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Show THE DESERET MUSEUM. It is to Be Preserved in a Building that Will be an Ornament to the City. . INTELLECTUAL PALAOE IN VIEW, Library, Beading Boom and Gymnasium to be Provided for in the New Structure,' A week or so ago The Times printed a description of the Dcseret museum which attracted a good, deal of attention atten-tion from all classes, and was the means of bringing to the institution many visitors who were strangers in the city; and these visits still continue. Another effect of the article named was to stimulate stim-ulate into action those who for years have been considering the question of whether to discontinue the museum, or to sell the ground upon which it stands and with the proceeds build a lasting abode for the relics and curiosities worthy of the city and the object. 'Xast Thursday the-, project of preserving pre-serving the museum in a. suitable- structure struc-ture was decided upon, and the matter took shape in the termination to erect a magnificent block at the southwest corner cor-ner of Main and South Temple streets. The work is under the directions of the Salt Lake Scientific and Literary association, as-sociation, and active operations have already begun. Mr. Don Carlos Young, an architect of prominence and ability, has been instructed to prepare plans and specifications as soon as possible, and when these are completed no time will bo lost in construction. Tho history of tho lot on which will bo located the new Museum building is quite interesting. The property originally origin-ally belonged to Dr. Willard Richards, a gentleman closely associated with Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and who witnessed their death in Carthage jail while he was imprisoned with them. By Dr. Richards the ground was deeded iu 1850 to tho church as a sito for a council house, and for years it served this purpose. When tho council house was destroyed the lot again became vacant, aud has ever since remained so. About twelve years ago the church deeded the property to the Salt Lake Scientific and Literary association, and the question of what use it should bo devoted to has often been agitated but never decided upon until now, It is gratifying to know that tho museum is to be preserved and that tho city is to be enriched with a building worthy of its object. It is '.understood that the first floor of the new building will be given over to commercial purposes, pur-poses, while the entire upper portion will bo devoted to museum, a library, reading rooms, and a gymnasium; and it is expected that tho rentals accruing from the first story will be sufficient to maintain tho museum and its adjuncts. The land upou which tho old musouin now stands, together with the old adobe building and the vacant lpj; adjoining on tho west, have been purchased by Dr. Joseph S. Richards, and tho price paid is equivalent to $110,000 in cash. It is tho intention of Dr. Richards to demolish de-molish both tho museum building and his own private residence on tho. east, and if ho can obtain the consent of the city council ho will open a street, sixty-six feet wide, through the block bounded by South Temple, Main, First South,; aud West Temple streets. ' For this purpose Dr. Richards will contribute freo his own property, on which now stands his residence. res-idence. ,.. Mr. Don Carlos Young, who has charge of tho architectural work of the new museum building aud the specifications, specifi-cations, is tho architect of tho Zion's Savings bank building, and this is suf-. ficieut guarantee that the proposed structure will be, iu every particular, as handsome as any in the city. |