The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-07
NEW CITY HALL
FOR NEW YORK
VIII be Largest Of Its Kind In the
World and VIII Cost $751;
100000 When Com
pleted.
FORTY STORIES HIGH
Foundation Of Big Structure Extends
100 Feet Below the Street
Level and is
Marvel.

NEW YORK, Aug. New York.
the city Of big things viii soon have
the largest municipal building occu-
pied by any city government in the
world Good progress is being made
upon the immense structure al Park
Row, Duane and Centre streets and
the gigantic gaunt red steel frame
work rising 40 stories in the air, is
rapidly being ~fleshed'' in white stone
and granite.
The municipal office building, as it
IS known, stands ont prominently even
among the many sky-scrapers which
rear heavenward on the lower part OF
Manhattan. Standing near the en-
trance TO the Brooklyn bridge, its tow
er is one of the most conspicuous OBJ
jects on New York's skyline.
New York's City hall will cost s10,-
e00, 900, exclusive of s4.sse.69s paid
for the site, which In addition to being
the largest also makes it the most
costly government building on earth.
But city hall" can hardly apply to the
structure. II is a radical departure
from the lines and architecture found
and associated with municipal govern
ment buildings. which usually have
been erected after classic designs of
state capitols and federal buildings.
There is nothing classic" about
New York's skyscraptng municipal
building. Neither can It be said to be
beautiful but striking 1t is 1t is
Just what its official name-municipa
office building implies. A series of 40
rows OF Offices. one above the other,
quite In keeping with the unitarian
spirit of the age Then it is said that
even with its 20 stories, the new
municipal building viii not be able to
house all of the many departments of
New York's city government, some
idea is gained Of the amount of ground
space that would be necessary for a
building OF three or four stories in
height, constructed upon the usual
classic lines
The foundation which alone cost 81
900 was a new record in engineer
ing achievements II extends $50 feet
below the sidewalk for an area of
1900 square feet It is the deepest
foundation of any building in the
world and IS feet deeper than the
foundation Of the SINGER building. The
massive structure is supported by 1os
concrete caissons.
When completed. the municipal OF.
fee building viii have height of 5s2
feet and be the third highest in New
York. There are 25 Office floors in the
main portion and tower PAS feet
high. above that, with Offices. On top
Of the tower VIII be figure % feet in
height. 1t would be sixty feet higher
than the great battleship Florida il
the warshtp were stood on end beside
g.
In the construction OF the munich
pal office building, it is estimated that
more than 10000 tons, or 500 carloads
of steel were used; e5, 600 tons or 1900
carloads of granite and approximately
12,50o,000 bricks. The building will
provide floor area of !, 2s3, 900 square
feet for office purposes. Chambers
street runs directly through the cen
ter Of the building.
The municipal office building will
be one Of the most modern structures
for office purposes that ever has beer
erected. There will be miles and miles
OF steam and water pipes and electric
wires. The requiremnts of the differ
ent city departments have been KEEP
In view in the interior ARRANGEMENTS
There will be 80 elevators in tbs
building and in the basement proyi
sion is made for six-track subwa,
station. 1t is intended as a termina
for the Brooklyn loop lines to be on,
of the largest down town subway cen
ters.
An enormous annual rental viii b,
saved by the city when the municipa
office building is completed. For year