The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-02-22
WOULD HAVE
EAST ORANGE SELL
ITS CITY HALL
Members of Council and School
Board Confer Over the
Proposition.
MAYOR AND CHAIRMAN
PERSON ADVOCATE IT
Believe Present High School
Building Would Suit Mu-
nieipaI Purposes.

From time to time a proposition has
been brought up for the sale of the
East Orange City Hall, in Main street,
and the transferring of the present
High School, in Winans street, for use
as the city hall. This would, of course,
necessitate the building of an entirely
new High School. This project has been
informally considered by h members
of the Board of Education and the City
Council in conference, and is very much
favored by some of the officials of the
city. including Mayor Cardwell and Ed
ward S. Pierson. chairman of the City
Council. But there are some members
of the City Council who do not approve
of it at all. There was a conference
between the members of the City Coun-
Gil and the Board of Education, and the
Mayor on the subject last week.
Mr.. Pierson was asked what was said
or done at that conference, and stated
today that there was no de1nite action
AIKEN. but that the matter was quite
generally discussed. Speaking for him
self as an individual member of the
Council. he was in favor of the plan.
provided the city could make a salts
factory sale of the present City Hall
property, that is, that it could realize
at least the amount invested. In an i'll
terview a prominent member of the
City Council salt today:
Il have never thought we'll of the
present City Hall property, and it has
never seemed TO me to have represent
ed a wise expenditure. Already the
saas l.. g.,,-J - 10 ton cf1Aal1 II
has never been much of an ornament
to the city, and 1t is located on a noisy
street, where in the summer time, when
the windows are open, it is very diff
fcult to conduct a meeting on account
of the great noise made by troliey cars
and general traffic, One of our local
clubs. and also one of the fraternal
organizations. have been looking at the
property with the view of purchasing
il, and | believe that q. purchaser car
be found so that the city can dispose
of it at least for the amount that 1t cost
The present High School is entirely
Inadequate for use as such. and in my
opinion, when the Board of Education
makes any change in the matter of
providing room for the large number
of High School pupils that East Orange
has at the present time, it should also
provide for at least ten or fifteen years
to come.
Rather than attempt an enlargement
of the present High School, which we
are told on good authority cannot be
economically done, would it not be bet
ter to find a good central location
wher the new High School would be
an to the city? From those
who have looked over the proposition
the present High School building could
at very slight expense be put in very
satisfactory condition for use as a City
Hall. There is a large assembly room
that could be used for public meetings,
and, if it is to he abandoned as a High
School, it certainly would be better to
use 1t as a City Hall than to leave
open the chance of having it used as a
technical school. The transferring of
this building to the city would be sim
ply a matter of bookkeeping, and what
ever amount was allowed to the Board
of Education for the building would be
just that much toward the expense of
the new High School"