PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The public buildings of New York are many, and, as a general rule,
handsome. They are widely scattered over the island, and our limits
forbid more than a notice of the principal structures.
THE CITY HALL.
This building is located in the Park, and is nearly opposite Murray
street. It faces the south, and the ground line is perpendicular to
Broadway. It is too small for the present uses of the city, having been
built between the years 1803 and 1810. The front and ends are of
marble, but the rear is of brown stone. It is said that the city
fathers, at the time of its erection, thinking that the town would
never extend beyond the lower line of the park, were anxious to save
the additional cost of the marble at this side.
The clock-tower, and upper portions of the building, were set on fire
by the pyrotechnical display in honor of the Atlantic Telegraph of
1859. They were rebuilt soon afterwards, in much better style.
[Illustration: The Bible House.]
Previous to the completion of the new cupola, our city fathers
contracted with Messrs. Sperry & Co., the celebrated tower-clock makers
of Broadway, to build a clock for it, at a cost not exceeding four
thousand dollars, that our citizens might place the utmost reliance
upon, as a time-keeper of unvarying correctness. During the month of
April the clock was completed, and the busy thousands who were daily
wont to look up to the silent monitor, above which the figure of
Justice was enthroned, hailed its appearance with the utmost
satisfaction. It is undoubtedly the finest specimen of a tower-clock on
this side of the Atlantic, and, as an accurate time-keeper, competent
judges pronounce it to be unsurpassed in the world. The main wheels are
thirty inches in diameter, the escapement is jewelled, and the
pendulum, which is in itself a curiosity, is over fourteen feet in
length. It is a curious fact that the pendulum bob weighs over three
hundred pounds; but so finely finished is every wheel, pinion, and
pivot in the clock, and so little power is required to drive them, that
a weight of only one hundred pounds is all that is necessary to keep
this ponderous mass of metal vibrating, and turn four pairs of hands on
the dials of the cupola. The clock does not stand, as many suppose,
directly behind the dials, but in the story below, and a perpendicular
iron rod, twenty-five feet in length, connects it with the dial-works
above.
The building contains the offices of the Mayor and city officials.
In the rear of the City Hall is the new County Court House, which, when
completed, will front on Chambers street, and constitute one of the
handsomest edifices in the city. It is built of white marble.
THE PARK BANK,
Situated on Broadway, below Ann street, is a magnificent white marble
edifice, ornamented with a profusion of statuary and carving. The bank-
room is a model of beauty. The vaults are the most perfect and secure
in the city.
THE ASTOR LIBRARY,
In Lafayette Place, is a substantial building of red brick. The
property, and the library, are the gift of John Jacob Astor to the
trustees, for the benefit of the cause of education throughout the
land. The interior is in keeping with the exterior. It is simple and
elegant, and contains a collection of over one hundred thousand
volumes, carefully and judiciously selected. It is free to all persons,
on condition of good behavior and careful usage of the books. The
officers are courteous and obliging, and every care is taken to make
the institution meet the wishes of its founder.
THE COOPER INSTITUTE,
In Astor Place, is a handsome freestone building, devoted to science
and art. It occupies an entire block, and is the gift of Peter Cooper,
Esq., to the public. It contains lecture rooms, rooms for experiments,
free schools of science and art for the working classes, a reading
room, and a library. The street floor and that, above are rented out
for stores and offices, and yield an annual income of from twenty-five
to thirty thousand dollars.
THE BIBLE HOUSE,
Faces the Cooper Institute, and occupies a whole block, being bounded
by Third and Fourth Avenues, and Eighth and Ninth streets. It is an
immense structure, nearly triangular in form. It is the property of the
American Bible Society, and was erected at a cost of three hundred
thousand dollars. The revenue of the society is about five millions of
dollars annually. Thousands of copies of the Bible are printed here
annually, and sold or distributed in all parts of the world. The Bible
has been printed here in twenty-four different dialects, and parts of
it have been issued in others still.
[Illustration: Cooper Institute.]
About six hundred persons find employment in this gigantic
establishment. Of these about three hundred are girls, and twenty or
thirty boys. The girls feed the presses, sew the books, apply gold-leaf
to the covers ready for tooling, etc. About a dozen little girls are
employed in the press-room in laying the sheets, of the best description
of Bibles, between glazed boards, and so preparing them for
being placed in the hydraulic presses. Every day there are six thousand
Bibles printed in this establishment, and three hundred and fifty
turned out of hand completely bound and finished. The sheets of the
Arabic Bible, which has been so long in preparation, are now exhibited
to visitors, and elicit universal admiration, both on account of the
peculiarity of the character, and the striking neatness and elegance
which the work exhibits. A large edition of this translation has just
been forwarded to Constantinople. Much of the mechanical portions of
this admirable work has been executed by children. They are fairly paid
by the Society, and appear to be very happy and comfortable at their
work.
THE ACADEMY OF DESIGN,
At the corner of Twenty-third street and Fourth Avenue, is one of the
most beautiful edifices in the city. It is built in the pure Gothic
style of the thirteenth century, and the external walls are composed of
variegated marble. It has an air of lightness and elegance, that at
once elicit the admiration of the gazer. The interior is finished with
white pine, ash, mahogany, oak, and black walnut in their natural
colors; no paint being used in the building. Schools of art, a library,
reading room, lecture room, and the necessary rooms for the business of
the institution, occupy the first and second stories. The third floor
is devoted to the gallery of paintings and the sculpture room.
An annual exhibition is held during the winter months, when the public
are admitted at a small charge. Only the works of living artists are
exhibited.
The hospitals and benevolent institutions of the city are numerous, and
are conducted in a liberal manner. Visitors are admitted to all of them
at stated times, and much instruction and profit may be gained from an
examination of the system upon which they are managed.