752 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 6,

It is not unlikely that other officers may hereafter be crea-
ted, which for reasons of a similar character would have to be
placed within the limits of the city.

In the opinion of your Committee it is manifest, that pub-
lic convenience would be greatly piomoted by some arrange-
ment which would bring together and permanently provide,
he accomodation needed for the various officers refered to,
whether the object in view could be best effected by the im-
mediate purchase of a building, or by procuring for a period
upon lease, at a reasonable sum, such accommodation as
would sufficiently meet the existing necessity, is a matter to
which your Committee have directed their careful atten-
tion.

Your Committee visited and inspected a number of proper-
ties in the city offered for sale to them, several of them very
eligibly located, and well calculated with modifications, to
answer the uses contemplated. Among these properties the
most advantageous in point of location, and of the plan of its
construction, and character and dimensions of the lot of ground
occupied by it, as well as reasonableness of price asked for
same appeared to be that situated at the Northeast corner of
Calvert and Lexington Streets. The lot has a front of 72
feet on the East side of Calvert Street, with a depth of 100
feet on Lexington Street, running back to Davis Street, thus
giving a frontage on three streets. At present it is improved
by two buildings, one of them, the corner house is a large
double house occupied as a private residence 43 by 60 feet
in dimensions. The other is a large dwelling, fronting 29
feet on Calvert street, the whole property can be bought for
about sixty thousand dollars. To render the buildings avail-
able for the States purposes, the expenditure of some twenty
thousand dollars, would be necessary, which would give not
only the amplest accommodation for present and prospective
uses, but would also make an elegant and imposing struc-
ture, whilst its very central position and near proximity to
all other Public Buildings of the city would prove of great
advantage.

Your Committee say that in their opinion this property is
superior and preferable to all others which have been
brought before them, looking at all the qualifications which
it posseses and which should be combined No one of the
properties submitted to them for the purpose was offered at a
lower price than fifty thousand dollars, and it excelled the
others in several particulars. Taking the cost of alteration
the outlay required for the purchase and improvement would
be about $88,000.

Your Committee have also to report another proposition
made to them in this connection. The owner of the build-