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RECORD AND  GUIDB





April 30, 1904 -





The Union  Engineering Building.

The preliminary work of the Conference Commitee on the
Union Engineering Building was closed last week after a consid-
able amount of work on the part of all interested, and the pro¬
gramme of competition was placed in the hands of architects
during the present week. In this work the committee has en¬
joyed the advice of Prof, W. R. Ware as professional adviser, and
it is needless to say that the programme has been drawn with
care. The plans submitted in the competition by the selected
architects and by those who enter the open competition are to be
in the hands of Prof, F. R, Hutton, secretary of the committee,
by June 15, and it is expected shortly thereafter to arrive at a
decision as to the preferable plan. The Engineering Building on
Thirty-ninth street, about midway on the north side of the
block, will occupy about 10,500 square feet, exclusive of the 15
feet open space reserved under the city ordinances, the outside
dimensions of the land being about 125 feet by 100 feet. To the
east of the building, Mr. Cai-negie has bought and reserved a
residence which will be maintained at its present elevation so as
to protect the air and light of the building on that side.

There will be at the top of the building three stories held for
the use of technical societies invited to participate in the beneflts
of the building. Three other similar floors will be reserved, one
fach for the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, tht
American Institute of Mining Engineers and the American So¬
ciety of Mechanical Engineers. These floors will make ample pro¬
visions for offlces and each will have a large, handsome reception
room as well as board and committee rooms. Below these will
come the library, virtually a double floor; although the committee
will entertain plans placing the library at the top of the building.
Next below will come a large main auditorium floor, which will
seat from 1,200 to 1,500 people, with 1,000 on the floor and about
half as many additional in the galleries. This floor will prefer¬
ably be aa near the sidewalk as possible, and may have above it
or below it a number of smaller meeting rooms having similar
purposes, seating audiences of from 500 down to 100. There will
be six such rooms and these as well as the large room will all be
thoroughly equipped wilh gas, compressed air, steam, water,
electricity, etc., for the conduct of experiments and demonstra¬
tions. There will aleo be lounging and smoking rooms, and pro¬
vision win also be made for special banquets by outside caterers
and the serving of occasional collations. The floor on the street
level will be appropriated mainly to administrative purposes.

Por the purposes of the Engineering Building and the Engi¬
neer's Club regarded as separate structures, it is proposed to ex¬
pend about $1,000,000 leaving tbe other $500,000 for tearing down
of old buildings, excavation, architects' and engineers' fees, ma¬
chinery, elevators, lighting fixtures and the equipment of the
library and auditorium. As to the architecture of both buildings,
it Is the expressed wish of Mr. Carnegie that it should be sim¬
ple and dignified, something that will be as good in style a hun¬
dred years from to-day as now.

The Engineers' Club, with a frontage of 50 feet and a depth of
100, will front on Fortieth street and Bryant Park, looking across
to the New York Public Library, now partially completed. It is
proposed that the club building shall be eleven and a half stories,
including also basement and sub-basement, but differing, of
course, in all other respects from its near neighbor. The half
story will be on the roof and will have the kitchen and some
rooms for accommodation of the help, the other part constituting
a roof garden with outlook on the little park and Hudson River.
The eleventh floor below will b'? occupied entirely by the main
dining-room or banquet hall and its service facilities, ana will be
one of the flnest rooms in the house. looking across to the park
and New York Library. Below this will come the breakfast room
floor with a large breakfast and lunch room and several private
dining-rooms.

Next will come four floors, occupied by bedrooms for members.
There will be sixty of these rooms in all. and the smallest is to be
not less than 150 square feet. Below tbese sleeping accommoda¬
tions will come the billiard room floor, with a large billiard room
across the front of the house and with board rooms, committee
rooms, card rooms, etc., in the rear. Next below will be the floor
containing the club room or general reception and meeting-room
In front and the library in the rear, these being the only two
rooms on that floor. The next or ground floor, raised several
feet above the sidewalk, will contain the offlce, large coat rooms,
general reception rooms, telephone booths and a large cafe
There will be passenger elevators, a grand stairway running up
to the level of the billiard room floor, and there will be service
stairways throughout, which can also be used by the members.
Tt is believed that good architectural plans will enable the
buildings to present from the Bryant Park front a harmonious
and handsome ensemble above the roofs of the private dwellings
in the vicinity. A covered areaway across the "ight well between the
two buildings will render intercommunication easy and the com¬
mittee will also entertain plans throwing a light, artistic bridge
across at about the level of the library Hoor of the Engineering
building. The six architects selected for tbe mixed competition
have already been named in these columns, and this week the
printed programme was placed in their hands and will a.so be
^ available for other architects in good standing, many of whom
^--*'sh to come into the open competition.    The selected architects





are each to receive $1,000. which is to be charged against the
commissions in case of success. The competitors on the open list
have the encouragement of four equal prizes of $200 each for the
four best designs. The date for the fliing of the competitive
plans is June 15. The committee hopes to be able thereafter to
make a prompt decision and will proceed with the prosecution of
the work wilhout delay.





Fordliam Hospital.

The drawings for the new Fordham Hospital, which have heen
prepared by Raymond F. Almira!, sbow a group of buildings of
which the central structure, of Harvard brick with limestone
trimmings, will face the Southern Boulevard, while the smaller
buildings, such as power-house, stable and morgue, will be more
or less inconspicuous by reason of the lower level of the land to
the rear. The main hospital will be five stories high, and have
two wings, while provision will be made for the addition of two
more wings of equal size at some future time when they may
become necessary. Architectural effect has been studied in the
design with due regard for economy. The hospital, as at present
planned, wil! have beds for 150 patients, and the cost of its
erection, including architect's fees, is estimated at $000,000.

The building is designed to be flreproof throughout. Composite
will be used for the flooring, except in the toilet rooms, where
floors and wainscoting will be of tiles. Iron and slate will be
used in the stairways. Two large elevators will be provided, and
also a smaller one. The ventilation will be a forced system, ex-,
hausling foul air and supplying tempered fresh air.

To the north of the hospital a dormitory building for the hos¬
pital nurses will be erected. This will be five stories in height,
providing good and sanitary accommodations. In the northwest
corner of the grounds will be the power-house, set about 20 feet
lower than the hospital building, provided with complete heating,
electrical and refrigerating plants. Storage will be provided for
about 400 tons of coal. From the power-house a concrete tunnel
5 feet high and 4 feet wide is to run about 200 feet to the hos¬
pital building, and through the full length of the latter, carrying
all pipes and wires. A branch tunnel will lead to the Nurses'
Home. Annexed to the power-house will be a complete steam
laundry, S3x62 feet, fireproof throughout on two floors, with
fumigating and sterilizing room. Above the laundry are to 1
two stories of dormitories for the hospital female attendants, with
an independent entrance. Both the power-house and laundry
have been designed so as to provide for future extension.

A building for an ambulance house, stable and morgue is to be
erected at the southwest corner of the grounds. The part of the
structure devoted to the ambulance house and stable is to meas¬
ure 76x54 feet, containing provision for four ambulances, with the
requisite number of horses, a repair shop and a harness room.
In an upper story will be sleeping rooms for tlie drivers and
male attendants. The morgue part of the building will contain
an autopsy room, an undertaker's room and a small chapel.

The plans were flled this week, but bids have not been adver¬
tised for.





Water Waste.

A hint to other taxpayers is contained in the experience of Mr.
Ernest Flagg, the architect. His water bill was running at the
rate of $9,000 a year, -when he concluded to make an investiga¬
tion. The result was that his bill last year, for substantially the
same property, was only $2,400, at meter rates. In many closets
he found what is called a "hush pipe" by the initiated. It con¬
ceals a leak, so that no one can tell by the ear alone when water
is running to waste. When all of these contrivances had been
removed and repairs made, the meters showed a great saving of
water. "I only know of my own buildings," said Mr. Flagg.
"but if the proportion of waste holds good elsewhere, the aggre¬
gate must be exceedingly large,"

At the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, En¬
gineer Hill said he had never heard of a "hush pipe." Neither
liad his foreman. However, they were eventually convinced that
such contrivances existed, and Mr. Hil! said he would give the
matter his attention. However, every taxpayer whose water bill
is computed by meter rates wouid also do well to investigate and
see if "hush pipes" are concealing any leaks that he is paying
for.





^The announcement of the names of the flve firms of architects
who have been chosen to prepare plans for the Carnegie Tech¬
nical Schools, at Pittsburgh, was made during the week. They
are: Carrere & Hastings, New York; Frank Miles Day & Bro,,
Philadelphia; Cass Gilbert. New York; Howells & Stokes, New
York; George B, Post, New York. The flve firms are to receive
$1,000 each as a prize offer. One of the awards is reserved and
will be paid to the author of the best design submitted by an
architect Of Allegheny county. Prof, Warren P. Laird, of the
University of Pennsylvania, has been constituted the archi¬
tectural adviser to assist in the preparation of the program and
in making the awards. Pour months' time will be given in
which to prepare the plans, and the competition will be conducted
along recognized professional lines.