New-York tribune., 1903-03-06
CRITICISE SCULPTURES.
FOR HILL OF RECORDS.
Friction Because Hmgan s aattery
Did Not Present General Plan.
CHESTER I. LONG.

The Municipal Art Commission. OF which John
De Witt Warner is president has. II was
learned last night at the home Of the Fine Arts
Federation. in West Fifty-seventh-st.. returned
for alterations certain designs for sculptures for
the new $6OOO0OO Hall Of Records. submitted
by Horgan & SIattery, the architects. and the
indications are that lively fight will soon
be on between the Art Commission and the ram
many architects.
The Hall Of Records was designed by Jonn
r. Thomas to be the handsomest municipal
building in this country. In point OF COST it is
said it will by the time it Is finished be the
fifth CostIiest public building in the United
States. The site. including the condemnation
fees. cost 81, ,5O7, ,496. John Peirce secured the
contracts both for construction and equipment
The construction contract called for payment
Of 81 997 800 For finishing and equipment his
contract calls for 81 $4,000; total, S5,464,396.
The Board Of Estimate and Apportionment IN
January decided to finish the structure through
out IN marble according to Mr. Thomas's orig
inal plans and appropriated S230OOO for the diff
ference between the cost of marble and cement.
This sum- with inevitable extras. and the proba-
bty that there Will be mural decorations,
Justify the statement that the structure will
cost to exceed $6OOOOOO-
TROUBLE LONG BREWING.
AS matter of fact trouble has been brewing
for months between Horgan & Slattery ana
the Municipal Art Commission, and it has re-
quired all the tact and moderation at the COM
mand of the more conservative members Of the
commission to prevent an outbreak OF criticism
directed at HOrgan & Sattery and the scuIptors
they have called in to do the marble decorative
work Horgan & Slattery never have furnished
the Art Commission any general plan for the
sculptures and decorative marble work Under
the terms OF the contract. John Peirce the gen
eraI contractor for equpping the new build
Ing engaged H. K. Bush Brown to design the
somewhat elaborate statuary. Mr.. Bush-BroWn
has shown willingness to please. and so have
Horgan & S1attery. apparently. but they have
not been able to satisfy the Art Commission
Recently Horgan & Slattery submitted design
for large sculptured group for the Chambers
st. front OF the building 1t was not approved.
Probably all would have been we'll with the
work had it not been for the death Of John R.
Thomas the architect about eighteen months
ago Mr. Thomas received something Of a shock
when the Van Wyck = bard of Estimate and Ap-
portionment decided in favor of a certain grade
of granite at an advanced cost of $40O,OOO- Mr..
Thomas told his friends afterward that he didn't
know why it was done, a different granite
would have been just as attractive and endur-
ing. He never worked out in detail plan for
the scu1pture and art work Of the building be-
caTsa he was afraid that advantage would be
taken of the details by men who were skllIeu
in holding up plans until thelr own selISL Ii G I
we're subSeryed Had he lived there would long
hefore this have been a general plan for the
decorative features of the Hall or RecoTdS. Al
ter his death Horgan Sattery suGcegue4 ,I NH
Mr. Perce, the contractor, engdSeu MI. Puol-
brown as sculptor. While the archltectS' HOT
gan & Sattery, have absolute conttot OF an 'iIS ne
huiIdinR pIans Mr. Peirce, under the leILIiS rI VI
~ 9+r,Ct has to pay the sculptor. There
rae set aside in the contract the sum OF So0,OOO
for the sculpture. Whether tnat sum ""0 ''O
- a
GENERAL. PLAN DEMANDED
,,.,., tba advent Of the Low administration
oan,e the Jurisdiction of the new Municipal Art
Ir,,,,,,,ission Members of the Fine Arts Fed
Grafton at once began to inquire OF the COM
,,ies;on about the art work on the Hall OF Rec-
ords Little could be told them. as Horgan q
Slattery were not submitting Tucn III 'nC t "d'
of plans When they dld at ldSI oest.l - ,,.orL,
NIT details for some of the less important % NJ n,
the Art commission in substance Sald: Sii0N IIE
us your general plan for the ueGo.e' NJ,
rannot tell whether the minor detdliS are a.
cepta HE untiI we know the general PldH'
Rrou,inp after drawing from the arcnltectS
has been returned to tneIi Mt IN Isen furnished
and at pTesent the decorative arr S Leaou IT, 81
the building in a conoluon oI z oI0T - baad
onv+rsct caIIs for the following under the hedu
Of sculptures:
rto contractor shall provide and set two Scurit-
ured groups of three Or or mGr9 H6amberssf entrance
Two seated figures. one on each cheeK Er IhG GI1r
tWenty-1OuF Single -,
IRE ueSuo SnodsstaIs above main cornce between sixth
on i'ga1,o on Centre-st. front and on Cham-
bora and Reade-sts pavtlons ana 5"o El"SIl1S S G
St,nDn one group over each east anu west uoOI III
x be in the best selected aWIess
!SsS SroTs statary marble, OF the size shown
All other of this statuary VIII pe III IIls T.
Iantad 0aulpss Hallowen Statudry. sIdIHtCi + oL
II feet by IL feet in height; for sacn OF ine seated
soTrcs ( feet by 9 feet by ~ leet ana dor cach
sSi,,1 ferre 3 feet s inches. 1eet ) lncheS
sInare sdanqtnb bv 81 3 feet inches high.
rorougb President Cantor will report at the
- ',aetirp of the Board of Estimate and APP
.iarIoent on the specifications for the marble
pthj1o for the new building. In view OF the
tact that no general plan for the more costly
I,,or,,ia work has been submitted to the Art
1ro,,T1issfon 1t Is not likely that he will adver-
+iSa yor bids The additional marble work would
nst Horgan & Slattery about $1,000 in COM
mlEsions.
Arthur 7 Horgan. of the firm of Horgan &
s,atterv. said last night. when asked about the
report that some Of the designs for sculptural
york On the building had been returned to his
Gr,, for alterations. that he had not submitted
orv such designs and that the report in
correct.
John De Witt Warner president of the Mu-
ntcIpal Art Commission. said
As Horgan & Slattery the architects OF
the building, all the designs for sculptural work
must he submitted through them To the pest
"f nv memory the ma Jority of the designs for
the sculpturaI work were accepted as originally
drawn Those that were not at hrst approved
were I think, resubmitted and approved as al,
tered Whether not any OF these sculpturat
designs were drawn by Horgan & Slattery 90