New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-08
Inquiry Into Plans Shows
Possible Cafe in Guise
of Storage Room.
MAYOR AND M'ANENY
INSIST ON ECONOMY
Oppose Any Unnecessary tx
penditure-Suggest Designs
May Be RedraWn.


direction Of Alanson T. Briggs, execu-
tive secretary OF the Courthouse
Board. contain provisions for cafe,
private Bullets for the justices and
private lawyers club. Tilden Adamson,
chief OF the bureau Of contract super
vision of the Board Of Estimate, mas
expressed the suspicion to Mayor
Mitchell that they DO.
Yesterday Mr.. Briggs and Guy Low
ell, the architect, had a chance to ex
plain these and other specifications IN
plans to the Mayor, Controller Prem
dergast and President McAneny, OF the
Board of Aldermen. The executive
secretary vigorously asserted that the
deductions Of Mr. Adamson were false,
but there were some things that he dld
not explain 70 the full satisfaction OF
the city officials They united IN de-
claring that there was no money. TO
waste on such things and that they
were not needed in a courthouse, even
If the city had unlimited money to
spend.
One thing is certain. II is that the
plans are to be combed with fine mesh
and everything that savors Of extrava-
gance or luxury will be cut out. IL
may even be that the entire plans
of the structure will be redrawn.
IL is not likely that the architectural
features. the chief Of which is the
round design. will be changed. Quite
within the range Of probability, how
ever, is the suggestion that Mr.. Lowell
will be asked 10 reduce the size of the
building, while keeping the same pro-
portions. Another change that may be
made is to reduce the height OF the
structure.
The height under the present plans
is about 1888 feet and the statement has
been made that the top looks like a
superimposed cheese box. The d.
ameter of the circular building, as
planned. is about 400 feet at the base.
Members Of the Board Of Estimate nave
suggested that if some Of the apparent
~ unnecessary features in the interior
are eliminated there may be rear
rangement that would render 1t posi-
BILE TO cut down the entire size OF the
building, while keeping the general
proportions and exterior design. To
this members Of the Courthouse Board
reply that it could be done only by re-
ducing the size of the courtrooms,
which are arranged around the
periphery of the building. The eleva-
tors are in the centre. Inside that Is q
circular court and then the courtroor1s'
which are connected with the elevators
by bridges.
At the conference yesterday, in ad-
dition to the three principal members
of the Board of Estimate, were Tilden
Adamson, who has made a careful study
Of the plans; Mr.. Briggs. Mr.. Lowell,
architect, and Walter Cook, consulting
architect. II was the first time that
the members of the board had become
acquainted with some of the details Of
the structure, and they were frank IN
declaring that some of them seemed
unnecessary, to say the least
Mr.. Adamson found on the second
mezzanine floor an outside room with
no means of access except from the
lounge Of the lawyers club" and pri-
vate elevators leading from the JUS
tees chambers opening on to prl-
vate lobby out of the lounge. On the
plans this room was marked storage"
But it was provided with place for
public telephone" and powerful cleo
trio lights.
Adamson opined that this was a
queer place and equipment for a stor-
age room. The Mayor bluntly wanted
to know whether this was not intended
for a cafe. Briggs stoutly denied that
any such thought was in the mind OF
the planners. He explained that this
space had simply been left over and It
had been labelled storage" for want
of a better name.
"How about these refrigeration coils
that are marked for the various cham
bers, with the statement that the exact
location will be determined later ?"
asked the Mayor. as II intended that
these are to be for private ice boxes"
Although he was not clear as to the
exact use of the coils, Mr.. Briggs
they had something to do with
the apparatus for cooling the air in the
rooms during the warm weather. Mr..
Adamson explained that while it was
true that refrigeration pipes ran
through the entire building for this
purpose he did not think the coils were
any part of the air cooling apparatus.
Mr.. Briggs asserted it was the most
vivid flight of Imagination to suppose
the coils were intended for cooling any
thing stronger than air.
As for the lawyers club" Mr..
Briggs said that to call it by that name
was an injustice; that the fine big
room, provided with large ante-room
known in the plans as the Lounge"
was intended simply for consultation
room. place where lawyers could meet
one another and their clients. 1t was
desirable 10 have place where the
lawyers could meet and become better
acquainted, and it was in accordance
with the best European practices. The
members of the Board of Estimate did
not see why the smaller rooms, a number
of which had been provided for con-
sultation and examination OF witnesses
in private, would not answer every
need.
Later Mr.. Briggs declared in private
that in the back OF his head was an IN
formed idea for a lawyers club that
should be supported and maintained by
the members of the bar The city
would furnish the room. but all the ex.
penses to be paid by members of the
club Along the same line he had an
other thought that perhaps the wonder
full library that could be housed in the
space allotted 20 II might be maintained
in some way by the lawyers OF the city
out Of their private funds.
Mr. Briggs asserts that the space
provided for the library will hold only
about $4,000 volumes, with single
4 oIpWOOn