Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1916 — TO GIVE PROPER SUN LIGHT [ARTICLE]

TO GIVE PROPER SUN LIGHT

Was Main Reason for Locating Hospital Long Way With Street. A. W. Coen of Chicago, the architect for the new county hospital now in course of construction, called at The Democrat office Saturday afternoon and explained about some of the criticisms that have been made regarding the building covering practically all of the front of the lot purchased for its location and then slopping over 28 feet onto ground already owned by the county. The hospital building is 68x34 feet, and in order to admit sunlight into every room, a very important item in designing a building of this kind, Mr. Coen states, it was necessary to place the building the long way to the street. Besides, this makes it more easy of access from the street. The ground purchased from Mr. O’Connor had a street frontage of but 50 feet. The building covers the north 40 feet of this ground and extends over 28 feet on ground owned by the county in the rear of the jail, leaving a space of about 20 feet between the south end of the jail and the hospital walls

and 10 feet on the south of the latter building, The hospital board hopes to later secure 25 feet more ground on the south from Mr. O’Connor. Because of the depth necessary in the basement for the elevator pit and the inadequate sewer into which the basement will drain, the foundation will extend'considerably above the present ground level, and the grounds will be terraced up about three feet to take care of this necessary part. Mr. Coen thinks, with The Democrat, that it would have been better to have located the hospital somewhat off by itself, where there was plenty of open space surrounding, but many of our people who were pushing the hospital project seemed to think that such a building would be more of an ornament to the city than a real necessity and wanted it right “up town.” If it was to be considered in.- this light, The Democrat favored, from an economical standpoint, the purchase of the O’Connor lot and the locating of the building there because of the great sawdfig it would effect in the heating from. the present county heating plant. Mr. Coen is also preparing plans for the new consolidated school building in Marion township, for the proposed new high school in Union township and for the projected new buildings at the Monnett school for girls.