The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-03-17
WHAT IS WANTED
FOR FEDERAL
BUILDING
Architects Are Willing to
Wait or to Go
Ahead.
WILL PLAN TO FIT
Importance Of the Job
Demands Their
Very Best.
WILL PLAN TO FIT
By Ernest q. walker.
(Mali Special to The Advertiser. }

WASHINGTON, March 1.-Delegate
Kalanianaole has received an interest
ing letter from York & Sawyer, the
New York architects, with reference
to the plans for the Honolulu public
building They would like to proceed
with their work and complete it, but
ask him whether he thinks such a pro-
ced1re would be wise. They state
frankly that they believe better
building can be designed for the larger
site and point out some details in
that regard.
The Delegate said today that he
thought the architects had shown
splendid spirit in the matter by snbor-
dinating their financial interest in this
work to their desire to make the Ho-
nolulu public building the best that
can be designed and by drawing en-
tirely new plans for whatever sized
lot is finally decided upon. He also
expressed confidence that the archl-
tects would design a plan well adapted
to the climate and surroundings in Ho-
nolulu. The text of the letter Of York
& Sawyer is as follows:
What Shall Be Done7
"February %, 1911.
"Dear Sir:-Regarding the federal
building at Honolulu we find orr
selves in a situation in which we have
need of advice. May we ask you to
consider the following statement from
your point of view and that of the
citizens Of Honolulu
"On September %, 1909, we re-
ceived the award of your federal build
ing. We were to design the building
make working drawings and turn
them over to the treasury department
TO build, the supervising architect
erecting The building. After making
the contract drawings and specifca-
tons we will be through except for a
certain limited number of visits to
Honolulu at the direction of the sec
retary. 1t is obviously to our advan-
tage to get out these drawings, re-
ceive our pay and Except for the
visits Just mentioned) complete our
work and our contract.
"Mr. Ayres, of the firm, went to
Honolulu a year ago, studied your re-
quirements, and discovering that the
competition drawings made from the
general information contained in the
program (this was the design which
be showed the chamber of commerce),
did not fulfil the actual conditions, he
proceeded to plan the whole thing
afresh.
Got Data on the Ground.
HLaving in Honolulu in your eli
matte conditions, in frequent confer
ence with the federal officers who are
to be provided for in the structure, he
got together all the data necessary,
submitted and res1bmitted schemes of
plan until the whole arrangement met
with the approval Of those concerned.
The new design for the exterior re-
auired by the new plans was to be
made upon his return to the office.
tsThat is, it remained only to re-
study the exterior to conform with the
revised plans and with the informa-
ton which he had obtained Of the eli
matte conditions and the site to meet
the criticisms which were made to
him and to embody them IN the work
ing drawings and specifications, and
we were done.
Unfortunate Location.
s'At this point you took up the
question of additional land, 1t was
certainly unfortunate that building
for the government should have to be
and the narrow sidewalk without any
width of ground except at the back
particularly in climate where a little
space planted with typical vegetation
would do so much to set of the char
acter of the architecture. Yol evi
IDENTIFY felt, as we did, that the backs
of the buildings on Fort street would
be an unpleasant feature and that the
federal buildings so placed would not
form, as it should, center (more ol
less open and complete on all sides)
for that portion of the city.
Now, granted that building suf
feiently large could be placed on thu
present site, it is obvious that tn,
same building can be located in thu
center of the whole square if you ar
50 fortunate as TO obtain it for tn,
government. The fundamental differ
enee being that the building woul'
face on King street instead OF oi
Bishop, ut right angles 10 its presen
frontage. 1t seemed to us, however
that il the rest of the kqlare is ae
qniTed we should restudy the Who'll
problem, taking into consideration tn
direction of the trade wind and tn
possibilities OF an expansion OF tn
plant making II larger on the groun'
and more open. We would also tax
full advantage Of the better 0ppoT
tuhity 10 provide (in addition to thOs
on the other streets) the necessary en-
frances from Fort street.
With this view we have, So far, hell
on entirely from doing anything.
Business 10 Hurry.
"The delay has continued 20 long