New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-20
Historic Structures Will Be
Replaced by Notable and
Expensive Landmarks.

yOr- were caught downtown, with
an hour 20 kill. what would be the
ching 10 do? Any four days visltor
a. town can tell you. Go 70 the Battery
- Is no place Ike IL in the world
SC or fog blanketed harbor. water
&C OF the dog days or binding winter
.,.--o-d loungtng crowds or marching
-aa,+ OF shlppinE. clear sky or cloudy
80, or noon-something will cheer you
- leave YOU the fresher for your stroh
hstween the skyscraper- and the sea Inc
pa++ery will not bore yo..
= IS place Of ODD and remarkable
.,i7es The building line curves ana
,y,tsts and goes OF al curious angles. some
- the houses are old, slant rooIed ana
rtc+,resoue Even the elevated railway mas
=, Interesting look as IL crawls out or its
1rskv path among the buildings and IN
us itself southwark. striking lazily al the
60 house with a fangless, harmless mead
--rora Is a twenty story building at the Bat
&C. and when they ran up a lean-to De
t,,s IL they made Il thirty stories for sood
-,eos,.-e Everything about the place brings
- with the hard turn of the unexpected
60 now that plans for remakng two OF
,ee Pattery's old landmarks are out-nane-
IL che Barge Office and the Aquarium
:. 10 r,ore than is 70 be expected 20 find
go they will take unexpected forms. FIST
81 Pa-ge Once IS 10 be rebuilt The work
- 6er,olishing the old Barge Office was
teg,,r 2 few days ago. and then II was sud
6enlv stopped. Here was the touch OF the
unexpected again.
AS the wrecker was about TO cart on
+,rk IT. divers and sundry shapes tom tle
.--a-nises d guardian Of the federal property
cried Halt" IL was an angry suD-coh-
tractor VINO presently learned that oy q
clause in the building agreement the gov
eminent retained title 10 anything OF Nalue
ON -he wrecked premises. Then the heau
brIding contractor. equally annoyed threw
ND his hands. He couldn't build anew ana
Store the old ne said. The mathematical
law about two bodies not occupying the
same space ar the same time forbade that.
A NEW BARGE OFFICE.
As result OF this tiny tempest work has
been temporarily discontinued. BIDS ior
r,be purchase OF the materials OF the Ola
r7a-re Office we're opened the other day
As soon as that fob IS awarded the man
who denolishes and the man who carts
away will begin operations together And
the completion Of the new building on lle
date scheduled, March T. 1919
There has been Barge once at the
tiD of Manhattan since the days Of the
continental Congress. or thereabout For
many wears passengers and baggage from
Incoming vessels were taken there In barges
20 be searched by the revenue men. The
gray stone structure Of to-day dates from
$3.50 II IS -he point OF departure for the
customs men who go out 20 board incom-
ing liner. Behind 80 IS a pier where the
cutters lie rubbing their noses on the gran
tie sea wall AT the outer end the Ellis
Island ferry lands, and from the iron gate
in front hal1 a million immigrants year
are rrst set free on American soil
There IS need for rebuilding. The place
III. crauped painfully for its present work.
The quarters OF the Governor Island ferry
next door are ridiculOusly small, and within
q few years more. as the island develops
,r-o the great army depot and headquar-
t4rs 10 is destined 10 become the traffic
vii double and dUadrupe Moreover. the
new custom House huge as IL is, is damned
% the roof and needs little loosening up
for the good Of the service.
NEW BUILDING's DIMENSIONS.
The new Barge Office viii dli the space
nov occupied by the Governors Island
ferry. the slip where the cutters lie and
the present pier and building. The front
will curve inward, following the curvins
building line The length VIII De go feet.
Al the western end over the site Of the
present pier. a wing viii run seward for
SO feet. giving the building the shape Of
a capita. II.
The foundations VIII be OF steel and con
crete supported on heavy Diling. they
Will be- built 10 carry a building of six
stories. though the first structure viii be
Of TWO I- VIII be Of light colOred brick
and limestone with a roof of red tiles
Along the front and the western wall as
far ss the shore line viii be a loggia or
cl0ister. IS feet deep. sheltered under the
story above. which viii be supported by
columns and arches
The Barge Office Will face the harbor
with a row OF piers for the government
assorted shipping There VIII be slip
for the Governor Island ferry and anoth-
e. f0r tie immigrant service boat from
Ellis Island AT the little piers VIII Tie
the revenue cutters and the tugs and
launches OF the immigrant service. A wide
passage Will run through the centre Of the
building. 10 give access 20 the ferries, and
there VIII probably Doe machine shops and
H-rply stores for attending 10 the wants OF
Ire different craft
AZ the shore Nne half way u the west
ern end. almost precisely al the tip or
Manhattan Island. VIII rise the tower
which which VIII give the Battery new
and striking landmark II is 10 be 258 feet
high, square and severe. with broader
platform near the top Al the ground the
tower will be IS feet square and will taper
Slightly 90 the platform
such a structure VIII rise above al the
buildings s.. the ueiEhborhood and be seen
Ear down the Lower Bay and well up
the Brooklyn and Jersey shores. Weather
signals displayed there can be read by
shipping 90 better advantage. perhaps,
t-au those from any other possible point
about tle c!-y. AS a home for the Local
Weather Bureau 10 would be ideal
Tho appropriation for the wort-SSOo' 900 |
VIII probably not be sufficient 70 complets
Che tower. The present contractor Will pan
rn t1- building. minus the tower. for SAA- |
81" 10 is likely that Congress will Dc
asked no make an additional appropriation |
tl. tle tower and 20 add at least one more |
f.o- to tao building proper.
TIE MASSIVE AQUARIUM.
The present Barge Office Is odd enough. |
v-1 t,s srub1v gray tower more Ike .
new church in "a prosperous country town
taaa metropolitan Office Of the United