The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-21
AT The CITY HALL AGAIN
TINS TINE THE GOVERNORS' ROOM
rs CATCHING IT.
Just Why the Building can't he Left In Its
Original Graceful simplicity Art Lovers
Canr Underst and MANY Repairs Made
without Accomplishing Anything.

A loud ha mmering and an incesssnt
scraping announced to the visitors at the
City Hall a few days & that the work OF
rejuvenating the overnors' room on the sec
7 ond floor had been begun again after e long
delay. The room had never been anything
hut a show place for visitors. but it's aspect
was ons Of quie; simplicity which seemed
to be in harmony with the few valuable
relics that were exhibited there. The walls
were covered with portraits Of Washington.
| Jefferson and others OF the fathers, and
with the pictures OF the Governors Of New
York down to Gen. Dix. One Of the OBJ
jects OF interest WAS the writing desk OF
Washington and another the punch bow
presented to De Witt Clinton uFon the cele-
bration Of the opening Of the Erie Canal.
About three years ago the Municipal Art
! Commission decided that the room was not
properly decorated and upon plans drawn
up the Board of Estimate granted an APP
preparation Of s2S COO for the changes sug-
gested. This, il is said. was subsequently
increased by $1,000. II was decided by the
commission to make the room as up 20 date
as possible in spite of its historic traditions.
So the lighting system, which is only rarely
used, as the room generally closes at Z
O'Clock in the afternoon. ives changed from
gas to electricity, and three very costly cut
glass chandeliers were hung from the
ceiling.
When the work was going on the cleo
tricians tore off a section of marble from
the south wall of the corridor on the main
floor of the hall near the quarters Of the
newspaper reporters and cut a hole through
the marble floor. That was three years
ago and the hole in the floor and the stripped
wall are there yet. For a long time the
hole was not even covered, but now the
people are kept from stepping into il by a
few loose boards. In the meantime nobody
seems TO know whose duty il is to fill up
the hole and restore the wall.
In the meantime while the work Of rip
ping and tearing out was going on in the
Governors room il was discovered that the
precious Clinton punch bowl had not been
removed to a place Of safety and might be
smashed at any moment. When the Mayor
heard of this he had the punch bowl put
in the reception room attached TO his Office.
Washington's writing table is also being
properly cared for.
Ii is said tina there have been many
disputes as to the details of decorations in
the room and for n long time the work was
held up. IL is also said that ten coats of
paint were put on the walls in order to get
what the Art Commission says is the
proper tint" This tint is to be maroon
red with a tinge of pink.
In any event when the Governors room
IL opened again for general inspection it's
old friends are not likely to recognize il,
although tho relics will he restored and the
pictures hung again. The gallery Of Gov
errors 10 far from complete, however. M
no new picture has been added to il
for years. There is no picture in the
collection of Tilden. Robinson. Cornell.
Cleveland. Hill. Flower. Morton or any
~ the Governors that came after them.
The city. IL il said. has been niggardly in
this matter and IL IL were not for the
other public spirited citizens the collection
Of pictures scattered through the hall
! would not DO in the condition thar it Is now.
Although there Is a law on the statute
books allowing the Board of Estimate TO
spend $50, 900 annually for the embellish-
ment Of public buildings no appropriation
for the purpose had ever been made and
the money to keep W the collection comes
out ~ private pockets.
There are many protests by art lovers over
the various changes that have been and ara
being mad in the interior Of the City Hall.
The building IL considered almost uni
versally az the architectural gem Of the
city. A number Of years ago some city
official with more zeal than good taste
decided that the mellow colors that had
| come into the marble with age we're nothing
but u coat of filth which no ordinary wash
ing could remedy. SO it was decreed that
the structure SHOULD be skinned. A Sane
blast was turned upon its walls and delicate
carvings and soon the structure looked
as II it had received a fresh coat Of white
wash. But time had been too much for
the plans OF the skinners and now the
beautiful, tones have been restored. par
TALLY at least.
But the interior has suffered TO a greater
degree than the exterior and no one inter-
ested in the building from an artistic stand
point can account for the fact that the
graceful winding double stairway and
the lovely dome over the rotunda nave
escaped the hands Of the vsndals. The
well OF the rotunda could certainly have
been closed and more floors put in the lofty
space. thus giving more room To the officials
who at the time consolidation took place