The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-06
THREE SOLUTIONS ]. OFFERED BY BOWMAN High Building Necessary for
 County Courts GET AWAY FROM NOISE skyscraper Courthouse Should Be Lo- cated in Capitol Park, On Site
 of Present Building Or
 On Jail Site.
GET AWAY FROM NOISE

P. G. Bowman, a prominent attorney at law, in discussing the matter of new courthouse yesterday, stated that the time had come when Jefferson county should take some steps toward 1 remedying the present crowded condi- 1 ton of it's courth ouse. MT. Bowman states that the county should do one of three things: Join hands with the l city and build handsome joint city i hall and courthouse in Capitol park; tear down the present courthouse and build a new one in the center of the property now occupied by the court house and jail, or build a skyscraper structure on the Fourth avenue corner of the courth ouse property.
 '"rhe best plan of remedying general conditions would be for the city and county to join hands and put up a $2 000,000 building in Capitol park to be used Jointly as a city hall and court house. This proposition was brought up once before and the only objection raised was that it would ruin the park This was a false idea. A courthouse would occupy no more than part of
 
 the rema inder of the grounds could be converted into one of the most beauti- ful places in the country. There is no place in the United States more beauti- full than the park around the courthouse at Richmond and that around the capi- tol in Washington. So this matter does not stand in the way.
 "The Birmingham Realty company has reversionary interest in the park property. If it is converted to other use than for park or as a site for the state capitol the ownership re- verts and the property goes back to the realty company. But the capitol will never be erected in Birmingham and the Realty company has no ob- lection to the erection of a courth ouse on the property.
 Tt Is my opinion that what ought to be done is for the city and county to get together and put up IA or 16- story building in the park. Such a building would answer for years to come and it would be out of the way of the noise of traffic and thoroughly convenient. The city hall property and the property occupied by the court house are worth easily s750,0O With the issuance of $1,000,000 worth of bonds the handsomest courthouse in the south could be erected.
 Such a building as I have mentioned would rear itself above everything and would be visible from every train run ming into Birmingham. It would be II, i9o nf nd Twentieth street from Capitol park to Five Points would be made the finest building street in the south.
 "If the Capitol park proposition is not adopted the next best proposition is to demolish the old courthouse and erect a skyscraper building in the center of the property now occupied by the coun- ty buildings and jail.
 "The courthouse is thing of beauty but not one of real practical use and convenience. It looks very we'll from the outside but on the interior 1t Is @ shoddy structure and there is not one square foot that is really adequate and fit for the purpose for which 1t is being used. The offices of every clerk are nothing more than public lobbying places and there Is not single court room with a chamber for the presiding judge. The building is inadequate from the very roof to foundation and should be razed to be replaced by a modern and thoroughly adequate building.
 ''I simply wish to point to one other matter relative to the old courthouse. It is right down on the street and the trial of cases is interrupted by the yell of every boy on the street, let alone the noise of street cars and other passing traffic There are eight courts of record in the old building and it costs the county $25 an hour to run each of these courts. I speak of the minimum time when I say that the Interruptions of the courts from noise on the streets con- sume two hours a day. Every time a car passes the trial must stop so the judge, witnesses and jurors can hear ques- tions and testimony. These Interruptions cost the county $4OO a day. This item would pay for a courthouse in the course of comparatively few years.
 "So one of the main propositions is to get out of the way of noise and other worries from the outside by getting up in the air, and if the Board of Revenue does not see fit to adopt either of the