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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 BrooklynBrooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Committee of Ten

History

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

Name: 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
Author: Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Committee of Ten

Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Committee of Ten

Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) -- History; Railroads, Elevated -- New York (State) -- New York

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 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

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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

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