RECORD AND GUIDE
July 16, 1904
Selection of Architects for Engineering Building.
The conference committee of the three national engineering
societies and of the Engineers' Club, charged with the respon¬
sibility of giving effect to the gift of Mr. Andrew Carnegie of
$1,500,000 for the erection of the two buildings in New York
City suitable for their respective purposes, has reached an im¬
portant stage in its work, and this week has made the selection
of architects for the respective structures. It was the expressed
wish of Mr. Carnegie that the competition should be a mixed
one so that in addition to selecting six competent architects,
the' committee threw the work open to all comers and pro¬
vided a prize scheme to compensate the best competitors in the
open class. Since the middle of June the committee has re¬
ceived 26 complete sets of competitive plans for the two build¬
ings inclusive, comprising over 500 drawings, and with the as¬
sistance of Prof. W. R. Ware as expert adviser, has spent a
good deal of time in the consideration of these designs, .all of
which, of course, were submitted anonymously. The conclu¬
sions now reached are unanimous and are approved by the
professional adviser. The successful competitor for the Unitea
Engineering building is Mr. Herbert D. Hale of Boston, with
Henry G. Morse of New York as associate architect. Mr. Hale is
a grandson of Edward Everett Hale, and has done a largti
amount of public architecture in New England and has con¬
structed some Carnegie libraries, besides doing a very con¬
siderable amount of work for the New York Shipbuilding Com¬
pany. The successful competitors for the Engineers' Club are
Whitfield & King of New York, who have done a large amount
of work in New York City and on various Carnegie libraries, and
were also associated in work on the buildings of the Pan-
American Exposition. The designs of this firm were also among
those favorably considered for the United Engineering building,
aw-arded to Mr. Hale. The successful competitors in the open
class for four equal prizes of !f400 each in addition to Mr. Hale,
are Trowbridge & Livingston of New York, Frank C. Roberts
& Co. with Edgar V. Seeler. associate, Philadelphia, and Allen &
Collins of Boston. It is interesting to note that a very large pro¬
portion of the competitive designs came from Boston, and thav
the largest prize, namely, the award for the United Engineering
building, as well as one of the smaller money prizes, has gont,
to that city.
Details have already been given in the Record and Guide
as to the nature of the two buildings, which will re¬
quire for construction from $1,100,000 to ¥1,200.000. The United
Engineering building will occupy land 125 feet front by 100
feet on West SOth street, while the club, with a frontage of 50
feet and a depth of 100 feet, will face on Bryant Park and the
new public library. The United Engineering building, aside
from quarters for the American Society of Mechanical Engi¬
neers, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the
American Institute of Mining Engineers, as well as other socie¬
ties enabled to participate in the accommodations, will have
several fine auditoriums and a magnificent library. The club
building will be about llVa stories high, with the usual accom¬
modations of a club and some 60 or 70 bedrooms for members.
The work of tearing down the old buildings and the construction
of the new. Is to be pushed vigorously and will begin forthwith.
tion of the terminal of the Lackawanna tunnel on the Man¬
hattan side of the river has been given, but wherever ifgoea a
big slice of property will be taken, as in the case of the Penn¬
sylvania.
Building for John D. Rockefeller.
The Thompson-Starrett Company has just secured the con¬
tract for the 17-Ety office building to be built by Mr. John D.
Rockefeller in Cleveland, Ohio, on the site of the Weddell House,
at one time the best-known hotel in that city. There have
been a great many stories about Mr. Rockefeller's building
enterprises, but this, as we believe, is the only office building
that he has ever undertaken.
aovernment Elevator Contracts.
The Marine Engine and Machine Company, with offices at No.
1123 Broadway, this city, have been awarded the contracts for
ithG installation of the electric elevators at the new custom
house and post office at Baltimore, Md., and for the new cus¬
tom house and post office at Covington, Ky., under specifica¬
tions issued by the supervising architect of the United States
Treasury Department.
Product and Appliance.
CHEAPER STEAM HEATING.
One of the greatest troubles in steam heating is apt to be
that the air valves on the radiators do not work when they
should. This often comes from tampering with the adjustment
of the valve, and, too. the expansion post sometimes becomes
warped or strained from poor adjustment or overheating.
A new air valve has been brought out which Is non-adjust¬
able, and, consequently, cannot be tampered with, and which
has no expansion post, but depends for its operation entirely on
the expansion and contraction of air.
Lackawanna Will Also Tunnel.
The interesting fact that the Lackawanna Railroad intends
building a tunnel under the Hudson River was adduced through
testimony given this week before the commissioners appointed
to condemn lands in Jersey City for the proposed tunnel spur
to be built by the New York & New Jersey branch of the Penn¬
sylvania Railroad from the terminus of the Hudson River tunnel
at the foot of 15th st, Jersey City, to Hoboken. William D,
Edwards, counsel for the Lackawanna Railroad, said the pro¬
posed spur would prevent the Lackawanna from tunneling undei
the Hudson because it would have to go so deep to get under
the. spur that it could not re_ach the surface except by a grade
too steep for the operation of trains.
This makes four Hudson River tunnels projected, two being
now under construction. No intimation of the proposed loca-
A sectional view of the -valve is shown on this page whf
will give an idea of the device. When the radiator is cold th(-
air in the outer shell of the valve contracts, drawing the water
from around the float through the hole at the bottom of the
well. This allows the cold air to escape, and the radiator to fill
with steam. When steam reaches the valve it heats the air.
drawing the water out of the outer shell, lifting the fioat, clos¬
ing the valve.
Those interested in watching the working of this valve can
have a sample mailed free on application to the manufacturers,
Norwall Mfg. Co.. Western Union Bldg., Chicago. 111.
The Quarterly.
The second Record & Guide Quarterly for 1004 is ready for
delivery. This publication includes all the conveyances, mort¬
gages, projected buildings, alterations, auction sales i.nd leases,
arranged alphabetically and numerically, recorded from April 1
to June 30, 1904. Price, $6; yearly subscription, $20.
I
naterial Harket.
BRICK.
The Diamond Stone Erick Company is completing a plant at
Wilmington, Del., for the manufacture of sand-lime brick, and
expects to begin operations within the next two or three weeks.
These-brick are manufactured from silica sand and calcium lime.
They will stand a crushing strain greater than any clay brick,
and a greater degree of temperature; and the manufacturers
guarantee a water absorption of less than 12 per cent. These
brick improve with age in the atmosphere or under water, and
will not crack or disintegrate by freezing. They can be fur¬
nished of any shade or color desired, but the natural color is a
gray, resembling Indiana limestone or sandstone. The Charles,
Warner Company, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Wilmington, Del.,
will supply the raw materials for manufacturing the brick, and
will have the general sales agency. Delivery can be made by
water to New York, Philadelphia, Trenton andCamden, N. J.,
Baltimore, Washington, Norfolk and Portsmouth, and via rail
to intermediate points.
Elijah Walsh, of Newburgh. is about to put the old Walsh
brickyard at New Windsor in action again. It has been idle for
several years.
John Peirce, of New York, the contractor for the :-.cademic
building at the United Statea Naval Academy, Annapolis, placed
his order for the brick, amounting to 5,000,000, with the Cham¬
pion Brick Company, of Baltimore.
Fredenburg & Lounsbury, 289 ith av, report business in front
brick as holding up fairly from, all general points within ' the
district. The largest contract of note that the firm has on hand
is for the front brick for the Columbia College Dormitory, of