Street should be widened to correspond to the width of the open space now opposite the Mechanics' Bank Building. Some say, 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 Street? The answer to this is that the taking of parts of the buildings would in many cases be almost, if not quite, equivalent to a total destruction of the entire properties. 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 east, it could widen Washington Street to the required width of 110 feet, use the space opposite the Post Office for one of the new buildings, and design the open space near the bridge as a dignified and fitting approach to Brooklyn Bridge, corresponding to some extent to the open space partly covered by the Manhattan municipal building at the other end. This should be done in connection with Commissioner O'Keeffe's plan of reconstructing the bridge terminal. The new public building located here would not act as a stopper in the bridge plaza, because the space now between the Mechanics' Bank Building and Myrtle Avenue is of a fixed width and acts as a fixed limitation. If Washington Street is widened to the same width, the approach to the bridge plaza proper would be better than if the bridge plaza should extend all of the distance to Borough Hall Park. In the latter case the plaza would be too large and not pleasing in form. A considerable part of this real estate is already owned by the city.

By chapter 390 of the laws of 1909 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 Estimate. In 1910 they selected the two blocks bounded by Court, Clinton, State and Livingston Streets, and on December 20th, 1911, the report was made by the Board of Sinking Fund Commissioners to the Board of Estimate. The Board of Estimate has taken no action thereon.

In July, 1911, the Board of Estimate determined upon the southeast corner of Court and Joralemon streets as a site for the new municipal building, taking in both the corner and the land covered by the present municipal building. The land has been acquired, plans for the building have been prepared, and when the Board of Estimate makes an appropriation for building, actual construction can begin. If, however, the recommendations of this report should meet with favor, the municipal building would be erected in another place.

The committee has endeavored to deal with these four factors, viz., court house, municipal building, bridge plaza and re-location of tracks, so that the money expended should not only bring the best result for each factor, but at the same time bring the additional benefit of relating the four factors so that all will unite to improve the downtown center. We shall now compare the cost and advantages of the four factors as presented in the Clinton Street court house site, and as presented in the other plans that reasonably meet the needs of the situation.

FIRST PLAN

Clinton Street Court House Site

(See diagram marked Plan 1)

This plan places the new court house on the site selected by the judges, 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 building. For the purpose of these comparisons no values are placed on land and buildings now owned by the city.

The item of $4,012,095 for Brooklyn Bridge changes and re-location of tracks is the same in each of the six plans, and includes the assessed values of the entire half blocks east of Adams Street. 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 Street. Adams Street is not wide enough for so many tracks. The preponderating engineering opinion is that the city should not widen Adams Street, but remove the structure to the half block east of Adams Street. The space fronting Adams Street under the solid track floor would be available for renting. The cost of taking the half block by condemnation would not materially exceed the cost of taking forty feet along the block fronts. The question of damages to abutting owners would be avoided, and Adams Street would be made better for traffic and business than it is now. Part of this large item would be paid by the railroad company. 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 locations, and it is understood that the company will pay at least an equal amount when the tracks are re-located under the new law. 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 company. The new law provides that the division of expense shall be arranged between the Public Service Commission and the company, subject to the approval of the Board of Estimate.

The new court house according to this plan would be 600 feet from the Hall of Records. 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 office, it is a distinct disadvantage to have them so far away from the court house.

The new court house, on this site, would be unrelated to any other improvement. It would also be entirely surrounded by private property, admitting of no architectural development and bearing no relation to the court house itself. The land is entirely covered with buildings valuable for their present use and is a recognized center for physicians. If the court rooms are made to face toward the streets they will increasingly be subjected to street noises, for we find that no streets in this locality are quiet. Automobiles and auto-trucks abound. 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 Street. The result would be that practically no general improvement to the financial center would be made. The Joralemon Street front of Borough Hall Park, probably the most dominating site in the borough, would contain three buildings, the Hall of Records, the old court house and the new municipal building, none of them harmonizing with the others, and bringing little or no distinction to the most prominent site in the borough. The old court house would be