The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-17
BIDS REJECTED
 FOR UNIVERSITY
 N More Contractors Given Chance on New Buildings TO BE. FURTHER ADVERTISED McKim of New York Elected Consult ing Architeet-New Bids Will
 Be Opened In About 60 Days.
TO BE FURTHER ADVERTISED

As result of the meeting of the build ing committee of the board of trustees of the University of Alabama, held yes- terday afternoon in the office of the di- rectors of the First National Bank build ing, all bids for the contract of erecting two new buildings on the university camp us have been rejected, and preparations put on foot for the advertisement for new ones.
 It is very probable that the action of the building committee and the trustees was based on the claim that there had original bids. It Is certain that numerous contractors registered complaint that they had not received notification. and stated that they desired to enter the bidding. In addition there were other reasons for the rejection of all the bids. The uni- verslty retained the right of course, to reject all if it saw fit, and 1t may have been that none of the bids received was satisfactory to the majority. Then, too, on account of the decrease in the price of l material and labor 1t was considered probable that after 60 days the two struc- lures could be erected at a cost probably as great as 10 per cent less than the fig ures quoted yesterday afternoon. The lowest bid received yesterday was based on stucco material, and touched the N6O,- 900 figure.
 l One of the strongest speeches made at 1 the meeting, and the one on which the action of the body was taken. was that of Judge Henry B. Foster of Tuscaloosa. Judge Foster desired that before letting the contract the building committee and trustees should be satisfied fully and | that the people of the state should be 1 satisfied. He argued, too, that there should be general advertisement for bids, so that every contractor would be given a chance to land the job. After this speech the body rejected all bids received and planned to advertise for new. Bids will be requested on the erection of two buildings to built d) of stucco, @ of prssed brick, (3) of stone. The two build ings will be erected at an estimated cost of $l65,OO0
 The buildings will be an engineering building and a building for the chemical and geological Laboratories. The en- gineerng building will be the "comer' building named in honor of the governor and the other will be knoWp> as the "smith'' building. in ho1e Dr. Flu l at the university, and the well known state 1 geologst.
 Second only to rejecting the bids, the most important feature of the meeting | was the election of Architect Mckim of the firm of McKim, Mead & White, New York. as conferring architect of the uni versity. This firm is the best known in the United States, if not in the world. The late Stanford White was the junior part ner The acceptance of MT. MeKim will necesstate the coming of that noted ] architect to Alabama.
 Present at the meeting yesterday were 1 B. B. Conner, governor of Alabama, and president of the board of trustees, who presided; Maj. H.. c. eunnels, superip- tendent of education, an ex-officio mcm- her of the board of trustees, and the fol- lowing: Thomas M. Stevens, First 'dis- trict M. P. LeGrand, Second district; J. H. Johnston, Fourth district; Daniel Pratt, Fifth district; Judge Henry E. l Foster and Judge T. W. Coleman, Sixth 1 district; H. T. Davis, Seventh district; l Hugh Morrow, Ninth district; T. c. Me- 1 f,la,lan and E H Glenn representing the Eighth and Third districts. respec- lively, were unavoidably prevented from attending.
 It was considered probable by the trus- | tees. after the meeting, that the next bids l would be opened in about 60 days.