The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-17
TO REPORT COST
OF fORD'S HOTEL
Commissioners Estimate Rcpor;
Almost Ready for Councils
Consideration.
PLAN CITY COURT HOUSE
Several Departments i'll City
Hall Now Much Over
crowded.

y report is expected this week from,
| commissioners appointed recently by
inc Hustings Court al the request OF
city Attorney Pollard OH the cost to
the city of the block bounded by Eiev-
cnth. Twelfth. Broad and Capitol
streets occupied In part by Ford s
Hotel Some months ago the City
| Council. by joint resolution. Instructed
The City Attorney to acquire the prop
! erty by gift. purchase or condcmna-
ton. but TO take no concluded action
| until the price at which the property
could be acquired had been reported 10
and approved by the City Council
steps are being taken in the Chan
ccry Court for The division and final
settlement of the estate OF ~ j. Ford.
which owns the Ford's Hotel property.
and 1t has been argued tina, 1t is wiser
Tor the city to acquire tho property at
THIS time. before il enhances i'm value.
and before improvements are mado.<tn
the way of new buildings. which might
later have to he torn down. .a
Plan Courthouse.
inc ultimate plan is for the erection
on the block adjoining the City Hall OF
modern municipal courts building.
10 house the Hastings Court. with offices
of its clerk and COMMUNICATING at
torney the Chancery Court, with its
voluminous records and documents. nd
the Law and Equity and City Circuit
Courts. The removal of these courts
from the City Hail TO quarters cspe-
cially provided for them would give
additional space for Offices now much
ovcrcrowded and make WAY for sew
era new departments now quartered
outside of the City HALL
While no figures have been made
public by the commissioners. set.
roughly speaking, ii is believed that
the entire block can be acquired by the
city Tor not more than 100000 which
many Councilman believe would be a
wise Investment, even were the i'm
provcmcnt of the property By erection
OF the proposed building deferred for
several years.
Not Change City Hall
The Council recently rejected. on ad.
vice of the Grounds and Buildings
Committee. the alternate proposition
looking TO the addition OF several sto-
ries to the City Hall. on the ground
that II would injurc the architectural
appearance of the building. While one
OF the most ADMIRED and beautiful
structures in the South. from the out
side. there is vasl amount of waste
room in the Interior, and were the
building carried higher into the air,
this waste from floor TO floor would
ing the great interior courts.
II has been suggested that for the
present some rcarranSements of Offices
would bring some relief The office of
City Treasurer Pace Is much over
crowded, as is that Of Auditor Warren
The Chancery Court record room is
nearing it's capacity; the City E,ngi-
neers Department needs moro space
for efficient clerical work and the hand
ling of blue prints and drawings. and
the City Chemist is now doing business
IN rented quarters on North Eighth
Street
Police Need More Room.
Police headquarters Is perhaps the
most overcrowded Of ali the City Hall
Offices. the Office OF the Chief of Police
and captain OF detectives affording lit
lie privacy. with no place for storage
Of goods and little room for the con
venienccs OF Il modern office. The
Grounds and Buildings Committee will
have before il on Thursday night res
oiution transferring from the School
Board 10 the Police Department the old
High school building, on Marshall
Street between Eighth and Ninth, TO
be rcmodeled and rebuilt as police
headquarters, to include rooms for the
Police Court and Police Justices Of
fees. matron's rooms and places for
juvenile delinauents. The cost of con-
verting the old school building, as pro-
Eosed. has not been estimated To
secure adequately arranged police
cssary 10 rebuild. 1t Is now used by
the John Smith School. formerly To-
Gated at First and Lee Streets.