New-York tribune., 1913-12-29
PLEA FOR LARGER
COURTHOUSE Site
Committee to Ask City for
Additional Land East
of Centre Street.
WOULD MEAN NEW
S4,OO0,00O OUTLAY
Matter May Come Before Board
Of Estimate at Its Meeting
on Wednesday.

Because the Centre street site for the
rroposed new courthouse, acquired by
condemnation proceedings at a cost OF
S6l3S.653. is not adequate the city is to
lee asked. it was learned yesterday, for
additional adjoining territory TO the east
Of Centre street. which may mean an out
lay Of S4000O0O more.
The authority for this statement is one
who is in close touch with courthouse mat
ters. He declared the plea for more land
had met in the last few days the approval
Of the Courthouse Board and the Supreme
Court justices. The matter came up be-
fore the Board Of Estimate at its last
meeting. on Wednesday.
BY the acquisition Of the new territory
il would bring the westerly line or the
courthouse 10 the easterly side or centre
street objection TO encroaching on the
subway was given as one Of the reasons
for the imperative need for additonal
land. and IL was also said there were
many bad grades to contend with IN the
original cite. which would not have 10 be
dealt with in the same way II the adol-
tional territory was available.
Should the Board Of Estimate act on
this plan at its next meeting, It was said
q long step forward would have been
taken in the courthouse problem.
After being deadlocked for many
months over the Guy Lowell plans. 1t also
was learned that the Courthouse Board
and the justices were approaching solu-
ton of the difficulty" It was in these
words that the present status of affairs re-
sarding the much discussed plans was In
dlcated.
II was maintained, too, that in several
week, tho whole situation might he
cleared up and an agreement reached.
Freousnt consultations have been mad
in recent months among Mr.. Lowell the
justices and members Of the board.
The strictest secrecy has been main
tanned as to what notifications had been
agreed on. and il was not possible to learn
"a what extent they would go In changing
tho general contour of the structure, IL
any.
II was on June Il, 1918, that plans Tor
the so-called "round courthouse were re-
iected by the courthouse committee OF
supreme Court justices. consisting of JUS
tices Seabury, Greenbaum, Amend, Page
Delany and Dugro. They made In taxing
this action. four recommendations:
First-That It shall not involve un-
reasonable expense 10 the city.
Second-That II shall have adequate
facilities for light and ventilation.
Third-That it shall be adapted TO the
needs OF a courthouse, and that its con-
struction shall he such as TO make II gen
orally convenient for this purpose.
Fourth-That it shall be so constructed
as TO permit of the extension 10 meet
future needs. without necessitating pres
ent construction beyond the needs OF the
immediate future.
The justices are opposed to the expend-
iture of more than s10,000,000 for the
construction Of the courthouse. The orig
inal plans. they contended, would make
the cost almost twice that amount.
II the Board OF Estimate should look
favorably on the plan 10 acquire the addi-
tional territory IL is not expected It would
take long 10 60 through the condemnation
proceedings The proceedings In obtain
ing the original site, which was the city's
biggest purchase, took less than year.
The commissioners were Abram !. Elkus
chairman; James ]. Coogan and Henry
Schneider They began work In June
1912, and filed their report on the value
of the property TO be taken on May 3
1913. They held one hundred hearings
and considered sixty-three separate
parcels Of land, with the buildings there
on, practically a total Of seventy-thret
city lots.
Borough President McAneny is the
chairman OF the Board Of Estimate com
mittee on site.