for years, vague hints had been made that the board tended to encourage those applying for leases to employ members of the board as architects. in particular, james ebenezer saunders had been appointed as chief architect on the pavilion, and on the grand hotel and metropole hotel on northumberland avenue, both on land owned by the board, and had done little actual work. francis hayman fowler, although he had done much other work as a board member, had taken money from site owners and lessees in circumstances which clearly indicated bribery.