The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-10
Let's Have the Auditorium


 Birmingham, like all other grow ing cities, has needed many public i'm provements before it was able to get them. This city's greatest need to- day is an auditorium-an auditorium
 large enough to seat 1000 or 5000 peo- pie; large enough for great exhibits as well as conventions and festivals. Birmingham came very near having an auditorium two or three years ago when the people voted by an over whelming majority for a S2OO,OOO bond issue. There was a question about the legality of the proposed bonds and it was really fortunate that the bonds were never issued, for after paying for a site there would have been too little money left for struc- ture such as this city needs.
 So great is the popular demand for an adequate auditorium that the voters would be quick to ratify a proposition for the issuance by the city of $3O0,O00 or more bonds. A hundred thousand dollars would probably purchase site req sonably "close in," and S2OO,OoO would build spacious edifice, al though not as elegant as an ambitious city would be expected to erect.
 But the ideal plan is that conceived and developed by Eugene L. Brown, which would acquire for the city the Roden hotel property, and which IS now under consideration. The city commission should not hesitate to ac- cept it if the architects complete drawings and estimates prove them selves as practical as preliminary survey of the situation indicates.
 Birmingham is fast outgrowing the present city hall. By accepting the offer of the Roden estate the city could complete the History steel frame building at the corner of Fifth avenue and Eighteenth street and utilize it as a combination of audito- rum, municipal home and public library. This project would be easy to finance. The city would have to raise about $45O, ,O0O, which it could do with out the issuance of single bond. A prominent local banking house of- fers to lend the amount required on the city's notes at 5 per cent interest.
 The Roden property embraces an area of 14Ox25O feet. This would afford space for vast auditorium on the ground floor. The construction of this combination building would cost about $4OO,O0O and about $50, 900 would be needed to put the city hall in thorough condition for rental pur- poses. According to the Roden propo- sition, the city would be allowed to lease the property for 99 years. It would have to pay the estate only $600O a year rent for the first few years, subject to reappraisement, with an option for purchase at the expira- ton of stipulated short period. The rents which the city would receive from the city hall would much more than pay the interest on the debt and maintenance charges.
 And the best of it is that the city has not only an economic proposition upon which to act, but one that would give Birmingham something beautiful as we'll as useful, and in all public buildings the aim should be to com bine the artistic with the utilitarian.
 The city may never have as good a chance to do something fine and large for a comparatively small outlay of money as it has now. So let the commission give the matter earnest thought and provide an auditorium without q dav's unnecessary delay.