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REAL ESTATE
AND
k^ BUILDERS
[WIPE,
NEW YORK, JUNE 12, 1915
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THE CITY'S COURT HOUSE PROBLEM
Views of Experts on What Is Best to Be Done- The Greater Civic
Center Project Challenged—A New Court House Is Imperative
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p OMPTROLLER PRENDERGAST
V-^ has filed with the Board of Estimate
a statement predicting; that the new
courthouse and site will cost $25,000,000.
or $8,000,000 more than President Mc¬
Aneny estimates, and advising against
the further continuance of the project.
He says the Board of Estimate has
proceeded vvith this great financial un¬
dertaking in the face of business condi¬
tions which some of thc members of the
board are daily describing in the press
as most unfavorable. He nuotes some
of his colleagues as saying that "If ever
there was a time when public expendi¬
tures should be curbed, this is the
period."
In view of this stand on the part of
the Comptroller of the city, realty and
business interests are asking if it is not
time to pause and consider. In fact, it
is said that the members of the Board of
Estimate are waiting to hear from the
people on the matter, and that some are
inclined to support tbe Comptroller.
Important interests suggested to the
Record and Guide to ascertain if possi¬
ble the consensus of opinion among
business men as to what should be done
under the circumstances. In the minds
of some of those interviewed the court¬
house problem divided itself into three
parts. First, the construction of the
l)uilding, second the acquisition of the
site, and third, the making of a civic
center to extend from City Hall Park
to Manhattan Bridge with a grand
boulevard and concourse of public build¬
ings. One thing that seemed to be
agreed to was that the civic center pro¬
ject should not be linked up with the
courthouse plans at this time.
Sounding Public Opinion.
It seemed to be the predominating
opinion that the construction of the*
building should somehow proceed, but
that the civic center scheme is too am-
Ititious and should be disconnected from
the court house undertaking proper, and
every bit of land not actually needed for
a site disposed of.
Said a very representative real estate
authority: "Irrespective of the cost of the
Iiuilding, it will cost fifteen million dol¬
lars for the land, when the original pro¬
posal of the Court House Board did not
contemplate expending one dollar for
land. The city has been led on by de¬
grees by city planners until it contem¬
plates an improvement whicli may cost
as much as one hundred million dollars,
at the price New York i)ays for things.
"I am thinking of that ambitious civic
center scheme of Mr. McAneny's. of
which the court house site forms only a
part. The excessive amount of land for
the court house site was no doubt pur¬
chased as part of the civic center plan.
"We simply cannot afford it. In my
opinion, I think it would be better to
sell off the land and build on a less ex¬
pensive site. It certainly would be a
wise thing to do, if the city has not com¬
mitted itself too far, to go back to the
City Hall Park site, remove the present
building, as the Court House Board first
proposed, and build there, meanwhile
lOIt.XlCST FLAGG".
Criticises tiie .^itc of the new tourt housc.
renting court rooms in adjacent build¬
ings. That is the way a business man
would solve the problem. At any rate,
the civic center scheme should be
shelved as altogether too extravagant."
The Committee on Civic Improve¬
ments of New York Chapter, A. I. A.,
has submitted to Acting Mayor Mc¬
Aneny a plan for shifting the Court
House to a site nearer to the Municipal
Building. As explained by Ernest Flagg
.of the committee, this plan would cost
less to carry out, as there is less disturb¬
ance of existing streets. It occupies less
land and the salvage would be !;reater.
Instead of releasing only 101,000 square
feet for sale or other use by the city,
it releases 208,650 square feet or over
100 per cent. more. The saving on this
item would doubtless amount to several
million dollars. It provides better and
larger sites for other public buildings in
case they are needed. It provides some
park area about the building. It adds
about 25,000 square feet to the area of
Mullierry Bend Park.
"The adoption of this plan would
mean a saving of $6,000,000," continued
Mr. Flagg. "The plan put forward by
the Court House Board seems to us de¬
fective in vital particulars, and should
not. we think, be approved by the Board
of Estimate and App-irtionment or liy
thc .\rt Commission."
A Great Architect's Opinion.
Mr. Flagg was of the opinion that a
great mistake had heen made in the
selection of the site.
"The heart of the legal district is, and
always will be. in the heart of the finan¬
cial district," he said. "When the mat¬
ter was under advisement I suggested
a site for the building which would have
cost far less and have been as much bet¬
ter and more convenient, as it was more
economical. I refer to the three small
blocks bounded on the east by Battery
Park, on the west by Coenties Slip Park
and on the south by the new Plaza in
front of the Municipal Ferry Houses.
"This site would have therefore been
perpetually open. Moreover, its cost to
the city would have soon been entirely
offset by increased taxes from the land
lying between it and the financial dis¬
trict^
No Telling What It WiU Cost.
"If the method usually followed in the
erection of our public buildings is used
in building the Court House, then there
is no telling what it will cost. That
plan is to start work on somebody's esti¬
mate and afterwards discover it was a
mistaken one. The Capitol at Albany is
a shining example of what may be ex¬
pected under this method; the original
estimate for that building was exceeded
by five or six hundred per cent. It is
safe to say that nine times out of ten,
when work is done in this way, the esti¬
mates are overrun by from one hundred
to several hundred per cent.
"If, by good luck, the estimate in this
case is exceeded by only one hundred,
or one hundred and fiftv per cent., and
the building is paid for from the pro¬
ceeds of fifty year l)onds, then it will
have cost the taxpayers, before they are
through with it, from $60,000,000 to
$70,000,000; for every dollar spent will
cost, with the interest, three dollars. To
be sure, the city will have the use of the
l)uilding, but the rent will be unneces¬
sarily high.
Get Bids on All.
"This difficulty can be avoided by
starting work only after bids have been
received and accepted for the building
complete in every detail. Common pru¬
dence and past experience demand that
this be done and the taxpayers should
demand it also,
"The city ought not to go in debt for
the building at all. That plan is sure to
lead to extravagance.
"Pay as you go, is just as sound_ a
doctrine for a communitv as for an in¬
dividual.
"New York has no real need for a
court house of the kind proposed. The
present one has many defects but for
very little, they could all be cured. The
court rooms are spacious and well
lighted. The dependencies are cramped,
but by sacrificing a few of the court
rooms, this defect could be obviated and
the additional court rooms needed might
I)e provided in a building one quarter the
size of the one contemplated."
Mr. Marling Would Proceed at Once.
Alfred E. Marling, president of Hor¬
ace S. Ely & Company, said:
"I believe the wise step for the city
to take in connection with the court
house is to proceed at once to build it
and stop further loss in interest, etc.
The site has been secured at a great
cost, the plans for the building have
been approved and careful estimates se¬
cured, and Mr. McAneny is authority for