The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-03
PUBLIC BUILDING SITES
FIVE MORE TO BE SELECTED IN IN
DIANA CITIES THIS MONTH.
Few Contests Are ProbabIe-John w.
Parsons Tells what Has and Will
BE Done I'm the State.
Special to the Indianapolis journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2.-John w. Par
sons, chief of the division Of accounts in the
department of the supervising architect. is
taking an especial pride in the work of Sc
Letting sites for the public buildings to be
erected in Indiana. Elkhart, Richmond and
Muncie have been provided for in the way
of sites and there are five other cities to
be taken care of. They will be selected as
near as possible on the following dates:
Charlottesville, Dec. 16; Anderson, Dec. II;
Hammond, Dec. IS; Logansport, Dec. 10;
V~incennes, Dec. %
Mr.. Parsons said to-day that 1t is posi-
BILE the selection of the Vincennes site may
be delayed until the 18th on account of the
fact that the department was deluged
with work at the time he made his recon-
mendation to Assistant Secretary Taylor.
Under the law thirty days must elapse
after the recommendation is made and no
tice is given the postmaster in the city
where the building is to be erected. In the
case of Vincennes it is possible the en-
ployes were too busy at the time Mr.. Par
sons made his recommendation to get no
tice to the Vincennes postmaster at once.
hence a delay of a few days may be nee
esSary.
In the towns where sites are yet to be Sc
lected there is very little contest over Local.
lions. S far as Hammond is concerned"
said Mr.. Parsons, Il believe tnat nine
tenths of the people will approve my rec
ommendation when the final report is made,
and / think 1t will be the same way with
the Anderson people. OF L~ogansport L am
not quite so sure"
Mr.. Parsons explained that there was
a disposition at Logansport to have the
site as nearly in the heart of the city as
II could ha had Tho ranuirQh am0unf of
ground in the central part of the city would
cost the government $4,000. AS the appro-
priation for the new building is only $780,
900, Mr.. Parsons decided IL would be bad
business judgment TO buy ground at so
expensive a figure. II have recommended
a SITE" he said, "in a part of the city
where it seemed the trend of improvements
would be-"
Mr.. Parsons says he found no DISPOSE
ton in Indiana TO hold UP" the depart
ment for exorbitant prices for real estate.
He gave dealers to understand that they
must make ''rock-bottom' prices, and in
most cases they did so. In the case of
the Elkhart site, over which there was a
sharp contest, there has been no objection
registered with the department since the
site was selected. Mr.. Parsons has been
keeping all the newspaper notices he can
find relative to the Indiana sites. and is
grateful to the newspapers for kind treat
ment. He keeps these clippings for future
reference. Suppose" said he, that In the
next ten or twenty years a future secretary
buildings and decide that the sites were
not just what they should be. If that
should happen 1 would have my Indiana
newspaper clippings to show that at the
time the sites were selected they were very
satisfactory to the people,"
1t is the understanding in tie Treasury
Department That all the federal buildings
for which sites are now being selected will
be started about the same time. While he
does not speak authoritatively, Mr.. Par
sons is of opinion that the actual work
of constructing the buildings will not be-
gin for a period OF about six months. The
first thing to be done is to have sketches
made and these must be submitted TO what
is known as a cabinet board, consisting
of the postmaster general, the secretary
of the interior, and the secretary of the
treasury. This board must approve or re-
ject the sketches.