The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-04
Proposed Arnory in City Auditorium
 Meets Opposition
Request That Armory Be Added to Auditorium Made at Conference of Parties Interested = Referred to General Committee

Inclusion of an armory in the pro- posed municipal auditorium will be considered by members of the audi torium committee at the request of J. J. Jackson, as the head of the armory committees from the Civic Association and the American legion,
 The request was made at confer ence of members of the city com mission, several members of the au- ditorium committee, Adjt. Gen. Hart ley A. Moon, Mr. Jackson, Hugh Martin, one of the architects working on the auditorium plans, H. A. Brice, and T. W. Stanford, yesterday after noon at the city hall.
 It was brought out at the meeting that room for drill practice was not needed that primarily the need was for locker rom, showers and lecture rooms. The committee suggested that the armory be located in the basement of the audi torium.
 City Commissioner ]. Ellis Brown, a member of the auditorium committee presided at the meeting in the absence of Dr. N. A, Barrett president of the city commission, and chairman of the auditorium committee. Mir. Brown de- clared that it would take every dollai of the $500, 900 bond issue to build the aud itorium, and that even then much would have to be done later on in the way oi not sure that it would be legal to apply the money derived from the sale of these bonds to the construction of an armory authough it was contained in the audi tcrium proper.
 WOULD QUICKLY RESPOND
 Told that it would probably cost $6O,OV' to $70,OO0 to construct the sort of armory desired, Commissioner Brown asked where the money was coming from. MT Jackson was very optimistic in his pre- diction that the citizens. of Birmingham realizing the value of an efficient na' tional guard, would quickly respond to an appeal for funds to build an Sarmory | Hugh Martin, architect working on the plans of the auditorium, declared thai the preliminary sketches had already been made, and that it would be waste of time to change the plans without definite assurances that the money was | in hand.
 Mr Martin spoke in answer to MT Jackson's suggestion that the architects be instructed to pl5n the auditorium with the armory included. MT. Martin added 1 that space was needed for the heating plant, the ventilating plant and the nee essary supporting columns for building of the size of the auditorium. Speaking i frankly, he said he could not see where the armory could be housed satisfactor' fly in the basement of the auditorium 1 building.
 Mir. Martin suggested that the com. l mittee plan for an armory building exclusive of the auditorium, raising | the money for it's construction b5 1 popular subscription. MT. Jackson re ] joined that they were in touch witt the auditorium project and that they would hold on until it was decided i was feasible or not feasible.
 MORE MONEY NECESSARY l Commissioner Brown declared it was absolutely necessary that more money be raised if any armory was to bt built either in or separate from the auditorium.
 l 1OIuIDlSSlOntT f1OTHduy SuSSeSlct that the committees create public sentiment in favor of the armory and pave the way for bond issue or the financing of the project by public l subscription.
 Lieut.. Col. Hartley A. Moon, ad- l jutant general of Alabama made g plea for an armory for the Birming- ham contingent of the Alabama na- l tional guard. He declared that proper housing was necessary to insure ef- ficiency. The national guard is an es- sential institution, Colonel Moon said and should be treated as such by the citizens of Birmingham.
 q He spoke of the amount of money coming into sBirmingham as pay for 1 guardsmen, naming $100,000 as ]
 minimum now being paid Birming- l ham men for guard service.
 Members of the auditorium commit 1 tee present promised to bring the mat I ter before the entire committed, and l give the proposition serious thought Morris Bush, Frank Rushton, R. A Brown and pr. N. A. Barnett were un- able to attend the conference yester- 1 day afternoon. Mrs. w. D. Smith, Mrs Houston Davis and City Commissioners 1 J. Ellis Brown were the only members of the auditorium committee present 1 Commissioners John H. Taylor ana John R. Hornady were also present al I the meeting.
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