156 Chicago Bureau of Public Efficiency 



houses or lily pond, and the large expense for grading, filling 

 and decorative efifects would have been eliminated. The re- 

 modeled plan of the old building designed by the Bureau has 

 no large basement, as has the new building, because it is super- 

 fluous ; nor has it a large attic space. It would have been amply 

 large for present and future needs, however, and since the kind 

 of material and style of construction of the old building would 

 have been extended in the addition, the exterior would have 

 made a handsome building. 



The estimate made by the Bureau of the cost for the re- 

 modeling and extension of the old building, inclusive of fees for 

 designing and superintendence, amounts to $28,407.55, or $145,- 

 010.17 less than was expended on the new building and decora- 

 tive effects, and $77,609.94 less than the cost of the building 

 alone. In order to confirm the correctness of this estimate, a 

 construction company which has done a large amount of high- 

 class building work in Chicago was requested to estimate the cost 

 of the proposed building, and their estimate was $24,000, exclu- 

 sive of architect's services. After adding five per cent, for archi- 

 tect's fees the total cost estimated by this firm amounted to $25,- 

 200 or $3,207.55 less than the Bureau's estimate. 



Even if the government of the South Park system were to be 

 continued independently, there still was no need for the con- 

 struction of so large and costly an adminstration building, es- 

 pecially when consideration is given to the much more economical 

 alternative here outlined. Moreover, it must be conceded that for 

 some time there has been a growing sentiment for a consoHda- 

 tion of the park governments. It is submitted, therefore, that 

 in the face of such a sentiment so costly a structure not cen- 

 trally located and not well adapted to other purposes was gross 

 extravagance. 



The desirability of erecting an administration building for 

 the West Park Board is now being agitated. The Bureau sug- 

 gests that no more buildings of this character be erected by the 

 Park Boards until an opportunity has been afforded for consoli- 

 dating the park systems, because buildings erected prior to such 

 action might subsequently prove ill adapted in location, architec- 

 ture, or both. 



