The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-12
ST. LOUIS BEGINS
IT'S CIVIC CENTER
Start Condemnation Pro.
ceedings for New Civic
Center Plaza.
KENOSHA INTERESTED

ST. Louis. = The first definite move
of this city in carrying out bond is
| sue provision for the construction of 9
| SIS, 000, 900 Memorial Plaza has beer
| taken with the filing of suit for con
demnation of property in the proposed
Plaza district.
The cost of condemnation has beer
estimated by the City Plan Commits
sion at $5,O00,000 but Associate City
Counselor Sem, who is in charge OF
condemnation work for the city, has
! said that property owners in the terri
tory adjacent to the proposed Plaza
likely will be assessed q, considerable
portion of the costs, thus materially
reducing the expense to the city.
| The Memorial Plaza will occupy 8
space of ten city blocks in addition tc
the ground already occupied by the city
| hall, the municipal court, city Jail and
| the children's building. To clear the
new site will necessitate the wrecking
of $50 houses and small shop build
ings. Due to the legal tangles that may
arise, it is not believed actual con-
struction can begin for several months
Had Big Bond Issue.
| The Plaza was but one of a number
of projects voted no in an $87,O0O,OOO
| bond issue that was passed on Feb
! 9, 1928 There were three provisions
in the bond issue which were regarded
as applying directly to the Memorial
Plaza.
One provision was for the erection
Of a new 100000 court house; the
second favored S5,O00,000 Increase OF
debt "for the acquisition of a site and
the erection thereon of civic build
| ing to be known as the municipal audi
forum and community center build
| ing;" and the third provided for g
bond issue of $6,000,000 for the &C
| quisition of land for the Plaza site and
"for the erection therein Of memoir
ial building or monument in apprecla-
| ton of the services rendered by the
citizen soldiers of Missouri in the late
World war, and for the purpose of pre-
serving the records and perpetuat1ng
the memory of their heroic achieve
| ments and sacrifices"
While the $6,OO0,000 proposition, as
voted on, did not separate the cost OF
| the Plaza site and the amount needed
for the soldier memorial, it is planned
to spend at least S1,000,000 for the
memorial structure.
. Had Bitter Controversy!
Inasmuch as the bond issue PROPOSE
tion for the new court house did not
specifically locate it as part of the
Plaza group, bitter fight arose and
was finally settled in the general cleo
ton last fall A group of business men
desired the new court house to be near
the old one in the center Of the busi-
ness district ard waged a lively cam
paign against placing it in the Mem
orial Plaza. They argued removal of
the building from the present site on
Broadway would seriously affect prop
erty values, as the city's official busl-
ness center would be moved farther
west Opponents of this idea just as
vigorously contended that to omit the
court house from the Plaza group
would wreck the whole Plaza scheme.
When the matter finally came to a
vote, a majority of st. Louisans decid-
ed the new structure should be part
of the Plaza group.
While plans have not been definitely
formulated, it has been decided the
Memorial Plaza in the main will lie
Just north of the city hall and the
municipal courts buildings, thus bring
ing them into the grouping. The Plaza
will be irregular in shape and will be
bounded on the south by Clark venue,
-, ~ I'll L Il ,~.I = fo,s
north as Market street, then east on
Eleventh street, north block to Chest
nut and west again to Twelfth; then
north on Twelfth to Pine street, west
to Thirteenth and north along Thir-
teenth street to Locust, taking in the
public library as part Of the group;
west on Locust to Fourteenth, south on
Fourteenth to Pine, west to Fifteenth,
and south to Clark avenue.
Soldier Memorial Too.