The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-12
NEY COURT HOUSE, new SITE
ARCHITECTS AGAINST THE
CRY HtGL PALsk PLAN.



ton sinc, ip3 will be- decided next Friday
at a hearing before the Boari Of Estimate.
The present indications are that the
port OF the Court House Boart favoring
. new building in city Hall Park viii be-
adopted. The plan IL strongly Oppos-d.
however by tho COMMITTEES appointed
by tho New York chapter of the American
Institute Of Architects tn consider the
ndviaahility Of various sites proposed
This committee. which was appointed
a week ago with orders Ia report to the
institute last Wednesday. consists Of
George II. Post GrosVenoT Atterbury. d.
Everett Waid and Arson Phelps Stokes
The committee received an early copy Of
the Court HOUSE Boards report Ia the
Mayor favoring the site in city Hall Park
and has found that the site will occupy
more than one-fourth - the entire area
of the park and more than one-haH % the
space al present unoccupied.
nember Of the committee said yes-
tersiay that while the committee had not
had time - decide on what they consider
the bee1 site outside of the park the mem
begs we're a unit in concluding that n site
should be- found e.sswhere u the city can
find the money
One OF IN. strongest points made
against the architects and others who
oppcse placing the new court house in
Cisy Hall PARK ~ the demand for an i'm
mediate decision. The first court horse
bnard which waa charged with the duty
Of finding "a suitable spot tor the new build
inR was appointed iR 1910. The first
board in a ma oTity report suggested Mul-
hasry Bend a. the proper place. while
n minority favored "a safe comprised by
h.. Ill
u Records No action was taken by the
Board Of Estimate upon either of theS'
suggestions, and another WAS made recon-
mending n plot iro'n Fourte-nth To SIX
tenth street ga the cas- sid" ~ UHson
square. THIS recommendation Was made
in 1877 on thu advice of Prof. \ %. y.
Hamhn of Columbia. ~ho WAS called IN
No an expert.
The site IN Union square was turned
down ant the board then informally
recommended z,i- "a Washington
square. which was also rejected.
The Court House Poe ~ - rpcons, r,,ct~ti
by Mayor t;aynor CONSISTS pf MnrGsn J
O'nrien. Cherries stratus Luther l.. Kel-
Iogk. y. e Potter Pnd EdwF ~ GrOut
Wy the time this hoard VIZ appointed
experience had shown that meet lawyers
were strongly against new court house
IN any uptown district unless tine place
fixed upCn ives nesT a subway station
and that the pr-PORdersncs of opiniOn
was in favor Of site "n oT near the
present ope
The original hall Uasssd 10y the Assembly
provided that the new "ours house might
be placed In any cf the city perks pro
Vidlng that space equal ~ that occupied
hy the building WAS set aside IA the imms-
date nsighborh"od Iur nark pufpp---
last January this blll VS. amended To-
road that " III" r"w building VAS piF ed
IN City Hall Park q might take - much
space was thought nec.---ery and thai
the provision recurring the purchasing
of an adjacent 'ot -hould rot apply
This law WIS signed ON February ~. and
although. according to tn. Institute ~
Architects. - prov i-ions would allow tho
denOhtiOn Of the preseBt CITY Hall TO make /.
place for the court building, u met with no
oppo sition. largely because everybody
was tired of tire delsy
After considering the situation tho .
Institute II Architects through IT. com
mittee ~ OF the opinion th"t the new
building should 10 placed Ia the neigh
borhOcd II CITY Hall Park ana should
bssr en- RrcHueCfur'l rels 'On-hiI, to the
Csty Hell The committee il ~ the
opinion. Severed spproprists sites are
park at prizes which the city en- h~ttsr
AFFORD TO nay than u cen to tpk. park
ground which u ntrinsicEiy worth more
~ the city than any corresponding site
outside In CONCLUSION the q, fnmittss.
says: We hold that the most expansive
site the city could take = n the perF
A. TO the pTs-en "a hisnss- IT ~. new
court house should ~ bc placed IN CITY Hall
PARK the committee hs- this 20 aay.
The proposed iuldipE would ~ three
times az high a. the cry Hall and would I
eertpy three times IT. area in the Opin 4
ION of architects u - impossible Ia de-i gn
a building which will not OverUuWeT the .
city Hall enthusiastically
The institutes committee has pre- r
pared diagram showing the approx ,
mate values Of sites near City Hail Park i
They base their figures on the city as
ssssments OF last year. with % I'@r cent 4
added. This diagram has marked 80 I
the most desirable site IA plot lying I
betws~ a the ia Y OF H. cords end Broad /
way. The guess AZ the price 10 ~ sD mED |
An0thar site suggested ~ the block ON /
Broadway between Rsade and Duane I
streets. with an approx innate value Of
GAaOoOD
Rtill other possible sit.s ere suggested !
aAsd the institute holds that the city y
shSuid not hesitate to spend mioh
~ M9.mD.0D to secure "A suitable place 1
for Ihs Court hOuss. outside Of the mark |
Thr committee of architects points out /
that d will b~ difticult Ia obtain n site con ]
tanning the ground area most desirable. 1
and ina Will" the heal plan would be- I
TO have a building mo- higher than the /
City Hall. get under the cirs>pn-tsn Cy-- the !
nee Court Aouse ought To 20 higher even I
than the siN stories suggested by Prof I
Hamlin. Such a building. says the com |
Inittee " placed On Chambers street !
scroas from IA" lark could IL. designed I,
20 eat OF tho CITY Hall instead u OVER !
shadowiDg 10.
The architects have gone carefully Z
into the QUESTION of elevator service 4
Tor s1ch building and have the word
~ eGperts that n MN" story building /
containing thirty-siG court rooms could |
b. smptied at the street howell by eighteen |
elevators in twelve inln utsn
A member 81 the committee said yes 4
terday that the architects felt very I
-fsaaSty that New York city should not .
hesftRt- 10 sp'nd SO. Osnl.O on IONS Of /
city has to- have
The institut committee had hoped .
10 present it, " yesterday bs fore .
- - 4.