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قراءة كتاب 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 Street, Borough of Brooklyn
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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 Street, Borough of Brooklyn
relegated to criminal business to the detriment of this vicinity.
It would seem that the city's plan for future buildings should make some use of the Polytechnic Institute land. It is only a question of time when this school will move elsewhere. This plan throws away the opportunity of making profitable use of this land.
The main objection to this plan, however, is that, although expensive, it brings practically no help to downtown Brooklyn. It dissociates the desired factors and does not relate them. It simply procures an isolated court house, leaving the business center of the borough as badly off as before.
SECOND PLAN
Flatbush Avenue Extension Site for Court House
(See diagram marked Plan 2)
| 1. Cost of bridge changes and re-location of tracks as estimated by the Department of Bridges, and assessed value of additional property required for same | $4,012,095.00 |
| 2. Assessed valuation of land and buildings between Washington and Fulton streets | 1,249,100.00 |
| 3. Assessed valuation of land and buildings Flatbush Avenue Extension site for court house | 564,650.00 |
| 4. Municipal Building site at south-west corner of Court and Joralemon streets (title now vested in the city) | |
| Total | $5,825,845.00 |
In this plan the court house would be 1,730 feet from the Hall of Records. The transaction of court business on the border of the retail shopping district would increase street congestion. It is distant from the present office district, and, if selected, injury to the present office district would result. It is inconvenient to residents of certain parts of the city. If court rooms fronted on the street they would yearly become more subject to noise. The available space would not afford as large an interior court as would be desirable if the court rooms were to face inside. If this site were acquired, the bridge plaza would probably remain unopened. Like Plan 1, this plan scatters the benefit of the four factors under discussion, and does not unite them.
THIRD PLAN
State Street Site for Court House
(See diagram marked Plan 3)
| 1. Cost of bridge changes and re-location of tracks as estimated by the Department of Bridges, and assessed value of additional property required for same | $4,012,095.00 |
| 2. Assessed valuation of land and buildings between Washington and Fulton streets | 1,249,100.00 |
| 3. Assessed valuation of land and buildings in the two blocks bounded by Boerum Place, Livingston, Court and State streets | 1,507,900.00 |
| 4. Municipal Building site at south-west corner of Court and Joralemon streets (title now vested in the city) | |
| Total | $6,769,095.00 |
Like the Clinton Street site, this site would be so expensive that its purchase would probably preclude the opening of the bridge plaza. If the present court house should be retained, the new court house would be hidden and without any effective relation to Borough Hall Park. If it had outside court rooms they would be noisy. Schermerhorn Street would either need to be closed or else carried through the building by tunnel. In the former case one of the streets most needed for traffic would be lost, and in the latter case the street would need to be artificially lighted both night and day and even then would be troublesome to maintain. This plan is open to all of the objections of Plan 1. Indeed it is even less desirable as it interferes more with traffic.
FOURTH PLAN
Livingston Street Court House Site
(See diagram marked Plan 4)
| 1. Cost of bridge changes and re-location of tracks as estimated by the Department of Bridges, and assessed value of additional property required for same | $4,012,095.00 |
| 2. Assessed valuation of land and buildings between Washington and Fulton streets | 1,249,100.00 |
| 3. Assessed valuation of land and buildings in block bounded by Boerum Place, Livingston, Court and Schermerhorn streets | 881,900.00 |
| 4. Polytechnic Institute and buildings fronting on Court Street not taken by the city for new Municipal Building site | 733,700.00 |
| Total | $6,876,795.00 |
This plan has been pressed by very competent persons and we have given a large amount of detailed study to its merits. It contemplates that the old court house and municipal building should be torn down, and that the new court house should be set far back from Joralemon Street, the open space in front of it being flanked by the Hall of Records on one side, and a building of corresponding design on the other, to be used for children's and women's courts. The court house would be built on both sides of Livingston Street, which would be double-decked so that the noise of surface cars and vehicular traffic could not reach the court rooms. 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 grade. On account of the widening of Livingston Street this block is only 160 feet deep. Any form of treatment would seem to be unduly expensive and even then the court house would not be quiet, as the court rooms would be subjected to the noise from the crossovers at the corners of Livingston Street with Court Street and Boerum Place. The municipal building would need to be placed on the plaza site or elsewhere. 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 Hall, the park, or Washington Street, and on this account the open place between the flanking buildings as well as the buildings themselves would stand awry.