Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-31
MUNICIPAL COURT HAS
PLAN FOR RENOvATTNG
THE MAGDALEN HOME
$4,000 Will Be Spent Pre-
pairing Building for Tenn
porary Occupancy by So
cial Service Division.
Ordinance Appropriating Sum
Has Been Passed by Coun-
ellis and Now Awaits APP
proval or Veto of Mayor
Blankenburg.

The Municipal Court has plans prepared
for remodellng the Magdalsn Home, at
2lst and Race streets, at cost OF $4,000
for the temporary occupancy OF the
structure by the social service divisions
of the new court.
The appropriation ordinance carrying
the $4,000 for the Improvement Of Masda-
len Home from the s4S25,OO0 Councilmsnic
loan has been passed by both legislative
branches and now Is before Mayor Blank
enburg for his APPROVAL or veto before the
next session of Councils.
improvements to the present four-story
brick and stone structure include CON
struction of two wings Of two stories
each, one on each side OF the building,
and complete rearrangement of the inte-
rior of the Home.
II Is announced by the Municipal Court
authorities that the extensions and inn
provements will be along lines or factory
construction" and that extravasance will
not characterize the alterations. The City
Commissioners will advertise for bids for
the work az soon as final action on the
pending ordinance Is taken by the Mayor
or Councils.
WILL HOUSE PROBATION DIVISION.
In the remodeled Magdalen Home will
be centred all the probation work Of the
juvenile division of the Municipal Court,
including the temporary quarterlng OF de-
pendent children. Judge Germans court
for delinquent children will remain for
the present in the House of Detention,
according to the plans. The domestic
relations division will be removed from
the present congested quarters in Room
'67S. City Hall, and established in the
rcmodeled Magdalen Home.
John T. Windrim, architect, has drawn
the plans for the changes at the courts
proposed new quarters. feature of the
changes is the installation of a retiring
room for mothers and children, with cribs
and toys for the babies and provisions
for checking the children while their
mothers are appearing in court.
On the first floor In the centre of the
building will be the waiting room. The
north wing on the first floor will house
the department for receiving collections
from husbands assessed for support OF
their wives, and the law department OF
the court will be on the first floor of
the south wing. Six incoscd compart-
monts for interviewers receiving the sto-
ries of deserted wives will be on the first
floor in the rear extension of the building.
On the second floor of the building the
Domestic Relations Courtroom will be
in the south wing, with the witnesses
room in the centre of the building and
store room for records in the north wing.
Stenographers and court clerks will oc-
cupy Offices in the second floor rear. The
third floor will be the quarters of the
women employed in the building, and on
the fourth floor will he emergency quar-
ters for dependent children and mothers.
MAY ASK $4,000 FOR TITLE.
Although the title of the Magdalen
Home property has been obtained by the
city through condemnation proceedings
and the Board of Viewers have allowed
the owners s127,5Oo. there is probability
that the owners will make an appeal for
$50 900.
The ultimate plan of the Municipal
Court is to obtain the entire block from
Goth to 2lst street and from Race to Vine
street. The Magdalen Home occupies
about one-third the block. The rest is
owned by the st. Vincent Society.
Every branch of the Municipal Court
dealing with domestic relations and juve-
templated structure to be erected there.
The Magdalen Home then will be re-
moved to make way for the new group
of buildings, according to the present
plans of the court Judges.
1t is contended that court atmosphere"
should never surround children brought
before the tribunal for delinquency and
that 1t necessarily would have TN un-
favorable effect even on domestic rela-
tiOns cases.
Even If the proposed temple of JUS
tlce" should be erected later by the |
on the Parkway or elsewhere TO |
house all the courts, 1t is declared that |
the domestic and children's cases should |
always remain separate and apart from |
the imposing judiciary surroundings OF |
such an edhce,