The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-06-11


bowl were to be parked.
1t can thus be seen that the Irwin
5ot as modified by the Robinson plan
will be smaller than according to pres
'ent street lines.
AS soon as Judge Cooper received the
Governors cable he went to the Survey
office and secured from Territorial Sur
veyor w. E. Wall the figures as to area
of the lot according to present street
lines and the area as it will be If
modified according to the Robinson
plans. 1t was found that in either case
the lot is larger than the minimum
required by the United States for a
Federal site.
Just what inference is to be drawn
from Governor Carriers cable Is not
quite certain. 1t may be that he sees
in this an opportunity to make a start
in carrying out the Robinson plan. If
the United States Government will pay
as much for the Irwin lots as modified
by the Robinson plan, as it will pay
for it according to present street lines,
ythe way is made clear for part of the
Robinson plan at this point, and With
this as start it may be comparative
ly an easy thing to find means to carry
out the olan further.
On the other hand it has been sug-
Gas.ed that inasmuch as w. G. Irwin
accepted the cut in price offered by
Uncle Sam for the lot according to
present street lines, Uncle Sam. who is
a hard bargainer, may be trying to
get the reduced area at the same price
per square foot and hence the whole
site at lower figure.
The Robinson plan, if carried out,
would add little to the Richards
street frontage of the Gore" the plot
marked &C" on the map of the Rob-
inson plan. This would of itself re-
move the objections the architects
nave always made to this plot or
site for the Federal building, namely
that the Richards street front is not
hundred feet.
Indeed, Territorial Surveyor Wall at
about the time Mr.. Taylor was here.
proposed a plan for overcoming this
difficulty by shifting the line of Mer-
chant street between Alakea and Rich
ards a little makai. This would make
the street straighter, would give
frontage of 100 feet to the Gore on
Richards street, would not interfere
with traffic from Merchant street into
King, and would fit into the Robinson
plans whenever they should be carried
out.
THE ROBINSON PLAN.
Just what the Robinson plans for
Union Square the Irwin property and
the property up to Punchbowl street,
are, may best be stated in Mr. Rob-
insons own words. The part of his re-
port devoted to this subject Is as fol-
lows:
II come now TO the third focal point
of the city: the administrative, or Off
.cial center well established at Union
formerly Palace square.
Few cities of the United States are
so fortunate as Honolulu i'm an early
grouping of public buildings around a
single open space. At once for its
present Significance, for its growing
as official business becomes
larger. and for It's past which can not
fail TO have increasing historical in
terest as time goes on, this center de-
mands careful and worthy develop
ment. II demands II the more because
its present Irregularities. its sunny
waste AT one end. its jumbled aspect
~ ~ NHt lpthNltn VI hib lHH |
general air OF shabbiness impaired by |
the grounds around the Judiciary |
structure, now give an unpleasant i'm |
preston where the effect should be or
derby and fine. In remodeling this
space l have been deslroua Of trespass-
ing as little as possible on former eoE-
titians, ana Of emphasizing the histor-
Teal significance Of the center while
securing the desired effect,
las part ~ my report append
blue print showing iho plan worked
out lie principal features are the
freedom from malestation Of the area
occupied BY the grounds af the eEseu-
llbe building, Of old Palace the bring
ing into tho sehems n the isaRalahao
church, the removal ~ the Opera
lieuse from lls present site ana ~ the
garage on the makal elaa # klnE
street lhe purchase faf these purposes
~ little lana The provision ~
.hales II three aaaa slles faf the Fast
aiiiaa. ana ~ = nea slte "a tbs Opera
llaasf ihe uililssllan II lAs naals
sfaea n ne FlIset
81 nlafa detail IL dHaa eaHfams