Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Please note: this text may be incomplete. For more information about this OCR, view About OCR text.

98o 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.