The sun., 1916-12-25

De begun much under q year and that
tne cost OF construction will certainly
ny over the @l0,000.00O mark. They al
low for the human drawbacks that In
Nnriably afilct great undertakings not
carried out by sure. swift, concentrated
private enterprise.
suGGests u Musieai Farce.
The history Of the Court House under
taking since the first agitation was be-
gun thirteen years ago to supply the
courts with . creditable. decent home
might, a. was suggested yesterday, suE-
gcst q screaminGIy funny comic opera or
| q supremeiy amusing farce. n Is doubt
ful. though. II the tired business man
would appreciate all the comicslity. 'r
In some OF Its ramificattons the de-
vclopmcnt OF the Court House planning,
| At various stages where millions were
airily hung out or tentatively charged up
to Father Knickerbocker's thinning
purse, suggests the character In tho nusi-
cat comedy Of years ago. The Yankee
Consul In which Raymond Hitchcock.
necessarily signing checks for food and
| the moistenins thereof, cheerfully. re-
marked. Thank God. that's paid for"
The outstanding blunders. ss they ap-
pear TO the men who opposed the un.
skilful scope Of the project. were that
SS.2<3.6ss were spent for the original
site before II was comprehended that
much or all Of that site was unsuitable
for the building contemplated; that time
was lost In futile talk while the cost Of
! building materials and Of labor climbed
| steadily. as much as 10 per cent that
the city lost great sum In taxes by
too hastily possessing itself Of the
original site. and that the whole business
was left TO guesswork and theorixing.
More Thau $4,000, 900 Wasted.
| Putting the thing In dollars and cents
| II ts estimated that the city has vast ed
literally thrown away--at least VI
600. 900 and probably In the neighbor-
| hood of $4,000 900 by the unsklful
| handling of the real estate side of the
project. by the loss In tax receipts due
| to taking over an unnecessary tract or
ground (and taking It over too soon).
and In not beginning building work when
| tho cost of building materials was 40
per cent. less than 1t 10 now with labor
also lower.
Comptroller Prsndsrgast and others
| that have studied the situation realise
| that the Court House Boards estimate OF
$780, 900 for construction work 10 non
sense - applied to the year 1917. al
though II was reasonable for the year
1913. Mr.. Prendergast and other ex-
perts figure that the high cost OF build
| ing material aud Of labor will be bound
| to increase the &7,s00.000 estimate to
/ Sl0.50O 900 at the lowest figure.
An item Of s3.00O, 600 could have been
saved to the city II the Court House plan
ners had been ready to go ahead with
work last spring or the year before,
Then the $500. 900 Court House might
have been possible. Now the planners
fnd that they wiz have to pay &lO.S0o.-
900 for = &7.500,o00 court house.
substitations Are Necessary.
| And even the $500. 900 estimate was
not possible without cheapening the orig
| inal conception. substituting limitations
| for real marble. real brass and real
bronze and eliminating many Of the
handsome trimmings and decorations
| that were a part Of Architect Guy
| Iowells conception. Much Of the deco
rative work will have To he left to the
| dim future, to such time as the city
can md the grace to supply bit by ht'
! and little by little the artistic embellish-
ments.
This Is merely a-detail Of the whole
| tangled affair the responsibility for
which has been shifted by one individual
or group to another. by the Court House
Board to the Justices OF the Supreme
Court or to the Corporation Counsel. or
to the Board ot Estimate. or 70 the Presi-
dent Of the Poard OF Aldermen. o. 70 the
Comptroller. s'
The only person who has apparently
| stood up ready to shoulder any part al
the blame IN Comptroller Prendersast
| who took the position a year or so age
that he was opposed 20 the scheme with
the city in lis ticklish financial condi'
ton and would do all in his power tc
block IL. Hc couldn't block II ard =,
now doing what he conccives to be -ths
| next best thing. getting II aotualiy
started before the shifting and turning
and changing Of opinions waste an,
more money.
Project Launched In 1908.
II was in May. 1903. that the l.egs
lature passed an act creating the Cour
House Board and vcsting In 1t certain
powers to be exercised concurrently Will
the powers OF the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment. During the yeat'
following various sites were suggested
hut no agreement could he reached From
the Hrst there was a fatal lack OF con
centrated authority and scientific plan
ming.
First they talked about a site ir
Union Square and then there 'wa'
pickering over n suggested 'lIy HaI
Park site The then Mayor. Mcclellan
killed the City Hall Park proposition
after District Attorney Jerome. taking
his cue from the Judges who were grow
ing wearier and wearier OF their quarter
In the Tweed court house, had threat
ened to indie, the Board OF Estimate Il
It didn't wake up and get busy,
There were years OF futile argument
while the Judges complained bitterl,
that the old court house wasn't tit I,
keen pigs In and threatened to move ei
masse. In October. 1911, the Legislature
finally passed an act giving TO the Boar'
Of Estimate exclusive authority FOR 81,
| months to select "A site mot within an,
public park" The law killed all publ,
park site suggestions and nudged th'
Board OF Estimate into really doin,
something.
Site IL Finally Acquired.
Within three months after the Law
went into effect a site north OF tn
Municipal Building was selected, Th
tract OF land, embracing 1872 city lot
of an average value OF $s5. .295 "A lot. 4
, bounded on the north by Leonard stree,
on the west by Lafayette street. on tn
east by Baxter street and Park stree
, and on the south by the open space
, between Chambers street and the con
junction of Lafayette and Park streets
The reason given for the choice OF tn
, site. for which the city paid s6.2t3.s6S
was that the blocks In question wer
, Immediately contiguous to City Hal
Park and tho present grouping of mu