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.
FIFTH PLAN
Washington Street Site for Court House
(See diagram marked [Plan 5])
| 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. Site for new court house takes part of last item. | |
| 4. Municipal Building site at south-west corner of Court and Joralemon streets (title now vested in the city) | |
| Total | $5,261,195.00 |
This plan contemplates placing the new court house on Washington Street opposite the Post Office, and the new municipal building at the corner of Court and Joralemon on the site condemned for that purpose. It separates the court house from the Hall of Records. The chief objection, however, is that the available space is not sufficient. A court house of the size desired would be compelled to assume an awkward shape, and it would be so narrow that an inner court to light court rooms facing on it would be out of the question. Throughout our work we have kept in mind the desire of the judges for quiet rooms for the conduct of trials. Washington and Fulton streets are noisy on account of surface cars and vehicles and it would in our opinion be undesirable to have court rooms front on these streets. The court house is to be a much larger and more imposing building than the new municipal building, and it should not be placed on a contracted site.
SIXTH PLAN
Present Site for Court House
(See diagram marked [Plan 6])
| 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. Site for Municipal Building takes part of last item. | |
| 4. Site for court house takes Polytechnic land and buildings, etc., in addition to land now owned by the city | 733,700.00 |
| Total | $5,994,895.00 |