The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-02
BATTLE OF CITY HALL PARK
sHALB A sKYSCRAPER REPLACE
THE TWEED COURT HOUSED

Recent Pizns fer New Court Mouse Down
sown-what the Defenders OF city
Hall Park Have Achievod-A New
Solution ef the Dinlouity Suggested.
Once again the question OF providing
new and adequate court room facilities
for Now York has como before tho public
In an Intense form, including the matter
OF dte for the court house, and moo
nor II has brought up 4 project OF en-
croaohment upon City Hall Park In the
enowed proposal to utilize the location
Of TIE Tweei si.ovo.ooo steal building.
There are at the present time several
propositions for the erection Of q build
ing on or neal tho site OF the Tweed
Court House. and they have come the
moro to the front as the successivc pro-
ooeAls Of the Court House Commissio on
for sites In or neal Union Square or in
Washington Square have been rejected.
Ono OF the most recent plans put for
ward calls for the erection OF a sky
scraper on the Tweed site. One Of the
hns occupying the attention Of the
Iesislature at the end OF its session last
week authorized the purchase OF land
on the north side Of Chambers street in
connection with the erection Of tho new
court building.
Advocates Of this purchase are d.
~ded. 1t is understood. as to the pro-
reiety o. ~deeirabihty Of purchasing tho
Hand north OF Chambers street to protect
Ine lighting OF the court house. II erected
Nnn the Tweed site. purchasing land there
to add to the area Of City Hall Park
saoh amount OF ground space as the new
building on the Tweed site might over
spread In excess Of that now occupied
By the Tweed building, and purchasing
enough land north Of Chambers street
for the erection on the north dde Of
that th~oroughfare OF an adequate court
md olear-the Tweed building In that
NAss TO be-raxed and it's ground area re-
1torsd to the park.
Judges, lawyers, clients and the city
government, TO gay nothing OF talesmen,
real estate mon and persons merely inter
atod In the city OF New York. are all Civ
ing attention now to the demand for q
psw court house and to the various sug-
,Gsstions - to its site'and character. On
this account and In view OF the latest sug-
eeston for a skyscraper on the Tweed site
In tho park a comprehensive glance at tho
recent history Of the movement for q suit
able court house is instructive, interest
ing and municipality important.
It will open the eyes Of many an earnest
defender OF the City Hall and its park to
realize at this moment the success up to
date OF the effort Of the parks defenders to
clear the park area OF all buildings except
the City Hall itself. q success brought into
all the more prominence by the renewal
OF tine proposition to build a court house
on the Tweed site.
1t Is. now about twenty years since q
great competition was opened to archi-
tects for a plan for public buildings In
City Hall Park, the group to comprise
offices, courts and all the necessary aoces-
sories for the transaction Of the Official
business Of the community. In the con-
test the late Charles B. Atwood came out
ahead with a remarkable and architectu-
rally excellent grouping Of buildings in
whichthe old City Hall was to be preserved
In place. while a municipal Office building
was to flank it on one side. a court house
on the other. and a large record tower
was to rise behind 1t. practically on the
site Of the Tweed building.