Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-15
WATER BUILDING
PLANS ACCEPTED
STRUCTURE TO BE d STORIES
AND COST S15O,000
WILL BE ERECTED AT FIFTH AND
OLIVE STREETS
First Story VIII Be Built of Granite,
and Remainder of Terra
Gotta TiIing on Steel
Frames

The board of water commissioners
yesterday accepted architects plans
for a four-story building to cost $780,,
600 which they will erect at Fifth and
Olive streets for the use of the water
department and the aqueduct bureau.
Work on the building will be begun
as soon as contracts for its construc-
ton cam be let, and it probably will
be completed by December /, as the
present quarters occupied by the de-
partment must be vacated at that
time
The new building. will be of modern
construction in every detail and the
commissioners believe lit will be the
handsomest public building in the
city. Severely plain in design with
tall, Corinthian columns to set it off,
it will be a credit to the department
and to the city.
The lower portion of the building
will be constructed of granite, the up
per three stories to be of terra Gotta
tiling with a frame of steel. It's foun-
dation will be sufficiently massive to
support ten-story structure, al
though only four stories will be built
at present.
If it is possible the lower part of
the building will be built of stone from
the owens river valley. This granite
is said to be superior for building pur-
poses to any found elsewhere in Cal
ifornia, and the samples brought in
by William Mulholland, chief engineer
for the aqueduct board, have been
pronounced by experts to be OF a quar-
ity not surpassed elsewhere in the
world. The owens river granite will
be used if it is possible to get the
railroad extended to the quarries by
the time the material is needed. At
the present time the road reaches only
to point nine miles from the quar-
ries, but it probably will be extended
at once
Select Convenient Site
In selecting a site at Fifth and Olive
streets, the water commissioners be-
lieve they are getting as near the CEN
ter of population as possible. owing
to the fact that large numbers of water
consumers are obliged to call at the
office each month the commissioners
searched diligently for a location
which would accommodate the great
est number.
The building will be paid for en-
tirely by the water department, thus
saving the city an additional tax or
bond issue. 1t is estimated 1t costs
the city between $4,000 and $2O0OO a
wear in rent for offices used by the
TEN. and this sum will be saved The
commissioners estimate the money paid
out in rent annually will liquidate at
maturity the bonds of the structure.
The building site was purchased for
$4,000 about three months ago. 1t
is 155 by 90 feet and the new building
will occupy almost all of it. 1t will be
built larger than necessary for present
needs in anticipation of accommodating
the electric power department of the
aqueduct, which will be established as
soon as the big ditch is completed.
Room will also be reserved for de-
partments controlling the interurban
water supply.
The general offices will be situated
on the first floor, which will be more
convenient both for the public and the
department than the present quarters.
The other floors will contain the prl-
vate offices of the heads of depart
ments and a large drafting room, the
need of which has been felt for years.
The commission held meeting yes
terday afternoon to consider bids for
the excavation work No awards were
made and the matter was referred to
the building committee.