The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-04
MORE SPACE WASTE
IN NEW COURT HOUSE
Mayors Examiners Say They
Find Indications Of LuXu-
rics Of Private Club.
FIGHT on PLANS CERTAIN

Club rooms and four restaurants. ~
vas asserted yesterday. are not the only
gays in which space has been wasted In
the plans for the new circular u
house. IA the eleventh hour inquiry
into the court house plans has brought
10 attention so many things calling for
explanation. there is certain to be a
serious fight against accepting the plans
in anything like their present shape.
As now blueprinted these plans de-
vote a who'll upper fioor to library pur-
poses. The space allotted Is 10000
SQUARE feet. which seems to be enough
for 400. 900 volumes. This Is almost
100 times the number OF books in the
library to be housed there. Even the
New York Public Library has only
$4,000 books.
In the examination OF the plans
ordered by Mayor Mitchell it was figured
that as much as 10000 OF the 10000
square feet library space nigh, be
utilized for reading rooms and the offices
OF the librarian. A liberal allowance.
on the theory that most of the works
would be very thick volumes. showed
that the remaining $4,000 square feet
would easily house twenty-eight books
TO the square loot. Hence the dis
coyery that 1,io0. 900 volumes would be
needed to fill the shelves.
$4,000. usv...x m AOO uocL
This seemed to be a large library and
inquiry was made as to the size OF law
libraries generally. The largest here
was found in the Post Office Building.
where there are about 10000 volumes.
The present library of the Supreme
Court in New York county. for which
the library space in the new court house
is intended, is only 10. 900 volumes. The
law library that Is thought to be the
best in New York is that of the SUI
, preme Court in Brooklyn. This con-
sists OF only 10000 works. The law
library at Columbia, another notable col
lection, is under 10000 volumes.
Further examination of the plans
showed about 1900 square feet pro-
vided for the librarian and his clerks.
The Supreme Court library of $4,000
volumes is now cared for by a single
employee. 1t was figured that simply to
populate the great room. ~ feet by 81
feet, laid out in the new Court House for
the library force would require sixteen
persons, with desks of various sorts.
This. II was said. seemed like creating
a great void in order that Jobs might be
necessary to all IL. And even II the
temptation to create jobs was resisted.
It was pointed out to the Mayor and
the Board of Estimate II would be
necessary to materially increase the
lbIaiy stan, as in n library occupying
So much space n man could not get
around the floor and do the necessary
work.
See General Waste of space.
The plans called for a huge DON to
be used as the Judges library and al
equally huge room. with pro~portionate
shelf space, to be general and open to
a large section of the public--lawyers.
students and others with any occasion
10 consult a law book. apparently. The
Board of Estimate is certain to ask the
Court House Board why the city should
provide a costly public law library when
so many excellent and accessible law
libraries. such as that at Columbia and
elsewhere. already exist.
This condition of wasted space on the
library floor. examiners OF the plans as
sert, exists all the way through the i'm
mense circular structure with its mar
BILE floors, private elevators for Judges.
auditorium like court rooms to accom-
modate the handfuls of spectators that
are generally present at trials, and great
bodies of floor space which the ex-
aminers could not define as serving a
needful purpose, and which, they say.
are included for the purpose apparently
Of giving Judges n lawyers all the
Injuries Of private clubs.