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New York State Asylum For Idiots, Fourth Annual Report Of The Trustees

Creator: n/a
Date: January 23, 1855
Source: Steve Taylor Collection

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Page 8:

103  

Heating and Ventilation.

104  

The heating will be done by six of Chilson's hot-air furnaces, placed in the sub-cellar excavated for that purpose in the rock; all the hot-air pipes are made of tin, and built in the brick walls, in every case, and registers placed remote from wood work. The floors over the furnace rooms to be fire-proof. The ventilation of the apartments will be secured by ventiducts made of wood, and built in the walls, and made to terminate in the main ventilators on the roofs. The upward current in these ventiducts will be secured by a gas burner or steam pipe in each of the ventilators.

105  

Lighting.

106  

The whole of the building will be lighted with gas, and if made on the premises it will be in a detached building for that purpose.

107  

Description of the Building.

108  

The edifice designed to be occupied for the institution is exhibited in the accompanying view, as seen from the southeast. The building is one hundred and fifty-three feet front and rear; the ends or wings, seventy feet from front to rear; the central parts, fifty feet deep; the tower eighteen feet square, and carried to the height of seventy feet. In elevation, the wings embrace four stories, basement and sub-cellar-the central parts three stories, and the tower five stories. The central parts recede ten feet from the front of the wings, and eight feet from the face of the tower, forming recesses on each side of the same; like recesses obtain in the rear, or western elevation, of the building, the first and second stories of which are enclosed with glass, forming large piazzas in the rear of the school rooms and the principal dormitories of the second story, and made so as to form a part of those apartments, by the windows which extend to the floor.

109  

The building is in the Italian style, with superstructure of pressed brick, painted and sanded in harmony with the brown freestone dressings, supported by a rusticated ashlar basement. All the external angles are enriched with quoin blocks, with beveled rustic on each. All the external windows and doors have dressings of stone, with string courses of the same materials. The fenestral decorations embrace quite a variety. Those of the principal story in front have pediment heads, supported by moulded trusses. Three bayed windows in the front of wings. Those in the recessed parts of the second story have semi-circular heads. Those of the third story, segment heads -- all of freestone.

110  

Those on the ends of the building embrace various forms, all in harmony with those in the front. The principal entrance in front, at the base of the tower, is approached by a flight of twelve steps, eighteen feet in length, the platform of which will be covered with a rusticated portico. The entrance at the south end will be under a port cochere; that at the north by steps of cut stone. The entire building will be surmounted by large projecting medallion cornices.

111  

Description of Plans.

112  

The sub-cellar contains a hall eight feet wide, extending the whole length of the building, with areas at each end, open at the top. This hall communicates with the six furnace rooms, each twelve feet square. These, with ample room for the storage of fuel, comprise all the apartments of the sub-cellar. This part of the building is so arranged that the heating can be by hot water or steam, if found desirable to introduce either of them at any future day. This story is nine feet high in the clear.

113  

The basement is nine feet high in the clear, and comprises the kitchen and four dining rooms in the rear, washing, ironing and bathing rooms, servants' hall and house dining room, with cellars, store rooms and pantries, together with superintendent's dining room, &c. This part of the building is made accessible from the upper part by stairs at each end, and from without by the doors at the north and south ends of the building.

114  

The principal story is fourteen feet high in the clear, and is arranged with corridor through the center of the building, eight feet in width, with stairs at each end for boys and girls respectively, and the main stairs in the center of the building. The rear is occupied by the north, south and center school rooms, all of which are made to communicate by folding doors; and these, again, are made accessible to the enclosed piazzas in the rear. The front on the south of the tower is occupied by the superintendent's parlor, study and private stairs, on the north of the principal entrance, the reception room, office and teachers' sitting room. The north and south wings contain the day rooms, sitting rooms and nurseries for the children.

115  

The second story is eleven feet high in the clear, the corridor same as that of the principal story. The front part between the tower and the south wing contains the superintendent's apartments. All the other parts of the south half of the building will be used for dormitories, &c., for girls. The north half of the building contains the dormitories, &c., for the boys-the teachers' apartments being in the front, on the north side of the tower. The rear dormitories communicate with the enclosed piazzas of the second story.

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