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JANUARY 20, 19|2





NEW YORK'S PROPOSED CIVIC CENTER

May   Be   Had   At   Less   Thaa   the   Cost  of the   Old Tweed Court   House,   Which
Added Nothing to Taxable Value of Adjacent Property—Post Office Should Go, T





The County Court House of TAveed ring
fame cost about $11,0(30,000. It added
nothing to the taxable value of adjacent
property. Like the Post Office, it was
an unsightly encroachment on City Hall
Park. It looks now as if both may be
remoA'ed and the park restored to this
uses for which it was originally intended.
One has only to glance at some of the
early prints of City Hall Park in Valen¬
tine's Manuals to appreciate the disfig¬
urement caused by the Post Office, the
rear of which with its tangle of delivery
wagons shuts in the old-time view from
the broad steps of the City Hall. On the
assured initiative of Senators O'Gorman
and Root there is reason to believe that
Congi-ess will vote to surrender the Post
Office site in favor of a roomier situa¬
tion in or facing the contemplated civic
center north  of the park.

From the expressions of approval wh):ch
the  projected  civic  center  has  met  Avith
in  all  quarters  one  might  conclude  that
sentiment   as   regards   park   reservations
has  undergone  a  change  since  the  post
Oflice and  the  Tweed  Court House were
built.     The   change,   however,   has   been
not so much in the sentiment of the com¬
munity  as   in   deference  on   the   part   of
the   municipal   administration   to   public
opinion. There have always been schemes
on foot for despoiling City Hall Park,  as
well as every other park in the city.    At
one  time,   for  example,   it  was   proposed
to   erect   in   City   Hall   Park   a   reservoir
for    the    distribution    of    water    to    be
brought   from   the   Bronx   River;    at   an¬
other time  the corporation actually voted
land  in  the  park  lor  the  City  Hospital.
However, there seems to have been hut
one   period   when   the   general   statement
held   true   that   the   city   administration
was   willing to  defy  the  preA'ailing  senti¬
ment to ratify such schemes of spoliation.
The plan now advocated is virtually to
restore   and   to   extend   City   Hall   Park.
It has grown out of the necessity of pro¬
viding-   a   modern   County   Court   House
More   than   a   score   of   sites   have   been
considered   for   tha   new   building.     The
final   choice   lay   between   the   Chainbors
street frontage opposite the park and ihe
blocks  bounded  roughly  by Leonard,   La^
fayette,  Baxter and  Park streets and by '
the plaza formed by the junction of seA'"-
eral streets to the southward. The Cham¬
bers   street   site   would   have   lent   itself
better to artistic treatment in immediate
connection with the park, but the cost of
acquiring it was regarded  as prohibitive
The preference being given to the near¬
by   cheaper   site,   the   committee   took   a
broad view of the needs of the city   an.l
rtcommended   that   ground   be   taken   for
other    proposed    structures   besides    the
Court House.    The civic center which the
cummittee look forward to embraces sev¬
eral   blocks   and   parts   of  blocks   outside
of the area roughly described above. The
accompanying diagram brings out the de¬
tails   of   the   committee's   suggestions   as
to  the   land   to   be   acquired.     The   entire
civic center, inclusive of buildings, should
not  cost  much  more  than  the  taxpayers
were mulcted by the Tweed ring for the
pvc?ent  Court  House.

Here is a statement of the motives
Avhich   actuated   the  committee:

"We have proceeded upon the assump¬
tion that no adequate treatment of this
question can possibly be arrived at which
dees not view the Court House as, in the
first place, possessing good open .sur¬
roundings, and further as being part of
an important group of public buildings
which the city will undoubtedly be called
upon to build in the not far distant
future.

"It is obvious that since such buildings
AvU! all have to be placed in this general
vicinity, it is better to group them, for
convenience, for economy, and for the
pr<,-i-l!gc of the city. Also that it is bet¬
ter business to make provision for them
now, rather than to wait until the neces^
sity for them compels the acquiring of
th^ir sites one by one.

"Hence all the schemes presented here¬
with'tiontemplate such development,' now





or at some future time, and although
each one of them shows the minimum
of area which would be required to pro¬
vide a mere site for the County Court
House, it must be home in mind that we
regard that as a temporary condition—a
step  in  Ihe ultimate development,"

The area to be taken by the citv, both
for the Court House and the incidental
parking purposes, would be 120 city lots,
or 300,000 square feet in all. The city
already owns the triangular block be¬
tween Pearl, Duane, Center and Park
streets, with an area of 7,277 square feet.





OO.





the Hall of Records bounded by Reade,
Thomas. Elm and Lafayette streets. The
committee also wishes to see the old
Criminal Court House, which is now in
a dilapidated condition, pulled down and
a new one erected opposite the Tombs
Prison on the other side of Center street
and just  to   the  north  of the  park.

It is, hoAvever, estimated by the Real
Estate Bureau of the Finance Depart¬
ment that the cost of .acquiring the prop¬
erty in condemnation proceedings would
he from $(j,000,€(X> to $0,500,000. The
committee   suggests   that   as   park   space







THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING AS IT IS TODAY.
in n„^^„f?™''^'''"^ '■'^'^ photograph with the following one, the progress ou the buildmg
Pn,.ir,=^ H, T "^^ '=?" ""^ "°,^®*'- ^°'^^ ""ie granite is yet to be set ou the buildins to
Ti,™,f. '^"ejower stones, aud the upper portion of the tower still remains to be enclosed The
hpi?i^^^Pv!,^Ti ^^'^'"^^''^,^'','"'^^ ^^'"^ ""'"-^ '■^^ exception of a few. hundred feet whitli is
ivn^RH^iZ ' ^^ "alance of the granite, 3000.000 cubic feet is now stored under the Brook-
/.-...nl .%.'.,^ ?®^^/ ^? ^.t..%^'' ■'"^'^ ^^ ^°*"^ ^^ fie -iveather psrmils. The contract for tbe
^'k?. f= T J^ m April. 1910. This means that in a little over one year'and a half 700.000
i,^ii,?^. I 2,, .^'■^"''^^'1=^? "if^" quarried, cut, carved, and over half this ciuantity set in the
Ouiidiug This IS admittedly the greatest record ever achieved iu the history o£ the busi¬
ness  m  the  matter  of   preparing  granite.

or 2.9  city  lots.    The assessed  valuation     and   new   streets   are   to   he   provided   a

on the property to be taken is $4,42(3,500.     certain    portion    of    the    cost    should    be

Here are the figures by blocks;                     assessed  locally on  the property holders.

Assessed     the   balance   being   met   by   the  issue   of

1 lot.                                    Square Ft.     Value,     corporate   stock.

'^'LlflTette^'a"^'^' Sti^e                               ,,^^^3   figures   do   not   cover . the   addi-

streets    ...............   40 317  Sl 290 OOO     t'o^al   land   reciuired   for   carrying   out   in

Between  Leonard,   Worth       '             '      '          ^^^^   the   civic   centre   idea,   but   not   em-
Centre and Baxter sts.   69,063    1,184,500     braced   in   the   Court   House  plan.

Between      Pearl,      Worth,                                  t^^,,   (.nmmitfpe   cavi'

Elm  and   Centre   sts...   23,346       -609 000        ..^t   ^O'?}"""^^  says.

Between     Worth      Pearl                     -Ju^.vuu        ..-pj^g   g,(g   proposed   Avould   permit   the

Centre   and   Park   sts,.   51,769        863,000     erection of the Court House Avithin  what

Between     Pearl.     Duane,                            '          ill   effect   would   be   a   new   city   square.

Lafayette    and    Centre                               with a noble approach from the south and

q4i»t    =„»;............J,    '^■'^^^       371,000     with  open  spaces  to  the  west,  enlarging

portion'   Sf    bTo   c"k                               ^"^   permitting   the   further   development

bounded       by      Duane                                of   Avhat   is    now   Mulberry   Bend   Park.

Reade,    Elm    and    La-^                               The   property   that   is   taken   is   all   rela-

fayette   streets    .......105.026        310,000     lively   cheap   in   character.     The   require-

^ ,  ,                                    -------- -—■-------^-     ments of adequate light and air would be

To^^l   ................299,600     $4,436,500     satisfactorily met, the Court House placed

Hence,  it was  thought well to buy for     within  easy access of the City Hall and

future   improA'ements   the   blocks   behind     the   Hall   of  Records   and  the  Municipal