New-York tribune., 1911-09-20
NJ 'ANENY ON COURTHOUSE |
Estimate Board Will Select Site
Within Six Months, He Says.
CITY HALL PARK IS SAFE
Plans Inspection Tour, and Says
S5,00O,000 Is Available
to Buy Land.

The selection OF a site for the new
county courthouse, and that outside or
City Hall Park, will in all probability be
made within the next SIX months. Under
the latest Stilwell bill. introduced In the
Legislature Monday night. courthouse
cannot be built in a city park. with the
exclusive power vested in the Board OF
Estimate and Apportionment TO select
site within six months and sufficient
amount OF corporate stock available 20
permit a substantial beginning in pur-
chasing land Borough President McAneny
expressed himself yesterday as conrdert
that the board would decide on a salts
factory site within the time allotted.
1t is sanguinely expected by every one
interested that the bill Will pass the Leg
islature and that Mayor Gaynor will ap-
prove IT, The Mayor vetoed the last Still
we'll bill on July 81, because II did not
give the Board OF Estimate the exclu-
sive power 10 select the site, as he had
suggested The Mayor said at the public
hearing on the bill on that day that the
Board OF Estimate did not want the new
courthouse in City Hall Park and that IT
was not going there. The present sui-
well bill, while not specifically limiting
the Board OF Estimate in its choice Of a
site, provides, in spirit at least, that the
site be outside the park.
A draft Of the bill was approved re-
Gently by representatives Of numerous
civic bodies on the assumption that no
part Of City Hall Park would be appro-
priated for the new courthouse. The bill
does not provide specifically, it was point
ed out yesterday, that the Courthouse
Commission or the justices OF the Su-
preme Court, who will eceive power, re-
spectively. 10 select the site II the Board
Of Estimate does not do so within six
months. shall not select it within any
public park.
Borough President NcAneny said yes
terday that he had spoken 10 the Mayor
about making a tour Of the available sites
outside of city Hall Park This would be
done within the next few days by the sub
committee OF the Board OF Estimate,
which included Controller Prendergast
and President Mitchell Of the Board Of
Aldermen, having the matter in charge,
Mr.. McAneny said s5,O0O.OOO Of corpo-
rate stock would be available for pur-
chasing the required property, as had been
suggested when the corporate stock bud
get came up for consideration early in
July.
80 you can safely say that the Board
Of Estimate is already preparing TO make
a substantial start toward selecting the
courthouse site" said Mr.. McAneny u
am confident that the six months provid-
ed under the StilweU bill. in which the
board has such exclusive power. will be
ample time in which to find a satisfactory
site"
out OF the score or more OF sites which
had been suggested two or three stood
out prominently. he added ss the most
desirable from an economical as well as
an architectural point Of view. The site
which had been considered the most
available, it was understood, was a plot
directly north OF the new Municipal
Building and bounded by Centre, Duane
and Pearl streets Mr.. McAneny said il
would be premature to discuss specific
sites before he and his associates haC
made their tour Of inspection.