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PRpPOrtD PLAW K?ItTnE DtVtLOPALfiT OF CAPITOL niLL< ALBANY' N-Y- 
 
 ^DATtAHtlU 17.1911 
 
 - mSMKUN B, WAE,t - J-TATE. ABCH1TE.CT - 
 
Albany, N. Y., April ij, 191 1 
 
 To the Hon. John A. Dix, Governor; Hon. Thomas F. Conway, Lieutenant-Governor; Hon. Daniel D. 
 Frisbie, Speaker of the Assenihly; Constituting the Trustees of Public Buildings of the State of New 
 York: 
 
 Sirs. — The disastrous fire of March 29, 191 1, which swept through the western portion of the Capitol, 
 causing irreparable loss to the State Library and serious damage to that part of the building occupied 
 by the State Education Department and the offices immediately under same, prompts me, as the official 
 from whom the State expects architectural advice, to present for your consideration a comprehensive 
 scheme for the construction of department buildings and for the improvement and development of 
 properties immediately adjoining the Capitol, in order to properly provide for the needs of the State for 
 years to come. 
 
 Although conditions due to the fire present the opportunity to bring these suggestions to your atten- 
 tion, the construction and location of the State Education Building and the fact that heretofore various 
 State departments had been housed outside the Capitol, had suggested to my mind prior to the fire a 
 scheme such as is here presented. The time being so short since the fire, the many details of the scheme 
 are open to criticism and subject to such changes as more careful consideration of the problem will un- 
 doubtedly bring forth. 
 
 The reconstruction of the damaged portion of the Capitol will make available a certain amount of 
 room on the first, third, fourth and fifth floors which can be used for legislative and departmental purposes. 
 The necessity of providing proper committee rooms and facilities for the conduct of legislative work will 
 require that all space heretofore occupied by the Education Department and Library on the third floor 
 be devoted to the Legislature. This leaves a few rooms on the first floor, the rooms on the western front 
 of the Capitol on the fourth floor, and rooms more or less inaccessible on the fifth floor in the pavilions, 
 or towers, as the amount of additional accommodation that can be provided in the Capitol for departmental 
 purposes. As a matter of fact, every department originally housed in the Capitol has demanded addi- 
 tional space for some years. In some of the departments the conditions, are such, that it is impossible 
 to carry on public work in a proper manner. The additional space to be made available will not provide 
 for the increased facilities required by these departments. From time to time mezzanine floors of non- 
 fireproof construction have been built in some of the larger rooms in order to provide additional space, 
 and corridors have been enclosed with frame construction to provide additional accommodations for the 
 departments. All of these constructions are not only a fire hazard but also cut off light and ventilation 
 from rooms and corridors. So far as possible, they should be removed in any plan for the improvement 
 of the Capitol. 
 
 The Capitol can be extended to the west to provide additional facilities, but such a scheme is open to 
 serious criticism. Its architecture has been criticised by many experts and any extension to the west 
 will provide additional cause for criticism. The Capitol as originally designed is an architectural unit; 
 an extension would create unsymmetrical facades and destroy its skyhne, one of the redeeming features 
 of its architecture. Such an extension would entirely block any outlook from or view of the State Educa- 
 
tion Building, and while it would probably provide sufficient accommodation for all departments at 
 present, the accommodations could not be made as liberal as they should, nor could any provision be made 
 for expansion in the future. 
 
 In view of the damage done in the Education Department, and in other departments, by fire and 
 water, the inadvisabiHty of placing all State Departments under one roof and the desirability of placing 
 departments or groups of departments in separate buildings, is apparent. 
 
 In 1909 the Legislature authorized the preparation of plans and estimates of cost for the reconstruction 
 of the State Hall for the use of the Court of Appeals, and a report was submitted to the Legislature of 
 1910 by a Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State Architect, showing alterations could be made for 
 the sum of ;jS330,ooo. These plans did not provide accommodations for the Court of Claims. The arrange- 
 ment, while satisfactory as being an alteration to an old building, nevertheless did not provide all of the 
 accommodations and facihties which the highest court of the State should have for the proper conduct 
 of its business. In rearranging the State Hall for the Court of Appeals, it was considered necessary to 
 retain the central rotunda. This restricted the replanning of the building. While the estimates were 
 made as carefully as it is possible from preliminary drawings, no guarantee can be given that the 
 reconstruction can be made for the sum stated. The cost cannot be determined until the working drawings 
 are prepared and bids obtained on the work. Probably the final cost would exceed the present estimates. 
 This is usually the case for alteration work. 
 
 The removal of the Court of Appeals from the State Capitol to the State Hall will make available, 
 comparatively speaking, a small amount of floor space. The State Comptroller, State Engineer and 
 Surveyor and Superintendent of Banks are now occupying the State Hall, and accommodations must 
 first be provided for these departments elsewhere. 
 
 In addition to the departments just mentioned as occupying the State Hall, with the exception of the 
 Agricultural Department, which now occupies Geological Hall, the following departments, or divisions 
 of same, occupied rented quarters outside of the Capitol before the fire : 
 
 Secretary of State, 
 
 Attorney-General, 
 
 State Engineer and Surveyor, including the Barge Canal work. 
 
 State Highway Commission, 
 
 Public Service Commission, 
 
 Water Supply Commission, 
 
 Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 
 
 It is needless to say that, with one or two exceptions, these quarters are not suitable for the proper 
 conduct of departmental business, and a number of the departments are divided. The proper adminis- 
 tration of a department housed in different buildings must necessarily suffer. The rent paid by the State 
 for these quarters is a matter that enters into the consideration of the scheme herein proposed, and this 
 amount will necessarily increase in the future unless the State provides other facilities. 
 
 As heretofore mentioned, the desirability of placing all the departments under one roof is questionable. 
 Of whatever fireproof material the building may be constructed, furniture and fittings, to say nothing 
 of papers, records, etc., are inflammable and cannot be made otherwise; and, when a fire occurs in such 
 material, the heat created is so intense that the best of fireproof material gives away. If, therefore, the 
 departments or groups of departments were housed in separate buildings, damage by fire or water in one 
 will not cause damage to others. Had there been a strong westerly wind on the night of the fire, no sub- 
 stantial portion of the Capitol would have escaped damage, in which event all the departments which 
 were located in the Capitol would have suffered serious loss and all business wf the State would have been 
 at a standstill. 
 
There is now nearing completion a State Education Building, in which will be housed the Education 
 Department and the State Library. The first step has been taken towards realizing that important depart- 
 ments require buildings of their own. Years ago our forefathers had sufficient foresight to plan the city 
 of Washington with a view to future extension which they knew would be necessary, and to-day there 
 have been built, or are in process of construction, government buildings designed and arranged to provide 
 proper accommodations for the departments to occupy them, and this procedure should serve not only 
 as an example but as an incentive to the great State of New York, particularly at this time when the oppor- 
 tunity presents itself to do something creditable, and for the benefit of posterity. Although the business 
 of the State of New York is not of the magnitude of the United States government, nevertheless it is of 
 sufficient importance to demand that its legislative and administrative departments be housed in building^s 
 properly adapted for the purpose. 
 
 Looking at the matter from an architectural standpoint, the present surroundings of the State Capitol 
 and State Education Building can be very much improved. From no point can one now obtain a satis- 
 factory view of the State Education Building. It is hidden from the east, the main approach to the Capitol, 
 by a group of private dwellings and business houses, and from the south by the Capitol and a group of 
 dilapidated buildings on Washington avenue. The proper grouping and planning of buildings, carrying 
 with it the necessary condemnation of adjoining land and properties to the south and west of the Capitol, 
 will not only provide proper facilities for the various State departments and the Court of Appeals for years 
 to come, but will also create an architectural ensemble that will be worthy of the dignity and importance 
 of the State of New York and a credit to the administration that inaugurates it. 
 
 Briefly described, the scheme suggested for consideration is as follows, and, in order that it may be 
 easily understood, plans are submitted herewith showing Capitol Hill as it is to-day, and as it will be if 
 the scheme suggested is carried out: 
 
 Court of Appeals: A proper site for the Court of Appeals requires that it should be near the Educa- 
 tion Building and so located as to give the building the prominence which its character demands. The 
 scheme suggests the acquisition of the properties bounded by Capitol place. Swan street, Washington 
 avenue and State street, upon which the building can be erected. By the removal of all old buildings 
 on the site, the State Education Building will be given the prominence that its design demands, and, by 
 selecting this location, the building can be designed with ample facilities for the Court of Appeals, and 
 facilities can also be provided for the Court of Claims and for such other courts as it may be found desir- 
 able to accommodate. Access to law and other reference libraries can be had by constructing a subway 
 for the transfer of books from the State Education Building. 
 
 Other Departmental Buildings: The scheme suggests the construction of five buildings on property 
 to be acquired, bounded by South Hawk street. Swan street, State street and Chestnut street. It would 
 not be necessary to construct all of these buildings at one time. They could be constructed from time 
 to time as the demands of the State warrants, and, when this group is completed, it will form, with the 
 Capitol, Education Building and Court of Appeals, a quadrangle, which if properly treated architec- 
 turally will be second to none in the world. At this time it is suggested that buildings be planned for the 
 following purposes: 
 
 The building on the corner of State and South Hawk streets to be occupied by the Militia Depart- 
 ment of the State. This suggestion is discussed more fully hereafter. 
 
 The second building on State street to be occupied by the finance departments, viz: the State Comp- 
 troller, the State Treasurer, and other co-ordinate departments. 
 
 The third building, forming the center of the group, to be designed and constructed as a Hall of 
 Records, that is, of absolutely fireproof construction, containing fireproof vaults, and used only for the 
 storage of State records. 
 
 The fourth building to be designed for the accommodation of those departments which have in charge 
 the conservation of the State's resources, and other allied departments. This building will, therefore, 
 
be used by the Department of Conservation now contemplated, and in it might also be placed the Agri- 
 cultural Department and other similar departments. 
 
 The fifth building, to be located on the corner of State and Swan streets, to be devoted to the technical 
 departments, such as the State Engineer and Surveyor, the State Department of Public Works, State 
 Highway Commission and State Architect. 
 
 Some may ask, " For what purpose will the State Capitol be used .? " The scheme herewith presented 
 takes into consideration the demands of the State for years to come, and it is not proposed that all these 
 buildings be constructed immediately. By the time they will be required, the Capitol will be none too 
 large to accommodate the executive and legislative branches of the State government, providing proper 
 facilities for legislative committee work. The Capitol would also accommodate the Secretary of State, 
 Attorney-General, and the various administrative commissions, such as the State Commission in Lunacy, 
 State Board of Charities, and allied commissions, Prison Commissions, State Civil Service Commission, 
 State Board of Tax Commissioners, and other administrative commissions and boards that now exist 
 or that may be created to meet future requirements. 
 
 The scheme also suggests the acquisition of properties bounded by South Hawk street. State street 
 and Eagle street, continuing Chestnut street, which now stops at Hawk street, through to Eagle street; 
 and also the acquisition of properties bounded by Washington avenue, Haw'k street, LaFayette street 
 and Park place. The acquisition of these properties is suggested in order that the general scheme for 
 grouping the buildings and the parking of same can be carried out to its logical conclusion, thereby adding 
 materially to the dignity, importance and artistic composition of Capitol Hill. 
 
 Recently a movement has been inaugurated by the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Albany 
 for carrying out certain improvements and for beautifying Albany. As the scheme herein proposed would 
 materially aid in this movement, the city should join with the State in accomplishing so desirable a result. 
 There is shown on the plans, located on the site of the old powerhouse, adjoining the Education 
 Building, a building which is designated as the State Printing Office. It might not be economy for the 
 State to attempt to install and maintain a printing plant of sufficient size to handle the vast amount of 
 legislative printing which is necessary during the legislative session, but there seems to be no reason 
 why a small printing plant cannot be established to do departmental work and to afford necessary 
 facilities for bookbinding and other book work in connection with the State Education Department. 
 Such a building could be designed to occupy this space without detracting in any way from the Educa- 
 tion Building, and it would in no sense be a nuisance as it would be operated by electric power. 
 
 In connection with any scheme for the improvement of Capitol Hill, consideration should also be 
 given to the Executive Mansion. This building is antiquated in design, of non-fireproof construction, 
 located in an undesirable environment, and in no way can it be considered as a suitable residence, nor 
 does it provide the facilities necessary for official and social functions which custom expects from the 
 Chief Executive of the State of New York. No site for an Executive Mansion is suggested in connection 
 with the improvements of Capitol Hill, although it might be advisable to consider a location in this portion 
 of the city. This is a matter for future consideration. 
 
 Geological Hall, now occupied by the Department of Agriculture, is located in the commercial center 
 of Albany and is too far from the Capitol to warrant the State in retaining the property. When other 
 quarters are provided for the Agricultural Department, it could be disposed of to advantage and the funds 
 so obtained made applicable for the general improvement herein suggested. 
 
 As for the State Hall, if a new court house is constructed and other quarters are provided for the 
 departments now occupying this building, it could be restored to its original plan by removing the mez- 
 zanine floors and other non-fireproof constructions, and could then be used either by some department 
 for which it would be adapted, or it might be made a State Museum for the preservation and exhibition 
 of relics, paintings and statuary. 
 
 As to the cost of the scheme proposed, it is impossible to approximate this with any degree of accuracy 
 because the departmental requirements for each building are unknown, and the cost of the land can only 
 
 8 
 
be approximated. Based upon the price paid for the land acquired for the Education Building site, the 
 approximate cost of the land would be ^1,500,000 
 
 The five buildings on State street, the court house and the printing office should be 
 built for about 5,000,000 
 
 If to this amount is added the cost of repairs and alterations to the Capitol, amounting 
 to about 2,500,000 
 
 The total cost would be ^9,000,000 
 
 for which amount all of this work could be carried out, provided economical methods were used in the 
 construction of the work and all work done upon a contract basis. 
 
 In order that unnecessary delays may be avoided, the method of acquiring the necessary properties 
 should be similar to that now in use by the State Engineer and Surveyor in acquiring properties for the 
 Barge Canal, where, by the filing of maps on property required, title vests in the State, the valuation to 
 be determined by an appointed appraiser with the privilege of appeal to the Court of Claims by dissatisfied 
 property owners. 
 
 To defray the cost of this work, and in order that funds may be available from time to time, as may 
 be necessary, it is suggested that a long-term bond issue be authorized and that the act provide that from 
 the bond issue authorized the State treasury be reimbursed for the funds now appropriated and expended 
 for the purpose of beginning operations. As future generations will benefit by this improverfient, there 
 is no reason why the present generation should defray the entire cost out of income. 
 
 It is fortunate that at this time one department of the State government is in a position to inaugurate 
 this scheme with but little expense to the State. There is appended hereto a communication from the 
 Adjutant-General which speaks for itself and to which I can only add my hearty endorsement. As the 
 Adjutant-General's quarters in the Capitol are being given up for the use of the Attorney-General, new 
 quarters must be found for him in any event. By adopting the Adjutant-General's suggestion a definite 
 beginning can be made by the erection of the first of the group of five buildings on State street for the 
 Militia Department. 
 
 If, in addition, the State finances will allow for the immediate acquisition of a site for a building for 
 the Court of Appeals and for its construction, and if funds are made available for the reconstruction of 
 the western end of the Capitol, including the cost of rewiring, instaUing standpipes and redecorating 
 portions damaged by water, together with the rearrangment of offices to suit departments to be perman- 
 ently housed, a substantial start will be made in the right direction, and a plan of improvements adopted 
 that can be developed as the demands of State departments and the condition of the State treasury warrant. 
 
 The scheme herein presented is submitted to you for your consideration in order that such changes 
 and suggestions as it may be wise to adopt may be incorporated in any plans for development. Should 
 the principles involved meet with your approval, the inauguration of the project would be assured. Such 
 suggestions and criticisms as the plans herein presented bring forth are invited, and by their considera- 
 tion the final result will be a more perfect plan. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 FRANKLIN B. WARE, 
 
 State Architect. 
 
STATE OF NEW YORK 
 
 THE adjutant-general's OFFICE 
 
 Albany, April 13, 191 1 
 Honorable Franklin B. Ware, State Architect, Albany, N. Y.: 
 
 Sir. — In surrendering our commodious and desirable offices temporarily in order to accommodate 
 a co-ordinate department in accordance with the desires of the Governor, we are temporarily about to 
 occupy, cramped quarters, relatively speaking. I am under the necessity of asking the Governor, the 
 Legislature and your department to provide for us adequate quarters when the present great pressure 
 has been relieved, and to that end I will ask you to present our needs to the Trustees of Public Buildings 
 with a view to presenting to the Legislature this session a request for action. 
 
 The present disaster to the Capitol building presents an opportune time to consider a well-developed 
 plan for parks and public buildings to occupy what is known as Capitol hill. 
 
 Such a plan you have ably and most artistically developed, and I desire that in providing quarters 
 for the various Militia headquarters and departments, and offices for the National Guard and Naval Militia, 
 together with museum of war flags and relics and records, that the first of these buildings be erected to 
 occupy a plot of ground to be bounded by State street on the northeast. Chestnut street on the southwest, 
 and Hawk street on the southeast, of sufficient size to build there a suitable building for such Militia head- 
 quarters. This would make a beginning of the park system and office buildings which should eventually 
 surround the Capitol according to the plans laid down by you, and which I shall beg you to present to the 
 Trustees in connection with this letter. I would ask that the Legislature appropriate a sufficient amount to 
 purchase the lower portion of that block, approximately 165 feet from State street to Chestnut street and 
 100 to 150 feet from Hawk street up. There need be no appropriation for cost of the building as the funds 
 for the purpose will be derived through a bill now pending in the Legislature permitting the sale of the 
 New York Arsenal, the proceeds of which would be expended first in building an arsenal on less valuable 
 property, and the amount over and above the cost of building such new arsenal, would provide a 
 building sufficient for the purpose desired. It is thought that such a building might cost from 
 ;^ 1 50,000 to ^250,000 and would be the center of all miUtary interests, including headquarters for the 
 Grand Army of the RepubHc and for the various posts of the city; it would include sufficient space for 
 the present museum and the extension that should be made thereto. The architecture should permit 
 a rotunda around which our valuable battle-flags should be cased. 
 
 With sufficient room, further efforts should be made to increase all these collections. 
 
 Beside headquarters for the National Guard and for the Naval Militia, the Division Headquarters, 
 the Armory Commission and the Bureau of Records, there could well be in this building a convention hall 
 in which the National Guard Association could meet from time to time. This hall could be used for 
 assemblages of other State departments. 
 
 An additional reason for the providing of more commodious quarters for this department Ues in the 
 fact that in case of this country becoming involved in hostilities and the consequent call upon the State 
 of New York for troops, it would be immediately necessary to largely increase the clerical force of this 
 office, and the efficiency of such increase would depend very largely upon the ability to so locate them 
 as to insure proper supervision and direction by responsible officers of this department. During the 
 
War of the Rebellion the State of New York furnished 484,260 soldiers to the armies of the United States, 
 and this number would unquestionably be equaled and probably exceeded in case of future trouble with 
 any first-class power. It can be easily understood that the work of this office consequent upon such a 
 call would be enormously increased and proper prevision would consider such a possibility on new quarters 
 being provided. In addition to the needs outlined in the foregoing would be the necessity of providing 
 accommodations for United States officers who would be assigned for duty with this State as mustering 
 officers, etc. 
 
 I believe the establishment of this first unit in your beautiful plan of new office buildings would be 
 a patriotic movement which in time would tend to give interest in beautifying the Capitol and its group 
 of buildings. 
 
 This letter is very hastily drafted and therefore hardly expresses the possibilities and advantages 
 of the whole plan, and I ask you to develop the plan to the Trustees as it may occur to you. 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 Wm. verbeck. 
 
 The Adjutant-General. 
 
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