
 morning and got a good idea of the 1oca-
 ton of the residence portion of the town,
 which he says. will enablc him to arrive
 at q proper location for the building. He expr essed himself as being delighted with
 the beauty of the city, especially the resi-
 dence portion of West Selma. and said that in all of his travels he had never seen but one or two pla ses more attractive to the eye.
 Mir Nealy is the oldest architect in the
 employ of the Government, and his prin- cipal business is going around locating sites for public buildings. He talked about the sites that had been offered. | Only three lots had been offered the Gov ernment under the sealed bids asked for, viz, the Robbins lot, corneor of Alabama
 and Lauderdale; the lot across the street 1 from Mrs. John A McKinnon's lot, corner Alabama and Church Streets, and the
 Melvin and Erhart lot, at the head of Water Street, on the Siver bluff, at the
 foot of Church Street.
 | MT. Nealy said that this latter lot did | | Government at all as a building had to | have streets on two sides of 1t and as the l Melvin lot only had street in front, he | had marked 1t off of his list entirely. l The law requires that lot to erect | Government building on should be lbOxl6S l feet in size. As only 100xlS0 feet had
 been offered him In the lot opposite Mrs. McKinnons, he said that site would not do unless other property could be ac- l ! ;N Dol inc had l offered him 150x150 feet at the corner of
 Alabama and Lauderdale Streets. This | included a slice off of Mrs. McKinnon' s | property. which she consented to sell to MT. Robbins in order to make the lot | large enough but even with that the lot
 is fifteen feet short one way still.
 MT. Nealy said he had looked at several | other sites that had not been offered, and
 was going to buy lot that he thought | best suited for the purpose. The govern
 ment, he said had had a great deal of | trouble by locatngf a public building on
 business thoroughfares and when courts
 were established the noise was so great | that it interfered with public business, | and that on this account building on | some nearby public street was preferable | He alluded to the fact that building did | not necessarily have to be located on a | business street, so perfect was the car Tier system. but it should be selected with
 a view to accommodating ladies, who vis-
 ited the postofice in greater numbers than business men.
 Mir Nealy was shown around to the different sites that had been submitted to | the government by George w. Lewis, As sistant Postmaster He was met at the | Hotel Albert at 4 o'clock this afternoon
 by the Committee appointed by the Cham | Der of Commerce, and several other prom inent citizens and the site for the build ing was discussed.
 MT. Nealy came here from Gainesville
 Fla, and he hopes to get through with | his business by tomorrow afternoon, so | that he can go to Washington.