,,down ,,town ,,brooklyn  ,a ,report to 
the ,comptroller of the ,city of ,new   
,york on ,sites for ,public ,buildings  
and the ,relocation of the ,elevated    
,railroad ,tracks now in ,lower ,fulton 
,street1 ,borough of ,brooklyn          
,illustration3 ,,borough ,,of ,,brooklyn
  ,,brooklyn1 ,,new ,,york ,,mcmxiii    
,,contents  ,,letter ,,from ,,the       
,,comptroller ,,report ,,of ,,the       
,,committee ,first ,plan ,second ,plan  
,third ,plan ,fourth ,plan ,fifth ,plan 
,sixth ,plan ,,additional ,,report      
,,supplemental ,,report     ,,letter    
,,from ,,the ,,comptroller   ,april     
#ahth1 #aiac4  ,dear ,mr4 ,pratt3  ,it  
appears to me that the time has now     
arrived when some definite policy should
 be formulated regarding a number of    
needed improvements in the ,borough of  
,brooklyn1 with particular reference to 
a settlement of the court house1 bridge 
terminal and other questions4 ,we have  
had considerable discussion regarding   
these matters1 and while this discussion

 has developed1 as it naturally would1  
many divergent views1 ,i am confident   
that it has also served a most useful   
purpose because now we all have a much  
better idea of the work that has to be  
undertaken and the importance of        
intelligent and united action governing 
it4  ,it is very necessary that some one
 should take the lead and ,i1 therefore1
 suggest that you endeavor at the       
earliest possible time to effect a      
meeting of those interested as citizens 
and officials in developing the best    
plan for ,brooklyn's improvement1 with a
 view to having a definite policy       
proposed and so determined at this time 
that the only thing necessary in the    
future will be the authorization of the 
funds to carry the plan into effect4    
,there should be a civic center in      
,brooklyn4 ,we have a nucleus of such a 
center in the present ,borough ,hall4   
,we need a new terminal for the         
,brooklyn entrance of the ,brooklyn     
,bridge1 a better approach to that      

bridge by the present elevated railroad 
lines1 the removal of the elevated      
railroad tracks from lower ,fulton      
,street1 a new court house1 a new       
municipal building and a thorough       
improvement of that section running from
 the intersection of ,myrtle ,avenue and
 ,washington ,street to the terminal of 
the ,brooklyn ,bridge1 using this       
improved section for the purpose of     
carrying out a general beautification of
 the proposed civic center4  ,all of    
these things cannot be done at once1 but
 they are all a part of what should be a
 general plan4 ,i believe that if the   
subject be approached in a spirit of    
civic patriotism a general plan can be  
developed which will mean the ultimate  
procurement of all these much-needed    
improvements1 and in such a way as to be
 of the greatest benefit to ,brooklyn as
 a borough4  ,yours truly1  ,,william   
,a4 ,,prendergast1   ,comptroller  ,,mr4
 ,,frederic ,b4 ,,pratt   ,brooklyn1    
,new ,york         99       99       99 

99       99  ,upon receiving the        
foregoing letter1 ,mr4 ,pratt conferred 
with a large number of officials and    
citizens interested in the progress of  
,brooklyn1 and acting upon their advice 
formed a committee of ten1 believed by  
him to be representative of the various 
points of view1 for the purpose of      
making a systematic study of the        
problems set forth and to formulate a   
report with definite recommendations4   
,the report and recommendations of the  
committee appear in the following pages4
     ,,report ,,of ,,the ,,committee    
,,of ,,ten ,,citizens ,,of ,,brooklyn   
,,appointed ,,at ,,the ,,suggestion ,,of
 ,,william ,a4 ,,prendergast1           
,,comptroller ,,of ,,the ,,city ,,of    
,,new ,,york   ,since the appointment of
 this committee on the #cjth day of     
,april1 #aiac1 it has had frequent      
meetings1 conferences and hearings4     
,conferences have been had with         
representatives from organizations that 
have given time and study to the        

subjects within the scope of this       
committee4 ,several public hearings were
 held1 notice of which was given in the 
public press4 ,written communications   
have been invited from all persons      
interested4 ,architects have been       
employed to advise and we have had the  
help of competent engineers4  ,at the   
outset the committee has been compelled 
to recognize the situation of ,brooklyn 
and its relation to ,manhattan and      
,greater ,new ,york4 ,brooklyn has      
always labored under the disadvantage   
that1 although its residents have helped
 create the great assessed valuations in
 lower ,manhattan1 it did not before    
consolidation receive any benefit from  
the taxation of those values4 ,in this  
respect ,brooklyn was not and even now  
is not like independent cities such as  
,buffalo1 ,cleveland or ,chicago1 where 
both residences and office buildings    
contribute alike to support the same    
municipal government4 ,prior to         
consolidation on ,january #ast1 #ahih1  

,brooklyn had reached the limit of her  
constitutional borrowing capacity4 ,the 
city needed many new schools and more   
bridges and tunnels across the ,east    
,river4 ,along with many disadvantages  
that flowed from consolidation1 there   
came the great advantage that ,brooklyn 
at last received a portion of the tax   
money raised on the real estate in lower
 ,manhattan1 to which ,brooklyn people  
had helped to give a high value4 ,it    
must1 however1 be recognized that       
,manhattan is the central borough1 and  
that as the business and municipal      
center of ,greater ,new ,york she is    
entitled to pre-eminence in buildings to
 transact the city's business4 ,now that
 the boroughs constitute one city1      
,manhattan must help to give the        
outlying boroughs those utilities that  
their growth reasonably requires1 and   
the outlying boroughs must recognize    
,manhattan as the business and official 
center4  ,for the last twenty years the 
industrial population in ,brooklyn has  

been greatly increasing4 ,officials and 
loyal citizens who desire that the      
historic character of ,brooklyn should  
be preserved cannot afford to wait ten  
years before a beginning is made to     
brighten up the downtown district4      
,continued migrations of home owners    
from ,brooklyn to ,new ,jersey and to   
counties outside of ,greater ,new ,york 
may weaken the ability of the borough to
 preserve its entity and character4 ,if 
it should once become a somewhat        
neglected industrial annex of           
,manhattan1 the result would be         
injurious both to ,brooklyn and         
,manhattan4 ,no greater calamity could  
happen to every part of ,brooklyn than  
to have the borough lose its civic      
pride4  ,when we add to the foregoing   
considerations the fact that ,greater   
,new ,york has nearly reached the       
constitutional limit of its borrowing   
capacity1 we should not delude ourselves
 into thinking that persistent and      
long-continued demand will bring        

indefinite millions of dollars to       
,brooklyn in the near future4 ,the vast 
contemplated expenditure for rapid      
transit railroads brings a share to     
,brooklyn1 but even to validate the dual
 rapid transit contracts it was         
necessary to dedicate to subways        
#ej1jjj1jjj out of the #fe1jjj1jjj of   
self-supporting dock bonds exempted     
under the recent constitutional         
amendment1 while we in ,brooklyn know   
that more than #ae1jjj1jjj are needed   
for dock improvements in ,brooklyn alone
 during the next ten years4 ,in order to
 obtain a sufficient margin within the  
debt limit1 assessed valuations have    
been placed at full value1 and in some  
cases beyond prices that property will  
bring in the open market4 ,until the    
comprehensive rapid transit plan is     
completed in the course of four to six  
years1 it cannot be expected that there 
will be a substantial increase in       
assessed valuations1 taking the city as 
a whole4  ,with all of these            

considerations before us we have        
concluded that the strictest economy    
must be observed in improving the       
downtown district of ,brooklyn1 and that
 every dollar expended should be not    
only of the greatest use for the special
 purpose to which it is put1 but also   
that every dollar expended should give  
co-ordinated results4 ,therefore we     
consider that such lands as are taken   
for public buildings should also        
contribute toward the opening up and    
improvement of the central business     
locality4  ,outside of money for rapid  
transit lines1 docks1 schoolhouses and  
street improvements1 it is not likely   
that the ,borough of ,brooklyn will     
within the next eight years receive any 
substantial sums except for the new     
municipal building and a new court      
house4 ,if these buildings are placed in
 isolated locations where they have no  
relation to one another nor to the      
borough center1 it will be most         
unfortunate4 ,like the ,academy of      

,music1 which is surrounded by narrow   
streets1 they would confer only a       
partial benefit4 ,therefore the question
 of their location is more than finding 
a good spot for a court house or        
municipal building4 ,the problem is to  
find locations that will be convenient  
for the public business1 have a relation
 to each other and other public         
improvements1 and contribute to the     
acquirement of more open space where it 
will do the most good4  ,we think that  
the ,borough ,hall locality should be   
preserved and improved as the borough's 
municipal center4 ,some say that we     
should look to ,eastern ,parkway1 some  
to ,flatbush ,avenue ,extension4 ,but   
,borough ,hall ,park is the old-time and
 long settled center4 ,the large office 
and financial buildings are there4 ,it  
is convenient of access from every part 
of the borough4 ,every new rapid transit
 line will be directly connected with   
it4 ,it is opposite the district of     
corresponding use in ,manhattan4 ,it is 

separate from the congested shopping    
district and will undoubtedly remain so4
 ,some advocate ,flatbush ,avenue       
,extension as the best place for new    
buildings4 ,the future value of the     
,extension even for public buildings    
cannot be denied4 ,canal ,street1       
,manhattan ,bridge1 the ,extension and  
,flatbush ,avenue furnish a continuous  
broad thoroughfare from the ,north      
,river to ,jamaica ,bay4 ,when ,greater 
,new ,york becomes a city of #aj1jjj1jjj
 people1 it may become the axis for     
magnificent public buildings both in    
,manhattan and ,brooklyn4 ,but ,canal   
,street today is a locality of small    
business and it is premature to try to  
force its ,brooklyn continuation into   
prominence as a civic center4 ,although 
,manhattan's new court house will be    
built on ,center ,street1 yet the front 
door of ,manhattan's civic center will  
be the ,city ,hall ,park for the next   
thirty or forty years1 and ,canal       
,street at its best will be only the    

back door4 ,when the big business of    
,manhattan reaches ,canal ,street it    
will be time enough to use city money   
for great public buildings on the       
,extension4 ,if ,brooklyn were an       
independent and self-contained city like
 ,boston and ,chicago it might          
experiment without fear in building up a
 new civic center1 but ,brooklyn today  
must look well to hold her own against  
the constant draft that ,manhattan makes
 on her financial and office center4    
,brooklyn ,bridge is today and for a    
long time will be the main entrance to  
,brooklyn4 ,the district between the    
bridge and ,borough ,hall has become    
depressed and unsightly1 mainly because 
the retail shopping business left it1   
and ,brooklyn1 unlike independent       
cities1 had no wholesale mercantile     
business to take its place4 ,no city can
 hope to improve and brighten itself and
 still neglect its front door4 ,the     
,clark ,street subway will have a       
station near lower ,fulton ,street4 ,the

 federal government has appropriated    
money to enlarge the ,post ,office4 ,the
 bridge terminal has ceased to be a     
terminal and has become a way station1  
so that now the structures that deface  
the entrance to ,brooklyn can be taken  
down1 as ,bridge ,commissioner          
,o',keeffe proposes1 and a solid1       
simple1 low-lying structure substituted 
for the sheds and aerial monstrosities4 
,surely now is the time to link such an 
improvement with the clearing up of the 
whole district4  ,the borough must      
within a few months either grasp or lose
 its chance to start this work4 ,as part
 of the dual rapid transit system the   
city has issued to the ,municipal       
,railway ,company1 controlled by the    
,brooklyn ,rapid ,transit ,company1 a   
certificate to third track its ,fulton  
,street elevated line from the ,east    
,river to ,east ,new ,york4 ,the        
complications in perfecting the dual    
contracts1 and the need of haste1 were  
so great that the problem of freeing    

,borough ,hall ,park and lower ,fulton  
,street of the elevated railroad was not
 solved and inserted in the contracts1  
but immediately after the signing of the
 dual plan1 ,mayor ,gaynor1 ,borough    
,president ,steers1 the ,public ,service
 ,commission and the ,board of ,estimate
 took action resulting in the           
preparation and passage by the          
,legislature of an amendment to the     
,rapid ,transit ,act providing for the  
re-location of the tracks and the making
 of a contract for that purpose between 
the ,public ,service ,commission and the
 company4 ,thus the way is paved for the
 removal of the elevated tracks to      
,adams ,street1 taking them entirely out
 of lower ,fulton ,street and ,borough  
,hall ,park4 ,orders for the fabrication
 of steel for the third track           
construction will soon be placed1 and if
 the contract for re-location is not    
made1 the steel will be ordered for     
reconstructing the elevated railroad in 
its present location4 ,it would be      

unfortunate indeed if additional outlays
 should serve to perpetuate the railroad
 in ,borough ,hall ,park4 ,at the same  
time that the tracks are removed1 it is 
desirable that the city should do as    
much as possible in opening and         
improving the unsightly locality between
 ,fulton and ,washington ,streets4 ,as  
an independent proposition the taking of
 so much land has not appealed to some  
of the members of the ,board of         
,estimate1 but an entirely different    
question is presented if this area can  
be used in part for one of the new      
public buildings4 ,plan #f shows the    
locality as it would appear after the   
tracks are re-located and the plaza     
opened4 ,washington ,street should be   
widened to correspond to the width of   
the open space now opposite the         
,mechanics' ,bank ,building4 ,some say1 
why not widen ,washington ,street taking
 forty or fifty feet of private land    
along its westerly side and do nothing  
to disarrange the rest of the property  

between ,washington ,street and ,fulton 
,street8 ,the answer to this is that the
 taking of parts of the buildings would 
in many cases be almost1 if not quite1  
equivalent to a total destruction of the
 entire properties4 ,if the city should 
acquire for public purposes the three   
blocks lying between ,fulton ,street and
 ,liberty ,street on the west and       
,washington ,street on the east1 it     
could widen ,washington ,street to the  
required width of #aaj feet1 use the    
space opposite the ,post ,office for one
 of the new buildings1 and design the   
open space near the bridge as a         
dignified and fitting approach to       
,brooklyn ,bridge1 corresponding to some
 extent to the open space partly covered
 by the ,manhattan municipal building at
 the other end4 ,this should be done in 
connection with ,commissioner           
,o',keeffe's plan of reconstructing the 
bridge terminal4 ,the new public        
building located here would not act as a
 stopper in the bridge plaza1 because   

the space now between the ,mechanics'   
,bank ,building and ,myrtle ,avenue is  
of a fixed width and acts as a fixed    
limitation4 ,if ,washington ,street is  
widened to the same width1 the approach 
to the bridge plaza proper would be     
better than if the bridge plaza should  
extend all of the distance to ,borough  
,hall ,park4 ,in the latter case the    
plaza would be too large and not        
pleasing in form4 ,a considerable part  
of this real estate is already owned by 
the city4  ,by chapter #cij of the laws 
of #aiji the ,supreme ,court justices of
 this department were empowered to      
select a site for a new court house and 
recommend it to the ,board of ,estimate4
 ,in #aiaj they selected the two blocks 
bounded by ,court1 ,clinton1 ,state and 
,livingston ,streets1 and on ,december  
#bjth1 #aiaa1 the report was made by the
 ,board of ,sinking ,fund ,commissioners
 to the ,board of ,estimate4 ,the ,board
 of ,estimate has taken no action       
thereon4  ,in ,july1 #aiaa1 the ,board  

of ,estimate determined upon the        
southeast corner of ,court and          
,joralemon streets as a site for the new
 municipal building1 taking in both the 
corner and the land covered by the      
present municipal building4 ,the land   
has been acquired1 plans for the        
building have been prepared1 and when   
the ,board of ,estimate makes an        
appropriation for building1 actual      
construction can begin4 ,if1 however1   
the recommendations of this report      
should meet with favor1 the municipal   
building would be erected in another    
place4  ,the committee has endeavored to
 deal with these four factors1 viz41    
court house1 municipal building1 bridge 
plaza and re-location of tracks1 so that
 the money expended should not only     
bring the best result for each factor1  
but at the same time bring the          
additional benefit of relating the four 
factors so that all will unite to       
improve the downtown center4 ,we shall  
now compare the cost and advantages of  

the four factors as presented in the    
,clinton ,street court house site1 and  
as presented in the other plans that    
reasonably meet the needs of the        
situation4   ,,first ,,plan  ,,clinton  
,,street ,,court ,,house ,,site  7,see  
diagram marked ,plan #a7  #a4 ,cost of  
bridge changes and re-location of       
tracks as estimated by the ,department  
of ,bridges1 and assessed value      of 
additional property required for        
same                                    
#d1jab1jie4jj  #b4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings between           
,washington and ,fulton streets         
#a1bdi1ajj4jj  #c4 ,assessed valuation  
land and buildings1      ,clinton       
,street site for court house            
#a1ebg1gjj4jj  #d4 ,municipal ,building 
site at south-west      corner of ,court
 and ,joralemon streets      7title now 
vested in the city7                     
-------------           ,total          
#f1ghh1hie4jj  ,this plan places the new
 court house on the site selected by the

 judges1 and the new municipal building 
on the site that has been condemned for 
this purpose at the corner of ,court and
 ,joralemon streets to which will be    
added the land covered by the old       
municipal building4 ,for the purpose of 
these comparisons no values are placed  
on land and buildings now owned by the  
city4  ,the item of #d1jab1jie for      
,brooklyn ,bridge changes and           
re-location of tracks is the same in    
each of the six plans1 and includes the 
assessed values of the entire half      
blocks east of ,adams ,street4 ,the     
re-location of the tracks on ,adams     
,street will require a six track        
structure between the bridge and ,myrtle
 ,avenue and a three track structure    
between ,myrtle ,avenue and ,fulton     
,street4 ,adams ,street is not wide     
enough for so many tracks4 ,the         
preponderating engineering opinion is   
that the city should not widen ,adams   
,street1 but remove the structure to the
 half block east of ,adams ,street4 ,the

 space fronting ,adams ,street under the
 solid track floor would be available   
for renting4 ,the cost of taking the    
half block by condemnation would not    
materially exceed the cost of taking    
forty feet along the block fronts4 ,the 
question of damages to abutting owners  
would be avoided1 and ,adams ,street    
would be made better for traffic and    
business than it is now4 ,part of this  
large item would be paid by the railroad
 company4 ,under the terms of the third 
tracking certificate already issued the 
company is to pay all of the cost of    
reconstruction and betterment of the    
structure in its present locations1 and 
it is understood that the company will  
pay at least an equal amount when the   
tracks are re-located under the new law4
 ,if the re-location brings other       
benefits to the company it would seem   
that even a greater portion of this item
 should be borne by the company4 ,the   
new law provides that the division of   
expense shall be arranged between the   

,public ,service ,commission and the    
company1 subject to the approval of the 
,board of ,estimate4  ,the new court    
house according to this plan would be   
#fjj feet from the ,hall of ,records4   
,although the books and files kept in   
the ,surrogate's and ,register's offices
 are not needed so frequently in trials 
as the papers from the county clerk's   
office1 it is a distinct disadvantage to
 have them so far away from the court   
house4  ,the new court house1 on this   
site1 would be unrelated to any other   
improvement4 ,it would also be entirely 
surrounded by private property1         
admitting of no architectural           
development and bearing no relation to  
the court house itself4 ,the land is    
entirely covered with buildings valuable
 for their present use and is a         
recognized center for physicians4 ,if   
the court rooms are made to face toward 
the streets they will increasingly be   
subjected to street noises1 for we find 
that no streets in this locality are    

quiet4 ,automobiles and auto-trucks     
abound4 ,if this site were acquired for 
the new court house the ,board of       
,estimate would probably refuse either  
to open the bridge plaza or widen       
,washington ,street4 ,the result would  
be that practically no general          
improvement to the financial center     
would be made4 ,the ,joralemon ,street  
front of ,borough ,hall ,park1 probably 
the most dominating site in the borough1
 would contain three buildings1 the     
,hall of ,records1 the old court house  
and the new municipal building1 none of 
them harmonizing with the others1 and   
bringing little or no distinction to the
 most prominent site in the borough4    
,the old court house would be relegated 
to criminal business to the detriment of
 this vicinity4  ,it would seem that the
 city's plan for future buildings should
 make some use of the ,polytechnic      
,institute land4 ,it is only a question 
of time when this school will move      
elsewhere4 ,this plan throws away the   

opportunity of making profitable use of 
this land4  ,the main objection to this 
plan1 however1 is that1 although        
expensive1 it brings practically no help
 to downtown ,brooklyn4 ,it dissociates 
the desired factors and does not relate 
them4 ,it simply procures an isolated   
court house1 leaving the business center
 of the borough as badly off as before4 
,,second ,,plan  ,,flatbush ,,avenue    
,,extension ,,site ,,for ,,court ,,house
  7,see diagram marked ,plan #b7  #a4   
,cost of bridge changes and re-location 
of      tracks as estimated by the      
,department      of ,bridges1 and       
assessed value of      additional       
property required for same              
#d1jab1jie4jj  #b4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings      between      
,washington and ,fulton streets         
#a1bdi1ajj4jj  #c4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings      ,flatbush    
,avenue ,extension site for      court  
house                                   
#efd1fej4jj  #d4 ,municipal ,building   

site at south-west corner      of ,court
 and ,joralemon streets      7title now 
vested in the city7                     
-------------        ,total             
#e1hbe1hde4jj  ,in this plan the court  
house would be #a1gcj feet from the     
,hall of ,records4 ,the transaction of  
court business on the border of the     
retail shopping district would increase 
street congestion4 ,it is distant from  
the present office district1 and1 if    
selected1 injury to the present office  
district would result4 ,it is           
inconvenient to residents of certain    
parts of the city4 ,if court rooms      
fronted on the street they would yearly 
become more subject to noise4 ,the      
available space would not afford as     
large an interior court as would be     
desirable if the court rooms were to    
face inside4 ,if this site were         
acquired1 the bridge plaza would        
probably remain unopened4 ,like ,plan   
#a1 this plan scatters the benefit of   
the four factors under discussion1 and  

does not unite them4   ,,third ,,plan   
,,state ,,street ,,site ,,for ,,court   
,,house  7,see diagram marked ,plan #c7 
#a4 ,cost of bridge changes and         
re-location of      tracks as estimated 
by the ,department      of ,bridges1 and
 assessed value of      additional      
property required for same              
#d1jab1jie4jj  #b4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings      between      
,washington and ,fulton streets         
#a1bdi1ajj4jj  #c4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings in      the two   
blocks bounded by ,boerum      ,place1  
,livingston1 ,court and ,state          
streets                                 
#a1ejg1ijj4jj  #d4 ,municipal ,building 
site at south-west      corner of ,court
 and ,joralemon streets      7title now 
vested in the city7                     
-------------        ,total             
#f1gfi1jie4jj  ,like the ,clinton       
,street site1 this site would be so     
expensive that its purchase would       
probably preclude the opening of the    

bridge plaza4 ,if the present court     
house should be retained1 the new court 
house would be hidden and without any   
effective relation to ,borough ,hall    
,park4 ,if it had outside court rooms   
they would be noisy4 ,schermerhorn      
,street would either need to be closed  
or else carried through the building by 
tunnel4 ,in the former case one of the  
streets most needed for traffic would be
 lost1 and in the latter case the street
 would need to be artificially lighted  
both night and day and even then would  
be troublesome to maintain4 ,this plan  
is open to all of the objections of     
,plan #a4 ,indeed it is even less       
desirable as it interferes more with    
traffic4   ,,fourth ,,plan  ,,livingston
 ,,street ,,court ,,house ,,site  7,see 
diagram marked ,plan #d7  #a4 ,cost of  
bridge changes and re-location of       
tracks as estimated by the ,department  
of ,bridges1 and assessed value of      
additional      property required for   
same                                    

#d1jab1jie4jj  #b4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings between           
,washington and ,fulton streets         
#a1bdi1ajj4jj  #c4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings in      block     
bounded by ,boerum ,place1 ,livingston1 
,court and ,schermerhorn      streets   
#hha1ijj4jj  #d4 ,polytechnic ,institute
 and buildings fronting      on ,court  
,street not taken by the city      for  
new ,municipal ,building site           
#gcc1gjj4jj                             
-------------        ,total             
#f1hgf1gie4jj  ,this plan has been      
pressed by very competent persons and we
 have given a large amount of detailed  
study to its merits4 ,it contemplates   
that the old court house and municipal  
building should be torn down1 and that  
the new court house should be set far   
back from ,joralemon ,street1 the open  
space in front of it being flanked by   
the ,hall of ,records on one side1 and a
 building of corresponding design on the
 other1 to be used for children's and   

women's courts4 ,the court house would  
be built on both sides of ,livingston   
,street1 which would be double-decked so
 that the noise of surface cars and     
vehicular traffic could not reach the   
court rooms4 ,this noise is now         
considerable on account of the slight   
grade from the ,court ,street to the    
,boerum ,place level which requires the 
application of brakes on the down grade4
 ,on account of the widening of         
,livingston ,street this block is only  
#afj feet deep4 ,any form of treatment  
would seem to be unduly expensive and   
even then the court house would not be  
quiet1 as the court rooms would be      
subjected to the noise from the         
crossovers at the corners of ,livingston
 ,street with ,court ,street and ,boerum
 ,place4 ,the municipal building would  
need to be placed on the plaza site or  
elsewhere4 ,one of the main objections  
to this plan is that the arrangement of 
all the buildings must be on an axis    
that does not correspond with ,borough  

,hall1 the park1 or ,washington ,street1
 and on this account the open place     
between the flanking buildings as well  
as the buildings themselves would stand 
awry4   ,,fifth ,,plan  ,,washington    
,,street ,,site ,,for ,,court ,,house   
7,see diagram marked ,plan #e7  #a4     
,cost of bridge changes and re-location 
of      tracks as estimated by the      
,department      of ,bridges1 and       
assessed value of      additional       
property required for same              
#d1jab1jie4jj  #b4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings between           
,washington and ,fulton streets         
#a1bdi1ajj4jj  #c4 ,site for new court  
house takes part of last      item4  #d4
 ,municipal ,building site at south-west
 corner      of ,court and ,joralemon   
streets      7title now vested in the   
city7                                   
-------------        ,total             
#e1bfa1aie4jj  ,this plan contemplates  
placing the new court house on          
,washington ,street opposite the ,post  

,office1 and the new municipal building 
at the corner of ,court and ,joralemon  
on the site condemned for that purpose4 
,it separates the court house from the  
,hall of ,records4 ,the chief objection1
 however1 is that the available space is
 not sufficient4 ,a court house of the  
size desired would be compelled to      
assume an awkward shape1 and it would be
 so narrow that an inner court to light 
court rooms facing on it would be out of
 the question4 ,throughout our work we  
have kept in mind the desire of the     
judges for quiet rooms for the conduct  
of trials4 ,washington and ,fulton      
streets are noisy on account of surface 
cars and vehicles and it would in our   
opinion be undesirable to have court    
rooms front on these streets4 ,the court
 house is to be a much larger and more  
imposing building than the new municipal
 building1 and it should not be placed  
on a contracted site4   ,,sixth ,,plan  
,,present ,,site ,,for ,,court ,,house  
7,see diagram marked ,plan #f7  #a4     

,cost of bridge changes and re-location 
of      tracks as estimated by the      
,department      of ,bridges1 and       
assessed value of additional            
property required for same              
#d1jab1jie4jj  #b4 ,assessed valuation  
of land and buildings between           
,washington and ,fulton streets         
#a1bdi1ajj4jj  #c4 ,site for ,municipal 
,building takes part of      last item4 
#d4 ,site for court house takes         
,polytechnic land      and buildings1   
etc41 in addition to land      now owned
 by the city                            
#gcc1gjj4jj                             
-------------        ,total             
#e1iid1hie4jj  ,this plan contemplates  
that the court house would occupy all of
 the present court house block except   
the ,hall of ,records2 that it should   
have a large inner court with court     
rooms opening upon it2 and that the     
municipal building should be placed on  
the plaza site4  ,the available area for
 the court house would be #adg1gjj feet4

 ,the inner court could be #aej feet by 
#bjj feet with a superficial area of    
#cj1jjj feet4 ,the building1 if six     
stories high1 could easily have four    
floors devoted to court rooms4 ,each    
floor would afford space for nine court 
rooms1 each forty feet by fifty feet1   
and one large court room for            
extraordinary trials1 #ej feet by #fe   
feet4 ,this would make forty court rooms
 in all and there would be ample space  
for a jury room and robing room in      
connection with each court room4  ,the  
street noises would be an objection to  
this site if the court rooms fronted the
 street4 ,we are advised1 however1 that 
the fronting of the court rooms on the  
inner court would protect them entirely 
from street noise4 ,ventilation in so   
large a building as this would          
necessarily be furnished by a power     
system1 and would be independent of the 
movement of outside air4 ,indeed1 it    
seems to be conceded that a power system
 succeeds only when windows are not     

opened and shut at will4 ,moreover1     
trials are not held during the hot      
months of ,july1 ,august and ,september4
 ,on account of these considerations we 
are of the opinion that inside court    
rooms can be fully as comfortable and as
 well ventilated as if they fronted on  
the streets4 ,the inner court would be  
so large that there would be an         
abundance of sunlight4 ,this would not  
be the case with the lower stories if   
the building were fifteen or twenty     
stories high1 but our investigations    
have shown that with a building not over
 six stories in height1 the sunlight    
will be abundant4  ,careful             
consideration has been given to the     
subject of noise during construction4   
,the first portion of the new court     
house built would be that fronting on   
,borough ,hall ,park between the present
 court house and ,court ,street4 ,this  
would be followed in due course by the  
construction of the ,livingston ,street 
front after the ,polytechnic ,institute 

would be able to locate in a new place4 
,later the remaining portion of the new 
court house would be built where the old
 court house now stands4 ,it cannot be  
denied that there would be some         
inconvenience to court work from        
construction noise while these          
successive portions were building1 but  
if the new municipal building is erected
 within the next few months on the site 
selected for it adjoining the old court 
house1 there will be the same degree of 
construction noise4 ,moreover1 wherever 
the new court house is built1 it is     
almost certain that it will be followed 
by some new construction in the         
immediate locality4 ,the main thing is  
to obtain freedom from noise after      
construction is over1 and we believe    
that the work of the courts could be    
conducted in inside court rooms on this 
site with more quiet than in outside    
rooms on any of the other sites that    
have been suggested4 ,we find that the  
first wing of the new building could be 

built as a unit providing sixteen to    
twenty court rooms with all requisite   
minor rooms and facilities4 ,these would
 be more court rooms than are now in    
use4 ,this would afford the needed      
expansion in connection with the use of 
the old court house1 which has fourteen 
court rooms4 ,the later completion of   
the ,livingston ,street wing would      
furnish a total of thirty-two court     
rooms in the new building4 ,this would  
permit the abandonment of the old court 
house so that the last wing could be    
built where the old court house now     
stands4 ,if the money for the           
construction of the new court house is  
appropriated from time to time1 as will 
probably be the case1 it will be no     
disadvantage to have the different parts
 successively available for             
construction4 ,forty new court rooms    
will not be needed for some years1 and  
there will be a saving of interest to   
the city if the entire expenditure is   
not made at one time4 ,the county court 

now has four court rooms1 the supreme   
court ten1 the appellate division one1  
and the appellate term one--in all      
sixteen4 ,the act empowering the judges 
to select a site and approve a court    
house does not contemplate that the     
county court will be provided for in the
 new building4 ,if1 however1 a forty    
court room building should be erected1  
it is evident that the county court     
should be housed in it or else many of  
the court rooms would be idle for a long
 time4  ,the new court house in         
,manhattan will provide fifty to sixty  
court rooms4 ,a new ,brooklyn court     
house containing forty court rooms would
 provide as much space as is likely to  
be needed during the next forty years1  
and the city would hardly care to lose  
interest on unnecessary space for a     
longer period4 ,when1 however1 the civil
 business transacted in the new court   
house should need all of the court      
rooms1 the city would probably feel the 
need of a separate criminal court       

building in some other part of the      
borough4 ,it is unlikely that the county
 court will continue both its civil and 
criminal terms indefinitely4 ,the       
tendency in all large cities is to      
separate civil and criminal trials both 
as to judges and location4  ,the new    
court house in this location would be   
near the ,hall of ,records1 a           
comparatively new1 sound and dignified  
building4 ,both judges and trial lawyers
 are accommodated by having the real    
estate1 surrogate's and county clerk's  
records and books near at hand4 ,part of
 the large space under the new court    
house could be used for moisture proof  
vaults for the storage of obsolete      
papers that are already crowding the    
county clerk's office4  ,the great      
advantages of this site to the borough  
are apparent4 ,it holds the court       
business of the borough in the locality 
which has for generations become adapted
 to it4 ,it preserves and improves the  
present office center4 ,it is the most  

convenient spot in the city for judges1 
litigants1 lawyers and jurors1 and is   
also the most accessible from the court1
 municipal and financial centers of     
,manhattan4 ,the new rapid transit lines
 will make it more accessible from every
 part of ,greater ,new ,york4  ,the     
present location of the ,polytechnic    
,institute is not well adapted for      
educational purposes4 ,its future growth
 is circumscribed and probably it is    
only a question of a few years when     
another location must be found for this 
growing institution4  ,the site for the 
municipal building on ,washington       
,street1 opposite the ,post ,office1    
would have an area of approximately     
#eb1jjj square feet--being an irregular 
plot #chj feet by #aej feet4 ,it would  
be a moderately high office structure   
and would fit an irregular plot of      
ground better than the more monumental  
court house4 ,it would also be          
adjustable to the site bounded by office
 buildings with the height of which it  

would harmonize4 ,the distance of the   
new municipal building from ,borough    
,hall would be #hjj feet4 ,in ,manhattan
 the distance between ,city ,hall and   
the new municipal building is #fdj feet4
 ,a station of the new ,interborough    
subway will be near the corner of       
,fulton and ,clark streets4 ,this will  
be the great ,manhattan west side       
subway1 running south from ,times       
,square through ,seventh ,avenue1 ,park 
,place and ,william ,street1 thence     
under the ,east ,river at ,old ,slip1   
thence through ,clark and ,fulton       
streets to the junction with the two    
tracks under ,borough ,hall1 not now    
used1 but which when used will make     
,brooklyn's four track subway to        
,flatbush ,avenue1 ,long ,island        
station1 ,park ,plaza and ,eastern      
,parkway4  ,not only will the placing of
 the municipal building on the          
,washington ,street site allow the much 
needed widening of that street without  
extra cost1 but the erection of the     

court house on the present site as      
provided in this plan will admit of the 
widening of the streets by which it is  
bounded1 viz41 ,livingston1 ,court and  
,joralemon streets4 ,this consideration 
is important in view of the             
concentration of street cars and other  
traffic at this center of street        
circulation4  ,no other plan presents   
equally good sites for the new court    
house and the new municipal building4   
,this plan has the further merit that it
 harmonizes the four factors1 i4e41     
court house1 municipal building1 bridge 
plaza and re-location of tracks1 in a   
manner where each factor brings         
additional benefit to every other       
factor4 ,the removal of the elevated    
tracks without opening up the bridge    
approach would be only a partial        
improvement4 ,placing the court house on
 the ,clinton ,street site or ,flatbush 
,avenue ,extension site would have no   
relation whatever to the other three    
factors4 ,this plan logically1          

harmoniously1 and at comparatively small
 expense paves the way for the          
improvement of the entire area between  
,brooklyn ,bridge and the ,hall of      
,records and furnishes frontages that   
will attract the construction of        
substantial and handsome business       
buildings4  ,for these reasons we       
recommend3  #a4 ,the removal of the     
elevated railroad tracks from ,borough  
,hall ,park and lower ,fulton ,street1  
pursuant to the permissive legislation  
passed by the last session of the       
legislature as an amendment to the      
,rapid ,transit ,act4  #b4 ,the         
acquirement by the city of the land not 
now owned by the city between ,fulton   
,street and ,liberty ,street on the west
 and ,washington ,street on the east1   
also three lots in the small block      
opposite ,clark ,street4  #c4 ,the      
widening of ,washington ,street to #aaj 
feet1 which is the same width as the    
throat between the ,mechanics' ,bank    
,building and ,myrtle ,avenue4  #d4 ,the

 location of the new municipal building 
between ,fulton and ,washington streets 
approximately opposite the ,post        
,office4  #e4 ,the location of the new  
court house on the present site of the  
old court house1 such site to include   
the land intended for the new municipal 
building1 and also the rest of the land 
in that block on ,court and ,livingston 
streets1 all court rooms to front on a  
large interior court4  ,,frederic ,b4   
,,pratt ,,edward ,m4 ,,bassett ,,frank  
,m4 ,,brooks ,,alexander ,,mckinny      
,,frank ,c4 ,,munson ,,james ,h4 ,,post 
,,charles ,a4 ,,schieren ,,alfred ,t4   
,,white ,,howard ,o4 ,,wood ,,edward ,c4
 ,,blum  ,dated1 ,june #bast1 #aiac     
,,additional ,,report  ,,by ,a          
,,minority ,,of ,,the ,,committee   ,we1
 the undersigned1 while agreeing with   
,recommendation ,no4 #b of the foregoing
 report1 believe that all of the three  
blocks between ,fulton ,street on the   
west and ,liberty ,street on the east1  
should be acquired by the ,city and not 

only the three lots opposite ,clark     
,street4 ,our reasons for this belief   
stated briefly are1 that the buildings  
erected upon these blocks are of poor   
construction and unsightly and their    
condition will not be improved by the   
bridge approach1 nor will a better class
 of buildings be erected in their stead4
 ,they stand as a menace to the         
improvement of ,fulton ,street north of 
,clark and if not removed will carry    
upon their rear walls billboards and    
signs which will mar the effect of the  
new bridge approach4 ,if they are not   
removed the traveler1 approaching       
,brooklyn by means of the ,bridge cars1 
will have but a momentary glimpse of the
 improved plaza and the new municipal   
building as the train swings around into
 ,adams ,street4 ,if1 on the contrary1  
the buildings are removed the effect of 
the improvement will be noticed as soon 
as ,sands ,street is reached4 ,this will
 be the more noticeable to travelers by 
the trolley and to pedestrians using the

 bridge4  ,the assessed valuation of    
these blocks is #ddb1hej4 ,if they are  
acquired by the ,city it is our belief  
that the increase in the assessed value 
of property upon ,fulton ,street        
immediately opposite to the blocks in   
question will more than equal the       
assessed valuation of the property      
taken4  ,,howard ,o4 ,,wood ,,frank ,c4 
,,munson ,,james ,h4 ,,post             
,illustration3 ,,plan #a  ,illustration3
 ,,plan #b  ,illustration3 ,,plan #c    
,illustration3 ,,plan #d  ,illustration3
 ,,plan #e  ,illustration3 ,,plan #f    
,,supplemental ,,report  ,,submitted    
,,to ,,the ,,comptroller ,,with ,,the   
,,perspective ,,drawings   ,it was      
recognized from the beginning of the    
study of this problem that any          
recommendations must of necessity take  
into consideration existing conditions  
and must co-ordinate with any general   
plans for the development of the borough
 as a whole4 ,a thorough study has been 
given this question and it may be stated

 with reasonable assurance that the     
proposed location and general           
arrangement of the court house and      
municipal building not only do not in   
any way conflict with future changes but
 contribute very largely to the         
accomplishment of further improvements4 
,an exhaustive argument has been made   
already on the location of these        
buildings4 ,in addition to the reasons  
already given for the suggested         
locations1 it may be stated that the    
plaza site is not well suited as a      
location for the court house4 ,on such a
 location the interior light courts     
would be too small to successfully serve
 the court rooms1 and the block too     
irregular4 ,furthermore1 since the      
character of the municipal building is  
that of a high office structure1 a less 
regular plot of ground is required as a 
site than is the case with the more     
monumental court house4 ,this building  
is more adjustable to a site bounded by 
office buildings with the height of     

which it will harmonize4  ,the court    
house is the focal point of a system of 
arteries leading to various             
centers--,washington ,street to the     
,brooklyn ,bridge1 ,court ,street to the
 docks1 ,fulton ,street to the retail   
business center at its intersection with
 ,flatbush ,avenue1 and finally1        
,willoughby ,street to ,fort ,greene    
,park4  ,illustration3 ,proposed new    
location of elevated railroad tracks and
 sites for ,court ,house and ,municipal 
,building  ,willoughby ,street1 along   
its distance from the ,borough ,hall    
,square to ,fort ,greene ,park1 should  
at some time be used as a relief to     
,myrtle ,avenue and for that distance   
should be the important and improved    
street4 ,furthermore1 it will become1 if
 developed1 a strong factor in relieving
 that portion of ,fulton ,street below  
,flatbush ,avenue of the traffic from   
the eastern section of the ,borough1    
which has for its objective point       
,borough ,hall ,square4 ,this artery1   

leading directly to ,fort ,greene ,park1
 centers on the ,martyrs' ,monument4    
,since this monument has been carefully 
placed on the axis of ,willoughby       
,street1 it is not only desirable but   
economical to bring it into value4      
,willoughby ,street crosses ,flatbush   
,avenue at its highest point and from   
this intersection the facade of the     
proposed court house will come finely   
into view4 ,there will be1 therefore1   
strong reasons for developing           
,willoughby ,street4  ,the location of  
the municipal building on the plaza site
 will allow of the widening of          
,washington ,street4 ,it will further   
the improvement of the approach to the  
,brooklyn ,bridge4  ,the erection of the
 court house on the present site near   
,borough ,hall will admit of the        
widening of the streets by which it is  
bounded1 namely1 ,livingston ,street1   
,court ,street and ,joralemon ,street4  
,improvements such as these are very    
important in view of the concentration  

of street cars and other traffic at this
 center4 ,further relief might be had by
 placing additional street car loops at 
the ,bridge plaza where part of the cars
 that now crowd ,borough ,hall ,square  
might be carried around the north end of
 the proposed ,municipal ,building4     
,the buildings located as proposed do   
not make a formal group in the strict   
sense of the word4 ,they may be made1   
however1 to count together4 ,one's      
attention1 immediately on crossing the  
,brooklyn ,bridge1 whether by the cars1 
by vehicle or on foot1 will be          
controlled by the facade of the         
municipal building with its foreground  
of public space and on passing beyond   
this building into ,washington ,street1 
one's attention will be carried with    
interest to the facade of the court     
house which will frame the ,borough     
,hall silhouette and dominate ,borough  
,hall ,square4  ,owing to the location  
of the ,borough ,hall on the ,washington
 ,street axis1 it is recommended that no

 central motif be used in the court     
house design4 ,the facade of the court  
house must be designed as a foil to the 
broken silhouette of the ,borough ,hall 
and its cupola4 ,should the ,borough    
,hall be ultimately removed1 the axis   
may be controlled by a central feature  
of monumental or commemorative          
character4 ,the converging lines of the 
lower cornice of the buildings1 of the  
curbs and of the lamp posts1 carry the  
eye forward to this motif and to the    
facade of the court house4              
,co-operation between the architect     
selected for the municipal building and 
the ,united ,states ,supervising        
,architect should be urged1 so that this
 building and the ,post ,office will be 
harmonious in architectural character4  
,various monuments and architectural    
details are suggested on the plans4     
,they must all be in harmony and in     
scale with one another and with the     
buildings4 ,their setting must be       
carefully studied in detail4 ,the       

placing and proportioning of            
balustrades1 of pools of water1 of grass
 plots and in particular of trees must  
be done in the finest way1 as it is only
 by a careful attention to all these    
details that this group can be brought  
into harmony of high order in keeping   
with its importance4  ,illustration3    
,view from ,borough ,hall toward        
,brooklyn ,bridge showing proposed      
,municipal ,building  ,the spaces       
surrounding the public buildings1 where 
not needed for circulation1 should be   
parked and trees should be planted      
wherever they will serve to enhance the 
buildings1 screen undesirable objects1  
at the same time not interfering with   
business interests4 ,the same variety of
 tree should be planted throughout and  
should not exceed #be to #cj feet in    
height4  ,of almost equal importance is 
the question of lamp posts--their       
height1 design1 spacing and fixtures4   
,it is suggested that this be           
exhaustively studied in the light of    

modern invention so as to make of the   
streets and open spaces involved1 a     
model for other parts of the city4  ,the
 paving of these streets and open spaces
 also should be perfect4 ,creosoted wood
 block is recommended for its all round 
qualities4  ,the above recommendations1 
if carried into effect1 will contribute 
to making this entrance to ,brooklyn    
harmonious and impressive4 ,the studies 
submitted in plan and perspective should
 be understood to be only general       
suggestions along the lines indicated4  
,,consideration ,,in ,,detail ,,of ,,the
 ,,requirements ,,of ,,the ,,various    
,,buildings  ,court ,house3  ,the courts
 and allied departments1 at present     
situated in the old court house         
building1 in the ,borough ,hall1 in the 
,hall of ,records and in rented         
quarters1 which would be housed in this 
building1 are3  ,supreme ,court1        
,supreme ,court1 ,appellate ,division1  
,county ,court1 ,criminal ,parts1       
,county ,court1 ,civil ,parts1 ,grand   

,jury1 ,county ,clerk1 ,district        
,attorney1 ,sheriff1 ,commissioner of   
,jurors1 ,all ,court ,stenographers and 
,clerks1 ,justices' ,chambers1          
,justices' ,reference ,library1 ,law    
,library4  ,space occupied at the       
present time by the various departments 
is as follows3                          
,square ,feet4 ,county ,clerk           
#bj1jjj ,district ,attorney             
#h1jjj ,sheriff                         
#b1bjj ,commissioner of ,jurors         
#a1fjj ,that space included in the ,old 
,court ,house1   ,appellate ,division1  
in the ,borough ,hall1   ,appellate     
,term in rented quarters   including    
justices' chambers1 about               
#abj1jjj  ,the bill for the selection of
 the court house site does not provide  
quarters in this building for the       
,county ,courts1 but it is likely that  
for several years all ,county ,court    
business would be handled in the new    
court house4  ,illustration3 ,view from 
,brooklyn ,bridge toward ,borough ,hall 

showing proposed new ,court ,house in   
the distance  ,a safe assumption for a  
new building providing ample light      
courts and set back fifty feet from both
 ,court ,street and ,joralemon ,street  
is ten court rooms per floor4 ,a        
building having four court floors and   
two additional floors would have an area
 of approximately #dej1jjj square feet4 
,each court room unit1 moreover1 would  
be amply supplied with judges' robing   
room1 clerks' room1 and necessary       
witness1 counsel and jurors' rooms4     
,this building would be about #aaj feet 
high to the main cornice4 ,in addition1 
space would be provided for an emergency
 hospital1 for newspaper reporters1 and 
for a general public waiting room4  ,the
 new court house would provide seventy  
to eighty thousand square feet on the   
first floor1 sixty-five to seventy      
thousand square feet approximately on   
the court room floors1 and fifty        
thousand to sixty thousand square feet  
on the upper floor which should be      

planned as justices' chambers4  ,hall of
 ,records3  ,space vacated by the county
 clerk1 at present housed in the ,hall  
of ,records1 would provide twenty-five  
per cent4 additional room for the       
,surrogate's ,court and the ,registrar4 
,should a new structure of the same     
height as the court house be erected at 
some future date1 and set back from     
,court ,square and ,fulton ,street1 the 
space available for those departments   
would be nearly doubled4  ,municipal    
,building3  ,a building on the plaza    
site about eight stories high1 would    
have a floor area equivalent to the     
building now planned to be placed on the
 ,joralemon ,street site4 ,it would     
adequately house all of the             
administrative departments and bureaus4 
,the chief officials would doubtless    
remain in ,borough ,hall4 ,borough ,hall
 could be used entirely for             
administrative business as the          
,appellate ,division would move to the  
new court house4  ,,frederic ,b4 ,,pratt

 ,,edward ,m4 ,,bassett ,,frank ,m4     
,,brooks ,,alexander ,,mckinny ,,frank  
,c4 ,,munson ,,james ,h4 ,,post         
,,charles ,a4 ,,schieren ,,alfred ,t4   
,,white ,,howard ,o4 ,,wood ,,edward ,c4
 ,,blum  ,dated1 ,july #beth1 #aiac