The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-08
OLD ASTOR HOUSE
IN MANY NEW FORMS
Granite Blocks Now Form Cravestones
Subway Steps---Big Pillars Bought by
Bank in Country House

to about ton of material, load. b,a..
metal basins and other thinrs ts.
might come under the title Of nl,.,a
ing. The tin on the roof. about +, oon
square feet. brought comparatively p,,,.
The blue Quincy granite facade -.
which John Jacob Astor paid
pile of money when he erected tho g,
hotel. is now doing service a.. TT
stones, subway retaining walls and 81.
base of several Brooklyn buildings Won
under construction. Most of the rru,l,.
to be used as markers for graz.
will be found not only I'm ioo.'
cemeteries hut in gravoyards ~ IA.
Middle West, as several monumo,,al
firms around Chicago have bought so,,o
M the 500 blocks. The blocks -al,o,
from the cornice are I'm tho yards q,
Long Island stone cutters and a-e non,
being squared Off for future Use Soy.
eral Of them are being carved .,,, an.
gelic figures and other religious ON.
blens usually found in ccm.tor,s.
Builders Of n Brooklyn subway ror
under construction have hough, som.
OF the blocks for use around .he en-.
frances to this tube. Among tho gran.
are the steps of the old hotc.
The big pillars that guarded ,n-
Broadway entrance are not tu Or. dis.
honorcd like the uld Steps and other
parts OF the building. The Ml shafts
have been bought from the vrrckors nv
a Savannah banking institution and
will be used to guard the entrance TO- a
new banking building that BE- V.J soon
erect. II il coincideut that thos, Y lars
should go to Savannah Con William
7. sherman. IN" man who. un D"c,mb.,
%, 1864. after hattering down M, do
fences Of savannah on his famnu,
march To sea. presented the civ n
Lincoln as a Christmas gift spent hours
leaning against thCs" pillars.
The Savannah banking house pad
$500 for the pillars. Mr. Aston paid
about $1,000 each for the shafts when
they were new. This does not seem So
much. but in 1886 $1,000 was a tIe
pile OF money and had the pur hasinr
power Of many times that amount in
the building world Of to-day Tho r1.
lars are solid blocks Of blue granite
about - feet long and nearly : feet N
diameter They were cut by hand uu.
Ike the pillars of to-day. which are
shaved to the desired size and shape hy
electric machinery. Each guardian %
the Aston House entrance weighed
thirty tons.
The tile of the entrance hall and frs
floor has been bought by a member Of
the Park X Tilford firm for use IN a
country house that he Is having hul.'
He paid about 800 for the tic which
company. had no particular value OK
cept sentimental. Much Of the 900 00o
feet of timber IS being used for sior-
ing purposes in the new subway c1a-
structiOn. With the exception of SOM
timhers on the roof of the Nesey stree
wing they We're all 3Nl0 in size. the KIND
used by builders Of flats and tenements
The Nescy street roof beams We're l2Nia
et-l lOVlo Tbis extra thickness was
because four floors in the rear II 81.
Ncsey street section were suspcndcs
from them. The suspended section va
30 feet long and 30 feet wide. The fJers
were attached TO the roof ho5mS I
steel tie beams. In this SECTION va =
the dining room In which MANY Pres
dents. Generals, Supreme Court judges
ana other We'll known men hay" d.r'd
in the last nifty years.
T. remove these floors III" WreDk"rs
had 10 shore M the entire building
otherwise Il would have fallen INTO ~"
street Mr.. Butler saw the building
was not what II looked To- Zoe. II Wa
all outside show. The interior was -
Cheap.y constructed as tn" Cheapest
building In the city To-day THIS VS.
what made wrtCkinE a NOR" costly ur
dertaklng than was expected. a. tI"
building had To bee watched 10 prevent 70
from Crumpling M unpNu,r'pl.v