The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-10
IY.W.C.A, ISSUES
STATEMENT AS TO
BUILDING PLANS
Immediate Erection of New
Structure On Golden
Hill Is Unlikely

In order that the thousands of do
| nors to the building fund of the Y.
w. c. A. may be informed as to the
progress of the work, the directors
and building committee have issued
a statement regarding their plans.
| It appears likely from the state
ment that because of the unsettled
conditions no steps will be taken, at
once, towards the erection of the new
building planned for the association
in the place of the, present quarters
of the University, club recently pur-
| chased. The building as now con-
structed, may be occupied without
| changes.
| The statement follows:
1.-THE Y. W. C. A. directors and
building committee would like thei-
friends to know just what has been
| done and may be done with the large
sum of money raised in the campaign
Of March 1916. Therefore they de-
sire, through the courtesy of the
press, to make known the follow
ing facts and plans. ~
1.-THE object of the campaign was
| three-fold, to provide an administra-
ton building, a suitable boarding
home and enlarged quarters for the
thriving East Side branch. An able
| site committee for purchasing sites
for the administration building and
the boanding home has been appoint
| ed before the campaign and this COM
mittee with Mr.. Edgar Bass1ck as
chairman went Immediately though
quietly to work. Choosing location
in the center of Bridgeport easy Of
access and within our means proved
an almost impossible task, but after
long and difficult negotiations, the
present site of the University club
was purchased in January of this
year. The plan in the minds of the
site committee was that the Elm
street front of that lot should be US
| ed for the administration building
and the Golden Hill front for the
boarding home.
"In the meantime the simple prob
| lem of providing enlarged quarters
for the East Side branch has been
solved by the purchase from Mr.. A.
w. Burritt of the house at 385 Bar
mum avenue. This house has been
arranged as place of meeting for
the Industrial clubs of the East Side
whose work has been of very great
| benefit to all the club members and
through them to the city. In the
second and third stories Of this house
a number of bed rooms have been
constructed where under the care Of
good matron eleven girls have
found home. In this house also has
been established a room for transient
girls arriving In the city with no place
provided for them. It is unnecessary
to state that this room is almost al
ways occupied though no one is al
lowed to remain there beyond a linn
tied time.
Progress on the administration
y
been unavoidably delayed. Mr.. Bar
Der, the architect chosen because Of
his experience in this kind Of work
| has drawn plans for the main build
ing which is to contain a swimming
pool. gymnasium and 1unchroom. be-
| side club and class rooms.
The building committee now has
| to face the difficulty of building at
the present time. The tremendous
! increase in the cost of materials and
labor and the uncertainty of the
/ times seem to indicate that it will
be impossible to put up building
adequate for the needs of the asso-
citation with the resources at its, COM
mand. Therefore it is being very
seriously considered whether it is not
wiser to postpone for little while
the actual starting Of the building.
The committee wishes to make the
best possible expenditure Of the fund
committed to its care, and 1t is to be
hoped that later the same sum can
! be used to greater advantage. It is
, possible that when the lease of the
University club expires the association
may move into the building as 7. now
! Is and find there a temporary home
i, until normal conditions return.
There seems to have been consid-
cradle misrepresentation and some re-
sulting criticism as to where this
fund is to be expended. It is the plan
of the committee to let all the con-
| tracts to Bridgeport firms SO that the
money will for the most part be spent
in this city. Some day Bridgeport
| people will be able to look with pride
at the splendid new building which
its citizens have provided to meet one
Of the city's greatest needs
WEST END-Cottage, rooms, all