The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-01
CITY MAY BUILD
new COURT HOUSE
.--------------------
Plan Under Way to Buy Ford's
Hotel and Erect City
Hall Annex.
MORE ROOM BADLY NEEDED
congested Quarters in Present
Structure Outgrown by
Government.
MORE ROOM BADLY NEEDED

Steps may be taken by the Common
Council on Monday night toward the
acquisition of the Ford's Hotel prop
erty, on Broad, Eleventh and Capitol
Streets, as an annex to the City Hall.
The matter has not yet assumed
definite shade. but some form OF reso-
luton will probably be introduced
Monday night, either instructing the
City Attorney to acquire the lot by
purchase or condemnation. or else to
ascertain and report to the Council
for what 1t can be obtained. The
matter Is known to have been in the
minds Of several Councilmen for some
time, and the way has only opened
up since the Chancery Court has or
dered distribution of the estate of
A j. Ford. with the sale of the real
estate holdingS by commissioners Of
the court. The site is therefore now
on the market, and has once been
offered at, public auction and with
drawn. the bids not being considered
sufficient.
For some time it has been realized
that the City Hall was becoming over
crowded. and that sooner or later some
steps must be taken. and various
plans have been proposed from time
to time. The inadequate quarters OF
| visions for. the Hastings Court and
| the fact that the records of the
| Chancery Court have now about filled
| all of the space allotted to them.
| suggest the propriety of erecting a
courthouse building with suitable
rooms for all of the courts of the
| city and Offices for the clerks. Such
| a building would, of course, be fire.
proof Throughout and have ample
| III, ~
| come.
Only Acquire Lot Now.
The plan is as yet tentative. Sew
| eral Councilmen have expressed the
! view that for the present they would
not favor going further than acquir-
ing the site. The lot once bought by
the city. while 1T is In the market, the
matter might rest until some OF the
i more pressing street demands in the
outlying sections have been satisfied
i before funds are provided for erect
ing the building.
i A year or two ago the Police De-
j partmelt reported that it was over
crowded both in the Police Court and
in the headquarters Offices. and q
movement was launched for the cree
ton of a police headquarters build
ing on the site of the old High School
Building. or for the purchase of the
; Mechanics Institute by the city for a
Police Court and headquarters. Both
plans fell through, and now a more
ambitious enterprise is projected.
Building Inspector Beck says the
+ F'ords Hotel site is the natural loca,
j ton IL the city proposes any anne,
or court building. Tile present City
Hall heating plant Is under the Elev
8 enth Street sidewalk and could easil.
r be adjusted to heat both buildings
while a tunnel connecting the base
ments of each would render both in
. expensive and feasible the Joint oper
ating of the buildings under ono su
r perintendent. practically as one plant
K Moving the courts out of the Cit
e Hall would give the entire secont
t floor of the present building for tn
0 rapidly growing demands of the city
: There is no room In the building TO
the city chemist whose office was re
/. Gently created: the city engineers OF
Q fee needs more space for draughtin
: rooms. and for the storage of blu
s prints; while similar facilities are VI
: prints, while similar facilities are |,
n spector for the growing work of nj
6 department.. Treasurer Pace has lon
! complained of inadequate quarter
d and in fact, once proposed that tn
Mayor move upstairs and give the az
8 counting offices more space on the frs
'r floor The space at police headqua,
e tors is congested, small passage way
= being partitioned off for Offices, al
y. fording little privacy, and no place fc
d storage Of goods
,sl Plan n Palace of Justice.
" Besides the Police and Hustine
Courts. with their Offices and the c'
e tensiye records which the law require
= the clerk of the Hastings Court
: keep, the proposed new building wi
provide for the Chancery Court an
Is it's Offices and record rooms for tt
% City Circuit Court, with It's records
~ both State and city cases, and for II
Law and Equity Court, now pecht
away on the top fioorain most mad
quate and unsightly quarters, again
l. which both the Judge and Mayor ha'
o. often complained. Quarters may al
~ be provided for new court which tt
- growth Of the city will inevitably d
mand within a few years 1t has bet
suggested that when the new buildtr
is planned, rooms be provided II
2 Hastings Court, Part 9 now sitting
y, Washington Ward as the successor
q the Manchester Corporation Court.
=. transfer to the new building woul
~ of course, be dependent on the wish
- of the people or South Richmond.
- the annexation agreement calls for t
- maintenance of a court on the sout
~ crn side of the river It may be- ho'
~ ever, that when new and we'll equi
;, ped quarters are provided In a bull
- ing devoted entirely to courts of ju
~ ~ tice, and with ample fireproof spa
% for records. that the people Of Sou
!. Richmond might see the wisdom
!" bringing their court8into closer ha
=. mony with the other courts OF t
~ city. and having all operated und
~ one roof,
All details as to the building, no
ever, and It's uses, are far in the
ture, The only pending plan is to {
auire the LOT by condemnation or o.
crwise while 1t Is one the mark
or and before expensive improvemer
~ arc made which might render It m'
-ro costly hereafter
The hotel lot fronts l3s feet
no Eleventh Street. facing the City I'll
EN- and runs back along both Broad .
M Capitol Streets between parallel IN
m distance OF ZIG feet. It is helie'
!, that II can be acquired for $ll6,t