tlbe
VOL XV.
JANUARY, 1904.
NO. 1.
THE WAREHOUSE AND THE FACTORY IN
ARCHITECTURE.
is a warehouse? When the present writer was a
V V student in Germany, a comrade of his one of those poly-
glot Poles, who were present in every poly technical school, art school
or university course on the continent of Europe a man who spoke
every language in use among his contemporaries asked one day
what was the English word for "such a building as that." The word
warehouse being furnished and explained to him, he expressed the
greatest delight, finding sufficient reasons for the belief that no
other modern language of Europe possessed an equivalent term.
Probably that is true, for as far as contemporary evidence goes no
language has the equivalent term of any word in any other lan-
guage. Translation is falsification (and that phrase comes closer
than most translations do to their originals, to the ancient saw:
Traduttorc, Traditore). What is called the "translation" of a foreign
author implies, or should imply, the restating of that author's
thoughts in such terms as may express them aright. Beyond the
simple every day words "wet" and "dry," "cold" and "hot," there are
no interlingual synonyms ; and even those words may be found to be
used in a larger or a narrower sense as you go from one tongue
to another. But the warehouse, as the great cities of America know
it, we may take to be a building which is devoted to industrial
purposes, involving the safe keeping of a large quantity of goods.
A six-story building in use as a manufactory, with huge, bare, re-
latively low halls, full of shafting or, in these modern days, with the
less bulky contrivances of the electrical plant, is not a warehouse ;
but then it is a "Factory," and thus we reach the definition of the
second term of our title. Without splitting hairs too minutely,
we come to the conclusion that anything is either a warehouse or
a factory which is devoted to the rougher kind of business enter-
prise ; that is to say, not primarily to offices where professional men
Copyright. 1903, by "The Architectural Record Company." All rights reserved.
Entered May 22, 1902, as second-class matter, Post Office at New York, X. Y., Act of
Congress, of March 3d, 1879. ^
2 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
sit quietly or clerks pursue their daily task, but one where the
goods are piled up, where the unloading and loading, the receiv-
ing and the shipping of such goods goes on continually, where
the floors are to a great extent left open in great "lofts" and
where in consequence the general character of the structure within
and without is the reverse of elegant. It may be costly, it may be
thoroughly built, it may be, as we shall have reason to find in the
course of this very paper, an architectural monument; but it can
hardly be minutely planned, with many refinements in the way of
interior arrangement, nor can it be the recipient of elaborate ex-
terior decorative treatment of any kind. The windows can hardly
be grouped in extraordinary combinations the external walls will
put on the appearance of a tolerably square-edged, flat-topped
box, nor will the external masses anywhere break out into porches
or turrets. Delicate stonework is not for the warehouse or for the
factory. Sculpture is not a part of its architectural programme.
Color, if applied, and it is apt to be applied rather freely, is of the
nature of large and somewhat boldly treated masses of natural
material supposed to contrast agreeably one with the other in their
not very positive hues.
This being our subject, it is found to be a rather interesting sub-
ject in view of the really attractive buildings of this sort which
New York and other cities have seen erected during the past
quarter century. Some slight attempt at verifying dates has ended
in confusion ; nor is the writer able to say, at present, which of all
these buildings which he has been considering is the first, or which
are among the first. To whom is due the credit for the introduction
of that type of building which is perhaps the most common among
them which is, at least, the most notably characteristic of the
whole group? Is it the building at 175 Duane street (Fig. i) or
(Fig. 2) the DeVinne Press in Lafayette Place? Those two buildings
are the work of the firm of Babb, Cook & Willard, of New York,
and they are of the years between 1877 and 1885. Perhaps they
were the first to present the character which we wish to insist upon,
here, as being the most marked among all these warehouse build-
ings. The massive structure of rough brickwork with no high-
priced material no face brick of any sort used anywhere about
the building (except where actual castings in terra cotta are the
order), the effect produced by very deep reveals, a natural result,
by the way, of that relegation of the lower stories to mere groups
of piers with larger openings between them ; the absence of a pro-
jecting cornice, indeed of any wall cornice whatsoever and the sub-
stitution for it of a parapet of one kind or another, very often a
mere brick wall pierced with open arches ; the use in some cases of
a roof cornice, that is, of boldly projecting eaves which, however,
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN ARCHITECTURE.
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are but small as compared with the height of the wall or the mass
of the structure ; the prevalence of a roof so nearly flat that it does
not in the slightest degree affect the external appearance of the
building; this architectural problem is the one proposed and to a
very great extent successfully solved by the designers of these now
rather numerous structures.
The building, Nos. 173 and 175 Duane street (Fig. i) is of simple
character and has only one street front to show us. It cannot be
compared to its rivals, the buildings of the same class which are
to be mentioned with it. The combined windows, two, two arid a
lunette, under one arch are a poor and cheap device, and the filling
with brick walling and arches of the space within the larger open-
ing tends to prevent the use of deep reveals. The pair of simple
round-arched openings below each of those great recesses
cannot be thought more original or more significant. The double
superstructure the two arcades of seven and thirteen openings,
some filled with glass, some open to the sky, that is a brave thought,
if you please ! It is so that designs are made, if they are to be
really designs ! The invention of such a pierced parapet as this
might almost be thought to date from this facade, it is so obviously
called for here. And there are some well-placed and admirably de-
signed bands and archivolts of terra-cotta; the ornamentation
kept down to the severe, conventional patterns, the platted and
twisted band, "strap-work" and "knot-work," such as befits a work-
building. It is, however, the De Vinne building which shows what
this style is capable of; and for this we have the fixed date, 1885.
Of this building (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) it is to be said that no photo-
graphs give the full sense of its bigness, its breadth and its mass,
More than once visitors on their way to see it have been pulled up
suddenly by a sudden sense of its large presence ; it is not quite what
they were looking for, but much more broad and ponderous. Now,
does this point to any fault in design? Is it of necessity a fault, if
your masses are larger and the general "scale" of the building
greater than usual? If so, it is a fault shared by every Greek temple
bigger than the Theseion. If the Greeks had possessed the photo-
graph it would have altered their style, once for all ; for who would
have built the temple of Zeus at Olympia, 90 feet wide, or either one
of those at Selinus or Akragas, 75 feet wide, in such a style that the
little shrine at Rhamnus, 33 feet wide, would have shown itself, in
the sun-picture, as big and as imposing as the building of twenty
times its mass and its cost? No, it is not a fault, if a building proves
to be greater in its whole and in its parts than the faithful portrait
had shown it to you ! You had lost nothing, you missed nothing,
while you studied its image; and you gain much, now that the
building itself confronts you.
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The three doorways on Lafayette Place have a reveal of forty
inches, less the slight lap of the wooden moulding. The three
great arches above have the same reveal, and, as to those com-
binations of many windows under one window-head, let the differ-
ence be noted between them and what seems the same motive in the
Duane street building, Fig. i. That is always a doubtful thing to
do, to exert yourself to make three tier of windows look like one ;
but as attempted in the smaller building it is feeble and without ap-
parent purpose. Here, in the De Vinne Building, the great arched
opening, sixteen feet wide and three times as high, has no subdivi-
sions more massive or more constructional than slender window-
bars and thin panels of light material. The four large openings
on the side on Fourth street are built with twenty-four-inch reveals.
The smallest windows have their jambs sixteen inches wide.
So much for ponderable realities ; and thereto must be added
such considerations as the admirable treatment of the segmental
arches of the ground story their extrados stepped off and so
fitted to the courses of brick ; and the breaking of the deep jambs
by a very small and thin rebate, a mere twinkling line, adding
marvellously to the effectiveness of the massive reveal. The
extension on Fourth street, shown in Fig. 3, is just enough
varied in design from the original and larger mass to express the
idea of a kindred structure of a later period, and the zone of
separation between them is most ingeniously managed. As for
the delicate ornament in relief which surrounds and invests the
main doorway of entrance, it is to be judged fairly well as it is se.en
in Fig. 4 ; and it serves as an almost perfect example of how orna-
ment may be concentrated at one point, while still serving well the
general purpose of the building as a whole.
To be compared with these is the building in Centre street at
the corner of White street, the work of the firm already named
as singularly successful in this attractive, this worthy method of
design (see Fig. 5). That building, which we will call by the name
which is given in relief, in dark-red terra-cotta upon a sign on the
corner pier, and of which the initials H and S occur in highly decor-
ative panels elsewhere on its Centre street front, is unlike the De
Vinne Building in that the great uprights take precedence even of
the most important the largest the most significant arches of the
exterior. The piers, three feet square and from that to four feet on
the face, are carried up in unbroken line from sidewalk to skyline.
They grow thinner, of course, as they ascend, but they keep what
may be called their "face value." Where it has been the wish of
designer to use small windows as if for the sake of employing sash
of a more usual and certainly more handy size and character, these
piers serve merely as pilasters to divide up the wall into bays, which
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN AKClmECTUKIl.
9*
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g THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
wall at the same time they stiffen in the way which all primitive
and unsophisticated wall-building is done. Again below, on the
ground story, where the whole surface of the exterior wall is to be
broken up into doorway and window-opening with as much glass as
possible, only the barest necessity being allowed to govern the size
of the masonry wall, the piers are isolated pillars. In one story
alone the system of semi-circular arches is carried out for the
whole extent of one story and surrounds the building with a belt
of similar openings differing somewhat in size and in detail, but
altogether similar in treatment. Here is what no other one of our
warehouse buildings has, the archivolt of a great arch disappear-
ing into the plain brick reveal of the square piers. This suggestion
of the "Roman Order," this hint at the supremacy of the post
over the arch, is not to be found anywhere else ; for all these build-
ings are of a character which might be called Romanesque if the
name of an ancient style were to be attached to them ; nor is it clear
that it is a happy result in this case or that the treatment of the
smaller arches in this story those in which the width of the archi-
volt is retained throughout the vertical impost until the sill of the
windows is reached, is not a better architectural motive. That is
hypercriticism, however. The Centre street front of the Hanan
Building is one of the most striking and effective and one of the
most sincerely designed of all the warehouse buildings which we
have to consider ; but the reader should study our photograph ; for
the building is now (October, 1903) so covered up with signs that
its charm is lost.
Very soon after this was built, by the firm of Me Kim, Mead &
White, the Judge Building (Fig. 6) in Fifth avenue, at the corner
of West i6th street. It is confessedly studied from the buildings
which we have named already ; but its treatment with a much more
decorative system of design with a much closer approach to the
modern office building, tends to separate it from our category. It
is easy to see that another selection might be made from which
this building should be excluded as being very much too "architec-
tural." The very unexpected and effective rounded corner where
the two principal facades meet ; the repetition of the treatment of
those very large and highly developed quoins on the two other
corners, especially that treatment which is to be seen at the ex-
treme western edge where there is a large offset in the wall, and
where the mass which is in retreat comes into sight beyond the
main corner, as to emphasize effectively the chainagc of the main
structure ; the refined group of mouldings like a classical entabla-
ture which marks the springing line of the greater arched open-
ings and the smaller group of mouldings at the spring of the arches
below; these, and more especially the wall cornice with the heads
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN ARCHITECTURE. 9
FIG. 5. THE HANAN BUILDING.
White and Centre Streets, New York City. Babb, Cook & Willard, Architects.
10 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
which pass for gargoyles, whether they serve as such or not, are
all of them claims upon our attention as taking the building out of
the Factory-Warehouse group into a more generally recognized
class of architectural design. The pilasters and even the columns
of the entrance front are of less consequence; they might be added
to the De Yinne or the Hanan building without impropriety ; and
the admirably conceived string course which is carried across a part
of each of the two facades, namely that which separates the groups
cf three among the windows of the fourth tier from the larger pic-
tures of windows just above, are also admissible, even in a ware-
house. The same thought is carried out in the moulded sill-course
of the uppermost row of windows. The artistic thought involved
in putting those two broken sill-courses in and stopping them where
their need exists no longer, stopping them with a simple return,
is one of the most charming things to be seen along our greatest
thoroughfares.
And so it is that if the student of such things dissents entirely
from the plan of including this among warehouses, he is not to
be villified for his opinion or even for the bold expression of it.
It can only be urged that this seems to give the most interesting
example which is possible of the warehouse treated in a grandiose
way, treated in a way to fit a Fifth avenue corner. And let the
reader study our photograph, for the building it represents has
perished. Even now, in October, 1903, the top of it is taken off;
it is in the way of being altered out of all recognition. So it goes
in a modern city of approved business habits. Wight's best build-
ing, the unique Academy of Design, has gone; the two best things
that Eidlitz built are, both of them, swept away. Haight's admir-
able Columbia College library and halls are all destroyed: and this
in the lifetime of their creators. And all this has been deliberate.
There is much architectural significance in the design of the lost
Tarrant Building (see Fig. 7) which once stood in Warren street,
two blocks west of Broadway. This was destroyed by fire ; it is
one more little custom of the American considered as citizen, to
burn up his buildings at intervals self-congratulatory, if only the
cccupants escaped death. The warehouse was the work of
Henry Rutgers Marshall ; and if this subject of ours will allow of
such extension of its limits as to include some of the buildings
which are not warehouses and yet have received this same archi-
tectural treatment, we shall find that Mr. Marshall has done other
things in the simple brickwork which challenge comparison among
modern designs. All that we can give of the Tarrant Building is
a reproduction of the author's drawing. It appears that no adequate
photograph of the structure was taken while it still existed ; and
this mainly because of the obstructing mass and confusing hori-
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN ARCHITECTURE. 11
FIG. G. THE JUDGE BUILDING.
Fifth Avenue and 16th Street, New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
(Now in course of reconstruction.)
12 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
zontal lines of the elevated railway. Nor is it well to spend much
time in analyzing a building which has perished. The admirable
treatment of the brickwork in two colors is all that the present
writer clearly remembers in the building as it stood and it is better
to look for even that attractive motive to more recent and still
existing buildings.
The Tarrant Building was of about 1890. Of the same age, or
thereabout, is the warehouse at the corner of Spring and Varick
streets, the design of Charles C. Haight. This building is shown
in Fig. 8 ; and he is not to be blamed who thinks that it is the best,
because the most suitable, design of all. Let any one note the
peculiarities of the design and consider them together, and separ-
ately, and decide whether they do not embody nearly everything
which goes to make up an admirable design of a simple character.
The high basement, faced with cut stone, and with all its openings
closed at the top with flat arches, with enormous voussoirs accu-
rately cut and doing their work perfectly, represents two stories of
rooms within. A moulded and dentilled string-course acts as a
surbase for this basement story. A brick wall, six stories high,
broken only by two slight sill-course bands of brick work cor-
belled out, course beyond course, in the simplest possible fashion,
the windows small and especially low for the mass of wall around
and above them (in which characteritic the openings of the base-
ment story share), the arches whether segmental or flat, very deep
in proportion to their span and telling their story of abundant
strength, color introduced in horizontal bands at the sill, at the top
of the jamb and half way up the pier of each row of windows and
again half way between each horizontal belt of openings ; all that
is wanted to make a design of this is just that which every design
needs as a primary requirement, grace. But grace is exactly what
this design contains. It is a rather favorable instance of elegance
used so as to be the most marked characteristic of a very simple
exterior. The proportions of openings to wall space are fortu-
nately better than those which must of necessity follow from the
requirements of office work or residence. More wall surface is al-
lowed than is generally practicable in city building. Of this for-
tunate circmustance the best use has been made; nowhere is there
a more perfectly successful design of extreme simplicity, nowhere a
better spacing of square openings in a plain wall. And that the
openings are not all square that some of them have segmental
arches; or else, if you please, that they have not all segmental
arches, that some are thought to do better with the horizontal
soffit and others with the curved intrados, is to the hypercritical
the most serious fault, if there is any serious fault, about the
building. Why should some of the windows be thought to need
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN ARCHITECTURE. 13
FIG. 7. THE TARRANT BUILDING.
Formerly at the corner or Warren and Greenwich Streets, New York City.
Henry Rutgers Marshall, Architect.
I4 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
a segmental arch? That fidgetty kind of questioning is very dis-
agreeable to some students of modern architecture; but it is so
very natural to others it comes so inevitably to the front whenever
we are thinking about the why and the wherefore in a design which
is worthy of our notice, that it is to be given a place. Should we
prefer the building if all six courses of windows had segmental
arches ? Yes or at least we should prefer it, probably, if all except
the top story were so treated. The uppermost row of windows, as
forming almost a terminal frieze, and with the tops of the windows
cut off by the preparation for the wall cornice (which is somewhat
larger than so simple a building requires) are entitled to be square
if they will, even if all the other windows in the brick wall had
rounded heads.
In all this there has been no mention of the recessed wall on the
left, on the Spring street front, with the bits of corbelling which
bring the recesses out again to the main surface of the wall. In like
manner nothing has been said of the very simple and effective
porch of entrance. Nor is it practicable to dwell upon the details of
the color system as one would be glad to dwell upon it if this build-
ing were the only subject of our inquiry. Assuredly the De Vinne
building is greatly more architectural i'n character, the creation in
itself of a new style ; but as certainly this Garvin building is the
typical work of low cost and obvious utility.
Some of the newer warehouse buildings are still more simple in
character. It is one of the delights of this particular inquiry that
one sees in the treatment of these recent and very plain very utili-
tarian structures, a wholesome architectural influence, coming,
without doubt, from those buildings which we have named already
and which seem to be, on the whole, the prototype of the move-
ment. One of those new buildings is the prodigious pile which
fills the whole river front, and indeed the whole westernmost block,
between West 26th and West 27th streets. Our view, Fig. 9, is
taken from the south, and shows the 26th street flank and the
comparatively narrow front on nth avenue, although that front
itself is of 200 feet. There is a far away, unpretending, unso-
phisticated look about the building. The designer has felt and has
wished to express his feeling that he is not anywhere near the world
of residence, of the life of the city, as that is generally understood ;
that nobody who is likely to look twice at a building for its own
sake will pass his way unless he is so very earnest a scholar that he
hunts it up because of its subdued and quiet reputation. The build-
ing is the warehouse of the terminus of no matter what great rail-
way ; it is called the "Terminal Stores," but it is announced as being
the property of the Terminal Warehouse Company, the office of
which you enter by the little round-headed door just beyond the
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN ARCHITECTURE.
FIG. 8. BUILDING OF THE GARVIN MACHINE CO.
Corner of Spring and Varick Streets, New York City. C. C. Haight, Arcntwet.
i6
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
broken telegraph pole and the lamp-post which stands near the
corner. The reader is asked to enjoy the brick cornice on the
avenue front, built with long, thin corbels and little arches. He
will, indeed see the same study of mediaeval fortification in other
storage warehouses, but it is so natural and obvious a device that
he has a right to enjoy it afresh every time it occurs.
The long front on West 26th street is one of those walls which
could not be altogether spoiled except by the most wanton "ugli-
fication," by the senseless addition of misunderstood ornament, and
yet it has a charm given to it by the simple device, which is also
a good one, for the protection of the building against fire on the
FIG. (. THE TERMINAL STORES,
llth Avenue, from IMth to 27th Streets, New York City.
G. B. Mallory, Architect.
exterior the device of setting the fireproof shutters four inches
in from the face wall. It can be understood what that signifies. It
is evident that with the shutters fitting into a rebate, made by the
four-inch offset of brickwork, the tongue of flame from across the
street cannot so conveniently find its way inward, following the
draught of air. It is greatly to be regretted that this simple im-
provement has not been repeated on the river front, where the
shutters come outside of and upon the brickwork of the wall with-
out the rebate.
As for the avenue front, it was practicable to leave that so very
solid, to pierce it so little with windows, that two most attractive
things were possible. One of these is the enormous doorway, the
huge, semi-circular arch with short imposts. The fitness of it, the
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN ARCHITECTURE. 17
obvious necessity of having an entrance to the central street-like
passage way so ample that the largest loaded truck can enter
it readily, is not the only reason for admiring this great arched
doorway. The other attractive feature is the "staggered" arrange-
ment of the windows in the projecting masses at the two ends of this
facade. They are not staircases, though the disposition of the
windows makes one think of that possibility, they are arranged in
that way, apparently, for effect alone ; but the effect has been se-
cured.
Russell Sturgis.
A second paper upon later buildings of this class will appear in the February
number of this magazine.
DETAIL, NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
Herts & Tallant, Architects.
"GORDON HALL," THE HOUSE OE DAN R. HANNA,
CLEVELAND, OHIO.
HE adaptability and fitness of the style of building prevalent in
England in the early days of the Renaissance, to our domestic
conditions and modes of living, are perhaps the most notable rea-
sons for its adoption and extensive employment in America. Par-
ticularly is this true in the designing of country establishments.
Here, where the very nature of the work makes it incumbent upon
the architect to arrange harmonious relations between buildings
and neighboring conditions, this style of dwelling is found peculiar-
ly suitable, because of its well-known picturesque qualities ; and any
style less congenial except when deftly treated, becomes unde-
sirably conspicuous and unpleasant. The extent of its use, however,
implies no necessary disparagement of buildings designed in an Ital-
ian manner or to splendid schemes whose lines are drawn under the
present French influence, for as the reader will readily un-
derstand upon a little consideration, the question of comparison is
to a great extent of an economic nature. The Italian villa and
French chateau are indeed beautiful and impressive, but only when
they are carried to their fullest consummation. The Italian lends
itself beautifully to the landscape under certain conditions, while
the building o French lines, with all its imposing elements, its
proportions and elaborate details, imperatively demands a contin-
uity, on the same grand scale of richness and decoration, through-
out the entire fabric, and extending to its setting, so as to leave no
mark of incongruity. Without its statuaried garden, peristyles,
and fountains, the Italian villa is incomplete; and discloses
a picture containing an element discordant with surroundings that
would better adjust themselves to a less formal design.
But place the house built essentially in an early English spirit,
modest in its outline, quiet, pure and dignified in its several feat-
ures ; with broad, simple, bricked surfaces, exquisite in texture and
color values, the whole bearing a consistent and congenial expres-
sion place this kind of a house in any spot where there are trees
and probable lawns, and you have a picture. There is no need of
adding subordinate features for the purpose of neutralizing effects.
The house demands no more of the setting. It is satisfied, and still
it will happily tolerate ornamental accessories possessing the same
restraint that is peculiar to itself. It will bear extensive gardens
more or less formal. It will welcome the introduction of almost any
embellishment in the matter of landscape art, but it remains inde-
pendent in its beauty, always implying an idea that its accessories
are not indispensable, and that being simple in itself, it requires
20
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
but a simple setting. It becomes apparent that of the three, the
English the early English it must be borne in mind is compara-
tively the most liberal in its extent of adaptability, surpassing even
our own colonial, which, like the later Renaissance, involves a set-
ting of considerable stateliness to bring about consistent effects.
Economically considered, it is most generous in the extent of its
fitness. It can suit a patron of wealth, availing itself judiciously of
his means, or, if skillfully handled, it can successfully comply with
conditions imposed by a moderate purse. The success of the other
two can hardly be attained except by patrons of great wealth
THE LODGE OF GORDON HALL.
Residence of Dan R. Hanna, Cleveland, Ohio.
Jarvis Hunt, Architect.
whose. liberality make it possible to employ materials, with which to
rear a work of magnificence, sufficient to bring these styles up to
their highest standards.
The people of no other country have been and still remain, more
devoted to country life than Englishmen. They have not only
loved its advantages, but have in consequence studied its possibil-
ities so as to leave them almost authorities in the disposition and
treatment of its various appointments. The question of his abode
at any rate from an artistic point of view has never received
the least of his attention. There is ample testimony of his artistic
ability and his keen sense of the picturesque in the many fine old
GORDON HALL.
21
examples scattered about the British landscapes, and although these
buildings of early days may appear in the eyes of the austere
academician architecturally imperfect, measured upon his narrow
scale of truth in rudimentary elements as to its parts and details,
no one can resist the entrancing beauty of the harmony that is
invariably disclosed between the great house, the garden, and the
surroundings. Details are secondary items, and if they play their
part well in the general ensemble, what matters it if a column is
short a diameter or two of Vignola, or a moulding is incorrect
according to established rules, or, if some other detail is not just
STABLE OP GORDON HALL.
Residence of Dan R. Hanna, Cleveland, Ohio.
Jarvis Hunt, Architect.
right, for which the builders in those days failed to obtain the
proper pattern. A more important principle dominated their minds,
a principle worked out self-evidently in these old designs with
admirable success, and this harmony of treatment with respect to
the whole, creating almost a kinship between the house and its
surronndings is the pre-eminent feature of the efforts of these old
builders, in which their descendants, or rather their disciples, have
willingly and irresistibly, but not always successfully, followed.
The failures hinted at are accountable in many ways. It is well
known that the departure from simple themes to those elaborate
conceptions to which developments of the Renaissance gave birth,
22 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
is due entirely to the perfecting- of architectural standards in Eng-
land npon if we may state it so Italian models, which in turn
were based upon the works of ancient Greece and Rome. As the
purity and refinement of classic art became better known and its
principles better understood and more widely used and applied ; as
appreciation of the beauty of form increased and a higher con-
ception \va acquired of the laws governing composition, it is true
a more correct kind of building became current ; but the picturesque
characteristics of earlier and less informed times were too often
emitted in the eagerness to adopt the possibilities of the new art.
While buildings became more ornate, their possible affiliation with
surroundings of the old order became less perfect, and an absurd
contrast is often to be noted, in the work of this period, between
the house and its situation. There was, indeed, no blindness to
the picturesque effect attained in earlier works, as quite the con-
trary is evident in a perfect willingness to retain it in the incor-
porating of new ideas, and consequently there is apparent once in
a while a vain effort to reconcile the two. The earlier buildings
"fell in" beautifully with their surroundings. The later ones, how-
even, of foreign origin, necessarily required foreign treatment in
the way of some intermediate medium to break an abrupt contrast
and make them appear to their best advantage, and hence followed
the introduction of appropriate accessories borrowed also from
continental neighbors. Instead of the old-fashioned English garden
sufficing, it was essential to render the grounds adjoining the
house in a progressive break of style using a long process of
transition in crossing the breach between the house, the garden and
its decorations and the natural features of the landscape.
Modern architects of England, and a few in this country, that
have distinguished themselves in handling the English motives
(sometimes in a very original manner) have readily benefited by the
lessons of profit and loss offered by the architectural history of
the Renaissance. No other domestic models offer such a wide field
for original development, none so elastic in opportunities to
express the individuality of the designer, and none better upon
which to conceive a picturesque design than those old buildings
of the period, when the influence of Italy was but slightly felt in
England, and not yet strong enough to eradicate the romantic
enthusiasm of its builders, which is so thoroughly stamped upon
their works. Availing himself of the incentive found in principles
and detail, the architect can, in his design, produce an exceeding-
ly attractive composition. With this conception a singular ful-
fillment is discovered in the design of Gordon Hall. The photo-
graphs accompanying this article, with all their shortcomings,
show us an engaging example of the outgrowth of this significent
CORDON HALL.
o
24 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
theory directed by an instinct truly artistic. The keen sense of the
picturesque which materially holds a paramount interest in all of
Mr. Hunt's work especially in country houses found a ready
and sympathetic ground to work upon here, for Gordon Hall
occupies a beautifully situated site, full of the handsomest trees to
be seen anywhere, with broad stretches of greensward to the west,
besides its own well-kept lawns immediately adjacent. That such
conditions irresistibly invited sympathetic treatment in the mind
of the architect is scarcely to be wondered at, but such an accom-
plishment is not always an easy matter, and particularly under the
THE VERANDA,- GORDON HALL.
Residence of Dan R. Hanna, Cleveland, Ohio. Jarvis Hunt, Architect-
Decorations by the Brooks Household Art Company of Cleveland.
circumstances that governed the planning of our subject. The lot,
by the nature of its boundaries, being narrow and long in the
direction North and South, and the grade virtually level, with a
general appearance of uniformity everywhere, carried a condition
that decreed a certain uniformity in the scheme of building. A
home of a rambling nature in plan and irregular in composition,
no matter how poor its architecture, usually presents itself favor-
ably in a picturesque light, a result which is almost inevitable under
such conditions. But how rarely is picturesqueness a concomitant
of uniformity and symmetry ! Gordon Hall forms an instance of
GORDON HALL.
26 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
this combination which makes it doubly worth appreciation. It
has been the labor of the architect to accomplish this one prime
object, and that he has done it, and done it well, is evident in the
photographs, and more so in the actual building. The house is
neither domineering nor subordinate for so skillfully are lines and
materials handled and disposed that perfect relations with surround-
ings have been established and the harmony of the picture is com-
plete. As to its architecture, the photographs disclose that it is
good and refined. The whole composition bears an air of dignity
and repose, and its features are appropriate and all in due relation
to the whole, possessing the same refined and quiet restraint, well
detailed, and serving well their decorative purpose.
The lot upon which the house and its appurtenant buildings
stand is not very large, extending a thousand feet along Bratenahl
Road, with a depth of about four hundred feet, and an L extending
obliquely northeast, some three hundred and fifty feet, where are
located the servants' lodges, gardener's house, the kitchen gardens,
poultry yards, and other appendages convenient to an establishment
of this kind. But fortunately the situation of the Hall facing west,
as it does, commands acres of beautiful park land by virtue of
its being closely united to Gordon Park, whose great sweeps of
green and graceful drives in combination with the beauties of the
actual private grounds form an estate of enviable proportions.
Bratenahl Road divides the grounds from those of the public park,
but the division is not perceptible to the ordinary observer, for one
indeed appears to belong to the other. A very low hedge lining
the simple cinder walk along the front of the lot is the only thing
that gives a suggestion of privacy a gentle notice to wanderers in
the park that to go beyond this line would be intrusion. One of
the photographs taken from the park side of the road shows well
the attractive nature of the aproach to the house from the main
drive. It is following this avenue which swings gracefully in a
semi-circle from the right to the front door and out again to the
left that the house is reached and from which, as we walk up to it,
a clear view of the house itself is offered. What kind of design
could more befit this beautiful place ! The presiding character of
the house namely, its fitness immediately prepossesses and de-
tains the eye. Its easy and tranquil outline is impressive because
it betrays a profound sense of comfort in its position, snugly set
upon the ground, and surrounded as it is by those noble trees and
a broad terrace of turf elevated some three or four feet above
the road level. There is almost a human expression of content-
ment revealed in the restful brick walls that display soft tones of
dull reds, grays and blues, heightened here by sunlight and here
again variegating in shadows and reflexes, that blend quietly with
GORDON HALL.
27
28 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
the natural tones about the house effects peculiar to the brick of
which the walls are constructed. The bricks used are a New Jersey
variety known well to the profession as rain-washed, and these laid
up with horizontal joints deeply raked out, and consequently plainly
continuous around the house, and the inherent quality of color in
the brick, impart, also, a delightful vesture of age. In short, the
effect of it all upon the beholder and written plainly upon these
warm brick walls is summed up in the one significant word Hos-
pitality.
The design is, as a whole, symmetrical with only the north
extension, comprising the service portion of the house, and the
nook projection at the south end, as features somewhat irregular ;
still counterbalancing each other in general effect and thereby not
disturbing the precise balance maintained in the principal part of
the house by the jutting out of two wings beyond the central sur-
face, from which there is another projection emphasized by the
treatment which the entrance receives. This central projection is
distinct by reason of the duplication existing in the other two
facades. The quoins at the corners play their part well in securing
the appearance of stability, and the simple terra-cotta cornice, very
narrow but deeply under-cut, giving a well defined shadow line with
the brick parapet above it simply coped ; and the bold spheres of
terra-cotta at the angles confer all that is needed to give a finish
to the outline. The triple arrangement of windows in the wing
elevations receives, in the second story of each, a strong accent in
the shape of a treatment common in the later days of the Renais-
sance and to our colonial work. The proportions are carefully
studied and the balcony with its three panels carved in Elizabethan
open pattern forms a proper base for this interesting feature of
each wing. The entrance is flanked by pairs of Doric columns of
terra-cotta upon brick pedestals surmounted by a cornice purely
classical, forming an imposing portal which makes one instinctively
feel that passing through it will disclose an equally imposing and
generous interior. A detail that may appear somewhat incon-
gruous to many is evident in the Gothic frame around the doors.
It happens to be a license freely indulged in from the time that
classic forms were first indiscriminately grafted around Gothic
shapes, down to the present time, jarring the sense of historical
consistency because of the thought of conflict, more abstract than
real, between the styles. Consistency, however, is a shiftless, un-
stable, element in human nature, varying in its impression
upon individuals, and in this case the architect was warranted by
his own principle to believe that this frame would serve his purpose
best in decorating the space between the columns and the doors.
The effect is not displeasing. The legitimate use of the decorative
GORDON HALL.
THE SUN-ROOM OF GORDON HALL.
Residence of Dan R. Hanna, Cleveland, Ohio. Jarvis Hunt, Architect
Decorations by the Brooks Household Art Company of Cleveland.
,jo THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
panel over the door, however, is more doubtful, as it was a feature
commonly employed in England to display the arms of a house-
hold. In our democracy it need not apply to such a purpose, so
that this finely modeled panel is meaningless, but not a blemish.
Going around to the south, this dimension of the house follows
the line of the lot. From this point on the house is extremely
plain and severe. A distinguishing feature in the south end is the
external treatment of the chimney nook whose walls are carried up
a trifle higher than the coping of the main house, and by its toothed
parapet suggesting a type of building current in the border times
of England. The rear of the house owes its charm to the exquisite
texture of the brick, for it consists of only a broad surface ran-
domly punctured here and there by a window. There is an evident
purpose, however, that explains its present barrenness and want
of some relieving feature, for, in the ripeness of time, this broad,
naked surface is to be completely covered with vines or ivy.
Passing into the interior, the pictures given herewith can serve
our purpose better than verbal description. The spaciousness of
the house and its generous hospitable arrangement in plan are
most striking. Like the exterior, the interior of the house is freely
and vigorously handled and a paramount fact is that here, as well
as externally, Mr. Hunt shows himself in favor of texture and
color rather than mouldings and carvings. The rooms being large
and generous, all admit of the broad spirit of treatment and the
arrangement of the woodwork in the hall and living room is
designed well with the object of bringing out the inherent qualities
of the grain in the wood. The hall, which is of enormous size, has
a wainscot eight feet high, consisting of broad oak slabs of beauti-
ful grain and some twelve to fourteen inches wide with a square
open joint between each slab of depth just enough to secure a
strong vertical line. The effect of this wainscot, which is stained
black, with just a simple cap that also forms the door heads, is
admirable and accomplishes its object of appropriately finishing the
room. Opposite the door as one enters is a great open fireplace
with a breast fully twelve feet wide, built of the brick that is used
in the outside walls and forming the central feature in this interest-
ing room. Recesses from which coat rooms are accesible are
placed on either side of the fireplace and under a common landing
formed by the stairs ascending from either end of the room in
somewhat grand proportions. Though a trifle more ornate than
the detail in the rest of the room, the staircase is not out of
keeping in general effect, as its newels and rail are massive and
heavy. The panels formed by the construction in the ceiling are
rough plaster untouched by the decorator and the beams them-
selves are encased in oak treated the same as the wainscoting.
GORDON HALL.
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
GORDON HALL.
33
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3 4 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
All in all, the hall is extremely interesting in the way its various
features are mutually related and conspire sympathically to give a
smooth continuity of effect. The low-toned tapestry that fills up
the small wall space above the wainscot, the dull Venetian red in
the rugs, the generous furniture, the hangings, of Genoese
velvet and dull red in color, are all appropriate and harmonize
successfully with the architectural spirit of the room. One dis-
appointing impression received, however, is given by the super-
fluous amount of small furnishings and bric-a-brac strewn around
which only disturbs the perspective that would otherwise be a
great delight. But perhaps it is not our place to speak of it
here for their introduction is due to matters of sentiment that
appeal strongly to the family and therefore are rightly justified
in their presence.
To the left of the hall is the living room, interesting in many
ways, with its beamed ceiling, its panelled wainscot and book-
cases, its cosy nook finished solidly to the ceiling in wood and its
simple fireplace of gray brick. One is fairly captivated by the
beautiful silky texture of the Circassian walnut used in the finish-
ing of this room, and treated skillfully in mouse gray that works
well with the tone of the decorations which are in general quiet,
barring the pictures with their clumsy gold frames, of which
there are too many, and which almost completely cover the deep-
toned brocaded velvet that is hung upon the walls. But the picture
gallery evidently must be maintained and the room suffer in losing
tl.e beautiful effect the decorated surface would give in its change-
able tones according as the light strikes it. The east French win-
clows of this room lead into the spacious piazza, a comfortable and
attractive retreat and not an unimportant feature in this house.
The dining and sun-rooms are practically in one, as only a glass
partition separates them, which is arranged cleverly in connection
with the oval lines in the sun-room and the serving tables of the
dining room. The two enjoy a floor space, like the living room,
almost equal to that of the hall, which is thirty by sixty feet, and
it is to this generous arrangement of plan and size of the rooms
which merge into one another through wide openings that the
airiness and cheerfulness of the house are due. These great rooms
comprise the living part of the house and livable and comfortable
do they frankly look pleasant in the prospects from the windows,
especially towards the west, and in the cheerful light the sun sends
into them. One distinguishable feature in the dining room is its
color scheme. The walls are hung with Brabant tapestry whose
predominant tone is a dull Antwerp blue and rather light, and the
floor is covered by one of the handsomest rugs I have ever seen.
Its color is a fathomless blue with a narrow border of Indian pat-
GORDON HALL.
35
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
GORDON HALL.
37
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38 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
tern, a rug which, as it is gratifying to know, is of domestic manu-
facture. This glorious color is followed well in the curtains and
the coverings of the furniture, all in Padua velvet, rich and regal in
appearance. It is most unfortunate that photography should fail
us in color values, for this room cannot boast of any architectural
features, being extremely plain in white enamel, and therefore from
our picture wins small appreciation. The sun-room, however, is
just the opposite in conditions, for here is an interesting room in
point of detail which is refined and done in white enamel. By the
very nature of its being a sun-room there is more glass than wall
space. The east windows arranged in two groups of three and a
casement between, with three-quarter fluted columns serving as
mullions, afforded a view down a quaint brick walk, running di-
rectly east to the point where it turns, taking the nature of a lane
which leads to the north end of the lot where the outbuildings are
situated. There is a skylight of oval shape whose glass is of pretty
design, against which the cove of the ceiling springing from the
cornice abuts, making a dome. The full columns on the side to-
wards the living room are arranged to -complete the oval shape of
the room, leaving spaces between that are found happily useful
for palms and ferns.
The second story is divided into large, generous bed chambers
and their necessary appurtenances, \yhich need not be dwelt upon
further than that they are well arranged, cheerful and appropriately
decorated.
The stable, which is complete in its appointments, the cosy
servants' and gardener's houses together with the fine arrange-
ment of the grounds complete one of the finest establishments to be
found in the West convenient, beautiful, and above all, perfectly
homelike, a description which would not apply to some found
elsewhere. Charles Bohassck.
DECORATION" IX THE EMPIRE THEATRE.
William D. L. Dodge, Painter. CarrSre & Hastings, Architects.
THE NEW THEATRES OF NEW YORK.
"1VJT EW YORK has not of recent years been very fortunate in
J> the architecture of its theatres. It has rarely happened
that they have been entrusted to really competent designers, and
the consequence is that the design of theatres, both so far as in-
terior and exterior are concerned, has not exhibited the same gen-
eral progress as has the design of other important types of build-
ings. There have, of course, been individual cases of good work;
but these cases were both infrequent in themselves and were prac-
tically without effect upon subsequent designs. Thus, the exterior
of the Casino is a very brilliant and successful experiment in a
somewhat outlandish style, and has found many admirers but no
imitators. The architect of the Casino has also designed other
theatres, which, while less successful, lived up to a very respectable
standard. As to the interiors, that of the old Lyceum endeared
itself to many New Yorkers by its pleasantly restful feeling and
the warmth of its general tone ; but here again the better thing
had no general influence which in this case was just as well, for
the Lyceum, with its soft, pleasant, quiet appearance, was in the
way of being a "boudoir" rather than a theatre. Of all playhouse
interiors of New York, the most correct and eligible design has
been that of the Garden Theatre. While it was not in itself a very
attractive performance, it had the advantage of being in a good
style and approaching the problem from the proper point of view.
With the interior of the Garden to work upon, and with a proper
appreciation of its merits and defects, the designers of subsequent
theatres could have reached a wholly admirable result ; but un-
fortunately for the ten years following the erection of the Madi-
son Square Garden, the majority of the new theatres were erected
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
EXTERIOR LYRIC THEATRE.
42d and 43d Streets, near Seventh Avenue, New York City. V. Hugo Koehler, Architect.
THE NEW THEATRES IN NEW YORK.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
by a playhouse speculator, who had neither the money to pay for
a good thing nor the instinct to have it made ; and the result has
been deplorable not merely in design, but in the mechanics of
good and safe theatre construction.
Fortunately, however, that is all an affair of the past. The de-
velopment of the hotel and amusement section of Manhattan,
which began in 1900, has resulted in the erection of six new the-
atres. In all of these
more or less intelli-
been made to pre-
and better appear-
than had been the
tres previously
aesthetic standards,
noticeable a feature
pensive buildings
ed in New York,
fluence on the play-
the truth of this
t rated as much by
which has been
the older theatres,
of the new designs.
New York, the
Manhattan have
and redecorated,
which have been
visible in fully one-
of the better class
the total effect of
architecture has
give the public a
EMPIRES THEATRE
DECORATION.
new buildings some
gent attempt has
sent both a braver
ance to the public
case with the thea-
erected. The higher
which have been so
of all the more ex-
recently construct-
have had their in-
houses also ; and
statement is illus-
the reformation,
effected in some of
as by the character
The Belasco, the
Empire and the
all been remodeled
so that the change s
taking place are
half of the theatres
in Manhattan ; and
the new theatrical
been not only to
number of interest-
they can observe
ing interiors which
and discuss between the acts, but also to establish a standard of
playhouse design, which will have its effect hereafter.
Certainly from the point of view of it's effect on popular taste,
there is no class of building in which good designing is so nec-
essary as in the theatres. The public, or at least the American
public, attend the theatres in a gay and exhilarated, if irresponsi-
ble, frame of mind, and all the circumstances of a theatrical per-
formance tend to make them very much alive to their surround-
ings. While the curtain is up, their eyes are, of course, fixed upon
the stage, which alone is made visible, but between the acts the
audience has plenty of leisure to take in its surroundings, and is
in a peculiarly favorable situation to give them lively attention.
THE NEW THEATRES IN NEW YORK.
43
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44
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
EXTERIOR OF THE MAJESTIC THEATRE.
Grand Circle, New York City. John H. Duncan, Architect.
THE NEW THEATRES IN NEW YORK.
45
'! bus it is peculiarly important that these surroundings should
repay the attention they receive ; and the opportunity is one which
the better American architects are excellently qualified to turn to
good account. What is needed is an interior aesthetically bold and
effective, with good telling- lines, with lively but harmonious
colors and with an abundance of appropriate detail all of
this at once restrained by good taste and tied together by the
prevailing forms
A theatre is the last
for the display of
ment or for any
treatment. It is a
playroom, and
and boldly treated
Whatever tha in-
the different archi-
the jobs of design-
atres or redecorat-
they have assuredly
ent views of the
most appropriate
In fact, no six in-
more unlike than
this number of the
ord. They vary all
the frankly classical
Empire, and frank-
design of the New
any man who would
the value and force
American Archi-
making, on the one
telligent and effect-
EMPIRE THEATRE
DECORATION.
of a definite style,
place in the world
ineffective refine-
modest reticence of
showroom and a
should be frankly
as such.
dividual success of
tects who have had
ing our new the-
ing the old ones,
taken widely differ-
colors and forms
to their purposes,
teriors could be
those illustrated in
Architectural Rec-
the way between
design of the new
ly unconventional
Amsterdam, and
like to compare
of the motives i.i
tecture, which are
hand, for the the in-
ive use of the old
forms and on the other for the more enterprising introduction of new
ones, could not have better material for comparative study than is
afforded by the interiors of these two buildings.
The new Empire is an adaptation of the interior of the theatre
at Versailles, and a very admirable piece of Louis XIV. work it
is. The outer vestibule, as is proper with a passage that makes
the transition from the street to a rich and striking interior, is
finished in Caen stone, a cool, fair gray material, admirably adapted
to precise classic treatment, and one of the few unpolished stones
which are fitted for interior use. In the foyer the note of the
whole interior is struck. . The color scheme is light red and gold
as a transition to the richer red and gold of the theatre itself.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE NEW THEATRES IN NEW YORK. 47
The pilasters, cornices, ceilings, and other architectural features,
as well as all ornamentation are treated in gold, the wall panels
in silk brocades, and the floors with red carpets. The barrel
vault of the ceiling has been decorated by Mr. William
D. L. Dodge with paintings, which, whatever their other
merits, harmonize with the general effect and enhance it.
The theatre itself differs from other New York theatres,
in that the old-style proscenium arch treatment with col-
umns and entablature has been adopted, but the galleries
have been handled according to the modern practice even to
the extent of eliminating all the columns and permitting an un-
obstructed view of the stage from all points of the house. The
color scheme of the theatre is also red and gold, the wall surfaces
being treated in red, while pilasters, box and balcony fronts, the
cornices and mouldings are of a dull, rich gold. Over the pros-
cenium arch are paintings also by Dodge, the effect of which from
the seats below is gay and appropriate. All the draperies and cur-
tains in the house, including the stage curtain with its lambre-
quin, the hangings of the boxes and the like are in different
shades of red.
It is not too much to say that this room is one of the most
consistent, most appropriate, and cleverest pieces of interior de-
coration in this country. Every disposition and every detail shows
the work of designers, who know the value of the forms and ma-
terials they are using and who are perfectly capable of adapting
these forms to novel conditions without any loss of effect. The
great success of the theatre consists in the propriety with which
the striking and telling colors are used, the admirable scale of the
detail, which always gets its effect without overdoing it, and the
total impression it gives of being rich and gay without being gor-
geous or trivial. No better example could be desired of the proper
way to translate a classic style into a sufficiently modern equiva-
lent.
Turning to the New Amsterdam, it is to be remarked immedi-
ately that one's judgment of its architectural value will be very
much influenced by one's opinion as to the need or desirability
of the introduction into American design at the present time of
any effort after originality. If one believes that it is extremely
desirable to break away from the historic styles, one would natu-
rally welcome any attempt in that direction, even if the enterpris-
ing designers were not yet entirely sure of their footing. On the
other hand, if one believes that at the present stage of American
culture, and popular aooreciation of the fine arts, a conservative
use of well-established forms is the safer and more fruitful course
one would not look with so much leniency upon experiments.
4 8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE NEW THEATRES IN NEW YORK.
49
50 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
which must at the beginning have their dubious aspects. Certainly
the New Amsterdam experiment has its dubious aspects, but its
most dubious aspect does not consist, as might be supposed, of an
extravagance of design or an excessive splurge of color. Its most
dubious aspect consists precisely in the absence of bold and effect-
ive color treatment. The color scheme of the auditorium is
mother of pearl, violet and green, which, even if crudely applied,
is a harmonious combination, but is too neutral and delicate in
tone for the large surfaces, the long distances, and the necessary
showiness of a theatre. It is one of the misfortunes of any attempt
to reach novel effects in the fine arts that the classic styles have
already appropriated the primary colors and the most suitable
forms, so that the would-be original designers are forced to fall
back upon secondary colors and less suitable forms.
The greatest need of contemporary American architecture is
not so much originality as propriety, consistency and carefulness
of design, and the reason for welcoming such a building as the
New Amsterdam Theatre is not that its architects have tried to
break precedents so much as that they have made a careful, la-
borious and intelligent attempt to design a building that is finished
in every detail ; and it is excellence of much of this detail, particu-
larly in the stroking and other subordinate rooms of the theatre,
which is the best achievement of the architects. These gentlemen
stand for a very high technical standard; and their work is never
merely bizarre and crude. On the contrary, notably in a residence
which they have designed at 1053 5th avenue, and which is also
published in this issue of the Architectural Record, is restrained
and informed by a sense of proportion, and the kind of architectural
values most closely related to the classical styles.
The new Lyceum Theatre, which is designed by the same archi-
tects, as the New Amsterdam, has, however, a very different order
of defects and merits. Although framed on more conventional
lines, it is, if you please, a much more energetic piece of architec-
ture. The facade is dominated by an order, which, if anything,
counts rather too much than too little; and, since the building is
situated some hundreds of feet from Broadway, it was a very happy
thought to make its situation and front conspicuous at night by
means of flaming lanterns, which glare from the balcony over the
cornice. The auditorium, also, is more boldly treated than it is in
the other theatre. The detail is designed on a much larger scale
and is, in certain instances, particularly in that of the garlands,
which overhang the boxes, both misplaced and coarse. The re-
pellent masks upon the curtain offer another conspicuous case of
a somewhat romanesque imagination. On the other hand, the lobby
is treated with a rather conventional reticence, which, however,
THE NEW THEATRES IN NEW YORK.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
o
H
5 .
!=>
THE NEW THEATRES IN NEW YORK.
53
54
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
flowers very pleasantly in the wall paintings which Mr. James Finn
has placed over the doors. The color scheme of the auditorium,
in which Mr. Finn also had a hand, is well-combined, but rather
morose than gay; the upholstery, the gallery and box fronts be-
ing a metallic green and a metallic gold, and the ceiling chiefly a
dull blue.
The interior of the Hudson Theatre, on the other hand, while
the effect of it is pleasant and quiet, errs on the side of understate-
ment. The faqade is simple and dignified, but the means which
have been taken to make it conspicuous from Broadway are neither
so successful or so interesting as in the case of the Lyceum. In
the interior, the effects which the designer have sought are more
appropriate to domestic than to theatrical architecture. The foyer
whose dimensions are pleasantly spacious, decorated in bronze,
green, ivory and gold, and with Louis XIV. mirrors and sofas
covered with green velour is a sufficiently elegant and good-look-
ing apartment, but the scale and feeling is that of a private house.
This effect is less conspicuous in the auditorium ; but the treat-
ment of this interior is an excellent example of that modest refine-
ment of appearance, which is wholly unfitted to a theatre. The
failure of the interior in this respect has been so well expressed
in one of the daily papers that I cannot do better than quote it
here : "There is a general tendency," says the writer, "to subdue
and be quietly elegant in the color scheme ; but the result is quite
lacking in character. One wishes for a few notes of virility, and
for some big, strong masses of color somewhere in the ensemble.
In brief, the theatre is pretty, but it is very tame."
From this brief view of the theatres which have recently been
erected in New York it will be seen that the danger from which
the better designed theatres of New York suffer is less that of being
vulgarly showy than that of being excessively refined. It looks
as if the architects had for the most part been so desirous of es-
caping the ostentatious crudity of some of the former theatrical
interiors that they had fallen into the other error and pitched the
scheme of their interior on too low a key. This would not be
true of the Empire and the new Lyceum, it would be true of the
New Amsterdam only in the special sense, indicated above; it
would not be true of the Majestic theatre, which is a vigorous and
well composed piece of interior decoration, but it would be true
of the other theatres, and it is the fault against which the designers
of similar buildings hereafter should be very much on their guard.
A refinement that does not count a weak refinement has as an
unfortunate effect upon taste as a coarse ostentation; and the one
character which theatres in New York or elsewhere particularly
need is a sort of a good gaudiness. A C. David.
DECORATION OVER PROSCENIUM ARCH, NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
Blum & Wenzell, Painters. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
The Works at Herts & Tallant.
IT is always difficult to arrive at a correct estimation of contem-
porary conditions. A moderate perspective is neccessary to
obtain an even approximate idea of relative proportions, yet he
who runs in this age of hurry cannot fail to observe one salient
point which will stand with posterity as the main characteristic of
our times. We are living in a period of transition such as never
before has occurred in the history of mankind.
In no field of activity is this fact more prominent than in that
field of architecture and the allied arts. Clarence Cook may have
been somewhat radical when he wrote that "for three hundred years
not a single building has been erected in Europe or anywhere else
that has an original claim to admiration or that could occasion the
least regret by its loss except on grounds of convenience or
utility." Yet, certain it is that the principle of literal adherence to
preceding styles, inaugurated during the Rennaissance, has run its
logical course to its predestined conclusion. Increasing servility
of imitation has resulted in increasing sterility of imagination.
During the last ninety years we have had very little in the way of
original artistic product. Yet, even this comparative barrenness
involved in itself the seeds of reaction. Here and there signs of
original inspiration have become again visible. These outcrop-
pings have been for the most part confined to the smallest and least
important fields of art, to jewelry, to bibelots, furniture and textile
fabrics. Yet, in the face of much adverse and often justifiable criti-
cism the desire for originality and the effort to obtain it has been
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
FACADE ON 42D STREET, NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d list Streets, near 7tb Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
57
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ra a
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H
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INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
59
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
growing stronger, and wherever it appears it should be welcomed,
even though the somewhat experimental works in which it is first
embodied may not be acceptable to prevailing standards of taste.
In the New Amsterdam and New Lyceum theatres, there have
recently been erected in New York two important public buildings,
in which the architects, Messrs. Herts & Tallant, have tried to sub-
stitute for the current routine a certain originality of conception
and treatment ; they have tried to give their individual powers of
DETAIL OF NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d 41st Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
design a freer expression than has been customary. This individ-
uality of expression, exhibited in absolute freedom in the New Am-
sterdam Theatre, under self-imposed restraint in the New Lyceum,
is evident in all the work of this firm. They did not, however, per-
mit themselves such complete liberty of expression until they had
schooled themselves to avoid the excesses of their good qualities,
first by as good an art education as the world affords, and second
by the execution of several important buildings designed along the
standard architectural lines. They appreciated that vastly more
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
61
P o
a 3
M a
HM (D
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J)
62
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
AUDITORIUM, NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
>d 41st Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
INDiriDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
1
6 4
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
productive of artistic discord than even the exact reproduction of
authentic classic styles is the ignorant application of, for instance,
the so-called "Art Nouveau" to architecture and mural decoration.
To create a style it is not necessary merely to give ductile expres-
sion to the most soaring ideas and the most deeply seated feelings,
but a systematic and perfectly digested knowledge of every rule
of composition must be acquired before the transition can be made
and before the architect can be allowed to embody his imaginative
vision in a free creative fashion. Thus the work of Messrs. Herts
& Tallant is a vehement denial of the right of any man to dis-
regard the discipleship and even the tyranny of set form, unless
DETAIL, OF NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d 41st Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
the individual point of view offered in its stead shall righteously
meet a present and future need. It is only the achievement of tech-
nical mastery that gives even the lightest talent the legitimate
means of showing its power. The architects took no forward steps
without a knowledge of the ground they already occupied and made
no radical departures without previous tests on a smaller scale.
Before, however, calling attention to this carefully planned line of
progress as exemplified in the illustration, it will be well to give
some idea of the course of preparation to which the two partners of
this firm underwent and to note some general characteristics of aM
their designs.
Mr. Herts, who comes of a family of decorators, has received an
education which enables him to deal with practical contractors as
well as imaginative artists and sculptors. As a boy he at-
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
66 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
tended a public grammar school and in course of time entered
New York City College. Here he became restive under the re-
straint of ordinary tuition in large classes, especially as he was con-
tinuously reprimanded by the class instructor for sketching on the
fly leaves and covers of his books. At a very early age he left
the City College and entered the office of Mr. Bruce Price. He
had worked there but a few months when Mr. Price remarked a
display of unusual talent on the part of young Herts and he per-
suaded his family to insist upon his entering the School of Mines at
Columbia College". This he did after a period of preparation at the
Woodbridge School and in 1892, while still an undergraduate at
Columbia, he justified Mr. Price's prediction by winning the com-
petition for the Columbus Arch, a competition entered into by forty
of the most prominent practicing architects in New York, the com-
petition being decided by John La Farge, Richard M. Hunt,
Augustus St. Gaudens and Stanford White. Mr. Herts was at that
time not quite twenty-one years of age. After four years at Colum-
bia he settled in Paris and entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts, where
his work was always commented upon by the masters and especially
by his particular patron, M. Deglane, for its originality and indi-
vidual quality. The Parisian critics seemed to value Mr. Herts' work
at the Salon, where he frequently exhibited, chiefly for its elevation
and poetic suggestion. In particular a painting of Ely Cathedral
exhibited in the Salon of 1898 called forth great praise for its im-
aginative power and its expression of atmospheric effects. In
marked contrast to the earlier career of Mr. Herts is that of his
partner. While Mr. Herts never received a diploma from any col-
lege, never won a prize or medal at any school, and invariably
stood at the foot of his class in the institutions of learning he
attended, Mr Tallant gained every prize at both school and college,
thus making an interesting balance in the history of the two men.
Mr. Tallant's first tuition was received at the Roxbury Latin School,
where for six years he stood at the head of his class. In 1887 he
entered Harvard College. Here he devoted himself largely to
engineering and mathematics, graduating in 1901 with both the A.
B. and the A. M. degrees, this being the first time in the history of
the college that both degrees had been simultaneously conferred.
Besides his purely academic work he contributed illustrations to the
Lampoon, of which he was an editor during the entire four years.
In addition, he was awarded several prizes for literary essays, and
was also known as a remarkable athlete, a reputation which he.
maintains to this day. After a year spent in the office of Shepley,
Rutan and Coolidge, he was awarded the Kirkland fellowship from
Harvard, which enabled him to go abroad in the fall of 1892. He
entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts the following February and
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
graduated in the fall of 1896 with the "Prix Jean Leclare," the high-
est prize open to any foreigner. During his course he received
fourteen medals, covering- every line of
study from pure mathematics to free hand
drawing, modeling, and architectural
designing, and was also awarded the
Grande Medaille d'Honneur for
the year 1896, indicating his
graduation at the head of his
entire class. It was during their
first year at the Ecole des Beaux
Arts that Mr. Herts and Mr.
Tallant met, and after working
together on several important
projects their patrons did not
hssitate to pronounce them an
admirable team. While Mr.
Herts has more largely developed
the faculty of suggestion, Mr.
Tallant possesses that of ex-
pression. Mr. Herts is a
capable business and ex-
ecutive head, Mr. Tallant
is an unusually able engi-
neer. Thus both part-
ners are young men,
in the early thir-
ties, who have
in all proba-
bility a quar-
ter of a cen-
tury or more
DETAIL, NEW
AMSTERDAM THEATRE
of artistic work and
development ahead of
them.
Prominent among the character-
istics of their work is that it is very
scholarly. This is shown, among other
things, in their familiarity with the laws of
artistic composition. They are not restricted to abso-
lute symmetry, because they possess a sufficient apprecia-
68
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
tion of balance ; they exhibit no incongruities of scale, because they
possess a developed sense of proportion, and where they vary from
the standard details of the classic orders, they do not offend good
taste. Another well-marked characteristic is their insistance
upon the truthful expression in design of the structural require-
ment, the conformity of the raiment to the skeleton, the demands
that all ornament shall form an integral and even necessary part
of the design adopted. They hold that new constructural methods
and new practical requirements cry out for a new artistic expres.-
sion, new contents demand a new outward form, and they hold it to
GROUP ON THE FACADE OF NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d list Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
be nothing less than a mark of subserviency that the forms which
issued from the imperative conditions under which the early archi-
tects worked should be seriously adopted by their imitators as ab-
solute law.
The effectiveness of the complete diversity of the New Amster-
dam and New Lyceum Theatres lies in the well-defined fact that
the architects have stamped the significance of each playhouse with
distinction. The former, gay and whimsical, properly lends itself
to the production of large pictorial effects, the latter in its quiet
elegance appeals eminently to a more cilltured audience and stands
as a fitting frame for the conservative works of the most distin-
guished living dramatists. The New Amsterdam is throughout
picturesque, playful, teeming with movement and color; the New
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
69
CHAIRS IN THE NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d 41st Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
DETAIL IN THE NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d list Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
Lyceum Theatre is quietly rich in tone, and, while individual, at the
same time displays the strictest regard for the essential ground-
work and grammar of architecture.
While the artistic creed of Messrs. Herts & Tallant is largely
traced through Jean Francois Millet's words "Le beau c'est le vrai,"
they do not fall into error of absolute realism, for in their ornamental
details they never make an exact or slavish reproduction of nature.
It is true that in their present work and particularly in the New
Amsterdam they revert for their inspiration directly to floral and
animal forms, but at the same time they never insert these forms in
their decoration without first subjecting them to a careful and at
the same time personal conventionalization. The ladies' boudoir
in the New Amsterdam Theatre has for its entire scheme of decora-
tion the tea rose, but the flower is here studied and utilized in a
fashion more real and logical than the manner in which flowers
were ornamentally employed by our Italian predecessors. Even
a cursory glance at their wood carvings and marble and stucco
relief will show a use not merely of the blossom, the fruit, or the
leaf, but of the stem, the bud and even the thorn harmoniously
embodying a complete scheme of decoration, entirely individual,
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
DETAIL OF THE NEW AMSTERDAM AND NEW LYCEUM THEATRES.
Herts & Tallant, Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
yet eminently satisfactory. In this departure their method finds its
closest artistic parallel in the work of William Morris and Walter
Crane, for these men always gave a fair and captivating form to
a mood of their own time, which struggled for expression and
which the cravings of
mere naturalism had
not been able to sat-
isfy. The purely ar-
tistic result of their
work was as important
as the historical. The
art of the nineteenth
century had begun
with a decayed ideal-
ism which could only
keep its ground by
leaning upon the old
masters, principally
the Greeks and the
fifteenth century Ital-
ians. By opposing
this imitative and
eclectic art these men
blazed a path to a new ,
independent, and
wholly personal view
of nature. Rossetti es-
pecially stamped that
clear perfection of form
which belonged to the
classicists with the im-
print of his own per-
sonality, although he
never underestimated
the teachings of his
master, Botticelli.
In this way, Messrs.
Herts & Tallant im-
presss the stamp of
their personality upon
every department con-
nected with their work.
While a great number of artists, sculptors and general decorators
have been employed in the work of the New Amsterdam Theatre,
the whole bears the sharp imprint of the architect's personality.
LANTERN, NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
73
&<
74
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE FAgADB OP THE NEW LYCEUM THEATRE.
45th Street, near Long Acre Square, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architect*-
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
75
THE NEW LYCEUM BY NIGHT.
4oth Street, near Long Acre Square. New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architect*.
76 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
This is strikingly noticeable in Blum's large decoration over the
proscenium arch and in Perry's important panel representing the
Drama of the Ancients. Both of these compositions possess the
same decorative quality, the same feeling for mystery, the same
fertility of intellectual resource. A similar romantic and picturesque
element of form and color is remarked even when the artist
employed falls short of good execution as in the case of the two
large lunettes in the waiting room, where the color scheme and
general artistic feeling are admirable, but where the drawing and
technical execution are worse than mediocre. Yet these things
are not of sufficient moment to mar the general effect which is one
DETAIL OF NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d 41st Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
of almost consistent harmony throughout. The same character-
istics are carried down to the design of the furniture, and even the
match safes in the smoking room.
A great capacity for taking pains with even the smallest detail
is also a characteristic of the work of Herts & Tallant. In the case
of the New Amsterdam Theatre in order to attain the desired result
the architects were compelled to make most minute and accurate
drawings of every detail down to the smallest point and in many
cases were obliged themselves to model on the very clay to give
the workmen an idea of their requirements and of the end they had
:n view. The technical incapacity of the wood carvers is painfully
evident in the carving of the wooden transoms over the entrance
door. On the other hand, the greater part of the plaster relief is
admirably executed. I understand that many of the workers in
plaster improved sensibly after two months instruction, and that
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
77
78 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
the lighting fixtures were executed almost without supervision by
the same modeler who had general charge of all the plaster orna-
ment. If this is true, it shows how quickly it is possible to obtain
good results where intelligent men are given the keynote and
then allowed to develop their own ideas. Individualism in archi-
tecture ought to be one of the important means toward the end
of establishing in our city a great school of artist artisans, stone
cutters, wood carvers, and workers in metal and mosaic. When
such a class of men, opportunely weeded from the mass of Ameri-
can craftsmen shall be educated, the purely commercial architect
will find it difficult to get sufficient workmen to take any interest
in the reproduction of the same stupid molding in tens of thou-
sands, or to add here and there without cause or reason the same
cartouche. The craftsmen will be above producing work which
is fit only for a machine, and this state of affairs lends hope
that we may at a time not too far distant find the commercial
imitator an outlander in a city where intelligent individualism in the
marriage of the allied arts is understood and appreciated.
The illustrations to this article will give a better idea than can
any description of the peculiar individuality exhibited by the work
of this firm. In the Bates College library we have a balanced,
strictly classical design, of the dignified character appropriate to
its requirements. The residence of Mr. Rice shows a similar purity
of style applied to a private residence. Here the formality of the
detail is neutralized bv the picturesque treatment of the general
masses of both house and terracing, which exhibit balance without
absolute symmetry. The iron work in the faqade of the Aguilar Li-
brary shows the first real attempt of these architects to develop
a decorative effect out of modern structural requirements.
The residence at No. 1053 5th avenue is a further logical step
toward the complete artistic liberty displayed in the New Amster-
dam Theatre.
Specific description of the latter is hardly necessary in view of the
numerous illustrations. The absence of the meaningless cornice
usually encumbering the tops of our tall buildings is a refresh-
ing feature of the exterior. Similarly the omission of the columns
and entablatures which usually encumber the proscenium arches
of our theatres lends originality and lightness to the design, and
at the same time serves the practical end of affording a better
view of the stage from the boxes and the extreme sides of the
house. Much of the effect of the interior is unavoidably lost
through the failure of the photographs to indicate the beauty of
the different materials -employed. At the same time the color
scheme, while in general excellent, exhibits many defects in the
smaller details. The beauty of the entrance is marred by the bilious
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
79
BOXES OF NEW LYCEUM THEATRE.
45th Street, near Long Acre Square, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
8o
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
color accorded to the bronze work, a defect which could be easily
remedied. A similar criticism might be made of the tinsel domes
in the curved lobby immediately in the rear of the auditorium,
and while the general scheme of the main house is exceedingly
pleasant, the lack of development in the color details occasions
a certain crudeness of contrast between the different tints. This
last, however, is probably the result of too great haste in the
completion of the painting; and, indeed, certain spaces are appar-
ently unfinished, as, for instance, the two small triangular spots
just above the proscenium arch at either side. Other lapses from
grace, such as the awful pinkness of the laidies' waiting room and
-. .
DETAIL OF NEW LYCEUM THEATRE.
45th Street, near Long Acre Square, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
the hideous painting in the ceiling of the same room, the more
difficult to account for unless the architects were to a certain
extent trammelled by exaggerated ideas of conventional require-
ments.
In the case of the New Lyceum Theatre, the work, I under-
stand, was absolutely left within the jurisdiction of the architects.
At all events every part holds together admirably. The continuity
of the color scheme is not broken by any discordant notes, and
the richness increases continuously from the entrance through the
entire house to the group over the proscenium arch, which stands
as the culmination of the decorative development. The exterior
of the New Lyceum Theatre is dignified and rich, having com-
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
81
O -
S 5
O .M
O O
tf^
te
O (B
a I
02
o 1
82
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
paratively little color barely an introductory note in the marble
panels over the central windows.
The main foyer possesses a certain richness of material, owing
to the use of bronze and marble in the staircases and marble with
bronze inlay in the floor. The one strong color note of the painted
lunettes, though perhaps a trifle exaggerated, avoids too strong a
transition between the simplicity of the foyer and the extreme rich-
ness oi the auditorium. The main ceiling of the latter is an ex-
ample of exquisite modelling and rich blending of color calculated
CORAM LIBRARY.
Bates College, Lewiston, Me.
Herts & Tallant, Architects.
to throw just the correct shadow across the graceful upper curve
of the proscenium arch, while in the group of the centre of the
arch we get the restful impression of a logical combination of
sculpture, decorative painting and general richness of material.
The curtains and all draperies, I understand, were supervised in
their most minute details by the architects and certainly prove
helpful adjuncts to the entire decorative scheme, so that the whole
gives one an impression of admirable poise and harmony.
The success of these two theatres, judged from the standpoint
of general artistic harmony, goes to show the desirability of placing
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
AGUILAR LIBRARY.
110th Street, near 3d Avenue, New York City.
Herts & Tallant, Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
IRONWORK, NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE.
42d 41st Streets, near 7th Avenue, New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
THE RICE HOUSE.
Riverside Drive and 88th Street, New York City.
Herts & Tallant, Architects.
86
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
INTERIORS, 1063 FIFTH
New York City. Herts & Tallant, Architects.
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
8 9
New York City.
INTERIORS, 1063 FIFTH AVENUE.
Herts & Tallant. Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
MANTELPIECES, 1053 FIFTH AVENUE.
Herts & Tallant, Architects.
INDIVIDUALISM IN ARCHITECTURE.
9 1
all decorative work in buildings of this character entirely under the
control of the architect. In fact, the view that architecture, painting
and sculpture must be allied, that every separate art is in need of the
other to attain its full height, has been the inspiration of all the
famous periods of art. Messrs. Herts and Tallant have tried in
these two theatres to make each of these arts reinforce and con-
tribute to the effect of the others ; and they have made this at-
tempt not in a building liberally paid for by the government, but
in buildings that were erected under ordinary commercial condi-
tions. Opinions will differ as to the extent of their failure or suc-
cess, but all must admire the originality, courage and laborious
work which they have shown in their ideas and in their completed
achievement.
Abbott Halstead Moore.
NO. 1053 FIFTH AVENUE.
Herts & Tallant, Architects
New York City.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ENTRANCE TO NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE, NEW YORK CITY
Messrs. Herts & Tallant, Architects
ORNAMENTAL IRON AND BRONZE
FOR THE ENTIRE BUILDING EXECUTED BY
THE WINSLOW BROS. COMPANY
CHICAGO NEW YORK
ttbe
VOL. XV.
FEBRUARY, 1904
NO. 2.
A NEW INFLUENCE IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF
PHILADELPHIA.
/ARCHITECTURE in Philadelphia is notoriously an affair of
-/-*- extremes. One is rather surprised to find this the case in
a city of homes, where, according to the current legend, innova-
tions are born hard. A priori, one would not suppose that the
atmosphere of Philadelphia would be favorable to the production
of sharp architectual contracts, certainly not to the fantastical,
or the bizarre. Rather it is to the West that one would most
readily turn for the flamboyant, or, for the profligate, to New York.
Yet, if one desires to hunt the truly wild and erratic, or to find
thf. most extraordinary juxtapositions of the good with the bad,
it is not to St. Louis or Kansas City or Oshkosh one should go.
One cannot be so successful anywhere as in Philadelphia.
Possibly the reason for this is to be found in the fact that in
Philadelphia as soon as architecture 1 ises above a certain very
humble plane, it is in an extraordinary degree a personal expres-
sion. The local tradition the demure respectable local tradi-
tion runs very smoothly and very well so long as it is confined
to the small two or three story red brick domicile with white
stone trimmings, which is one of the civic glories of Philadelphia.
The local tradition also works well, (only less well, for demure-
ness easily passes into dullness) somewhat higher up the scale when
the problem touches upon a more expensive class of residence ;
nor does it cease to be effective in a limited way in the case of
small commercial buildings, factories and warehouses, or out in
the suburbs into which the Philadelphia!! can carry a quiet, home-
ly and colonial mode. Up to this point, there is apparently a
sufficiently strong local consensus to operate powerfully upon
the Philadelphian expression ; but bevond that point well !
Philadelphia plunges, and the student of architecture finds
Copyright 1903, by "The Architectural Record Company." All rights reserved.
Entered May 22, 1902, as second-class matter, Post Office at New York, N. Y., Act of
Congress, of March 3d, 1879.
94
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
that he has passed into a region of unrestricted design wherein
the only limitations imposed upon the architect are those of his
own temperament and training. The result is one of the most
unmitigated spots, architecturally, in the world, where the note of
originality, personality, individuality is as prominent in build-
ings of good design as it is in buildings of wildly bad design.
Architecture there resembles the young lady of the rhyme :
ENTRANCE GATES TO THE ESTATE OF P. A. B. WIDBNER.
Elkins Park, Pa. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
"When it is good, it is very, very good, and when it is bad, it
is horrid."
To verify these assertions one has only to recall the long and
highly admirable series of strongly individualistic designs turned
out in recent years by men like Wilson Eyre, Cope & Stewardson,
Frank Miles Day & Brother, and then, with those clearly in mind
recur for a moment to the extraordinary freaks which front the
business part of Chestnut and other streets reminding one more of
the grotesques of operatic scenery than structures soberly erected
by respectable and influential financial concerns. In other cities
even "the aberration" itself maintains some relationship with the
traditional and ordinary methods of design, but in Philadelphia
WORKS OF HORACE T RUM BAUER.
95
96
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
one is quite at a loss for prototypes and is forced in the end to
explain the buildings he sees by some abnormality of the Phila-
delphian mind operating under some undiscoverable local stimulus.
Probably it must always remain a psychological problem how
a city that possesses a building like Independence Hall could pro-
duce and tolerate a monstrosity like the City Hall, or how the
same community could have raised to eminence a designer like
Furniss, and trained artists of such high personal distinction as
Cope & Stewardson, the Days and Eyre; so that we have on the
RESIDENCE OF P. A. B. VVIDENER EAST VIEW.
Elkins Park, Pa.
Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
one hand, buildings like the Record Building and on the other,
buildings like the Art Club. An acute architectural observer has
endeavored to explain the anomaly. His statement is worth quot-
ing: "In truth it is evident from the look of Philadelphia that there
is no constraint upon the architects, either from the professional
opinion, which elsewhere keeps designers out of the maddest ex-
cesses, or from a lay opinion that betokens an interest in the sub-
ject and, though ignorant, is willing to be enlightened. What the
aspect of commercial Philadelphia does indicate is a complete arch-
itectural apathy on the part of the public and a settled determin-
WORKS OF HORACE T RUM BAUER.
97
98 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ation on the part of the architects to break in upon the apathy at
any cost."
If this explanation of the phenomenon be correct, it may be in-
ferred, safely, that Philadelphia's salvation is to be wrought most
speedily by the addition to the professional ranks of a number of
well schooled architects, trained in the accepted traditions of the
art men whose education, taste, temperament and energy can
be bent to the work of annexing Philadelphia to the general prac-
tice of the country at large. In this way, the city on the Schuyl-
RESIDENCE OF P. A. B. WIDENER PICTURE GALLERY.
Elkins Park, Pa. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
kill may in time cease to be an outlandish province where genius
and eccentricity equally flourish.
In presenting to our readers as an accompaniment to these re-
marks, the designs of Mr. Horace Trumbauer, it is hardly necess-
ary to point out that they furnish proof that the very conditions
which we have set forth above as necessary for the production in
Philadelphia of a better state of things architecturally have, as a
matter of fact, arrived. The "arrival," however, is recent.* It
The new era, moreover, is reinforced by recent enlistments in the professional
ranks of a number of well-trained younger architects, who will no doubt achieve prom-
inence later.
WORKS OF HORACE T RUM BAUER.
99
would have been utterly impossible a few years ago to have made
such an exhibition of sane architectural work deriving from Phil-
adelhpia as Mr. Trumbauer's designs provide. Anyone glancing
at our illustrations without any knowledge of the origin of the col-
lection would not be tempted for a moment by any mark or sign
to differentiate the work from good metropolitan work proceed-
ing from the office of any of the larger architectural firms located
in New York, Boston or Chicago. Thus to miss the stamp of local-
ity iu the better architecture of any of our larger cities is not a very
COURT-YARD OF BREEDING STABLES OF P. A. B. WIDENER.
Ogontz, Pa. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
The building contains nine single and twenty-one box-stalls; also house quarters for
the stud groom and twelve bedrooms for assistants. The ring stable within is 100 ft.
square, and the building over all 175 x 250 ft.
unusual omission, but in the case of Philadelphia it is, as we have
seen, notable. It is all the more remarkable and significant be-
cause these designs represent the work of a young practitioner,
and, as can be seen, his activity has not been confined to any one
class of work or to a few clients with unlimited taste and limited
opportunities. It shows, moreover, that in Philadelphia as else-
where there is a large clientele ready to accept the standard, met-
ropolitan and authoritative thing people who have no desire "to
break in upon apathy at any cost." That Mr. Trumbauer has been
IOO
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
able to secure this public for himself or a large part of it and satisfy
that public without "doing the Philadelphian," good or bad, is dem-
onstrated clearly by his undoubted success, which has already over-
passed local limits and, as is usually the case with architectural firms
that obtain a national position, brings him commissions from other
parts of the country. To say that this success is based in some
measure, or even in greater measure uoon business ability than
upon purely artistical merit is to state what is probably true of
most architectural firms that are working in a large way, or if we
COACH STABLE RESIDENCE OF P. A. B. WIDENER.
Elkins Park, Pa.
Horace Trurabauer, Architect.
may so put it, working on a metropolitan basis. Standardization is
almost as necessary here under modern conditions as it is in other
departments of production where the output is perforce large and
the pressure for time necessarily high. In this environment the
artist is inevitably limited, being forbidden all those sources of in-
spiration, which depend upon reflection and study. Under these
circumstances recourse is most likely to be to the formula, to tradi-
tion and to the standard. Facility becomes a prime requisite. Com-
mon sense and its equivalent in art good taste are indispensable.
These qualifications with a positive capacity for management, pro-
duce the successful architect. Clearly Mr. Trumbauer possesses
WORKS OF HORACE TRUM BAUER.
IOI
IO2
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE RESIDENCE OF THE LATE W. L. ELKINS THE MAIN STAIRWAY.
Elkins Park, Pa. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
WORKS OF HORACE TRUM BAUER.
103
RESIDENCE OF THE LATE W. L. ELKINS THE GREAT HALL.
Elkins Park, Pa. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
IO4
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
*5 3
ll'ORKS 01' HORACE TRUMBAUER.
io6
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
RESIDENCE OF JAMES W. PAUL,
Radnor, Pa.
These buildings are 178 x 164 ft. on plan, and contain
twelve single and nine box-stalls, as well as Coachman's
and Groom's Quarters, Tool House, Carriage House, Cart
Shed, Machinery Room, etc. They are built of Con-
shohocken stone.
WORl-'S OF HORACE T RUM BAUER.
107
BW OF THE STABLES.
Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
io8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
WORKS OF HORACE TRUMBAUER.
109
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ST. CATHERINE'S CHAPEL.
Spring Lake, N. J. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
Not far away from Mr. Maloney's house is St. Catharine's Chapel which has been
donated by Mr. Maloney to the Diocese as a memorial to his youngest daughter.
WORKS OF HORACE TRUM BAUER.
Ill
Spring Lake, N. J.
ST. CATHERINE'S CHAPEL INTERIOR.
Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
112
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
V
RESIDENCE OF E. C. KNIGHT, JR.
No. 1(121) Locust Street, Philadelphia. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
This residence is 20 x 100 ft. on plan, with a stair hall 20 ft, square, two stories
high. The dining-room is 18 x 26 ft. The saloon meas ures 18 x 30 ft. The principal
suite is situated on the second loor. The first floor contains the servants rooms and a
reception room adjoining the entrance. The front is of limestone.
WORKS OF HORACE TRUMBAUER.
RESIDENCE OF GEORGE A. HUHN.
10th and Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
This building is 30 x 93 ft. The principal suite is on the second floor, consisting of
drawing-room library, dining-room and stair hall, occupying the entire floor. The house
is constructed of limestone.
114
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
WORKS OF HORACE TRUMBAVER.
Wyncote, Pa.
RESIDENCE OF JOHN GRIBBEL.
Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
Elkins Park, Pa.
STABLE ON ESTATE OP GEORGE ELKINS.
Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
This stable is built around two courts 162 x 110 ft. It contains ten single and two-
box-stalls,, a carriage house, cart shed, carriage shed, harness and cleaning room, cow
stable, machinery and tool houses and living quarters for coachman and groom.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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WORKS OF HORACE TRUMBAUER.
119
RESIDENCE OF E. J. BERWIND THE TERRACE.
Newport, R. I. Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
120
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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WORKS OF HORACE TRUMBAUER.
121
these qualifications. If his work lacks the very decided individual-
ity which has hitherto marked the better class of work in Philadel-
phia, it is at the same time free from all eccentricity. It is never
crude. It conforms successfully to the prevalent standards of edu-
cated architects. His work exhibits the eclectic facility which is one
of the characteristics of the modern American architect. Indeed,
perhaps, it is this facile response to the current mode as much at
home with the "classic" as with the Elizabethan or the Old Colonial
that is responsible for the absence of any very strong personal quali-
ties. The note of any leaning or predilection is almost wholly absent
from the mass of the work we present. It is extremely difficult in
it to catch the designer, so to speak, "at" any of his preferences.
That this impersonality, accompanied by the good qualities of so-
briety, accuracy and good taste, should have come out of Philadel-
phia, is not only a matter for astonishment, but for congratulation.
Newport, R. I.
RESIDENCE OF W. STORRS WELLS.
Horace Trumbauer, Architect.
This house is 120 ft. square on plan, with a hall 32 x 72 ft., a morning room, library,
dining-room, etc. It was built of Indiana limestone, in 19CO.
FIG. 10. WAREHOUSE OF I. T. WILLIAMS & SONS.
25th Street and llth Avenue, New York City.
THE WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY IN ARCHITECTURE. II.
IN the first part of this article (See the Architectural Record
for January, 1903) allusion was made to the evident influence
of such great achievements as the De Vinne building and the Hanan
building on the design of much less costly and more commonplace
warehouses, at least in the city of New York. Such simpler build-
ings are scattered along the West Side, near the river and above
West 26th street, and there are others on the sea-front of Brooklyn
and some in different parts of the town, situated here and there.
Of the group on the West Side, the most successful is undoubtedly
that shown in Fig 10. Of this building, the front with the flat
gable, seen on the extreme right of the picture, is evidently a later
addition. It is far more in the spirit of those admirable buildings
which are shown in our first article, Figs. I, 2 and 5, and has what
they have not, a surprisingly ingenious and attractive management
of the gable. It is the best assertion known of the presence behind
the walls of a roof of very low double pitch ; and is as genuine an
architectural effort as the pediment of the Greek temple. Then, too,
this front is consistent in a way to gratify the most close-reasoning
architectural student ; for there is no alternation here of square-
head and round-head windows, but a series of segmental arches
varied only by the obviously needed great semi-circles of the ground
story, and the excusably modified openings of the tier below the
gable itself. The deep reveals, too, though not comparable to
those of the Lafayette Place building or the other at .Centre and
White streets, are still sufficiently marked to emphasize the char-
acter of the whole front.
As to the older part, the building on the corner, one could wish
away the suggested rustication of the two lower stories, not under-
standing why a good wall of dark red brick should be broken up
in that way. Rustication is but a poor device even in stone work,
a wretched way of making a flat, dull wall interesting. But in
brickwork it seems not to have that excuse which we willingly
make for a man who is chiseling the edges of his great blocks of
ashlar. The recessed lines are, however, used as part of the color
pattern and they are repeated in the recessed and radiating bands
of the great archivolts, and again echoed in larger masses by the
horizontal lintels, sills and string courses of light stone. It is not
a very daring way of giving polychromatic interest to the front,
but these attempts should be made as often as occasion serves,
until a more brilliant thought occurs to someone and a method
of design in red and buff be discovered.
124
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
The best thing about the building, after all, its salvation as a
design, is in the treatment of the corners with massive and un-
broken piers, so broad that the window-pierced wall between does
not look too much like a lantern. It is a thing which modern
designers are too shy of, this strengthening of their corners, and
costly uptown clubhouses suffer from the unnecessary weakening
of a wall near the angle. It does not in any way break in upon
this system that the farther corner pier, on the right, is pierced
\\ith small windows. The necessity of those windows is so obvious,
there, in that part of the
building which is farthest
from the abundant light of
the avenue front; and they
are so simply treated, that
this pier is felt to be at one
with those at the other end
of the structure. More-
over, the middle pier, wider
than the others, helps
greatly in this general ef-
fect of massiveness.
Fig. 1 1 , the front, Xo. 549
west 26th street, depends
much more for its effective-
ness upon its color combin-
ations. The voussoirs are
alternatingly of dark red
brick and gray limestone,
and the broad band is of
the paler material. The
openings are fairly com-
bined; but the great groups
of windows suffer terribly
from having an insufficient
reveal for how should
such a window recess, 14 ft.
wide or more, pass with only 4 inches break above, and only 8
inches below, where they are the deepest. This thinness of the
ostensible wall tends also to destroy the good effect produced by
the large, wide end piers. They are pierced with small windows ;
and this by itself might pass, for we found it to be of no hurt
whatever in the warehouse building Fig. 10 ; but the fact that these
windows have 8-inch jambs only, which width again is invaded by
the wooden moldings of the frame, deprives the piers of their
appearance of solidity.
FIG. 11. NO. 549 W. 26TH STREET.
New York City. C. H. Caldwell, Architect.
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY ARCHITECTURE.
125
There is -on West 2/th street another front almost exactly like
this one, and it is clear that the factory and warehouse complete
is carried through the block 200 ft. long. The reserved space seen
on the right of the building in Fig. n, is closed at this end with
what seems a very cleverly designed gateway wall ; but this wall
appears to front a low structure, a sort of lean-to attached to the
larger warehouse.
Fig. 12, No. 547 West 2/th street, is interesting when studied in
comparison with the building shown in Fig. n. In fact, one of the
most attractive things
about this examination
which we are conducting
is the necessary compari-
son to be drawn between
buildings so like in char-
acter and in the general
principle of their design,
while they are yet varied
so much in distribution in
the larger details. That is
the way. in which a style of
architecture has always de-
veloped itself not in bold
attempts to break away
from all preceding prac-
tice, but in slow modifica-
tion, each man- trying to do
a little better, than his pre-
decessor. . No doubt the
appearance, now and then,
of an innovating genius is
necessary. to healthy prog-
ress, and so it will be found
to have been in this matter
of the round arched, red
brick warehouse, for some
one of these interesting buildings must have been a very bold en-
terprise on the part of the architect who devised it. But the modi-
fications seen here as Figs. 10, n, 12 and those to follow, and
compared together illustrate the growth of the new style we are
considering as well as does the study of twelfth century, proto-
Gothic churches help toward a comprehension of Chartres Cathe-
dral.
Fig. 13 is a less attractive building because of the broad surfaces
of yellow brick which surround and enclose the groups of windows.
When will designers in what is meant for polychromy realize that
FIG. 12. . NO. 549 W. 27TH STREET.
New York City.
126
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
they must not use their two colors (when there are only two) in
masses so nearly alike in size? The chainages treated pilasterwise
and dividing the building into three great panels are excellent ;
in them the due relations of lighter color with darker surroundings
are preserved. The larger and the smaller quoins, all having a
certain decided projection from the wall, leading up, as a vertical
member, to the corbelled overhang above the fourth tier of arched
windows,- form a capital motive and are almost enough to make a
design of the building in spite of other less fortunate features.
Evidently the two
uppermost stories
are an addition, and
a badly conceived
one, not to be con-
sidered as part of
the design.
Fig. 4, a building
on Seventh avenue
at the corner of
West Sixteenth
street, eschews col-
or and brings us
back to a gravity
of design not to be
surpassed by any-
thing that we have
consulted in this
study. The two
show-windows, of
course, mar the ef-
fect, and this is
what the artist lost
when he placed his
building in a quar-
ter not quite so in-
accessible to the
shopping world as the buildings we have been considering in this
number Figs. 10-13. It is odd how such a blot will hurt a whole
building, even one as grave and dignified as the present one. Let
the reader cover those two show-windows with a bit of dark paper
and see how the building gains in charm immediately. There is
not, however, much novelty of design in the building, as it is. Prob-
ably the old abandonment, in what may be called the attic, of the
system of eight openings on one front and sixteen on the other
divided into two uneven masses, and the substitution for that of a
FIG. 13.
New York City.
NO. 500 WEST .'50TH STREET.
Romeyn & Stever, Architects.
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY ARCHITECTURE. 127
FIG. 14. FACTORY AT S. E. COR: OF 16TH ST. AND 7TH AVE.
New York City. Clinton & Russell, Architects.
128 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
continuous belt of smaller arches is the best thing about the design,
grave and restrained as it is in all its parts.
And now we come to some buildings of the plainest sort, build-
ings as completely devoid of architectural treatment in the common
sense as we found last month the Terminal Warehouse on the
North River. The great factory building shown in Fig. 15 is in
Long Island City on the Brooklyn side of the East River; and in
the immediate neighborhood of this are other towering masses of
brickwork of very similar design. One cannot but care for these,
because every great surface of hard, rough, well-burned bricks of
dusky red color is attractive ; and there is nowhere in the world
more perfect and beautiful material in this way than we use in and
about New York city. It has always been excellent, this New
York brickwork its conditions being admitted. The old-fashioned
12-inch party wall was a good brickwall or it would not have carried
the floors and roofs of two adjoining 20 ft. houses. When the
wall was to be 24 in: thick it was always better built, even in
proportion, than when the wall was thinner ; nor did the New York
bricklayer ever consent readilv to the dreadful tricks of country
masons in leaving great hollow places in the heart of the rising
mass of masonry. The present writer has known well-esteemed
contractors in the smaller towns anywhere within the five hundred
miles radius who defended the practice of leaving those dreadful
gaps in their structure from no matter what fantastic reason; but
he never has known a New, York builder, boss or foreman, to
suggest anything of the kind. Always, if the smooth pressed
brick could be got rid of when a facade was in consideration, that
same common brick was as effective in appearance as it was solid
in reality. Those who cared for rational design thirty years ago
used to fight with their employers for the privilege of building the
front wall of the same materials as the back ; thus in a corner house
one would beg for permission to use throughout for the flank and
the front as well, the common hard brick, that thought good enough
for a wall facing the back yard, and thus to bring the three
visible wall surfaces into harmony with one another and everywhere
more effective than any one of them would have been if faced up
with Philadelphia pressed brick.
So it is that the huge mass seen in Fig. 15 with its buttress-piers
dividing the external surface of its walls and suggesting extreme
stiffness of construction, and with plain round arched window-
openings, level brick cornices marked by a very slight corbelling
out in a somewhat ornamental pattern, is extremely effective even
in the absence of deep reveals to the windows. The walls must be
thick one is sure that they are thick; and the thought occurs at
once that the deep jambs have been given to the interior because
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY ARCHITECTURE.
129
130
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
that additional floor-space was useful, and the panel below the
window-sill could also be utilized in each of the working lofts.
With Fig. 16 we reach a factory building in which a wholly dif-
ferent programme has been carried out. This is in Chicago at
the corner of East Harrison street and South Franklin street. It
is as obviously a brick building as any of the dignified factories
that we have been treating in these two articles, but here the spirit
of Graeco-Roman art has been strong with the artist, and we have
FIG. 1. CLOW BUILDING.
Chicago, 111.
Holablrd & Roche, Architects.
a building of as purely classical type as the circumstances could
have been made to allow. There are tombs still standing, in ruin,
here and there in the Campagna, in which the same effect is pro-
duced, the effect of pilasters and entablatures carried out in brick-
work; but in those Roman instances there can be no doubt that
the whole was to have been covered with that splendid hard and
smooth stucco of which the Roman builders had the secret. So that
they must have been intended to look as much like monoliths as an
Italo-Greek temple must have appeared when it was coated with its
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY ARCHITECTURE. 131
thin film of plastering and elaborately painted in bright colors.
Here, however, the brickwork, square and simple or molded into
delicate forms, had to be left to tell its own story. The necessity of
making the overhanging cornice of something else than brick is,
of course, a weakness of this sort of design. The attic wall seen
above the cornice is, again, good solid brickwork with a molded
cap or surbase and very properly and skillfully adapted to the pur-
poses of a solid parapet, but the overhanging cornice which the
style calls for, and which must perforce project so many feet and
inches, is a thing which brick building does not allow of. A bold
Chicago, 111.
FIG. 17. THE BUTLER BROS.' WAREHOUSES.
Jarvis Hunt, Architect.
composition in terra-cotta indeed but that does not seem to have
been admitted or admissable in this case.
With Fig. 17 we are still in Chicago and the twin warehouses
of Butler Brothers are made exactly alike in their external treat-
ment, in order that their close connection may be perfectly under-
stood. This, and the placing of the signs at the corners most
nearly approaching one another, point to just such an attempt
to claim kinship between two great buildings, each of which may
be supposed to help its neighbor, as we note in that custom so
familiar to students of Venice of springing an arch with a richly
sculptured gable or wall-piece above it, across the narrow calle
1.32
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
which divides two case held by the same family. It is to be noted
that here the buildings can be seen from a very considerable dis-
tance, namely, across the Chicago river, and from several different
points of view; and therefore the use of elaborate patterns of
brickwork near the top of the building is in every way justifiable.
It is interesting to note that the small squared window-openings
suggestion, as in the case of the Garvin Building, illustrated in the
January number of this magazine, the idea of great lofts used
only for storage, has allowed of great irregularity of arrangement.
The windows being once for all set in firm horizontal bands, which
bands are emphasized by moulded courses at sill and lintel, it has
been thought that their spacing along these horizontal lines was
comparatively indifferent and so it is. One could wish for even
a freer use of that obvious plan of securing light where it is wanted.
The windows looking on the narrow street dividing the two ware-
houses are much larger, and are filled with sash of the usual kind,
as befits that part of such a building which is in close connection
with the business office. But, when it was decided to break the
undue height of the building by very strongly marked horizontal
bands, it was also an obvious resolve to put these bands near the
top, where their effect would be in the not doubtful appeal to per-
sons viewing the whole group of buildings from a distance of six
hundred or a thousand feet. It is just within the limits of proper
criticism to ask whether it would not have been better to have
started the very effective arcade of arches on corbelled-out piers
\\hich form the cornice proper from a more solid looking wall than
that produced by the two stories which are wrought into a diaper
pattern of lozenges with a rosette in the middle of each. It does
not do much harm to a wall so evidently massive as this; and yet
one wishes the pattern other than that it is one wishes it a mosaic
of horizontals and verticals rather than of interlacing diagonals,
which 'look as if they might slip, each joint rotating on its rivet.
For this reason we find the charm" of the warehouse of Kelley,
Maus& Company greater than that, of the twin buildings just named,
and in fact, it is not disagreeable to close this inquiry, for the pres-
ent, with this most interesting structure. Brick of three colors
used with singular judgement has been so employed in a bold mo-
saic that the small windows, which -were all that the warehouse
needs, help to make up 'the mosaic: itself; their shadows and their
darker surfaces opening into the interior telling as at least two addi-
tional terms In the .proportion -of varying colors. In fact, if
one we're! to ".ask permission to change this design in any part it
would be only 'to be allowed to block up the furthermost vertical
row of windows" on the left in Fig. 18 and enlarge by two feet the
solid pier -at the'. right -hand of the same front. The need of a
WAREHOUSE AND FACTORY ARCHITECTURE.
133
massive corner pier is one that has not been thought of at the
right time ; though indeed when one looks at the building as it is
seen in Fig. 17, this pier seems massive enough for anything, as it
is at least two feet wide on one side of the angle, if but narrow on
the other side.
With this we must close the present inquiry ; but there is much
to be said about the designs in simple brickwork which are not
strictly warehouses nor yet factories, and to these we may be able
to give attention at another time. There is something to be
Chicago, 111.
FIG. 18. THE KELLEY MAUS^BUILDING. '
Jarvis Hunt, Architect.
said for the theory broached now and then by the persons not enam-
ored of our present architecture of mere prete'nce, that the 'de-
signers should be restrained to square masses -arid .sharp .corners
and plain windows for twenty years to come with sculpture denied
them and all the bad architectural : forms /a&M.^J^hen;' it is thought
by some, a chance for design rightly so-called, might be iound'in.
the very inability to misuse the old forms. At all events, there is
great delight in watching the attempts of those who willingly take
up that course of thought and push it in a sensible way and with
energy.
Russell Sturgis.
134
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Kansas City, Mo.
THE NEW YORK LIFE BUILDING.
McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
RESIDENCE OP A. R. MEYER.
Kansas City, Mo. Van Brunt & Howe, Architects.
THE DEVELOPMENT OE ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CIIY,
MISSOURI.
^K T is said that the moral, social and commercial growth of a
J- people may be traced from a study of its architectural monu-
ments. If this is true, then the progress of events, which in
scarcely more than fifty years has raised the community of Kansas
City, Missouri, from an insignificant landing-place on the Missouri
river to a city of the first class, will be found to have left an in-
delible imprint on its buildings, both public and private.
In older communities, which have had the good fortune to in-
herit through a long succession of years the traditions of their for-
bears, the transitions are less violent and less marked. In the cities
along the Atlantic seaboard the story is told which had its beginning
a couple of hundred years ago and whose end is not yet, and the
architectural development in these cases is often marked by epochs
some of which will number as many years of duration as Kansas
City can number years of existence. What the latter has done has all
been worked out within the lifetime of men who are yet comparatively
young, and there are many living within its limits to-day who can
easily look back to the time when the site of every business building
now standing within the commercial heart of the city was but
prairie, swamp or woodland.
The famous and historic Santa Fe trail passed from the old levee
at the riverside up the bluff and southward through a ravine now
filled with tall brick and stone buildings, and daily crowded with the
i 3 6
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
busy people of a great commercial center. The old prairie schooner
has given place to the cable and electric car, and the water course of
the old trail is buried by the grader's cart thirty feet below the level
on which these cars run and on which these buildings stand.
In the early days, when there was no Kansas City, and when
Westport Landing was all that indicated a difference between this and
any other point on the Missouri River, the architecture of the settle-
ment was naturally of a primitive type, and buildings were con-
structed, barring a few exceptions, with the one idea of strict utility.
Perhaps the more important exceptions were the homesteads of the
earlier and most prosperous of the inland settlers, who placed their
RESIDENCE OF E. W. SMITH.
Kansas City, Mo.
Van Brunt & Sons, Architects.
homes further back from the river and who built after the fashion of
the Southern planter. These houses were low, rambling buildings,
one or two stories high, with wide vejandas, and were flanked by
straggling out-buildings ; none were beautiful save in that they sug-
gested the idea of home and comfort. These landmarks are rapidly
disappearing, driven out by the march of commercia.) progress and
giving way to the "addition" of the real estate operator and to the
growth of the smart suburban village.
It is not. generally to holders of these properties that Kansas City
owes its architectural development, although in some cases these
men kept fully apace with the march of the city's progress, and in-
deed were largely instrumental in directing its course. The con-
stantly increasing volume of the business of Kansas City as the
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
137
BOARD OF TRADE BUILDING.
Kansas City, Mo.
Burnham & Root, Architects.
138 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Southwest became more settled, and as the commerce of Mexico and
the remote Western States and Territories became more active and
assured, brought many energetic and enterprising men to this gate-
way of the Southwest. That which was but a mere steamboat landing
became in an incredibly short time a bustling but raw-edged city.
The prosperity which came to the citizens reached its architectural
expression in a style, if so it may be called, which finds its prototype
even in the earlier and Eastern cities, and which has been called the
"American Vernacular." This architecture was almost absolutely
free from the limitations of academic tradition, and was mainly the
work of the enterprising carpenter, who had not hesitated to add the
word "architect" to his shop sign. Vainglorious and pretentious,
often very elaborate and costly both in its interior and exterior,
styles and "motifs" were mingled in a manner to drive to despair
the purist or scholar. Wooden towers of grotesque type, broad
overhanging cornices with brackets of the most elaborate of jig-
sawed patterns, window-heads, balustrades, porches, balconies,
everthing was there that the ingenuity of the carpenter-architect
could devise or the most exacting client demand. Examples of the
work of this period are scattered through the older portions of the
city, and are repeated in every neighboring city along the river.
\Yhat is written of Kansas City is equally true of St. Joseph, Mo.,
and of Atchison, Leaven worth and Lawrence, Kansas.
The early topographical conditions of Kansas City, with its ragged
bluffs, deep ravines and high ridges, offered about as unpromising a
site for a large city as could be imagined. But the enterprise and
perseverance of the people have largely surmounted all such diffi-
culties. The process of leveling the hills and filling the ravines has
often led to most romantic results, and at one time it was no unusual
thing to see a building of the old school perched on top of an em-
bankment 25 or 30 feet above the street level and apparently as in-
accessible as though on top of the Rocky Mountains.
Up to about the year 1860 Kansas City was strictly a steamboat
town, and it was not until about that time that the first railroad made
its entry, bringing with it the conditions for a speedy and radical
change in all departments of the city's progress ; changes as impor-
ant in its architecture as in its commerce, though perhaps less rapid
in the former. It was not, however, until the city had secured an ad-
vanced position as a railroad center, and had been well advertised
as such, that the architect "in propria persona" made his first ap-
pearance. It was at about this time that the people realized that
something better could be done than had been so far accomplished,
and soon some excellent work was completed. The First Congre-
gational Church is an example one of the first really good build-
ings which up to that time had been built. The building was very
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
139
Kansas City, Mo.
AMERICAN BANK BUILDING.
Burnham & Root, Architects.
140
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
carefully studied by its architect, Mr. Adriance Van Brunt, and is
to-day one of the best church buildings in Kansas City.
The great commercial prosperity which was found in the South-
west for the ten years prior to 1885 culminated in Kansas City, as it
did in most other cities of the West, in a building "boom," which
began about that time and lasted four years or more. During this
period much of the best architectural work was done in this city and
its vicinity. New men had come into the field, many of them better
trained and better equipped than most of those in practice there;
COATES HOUSE.
Kansas City, Mo.
Van Brunt & Howe, Architects.
money was plentiful, and Eastern capital already seeking permanent
investment in the bricks and mortar of Kansas City.
Kansas City needed nearly everything which marks the archi-
tecture of a modern city. There was no first-class hotel or office
building, no large mercantile houses, only one or two good
churches, and not one first-class retail store building. Now her
people feel that they are at least as well equipped in all of these par-
ticulars as any city of its size in the country.
In 1886 the Board of Trade determined to erect a new building
for its own use and for rental purposes. A limited competition of
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
141
Kansas City, Mo.
NEW ENGLAND LIFE BUILDING.
Winslow & Wetherell, Architects
142
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
architects was organized, all, with one exception, from outside the
limits of Kansas City, and the choice of plans fell to that of Messrs.
Burnham and Root, of Chicago. From the plans and under the
superintendence of these gentlemen the present building of the
Board of Trade was built. This was the first fire-proofed building
erected in Kansas City, and its progress was watched with great
interest by many to whom "fire-proof construction" was but a
name. At the time of the conception of this building the Romanesque
wave, whose impulse had been given so vigorously by Mr. Richard-
son, was at its height, and Messrs. Burnham and Root designed
their building in that style, adapting it to the exactions of some-
times unsympathetic requirements and to the possibilities of steel
and iron. The building is of red brick and red terra cotta, and con-
tains the hall and offices of the Board of Trade, the rooms of the
Commercial Club, and much other rental space.
The erection of this first large building by a Chicago firm appears
to have called the attention of capitalists of that city to the possi-
bilities of Kansas City, and two companies were organized, one to
build the American Bank Building, the other to erect and equip the
Midland Hotel. Both of these works were placed by their projectors
in the hands of the same firm of architects as were engaged on the
Board of Trade, and both were of fire-proofed construction. They
are built in local and pressed brick with terra cotta and brown-
stone trimmings. It was a rather curious coincidence that the first
three of the large important and fire-proof buildings should have
fallen all at once into the hands of one firm.
While Chicago capital was engaged in these enterprises,
other money centers were active. The New England Life Insurance
Co. decided to build a fire-proofed office building, and erected it on
the northeast corner of Ninth and Wyandotte streets. It is seven
stories high, and besides the offices of the company it contains the
rooms of the New England National Bank, the New England
Safety Deposit and Trust Co. and much other rental space. Loyal to
its New England associations, the company built from Massachusetts
stone, using throughout the Longmeadow stone. The architects were
Messrs. Winslow and Wetherell, of Boston, who chose a free treat-
ment of Italian Renaissance for the style in which to work. The
New York Life Insurance Company also determined to build, and
after a competition of Eastern and Western architects gave the work
to Messrs. McKim, Mead and White, of New York, who erected at
the head of Baltimore avenue on Ninth street the present building.
It is ten full stories high, the highest office building in Kansas City,
built in fire-proof material throughout, with an exterior of local
pressed brick, granite and sandstone. It contains 375 rooms besides
the great banking rooms on the main floor, cost in the vicinity of
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
143
Kansas City, Mo.
BRYANT BUILDING.
Van Brunt & Howe, Architects.
144
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
$2,000,000, and is the largest and best equipped office building in
Kansas City.
The Gibraltar Building, the Bayard Building and the Bryant
Building, of which Messrs. Van Brunt and Howe, of Kansas City,
were the architects, are good examples of the best office buildings
not strictly fire-proofed. The first two were built with Longmeadow
stone fronts, and the Gibraltar is in slow-burning construction. The
Postal Telegraph Building, Messrs. Root and Siemens, architects,
of Kansas City, is a good example of office building dealing
principally with a north light where a large amount of glass is
THE HOWE RESIDENCE.
Kansas City, Mo.
Van Brunt & Howe, Architects.
essential. The Massachusetts Building, by the same architects as
were employed on the New England Life Insurance Building, is an
excellent building in slow-burning construction. It is owned in
Boston and is built in local bricks and Longmeadow stone.
The Bryant Building was completed this spring ; it is said to be
one of the best lighted and ventilated office buildings in Kansas
City.
The extensive additions to the old Federal Building, which was
purchased by the Fidelity Trust Company, of Kansas City, for
its own use, gives to Kansas City another absolutely fire-proofed
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
145
146
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
thoroughly equipped office building, of most substantial character.
Its principal interest centers in the great banking room, which is
one hundred and ten feet long, fifty feet wide, and twenty-six feet
high, finished in marble, bronze, and mahogany. The architects
are Messrs. Van Brunt & Howe.
The new steel and masonry office building on Baltimore avenue,
known as the Dwight Building, by C. A. Smith, architect, is a seven-
story fire-proofed building, built more nearly from the modern
methods of steel construction than any building in the city.
Among the mercantile buildings one of the largest and most im-
portant is the great retail house of the Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry
HOUSE OF R. L. TAYLOR.
Kansas City, Mo.
Root & Siemens, Architects.
Goods Co., Van Brunt & Howe, architects. It has a full frontage on
three streets, and runs back to an alley in the rear, making it an
isolated building, 125 by 250 feet, six stories high, and is built in
local bricks and Lake Superior red sandstone. While not a fire-
proofed building, it is protected by all the devices known in "fire-
proofed" work. It was one of the first buildings in Kansas City
built, so far as its lower stories are concerned, in pier construction,
with its actual and theoretical loads carefully adjusted to the soil on
which they rest. This soil is generally a fine, hard, yellow clay,
very tough and dense and capable of great resistance, but most
of the earlier building foundations were laid without much calcula-
tion as to loads, the idea being that stonework was cheap and it
was only necessary to be sure to get enough of it. A novel feature
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
148
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
149
of this building is its open arcade on the three streets, with the show
windows set back some six or eight feet from the building line,
making a covered promenade where in bad weather passers may ex-
amine the displays while well sheltered. So far as I know this is the
only large example of its kind in this country, and while there is ap-
parently a waste of room the owners consider the advertisement an
ample compensation.
Kansas City has some very excellent examples of wholesale and
jobbing houses, among the best of which, perhaps, may be men-
Kansas City, Mo.
RESIDENCE OF COL. WILLIAM R. NELSON.
Architects, F. E. Hill, and Gunn & Curtis.
tioned the building of Swofford Bros, and that of Burnham, Hanna,
Munger Dry Goods Company ; the former, by Shepard & Farrar ;
the latter by the late Mr. George Matthews.
The great wagon and carriage house and wareroom of the Stude-
baker Brothers, by Messrs. Root & Siemens, is one of the largest
and most complete buildings of its kind in the western country.
The "New Baltimore" is a fire-proofed hotel of 225 rooms just
completed from the plans of Louis Curtis, of Kansas City.
Its floors and partitions are built in expanded metal construction.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY. I5I
The exterior is of red pressed brick with gray brick corners and cor-
nices, and terra cotta trimmings.
The new Coates House is an hotel of 350 rooms, finished a few
years ago, Van Brunt & Howe, architects. It was built in sections
on the site of the old hotel of the same name, which was one of the
landmarks of Kansas City for many years. The south wing was built
as an addition to the old building, which was afterwards torn down
and replaced by a new fire-proofed structure. This hotel is consid-
Kansas City, Mo.
RESIDENCE OF A. R. MEYER.
Van Brunt & Howe, Architects.
ered one of the most popular and attractive in the West, and has
some unusual features in its interior planning.
Kansas City is not rich in ecclesiastical architecture. The First
Congregational Church, already mentioned, the Calvary Baptist
Church, the First Christian Science Church, the Second Presby-
terian Church (A. Van Brunt, architect), and perhaps one of two
others would complete the list of those worthy of special mention.
The Calvary Baptist Church is a Romanesque building of somewhat
florid type, in gray stone, and was designed, after a competition of
architects, by Messrs. Edbrooke and Burnham, of Chicago. The
552
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Scientist Church, in the English style, is an interesting but modest
building by Mr. Matthews. It is a most excellent interior. The
Cathedral is remarkable as one of the buildings which one would
not like to have done, and it is the product of the period to which
reference was made
of this article ; a
absolutely without
cedent in form or
terior, with its great
and plaster sup-
the plaster ceiling,
rect to all the ex-
At the present
under construction
in the early pages
fagade and tower
architectural pre-
detail, and an in-
columns of wood
porting nothing but
giving the lie di-
terior.
moment there are
several new and
Kansas City, Mo.
FIRST CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.
Geo. Mathews, Architect.
and costly churches ; among these, the Second Christian Science
Church, Frederick R. Comstock, of New York, architect, and the
Prospect Avenue Christian Church, Van Brunt & Howe, architects.
Both of these buildings are of stone, and both designed in purely
academic style.
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
153
Of its domestic architecture Kansas City may well be proud, and
few cities of even larger growth, wealth and population can make
a better showing. The people love and appreciate their homes, and
make much of their home life. Small, attractive dwellings in good
architectural style are numerous, many of them beautiful with-
out and within. Among the later homes of a more important and
striking character, which perhaps illustrate best the archi-
tectural growth in these lines, may be mentioned the homes of Mrs.
A. H. Armour, Mr. Kirkland B. Armour, Mr. E. W. Smith and Mr.
FIRST CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH INTERIOR.
Kansas City, Mo.
Geo. Mathews, Architect.
August R. Meyer, all in the suburb known as Hyde Park, and all by
Messrs. Van Brunt & Howe ; the John Perry home, by Mr. F. E.
Hill, architect, of Kansas City; the George Jones and L. B. Price
homes, both by Messrs. Shepard and Farrar, architects, of Kansas
City ; the homes of Mr. Langston Bacon and Mr. Robert Taylor, by
Messrs. Root and Siemens. The house of Mrs. Armour is a careful
study in Italian, while that of her son, Mr. K. B. Armour, is in the
late French Gothic. In both cases as much study was bestowed on the
interior as on the exterior, that they might be grammatical and con-
sistent. The Smith house is reminiscent of Cambridge, Salem or
154
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Portsmouth, and its details have been carefully modeled from the
examples of these old New England towns.
Oak Hall, the home of Col. W. R. Nelson, is a building or group
of buildings of no particular style, but full,- both within and without,
of interesting details and appointments. It is built of yellow native
limestone, and seems
process of nature out
ings. It is the joint
and Messrs. Gunn and
The school build-
illustrate all the
architectural growth,
equal to the best in
them are the work of
Hackney, who, in
Aclriance Van Brunt,
Public Library. This
less academic style of
to have grown by a
its rural surround-
work of Mr. F. E. Hill
Curtis.
ings of Kansas City
phases of the city's
but the late ones are
the country. Most of
the late William F.
conjunction with Mr.
designed the new
is built in a more or
classic architecture,
Kansas City, Mo.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL, CHURCH.
Adriance Van Brunt, Architect.
and is equipped with fire-proof book-stacks and all the require-
ments of a modern library. Its material is a Missouri white lime-
stone and Texas granite.
The public buildings of Kansas City offer the usual examples of
good and bad architecture to be found in every new community of
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
155
such a scale as this. The City Hall and Court House are expensive
buildings, but not well planned for the purposes for which they were
built. The County Jail, near the Court House, is a pleasing excep-
tion. It was designed by Mr. Adriance Van Brunt, and is one of the
best works from this gentleman's hand. Of the new Government
building only a word need be said. It is of the kind of building
which for many years the architects of the country have been com-
bating, and it is unfortunate that this new building could not have
Kansas City, Mo.
SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Adriance Van Brunt, Architect.
been built under the recent laws created for the improvement of Gov-
ernment architecture.
One of the public buildings of which Kansas City is justly proud
is the Convention Hall. The present building occupies the site of
the former building of the same general dimensions, which was de-
stroyed by fire on April 4, 1900. The Democratic National Con-
vention was to meet in this building on July 4 of the same year, and
this now seemed almost an impossibility. Before the flames were
extinguished on the old building, however, a new one had been
pledged, contracts made, and in less than ninety days from the date
oi the fire the new Convention Hall stood on the site of the old one ;
156
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
a fire-proofed building, 198x314 feet, with a seating capacity of
more than 20,000 persons, under a steel roof which spanned the
whole without a column, and at a cost of $350,000.
The Democratic Convention was opened on the Fourth of July,
1900, in a building belonging to the same class as the Madison
Square Garden in New York, and which lacked very little of com-
pletion. Its exterior is cut stone and brick; its interior fireproofed
throughout, and its floor area larger than that of Madison Square
Garden. The architect of the original building was F. E.
THE OLD CONVENTION HALL.
Kansas City, Mo.
F. E. Hill, Architect.
Hill, who made the plans for the second building, with the assist-
ance of an advisory board of architects. The achievement, from
purely a constructional point of view, was one of the most remark-
able which has ever been brought to my notice.
Among the most important of the later buildings is the new
Willis Wood Theatre, designed by Mr. Louis Curtis, after the
modern French school. Its front is entirely in gray terra cotta.
An unfortunate impediment to a more rapid and permanently suc-
cessful development in architectural lines is the desire on the part of
many of those practising their profession here to be original. These
ARCHITECTURE IN KANSAS CITY.
157
men lose sight of the fact that originality without method, and in-
vention without temperance and a proper and wholesome respect
for traditions, may often lead to what is merely grotesque. Kansas
City has some startling examples of this disorder, to which space will
not admit a fuller reference.
It may be that we are near the beginning of a new building era.
We have yet to point to our first sky-scraper, and it is to be hoped
that before the time comes we shall have learned the lessons of pro-
fessional self-control. It is somewhat appalling to think what might
happen were it otherwise.
Frank Maynard Howe.
Kansas City, Mo.
THE NEW CONVENTION HALL.
F. E. Hill, Architect.
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST.
Central Park West and 96th Street, New York City. Carrfere & Hastings, Architects.
Copyright, 1904, by Joel W. Thome.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.
<g1CIENCE and the industrial arts are called upon frequently to
K-) invent new terms for new discoveries and inventions. The
growing corpulency of our dictionaries attests the energy of the
demand. "Ions," "Coherer," "Radium," "Polonium" to men-
tion the products of the last few days only evince the rapidity
of the collaterial movement of language and knowledge.
It is, however, a rare occasion that demands a new expression
from Art, and still more seldom arrives a necessity that produces
a specific call upon Architecture to embody in its own particular
terms, a new social fact. And yet, pondering on the phenomenal
increase of the Christian Science sect within recent years, the
question may well have occurred to many: "When this persuasion
commences to erect places of worship, what shall we find to be the
architectural expression for a Christian Science Church ?"
"Something synonymous, if not identical, with the Protestant
Congregational meeting-house" is, of course, the obvious answer,
all the more obvious, indeed, because in so many cases the fol-
lowers of Mrs. Eddy established themselves at first in buildings
originally consecrated to some one of the many forms of "the dis-
sidence of Dissent." And yet, clearly, provided architecture may
rightly be expected to suggest if not positively indicate some-
thing of the spirit of the faith it houses, it might well be called
upon for some utterance more explicit than a mere reiteration of
a Baptist or Presbyterian building to express a creed that ap-
parently concerns itself so immediately with the terrestial wel-
fare of man, rather than, as in the case of other religions, only
proximately, and as a mere inconsequential detail of a salvation
consummated essentially beyond the grave. Nearly all rituals, it
is true, have prayers for the sick and the dying, but the health
of the body is not one of their chief concerns, hardly one of their
interests at all, and a doctrine that addresses itself in no small
measure to the constitutional well-being of the individual and not
exclusively "ad majorem dei gloriam" with a "fearful looking for-
ward to judgment and fiery indignation," contains a novel element
that the architect cannot ignore.
Designs, so to speak, fresh from the source are not to be ex-
pected in these days, least of all in the case of a religious body
whose John the Baptist even, had not uplifted his voice in the
wilderness a decade or so ago. Such an architectural expression
as the Catholic faith found in Gothic architecture is, of course,
not within the range of contemplation. The opportunity in the
present case is insufficient even if the state of architecture to-day
did not preclude it. Still, all limitations admitted, there re-
i6o
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
mained room for legitimate expectation that the design of a. Chris-
tian Science Church should contain much that is architecturally
novel and expressive. It is the reasonableness of this expectation
that gives interest in the pages of this magazine to the experiment
recently finished on Central Park West and 96th street in New
York City. The building is not the first erected for a Christian
Science congregation, but within our knowledge it is the first
capital enterprise of the kind undertaken on a scale so large and
with means so abundant that the architectural problem was as-
FIRST CHURCH OP CHRIST, SCIENTIST INTERIOR.
Central Park West and 9Gth Street, New York City. Carrgre & Hastings, Architects.
Decorations by Charles H. Cottrell.
sured of all the conditions necessary for adequate solution. The
site selected was of ample dimensions and excellently located for
its purpose. The expenditures permitted were large and suffi-
cient. The exterior design and plan were committed to a firm
of architects that is in the opinion of many at the top of the pro-
fession, and the interior arrangements, decorations and equipment
were placed in the hands of a decorator who is both a competent
artist and an active and intelligent member of the church organi-
zation. The result is a building of the highest import at least to
Christian Scientists. If we may not speak of a cathedral, in this
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH. 161
case, we certainly possess the metropolitan church. We have
already discussed in these pages the architectural merits of the
design. Our remaining task is to illustrate the now completed
edifice and describe its apartments, so many of which will appear
unecclesiastical to old notions.
The History of the Church.
The building recently erected by the First Church of Christ,
Scientist, at Central Park West and 96th street, is a material
representation of that which the church that built it stands for in
the realm of ideals. Of enduring material, built for daily service as
well as weekly meetings, beautiful within and without, it shadows
forth to a degree the thought which created it.
The Christian Scientists of New York connected with the First
Church have wandered long in the wilderness of leased and pur-
chased temporary meeting places, but at last they have found for
themselves a habitation after the pattern of the vision they have
ever been trying to make real.
In the bringing forth of their church home they have spared
nothing material that was required to make the spiritual effective
among men. Painting and carving and architectural work have
been conceived with little reference to financial limitations and
the result has justified the effort. Taking council of utility and
grace rather than of the traditions of the ecclesiastical elders, many
new expedients have been used and the completed work marks a
radical departure from other church buildings. To arrive at this
end, the growing congregation had followed a long course of self-
denial and avoided debt and its limitations by accepting unsatis-
factory halls and churches until it could complete the demonstra-
tion of the power of right thought over material restrictions.
Sixteen years ago the church was chartered with Mrs. Augusta
E. Stetson as pastor, and it is mainly due to her continued faith,
understanding and energy that the present building has been made
possible. The church was housed the first year in a small hall at
the corner of 47th street and Fifth avenue. From this the grow-
ing congregation moved to a hall at 138 Fifth avenue; from there
is was obliged by growth to move to Hardman Hall at Fifth ave-
nue and iQth street. Later it again removed and "occupied what
was once the Rutger Presbyterian Church on Madison avenue
and 29th street, and there found rest for three years. In January,
1896, All Souls' Church on 48th street was acquired and radically
changed in structure, only the walls being left undisturbed. For
seven years this building sufficed, but the growing attendance and
membership made another change necessary and the land on the
corner of Central Park West and 96th street was purchased four
1 62
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST ENTRANCE DOORWAY.
Central Park West and 96th Street, New York City. Carrfere & Hastings, Architects.
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH. 163
years ago. Carrere & Hastings were asked to prepare plans for
a building to seat twenty-two hundred.
The building finally produced has been to a remarkable degree
a development rather than the fulfilment of a formulated plan. It
was thought at that time that $300,000 would be ample to build
what was required. When the plans and estimates were furnished,
however, it was seen that they would not meet the ideals of those
who wished the work done. Not content with brick and Indiana
stone, Concord granite was ordered, though the cost of this mate-
rial in itself, when set and under roof would be $400,000.
It was then found that even at a cost of $550,000 the reading
room, Sunday-school rooms and offices for the practitioners and
church officials must be provided for in the basement. This did
not accord with Christian Science ideas, and though the cost was
raised to $750,000 the change was made and the rooms placed
above the auditorium and three elevators arranged to meet the
needs occasioned by the change.
It was then discovered that a tower of a more expensive de-
sign would add to the beauty of the structure and this was also
ordered. Finally, all limitations were ignored, new features were
added as they were required to make the church more perfect in
beauty and utility. Money came in steadily to meet every demand
promptly, the twelve hundred members of the church, including
the students of the New York City Christian Science Institute
contributing all that was necessary without special exhortation
other than expressed in a simple request from the platform from
time to time for the amount needed to meet the expenses incurred.
Each contributor had been healed of some moral or. physical de-
fect and all desired to make the church a fitting expression of the
thought which Christian Scier$fe inspires.
When the dedication too'fi:' place, the total cost had reached
$1,185,000, and there was no debt. Above the cornerstone there is
this inscription :
FIRST CHURCH
OF
CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
NEW YORK CITY.
ERECTED
ANNO DOMINI MVIIICXCIX.
A TRIBUTE
OF
LOVE AND GRATITUDE
TO OUR
LEADER AND TEACHER,
THE REVEREND MARY BAKER EDDY,
DISCOVERE'R AND FOUNDER
OF
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
AND AUTHOR
OF ITS TEXT-BOOK.
SCIENCE AND HEALTH,
WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES.
104
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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M o
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A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH. 165
When the structure was planned, it was thought by many that it
would be large enough to provide room for all who would attend
the church services for years to come, but already the seats are
well filled and there is reason to believe that its capacity will soon
be taxed to the uttermost.
The church is as large as is convenient and every part has been
made as perfect and as permanent as possible. It will stand as a
model of modern ideas in church building, and be valuable to those
who study church architecture. There has been much discussion as
to what, type the really *' American church would be found finally
to be, and it is possible that this building, with its elevator service,
reading room and offices for the work of helping the sick, the dis-
couraged and the sinning, may have an important effect upon eccle-
siastical architectufe in this country.
Omen R. Washburn.
Description of the New Building.
New York's newest and most imposing church edifice now
greets the eye* of one walking or driving in Central Park
West in the vicinity of 96th street. Towering some two
hundred feet above the curb, it forms a most striking and
beautiful picture in glistening silvery white granite ; stone, so uni-
form in color and quality as at once to give one the impresion
that the whole must have been cut from one huge perfect block.
It is, perhaps, largely due to this granite that the more than ordi-
nary solidity of appearance is obtained. However that may be,
this particular stone and the architecture of the building form a
most perfect and harmonious composition. The corner cornice
stones are 12 feet long, 8 feet wide and 3 feet 6Jnches thick,
weighing eighteen tons each. Being at the corner of the building
and over fifty feet high, where it was nearly impossible to either
brace or guy the derricks, the setting of these blocks involved a
very pretty piece of engineering.
It may be well at this point to mention the quarries from" which
this stone was taken, as well as the"method of quarrying. The
quariiy' is ; situated"' in Concord, N. H. It is one of the few white
granite quarries in the United States, the product of which, does
not'jdrscolor by exposure to the air, the tendency being- rather to
grpw,,more white with age. The quarry is furnishing granite for the
First 1 Church of* Christ, Scientist, of Concord,' N. H., a gift'fronvithe
Rev. Mary Baker G. ''Eddy. It is the most difficult stone jin) this
country to work because of its extreme hardness. Its ^peculiar
characteristics make it impossible to cut by saw or machinery,
thereby necessitating the use of hand labor for the cutting, which
1(56
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.
167
is performed by the slow process of chipping until a smooth sur-
face is obtained, thus making the ruin of an entire block through
a mis-stroke of frequent occurrence. The stone is quarried in un-
usually large blocks. The writer witnessed the effect of a single
blast in the quarry which sheared a piece of granite 125 feet long,
from 55 feet to 100 feet high and from 10 feet to 20 feet thick, al-
most as clean as though cut with a saw. From this massive block
the smaller ones are cut by means of round wedges hardly larger
than a man's finger and only about 6 inches long. The wedges
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST THE GALLERY.
Central Park West and 96th Street, New York City. Carrgre & Hastings, Architects.
Decorations by Charles H. Cottrell.
are spaced in the stone at intervals of about 6 inches and are gently
tapped with a hammer until the stone is cleft. This can only be
done in the direction of the natural clevity of the stone, which,
however, always runs at approximately right angles with the bed
of the stone.
To go back to our subject, the building. On closer examination
one is impressed by the numerous small windows in the two
upper stories, which at once suggest a large number of rooms
above the main auditorium not common in ordinary church con-
struction, and shows the honesty of the architectural treatment.
J68
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST EAST GLASS WINDOW.
Central Park West and 9Gth Street, New York City. CarrSre & Hastings, Architects.
Jesus and Mary in the Garden after the Resurrection.
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.
169
The building really accommodates perfectly 'what might be classed
as two independent organizations as to requirements, having sep-
arate entrances and plants complete, as well as connecting doors,
making it possible to throw the entire building into one when re-
quired.
At either side of the main entrance are two large electrically con-
trolled and direct connected elevators of the modern type, capable
of carrying twenty people each. No other instance is recorded of
the installation of elevators in a church. Flanking the elevators are
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST RECEPTION ROOM.
Central Park West and 96th Street, New York City. Carrere & Hastings, Architects.
Decorations by Charles H. Cottrell.
two rather remarkable elliptical staircases. There is no iron used,
although the stairs are 5 feet 6 inches in width. The method
adopted is stronger, less expensive and less bulky. It also permits
of quicker construction, than do other methods in common usage.
Passing through to the auditorium by one of the side entrances,
you are under a large overhanging gallery, which extends around
three sides of the church and is supported by two large marble
piers on either side connected by marble arches to the marble side
walls and together by marble beams running longitudinally. These
piers and beams coming only half way between the side walls and
front of the gallery give the impression of a series of niches along
170
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
the sides. This effect is heightened by the fact that the main barrel
vault of the auditorium ceiling is sprung from the face of the piers
instead of from the side walls, and the sides of the piers with the
transverse arches connecting with the side walls develop into three
transverse barrel vaults penetrating the main vault of the ceiling.
By this method a very massive appearance is obtained, the piers
appearing to attach themselves to the outside walls. The centre
"motif" of each niche is a large stained glass window running in-
terruptedly from 6 feet above the ground floor up back of the
gallery, finishing in a semi-circular lead on axis of the niche above.
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST THE SCHOOL, ROOM.
Central Park West and 96th Street, New York City. Carr&re & Hastings, Architects.
Decorations by Charles H. Cottrell.
These windows are very charming in their simplicity, having a warm
gray field with a foliage border of soft greens and autumn color-
ings. In the centre of each of the upper sections is a medallion
executed in quiet monotone effect of green and brown framed
fittingly in green and amber. The whole effect is heightened by the
tone of the woodwork, which is of a most uncommon rich gray
brown which effect is obtained by the use of a Circassian, Italian
and French walnut, bleached up in such a manner as to pr6duce
a very light tone, while at the same time preserving the grain. The
delicate fawn color of the Istrian marble is recalled in the color-
ing of the ceiling, which is used to accentuate the architectural de-
sign and modeling rather than as a bit of color decoration.
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.
171
The organ and reader's platform is placed in the centre of a large
perforated plaster niche which is treated in the same colors as the
ceiling. The walnut woodwork with its dull ivory and gold mounts,
and the organ pipes of Etruscan gold form a most pleasing climax.
It may be interesting to note that the modeling of the organ above
the keyboard is all done in plaster and toned to the color of walnut
to match the wood. The lighting is worthy of note as well as the
fixtures, especially the six large chandeliers, weighing over half a
ton each and carrying seventy-eight lights each. These fixtures
FIRST CHURCH OP CHRIST, SCIENTIST THE READING ROOM.
Central Park West and 96th Street, New York City. Carr^re & Hastings, Architects.
Decorated by Charles H. Cottrell.
Copyright, 1904, by Joel W. Thome.
are probably the finest example of a public chandelier work in
America.
On the way to the reading rooms above, one is surprised to find
a series of rooms worked into the haunches of the arch of the main
auditorium. This would have been a comparatively easy problem
had it not been for the clerestory windows, which feed light to
the perforated sunbursts in the ceiling of the main auditorium.
The problem was, however, solved by building light walls over each
of the perforations and locating the passages and rooms around
the walls, with bay windows into the same. On the top or reading
room and Sunday-school floor, a large room has been arranged
with dome light thereover. This room is surrounded by smaller
rooms for church officials and practitioners.
Charles H. Cottrell.
172
THE ARCHITECTURAL. RECORD..
RESIDENCE OF MR. CHARLES DANA GIBSON.
No. 127 East 73d Street, New York City. , , McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
RESIDENCE OF CHARLES DANA GIBSON.
173
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
RESIDENCE OF CHARLES DANA GIBSON.
175
THE ARCHITECTURAL RliCORl).
RESIDENCE OF CHARLES DANA GIBSON.
177
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
RESIDENCE OF CARLES DANA GIBSON.
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-
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
SAND-LIME BRICK.
T~N IMPORTANT factor in the building trades market is the sand-lime
r~\ brick, a comparatively recent importation from Germany. The claims
cf the originators of this industry in America only three years ago were
received with suspicion, but in this short time it has been demonstrated that a
better and a cheap-
er face or finishing
brick can be made
from sand and a
small percentage of
lime than from clay.
The entire process
of manufacture re-
quires but twelve
hours. A number
of prominent public
and private build-
ings have been
erected throughout
the United States
from the sand and
lime bricks, which
not only present a handsome exterior, but recent experiments have shown
that the material, instead of showing signs of disintegration, as predicted by
some of its enemies, is gradually growing stronger and harder. One great
advantage over other material is that the sand and lime product can be made in
any color or com-
bination of colors
desired, which gives
to the architect an
opportunity to se-
cure striking effects
not- possible with
clay bricks.
The natural color
of the sand and lime
brick is a soft grey.
By using lime-proof
pigments in the
manufacturing pro-
cess, these bricks
are colored as desired. The quality of the brick depends to some extent on the pur-
ity of the lime, the silica properties of the sand and the process of manufacture.
This product is no longer an experiment, and the time is past for neglecting
so strong a factor in the structural market.
We publish cuts of the new High School building at Bennetsville, N.C., built
from " Huennekes System" sand-lime bricks, which certainly indicate the high
quality of the product.
The fact that the promoters of the enterprise, H. Huennekes Company, New
York, have erected over twenty factories in various sections of the country during
the past year, demonstrates the remarkable growth of the industry.
tlbe
VOL. XV. MARCH, 1904. No. 3.
THE ARCHITECTURAL WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
MERICAN architectural practice has pretty well decided
that the safest and most fruitful kind of work which the
good American architect can do is that of continuing in this coun-
try the great European architectural tradition. American criti-
cism agrees, on the whole, with this practice, because it realizes
that in a country, which a generation ago was an example of fear-
fully perverted popular architectural taste, the educational need
and purpose should in the beginning determine the prevailing
forms. After the architects have become accustomed to designing,
and the public have become accustomed to seeing, good architec-
tural forms, it will be time enough to demand that these forms be
modified, with a special view to giving them a higher degree of in-
dividual, local and national propriety.
The trouble with the first generation of well-trained American
architects was not that they were imitative, but that they were
perhaps rather too indiscriminate in their imitation. They tried
experiments in too many styles, and did not cleave with sufficient
assiduity to the architectural types most appropriate to their
work, and to their individual powers of design. Doubtless, they
had a sufficient excuse for this ecclecticism, in that they could, per-
haps, learn only by such experimentation just what architectural
forms "took" and served best in the undiscovered country of
American architectural achievement; but the experimental char-
acter of the work not only condemned it frequently to a lack of
propriety, but it confused popular taste and prevented architects
from appropriating the promiscuous forms they used. At any
rate, there can be no doubt that the next step in the regular im-
provement of American architectural practice must consist in the
more careful selection by the individual designer of his favorite
architectural forms, and the persistent endeavor to give to these
forms a more individual and local rendering. That at least is the
Copyright, 1903, by "The Architectural Record Company." All rights reserved.
Entered May 22, 1902, as second-class matter, Post Office at New York, N. Y., Act of
Congress, of March 3d, 1879.
!g 2 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
step which the well-trained architects of the younger generation
are now taking. They are experimenting within much narrower
limits than formerly; they are converging
upon the selection of a comparatively few
of the best architectural types; and they
are showing an increasing freedom and an
increasing consistency in the treatment of
those types. It will be a still farther improve-
ment in architectural practice when the field
of selection is made even narrower, and
when the few favorite types become by
constant repetition so familiar as wholly
to lose their novel and experimental char-
acter.
It is in the light of this general tendency
of American architectural practice that
the work of Charles A. Platt can be most
profitably considered. He is one of the
younger architects who has made his
mark in the last few years, and whose de-
signs show plainly the influence of the se-
lective ideal. They are derived from the
best sources, but not from all the best
sources, the area of choice being re-
stricted by a strong conviction that only
certain architectural forms are well
adapted to the kind of work with which
Mr. Platt is particularly identified. He
has not, consequently, gone outside a
comparatively few types of designs, all of
which have their historical and logical rela-
tions one to another. These several types
of design he has used so persistently, and
has studied so carefully that he is fully
acquainted with their possibilities and
values.
Thus he has been able to treat them GARDEN FURNITURE
with an ease, a consistency, a propriety OF " FAULKNER FARM."
and an effect, to which he could not have attained had his principle
of choice been more eclectic.
II.
The department of design with which Mr. Platt is particularly,
but by no means exclusively identified, is that of the country house
and garden, and it is in this department that his work has been most
influential and most original. If Mr. Platt did not actually intro-
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT. 183
dnce the Italian formal garden into this country, he most assuredly
has given the American version of this very beautiful and complete
type of landscape design a new meaning and a higher standing.
He had the peculiar advantage of being able to approach land-
scape design, not as a man whose training was exclusively archi-
tectural, but as one whose interest in garden design sprang directly
from the observation of nature, and a thorough professional famil-
iarity with landscape values. He was a landscape painter before
he was an architect ; and he made a special study of Italian gar-
dens before he ever attempted to design them. It may seem sur-
prising to people, who are the victims of the supposed antithesis
between "naturalistic" and formal gardens, that a man who had
GARDEN FURNITURE OF "FAULKNER FARM," BROOKLINE, MASS.
achieved high success as a landscape painter, and whose great dis-
tinction consists in his appreciation of the proper landscape values,
that such a man should be particularly identified with the better
establishment of the formal garden in this country ; but in truth
the antithesis between the formal and the "naturalistic" garden is
one which arose only during a recent period, when the "formal"
garden, as transplanted to England, became rigid and stiff. The
Italian gardens, formal as they were, were designed with an eye
strictly to landscape values, and constitute without doubt the su-
premely happy blending of architectural propriety and out-of-door
feeling. They are the original and classic type of garden from which
the French and English gardens are descended, and to which we
must return for the spirit and principles of the best landscape archi-
tecture.
The Italian garden was, however, only one aspect or division
of Italian villa architecture, and the historical point of departure
184
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
from which Mr. Plait's work is to be considered, is that of the
Italian villa of the Renaissance, as a complete residential type.
These villas occupy an important and definite place in the history
of domestic architecture, because they embody the first great resi-
dential style of the modern period, and because they were de-
signed by a people who, in their great time, came nearer than any
other modern people, to the classic love of formal beauty, and to
the classic sense of propriety in form. This ability to imagine ap-
propriately beautiful forms received one of its most consummate
expressions in the villa architecture of the period. We are apt,
nowadays, when we think of the consummate country house, to
recall instinctively certain memorable English examples ; but
on the whole the English country houses and estates derive their
Chicoroa, N. H.
THE HOUSE OF GEO. H. PAGE.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
value as models from the evidence they offered of constant and
loving attention, from the extent to which their surroundings
have been encouraged to grow up around them, than from any es-
pecial excellence of design. The English country house is a concrete
embodiment of the whole history of English country life. It has
been confirmed by time and precious association, rather than by
original architectural genius. In the Italian villa, on the other
hand, the attempt was consciously and successfully made to design
a kind of house which would fit the landscape closely, and to lay
out the grounds so that they would enhance the effect of the house.
The result is a type of domestic country architecture, which even
in its decay, possesses a wholly unique beauty and charm.
It is worth while to pause for a moment and consider this type,
not only because of its bearing upon Mr. Platt's work, but because
of its peculiar value under contemporary American conditions.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT. 185
These villas, like the American country house, were not intended
for people resident on the soil ; they were intended as the occasional
country habitations of highly-civilized gentry, who, in income and
tastes, were the product of the city life. Now the Italians like the
French are candidly and consciously civilized, if civilized at all.
When they go to the country they carry with them their civiliza-
tion, their artificial and artistic demands ; they do not go to the
country in order to return, so far as decency permits, to a state
of nature ; and they do not feel any incompatibility, when in the
country, between the formal treatment of the immediate surround-
ings of the house and the informal beauties of the natural land-
scape. What they ask is that their country residences should give
the finest and fullest opportunities to enjoy the various pleasures of
country life, and that their houses and grounds should be frankly
expressive of this demand. Among these pleasures would be in-
cluded the pleasure in a beautiful landscape, with which the
house would compose, and which could be seen to good advantage
from the house and garden ; the pleasure in flowers, and in the
grouping of plants and shrubs, so as to make a convenient and ef-
fective show ; the pleasure in various country sports, which in those
days consisted mostly in hunting, and in ours mostly in games ;
the pleasures of a hospitality and of the opportunity to entertain
one's friends; and finally the pleasure of leisure, of freedom from
insistent pre-occupation with affairs, of the chance for a little quiet
reflection and refreshment.
The Italian villas and estates satisfied to a greater or smaller ex-
tent all of these demands, because they were built for men of great
wealth, of large ideas and of a uniform standard of culture ; but in
attempting to transfer the type to this country an American archi-
tect would be immediately confronted with the fact that his clients
included people of large and of small resources, and of high and of
low aesthetic demands. Mr. Platt, like his professional associates,
has been obliged to meet the difficulties inseparable from the at-
tempt to adapt an elaborate and exacting architectural type to
the widely varying resources and tastes of an American clientele.
He has had during his practice all sorts and conditions of work
including a number of small frame and stucco houses, situated for
the most part in the Cornish Hills of New Hampshire; and these
smaller places which he has designed, are, as may be seen from
the illustrations, peculiarly interesting, because he has evidently
bestowed upon them, irrespective of their cost, a great deal of
careful consideration. The attempt has obviously been made, for
instance, to lay out small estates, which shall possess a certain
completeness of effect. The architectural lines of the houses have
been carefully designed, so that the structure takes its proper place
i86
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
g
O O
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X -o
"^
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THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
I8 7
in the landscape ; the look of the landscape from the house has
been as scrupulously considered as the look of the house from
its various lines of approach ; and almost every place has its prop-
erly situated garden, and its appropriate scheme of landscape treat-
ment. Of course, so much work could not be done at a small out-
lay, except by the use of cheap materials, such as wooden walls
and columns ; but the difference in the result is fundamentally a
difference in the permanence which this result obtains. The
wooden walls
w i 11 not last ;
they will have
to be replaced
eventually by a
wall made of
some more dur-
able and struc-
tural materials ;
but in the mean-
time, like the
plaster colon-
n a d e s of a
World's Fair,
they have served
their purpose.
They have en-
abled the archi-
tect to make val-
uable e x p e r i-
merits as to the
best means of
obtaining- c e r-
tain desired ef-
fects ; and what
is equally impor-
tant, they have
aroused the aes-
thetic interest
and pride of the
owner of the es-
tate. Moreover, the experiments in cheap materials may well have
an additional advantage in developing methods, whereby compara-
tively permanent results can be secured in cheap materials. In spite
therefore, of the fact that the demands of a complete design ob-
viously strain the resources at the architect's command when
those resources are small, it remains true that these frame houses
THE RESIDENCE OF CHAS. A. PLATT.
Corrish, N. H. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
1 88
'THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
H a
P-i 60
o 35
o *
Q 2
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT. 189
are legitimate examples of formal treatment, quite within the
peoples of people of good taste and small incomes, yet not pitched
on a scale incongruous with the appropriately modest demeanor of
a small country place.
In the case of the majority of American country houses the
site upon which the owner decides to build has usually been deter-
mined by the "view," and in such cases this fact necessarily has an
important effect upon the plan and design of the house and the
lay-out of the grounds. Among Mr. Platt's earlier work, the house
figured on page 186, and called "High Court," may be taken
as a type of a house situated on the top of a hill and overlooking
a great expanse of country. In an estate of this kind the land gen-
erally falls away very abruptly from the site of the house, so that
the formal treatment of the grounds must be somewhat limited,
and the design necessarily adapted to the absence of many of the
accessory and contributory effects, which might be effective on
more level ground. To design a house that fits snug upon its hill-
top, to relieve the architectural edges and corners with a framing
of trees, and to define the landscape properly from the house by
means of the court and its columns to such results as these the
architect has given his chief attention. It will be seen, consequently,
from the illustration, that there are practically no intervening gar-
dens, and the house is one which might or might not have gardens
connected with it, because the garden is not anything which would
count in the appearance of the villa as a whole from the distance.
In this particular case, a flower garden was added behind the wall
to the left of the house ; but this garden has been very fully en-
closed, so that its smaller proprieties shall not compete or clash
with the great scale and dominant effect of the general view.
In the case of Mr. Platt's own house, on the other hand, the im-
mediate surroundings of the building are more important than
the view. The garden, consequently, is situated in front of the
house, on a lower level. It intervenes, that is, between the house
and the view, and mediates between the two in a way that would be
inappropriate in such a place as "High Court." Very little artificial
enclosure has been desirable for the garden, because a hill on
the one end and a belt of pines on the other, give it natural
boundaries which are peculiarly and entirely sufficient. The illus-
tration published on page 187, shows the house as seen from the
garden, and across the perennial phlox in full bloom, while the il-
lustration on page 192 shows a view along the axis of the garden
parallel to the house, and looking towards the belt of pines men-
tioned above. There is no illustration of the garden looking in
the other direction, but on page 188 is a reproduction of the walk
between the house and the garden looking towards the hill, which
190
77/7.: ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
STUDIO ADJOINING THE RESIDENCE OF CHAS. A. PLATT.
Cornish, N. H. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
'II Hi WORK 01' CHARLES A. PLATT.
19 r
VIEW FROM THE STUDIO OF CHAS. A. PLATT.
Cornish, N. H. chas - A - platt > Architect.
192
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE GARDEN OF CHAS. A. PL.ATT.
Looking toward the belt of pines bounding the garden on the west.
Cornish, N. H. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PL ATT.
193
Cornish, N. H.
THE GARDEN OF HERBERT CROLY.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
in appearance bounds the garden at its other end. This hill, it may
be added, is the one on which "High Court" is situated, and the
building on its summit is the studio of "High Court." It has not
been possible to illustrate in a satisfactory way the look of the
landscape from "High Court," which is one of extreme beauty ;
but on pages 190-191 will be found a picture of Mr. Platt's studio
from the walk, and one of the landscape from the studio, and framed
by the columns of its porch.
Mr. Platt's house shows, perhaps, better than any other how
much can be accomplished with inexpensive materials, and by
THE GARDEN OF HERBERT CROLY.
Cornish. N. H.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
means of a small outlay to build up a fully designed country place
one in which the advantages of the site are cleverly used in order
to produce an effect at once thoroughly informed by some archi-
tectural treatment, yet at the same time as thoroughly imbued
with a correct sense of proper landscape values. It is a better
illustration of this type of residence than the house and garden il-
lustrated on pages 193-194, because in this other instance the whole
scale of the plan is so small that it would not have been possible to
seek any architectural effects on the south side of the house in
the direction of the greatest expanse of landscape without design-
ing something which would be too imposing for the other parts
of the composition. In this instance, consequently, the design suf-
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PL ATT.
195
fers more from insufficiency of means than in the cases of the other
houses.
III.
Turning now to the more expensive and elaborate places which
Mr. Platt has designed, there are two gardens which are in a class
apart, and which deserve separate consideration the gardens of
"Faulkner Farm" and of "Weld." In each of these cases the means
at the architect's disposal were sufficient to make a garden, in
which the completeness of the type could be fully realized, while
Cornish, N. H.
THE RESIDENCE OP HERBERT CROLY.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
at the same time the architect was restricted by the fact that he
was designing the grounds around a house already in existence.
"Faulkner Farm" was the first of them in point of time, and may
be fairly said to have started a new period of garden design in this
country. Previous essays in that direction had not gone much be-
yond the topiary exploits of theHunnewell place atWellesley,Mass,.
in which natural forms are senselessly perverted at the bidding of a
supposed necessity for formal horticulture. The Hunnewell gar-
den stuck, however, more closely to the Italian prototype, in that
its planting consists largely of evergreens, whereas one most con-
spicuous division of "Faulkner Farm" is the flower garden, which is
196
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
"FAULKNER FARM" THE TERRACE FROM THE GARDEN. -
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Sprague, Brcokllne, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT. 197
as it were, shut down during the winter. In this respect, however,
the gardens of the northern part of the United States necessarily
take a line of their own, partly because Americans like a great deal
of bloom in their gardens, and partly because in our snow-covered
country we cannot help shutting down our gardens from December
to March.
The plan of Faulkner Farm is particularly worth careful atten-
tion, because of the peculiar interest cf the site and the success with
ACROSS THE GARDEN OF "FAULKNER FARM."
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Sprague, Brcokline, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
which its advantages have been used. In this place the view only
counts on one side on the side indicated in the plan by the ab-
sence of foliage. In every other direction either rising ground or
trees, or both cut it off. The space, consequently, between the
house and the line at which the land falls sharply off has been left
as a terrace, which, since it is intended as a frame or foreground for
the view, has been kept absolutely bare and simple. The character
4
198
TUR ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
a
K
H to
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
199
20O
THE ARCIUTC.CTUP.AL RECORD.
THE GARDEN OF "FAULKNER FARM."
From the Pavilion.
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Sprague, Brcokline, Mass.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PL ATT.
2O I
THE PERGOLA OF THE GARDEN OF "FAULKNER FARM."
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Sprague, Brookline, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
2O2
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE DESCENT FROM THE TERRACE OF "FAULKNER FARM."
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Spraguo, Brcokline, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
203
oi this terrace, and its relations to the house and garden is shown in
an. illustration on page 196. The flower garden itself was pushed
away from the house into a clump of oaks, in order to give the gar-
den a sufficient inclosure on that side, and in order, also, to form a
background for the distant view, which otherwise would have intro-
duced a wholly incongruous element into the composition. The
effect of this oak background can .be gathered from the several il-
lustrations of the pergola. The wooded surface, called the "Grove"
in the plan is intended primarily to count as a background for the
house, when seen from a sufficient distance ; but although such is
INTERIOR OF THE PAVILION OF
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Sprague, Brcokline, Mass.
'FAULKNER FARM."
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
its chief purpose, it is situated so near the house that the architect
has naturally made it exceedingly attractive and serviceable in a
number of minor ways by means of walks, seats, fountains and the
like. In this and in other respects the garden has many subordinate
features of interest, not the least of them being the quantity of
beautiful furniture, which has been collected in Italy and appro-
priately placed in different parts of the garden and grounds. It is
characteristic of Mr. Platt's work, however, that such detail is kept
absolutely in its place, and that the design is interesting chiefly be-
cause its large dispositions, which, although indicated by the require-
ments of the site, are combined into a well-composed whole.
204
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
In the estate of "Weld" also, the house already existed and the
desire of the owner was to have the grounds around his house
effectively treated, but the nature of the site was so absolutely dif-
ferent that a wholly different treatment was required. The house
was situated on the top of a denuded hill, open to a large view on
all sides, except that adjoining the house. The dimensions of the
flower garden were determined by the size of the hill, and its char-
acter by the fact that the identity of the garden could be main-
tained only by shutting off the great expanse of landscape from the
salient points of view within the garden. At the same time, of
ENTRANCE TO THE GARDEN OF "FAULKNER FARM" FROM THE DRIVEWAY.
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Sprague, Brrokline, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
course, since it was this landscape, which itself had determined the
site of the existing house, it could not be entirely shut off. These
several requirements of a satisfactory design were met by a scheme,
which included three levels within the garden, and on the highest
level, an architectural enclosure, which was sufficient to shut off
the landscape from mall of the garden, but left it open to a person
standing on the upper walks. The illustration on page 206 gives
5ome idea of these several levels, and of the enclosing parapet on
the side of the garden. When on the upper walks in the neighbor-
hood of the gazebos, any elaboration of detail, which would distract
the attention from the distant landscape has been purposely
omitted, whereas within the garden its sunken position has enabled
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
205
the architect to enrich the chief points of view with a great deal of
appropriate and beautiful furniture. The actual plan of the garden
is almost square ; but these not altogether happy dimensions have
been cleverly dissembled by a mall along its central line, which
serves to give it the appearance of length. Owing to its location
and its necessary enclosure, the dominant effect of the garden is
VIEW ALONG THE PARAPET FROM THE END OP THE PERGOLA
THE GARDEN OP "FAULKNER FARM."
Estate of Mrs. C. L. Sprague, Brookline, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
architectural, but this architectural effect will in the course of time
be more and more softened and subdued by the growth of the
shrubbery within the garden.
IV.
In all the examples of Mr. Platt's work considered hitherto, the
houses were built either of wood or stucco, or else were erected
before the design of the garden and its surrounding was placed in
206
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
SI
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
207
208
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
H
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PI. ATT.
209
H ^
2IO
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
his hands. When he proposed, however, to design a brick dwell-
ing, which occurred, of course, early in his professional career, he
was unable to refer so immediately to Italian precedents as he had
done in the foregoing examples. The Italians themselves had built
mostly in stone or stucco, and their domestic architecture did not
offer any original suggestions as to the treatment of such a material
as brick. It was natural consequently that he should under such
circumstances look for his models to the adaptations which had
been made of the Italian forms by the brick building peoples of
Northern Europe. The English in particular have liked to build
their country residences of brick, and the design of these residences
"GLEN ELSINORE," THE GARDEN OF MRS. R. M. CLARK.
Pomfret, Conn.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
ever since the end of the i6th century has been profoundly modified
if not entirely determined by the Italian Renaissance villa, so that
it was in the English brick version of the Renaissance that he sought
the forms of his brick dwellings.
Among the different phases of English brick domestic archi-
tecture, Mr. Platt has preferred those of the best period of the
English Renaissance. The Jacobean house was mediaeval in its
plan, its most important members, and in the spirit of its composi-
tion. It borrowed from the Italian Rennaissance only certain
decorative details of its exterior and interior. Not until the end
of the i/th century were the great English houses designed in the
classic forms, and with something of the classic spirit, and even
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT. 2 II
"GLEN ELSINORE," THE GARDEN OF MRS. R. M. CLARK.
Pomfret, Conn. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
212
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PL ATT.
213
214
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
then the plan of these houses showed little of the Italian influence
of the Italian preference for "bland vistas" throughout the dif-
ierent rooms. It is on the earliest and best of these English Re-
naissance houses, such as the newer portions of Hampton Court,
that Mr. Platt has apparently depended for the tradition of brick
architecture, which he has adopted ; and the suggestions which he
has derived from these buildings should be distinguished from the
later Georgian dwelling and its American Colonial prototype. The
Georgian and Colonial dwellings were frequently bourgeois in
their atmosphere. They were built more often in small towns
LOGGIA OF "HARLAKENDEN HALL."
Residence of Winston Churchill, Cornish, N. H.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
and in the suburbs than actually in the country ; they were gener-
ally of modest dimensions, and particularly in this country were
seldom enhanced by any architectural treatment of the site. What
we chiefly mean by the Colonial dwelling, consequently, was a stiff
unpretentious style, whose greatest merit consisted in its excellent
proportions, but whose highest effect did not go beyond a certain-
correct respectability of demeanor. Only in certain details did
they obtain any elegance and distinction, and such details were
only sparingly used, because their owners were generally well-to-
do, middle-class merchants too conscious of their position ever to
compete with the gentry.
THE U'ORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
215
As the earlier English houses showed, however, there was noth-
ing necessarily either prim or bourgeois about the characteristic
forms of the English Renaissance. These forms, when used for
large buildings, were, perhaps, more frequently embodied in stone
than in brick, and there has been a tendency for the brick dwelling,
particularly in the detail, to become timid and wear an excessively
modest and reticent appearance. Nevertheless, there is no reason
DOORWAY OPENING ON THE TERRACE OF "HARLAKENDEN HALL."
Residence of Winston Churchill, Cornish, N. H. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
why the Renaissance forms, characteristic of the style, should not,
even in brick, become as frankly and boldly expressive of a high
and cultivated manner of living as they did during the Renaissance.
They were used in the i8th century by people with a considera-
able sense of form, social and architectural, but without much
freedom and flexibility of imagination, and it is capable of assum-
ing very different merits, whenever these Renaissance houses are
2l6 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
built for people of wider social horizon, and are designed by archi-
tects who can make their style both positive and discreet. There
is certainly no lack either of freedom or discretion about Mr. Platt's
adaptation of English brickwork. The five examples of brick
dwellings illustrated in this number differ considerably both from
each other and from the originals, and these differences, while due
in one case to the scale of the house, have been also brought about
by flexibly adapting the house to the site, by the free use of ad-
ditional members such as the loggias, nicely subordinated to the
general design, by the careful study of the proportions and the
THE COURT OF "HARLAKENDBN HALL" AND ITS APPROACH.
This court Is to be completed oy the erection of Iron gates.
Residence of Winston Churchill, Cornish, N. H. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
detail, and wherever possible by an elaborate architectural treat-
ment of the surroundings.
While the grounds around all of these brick houses have received
attention from their architect, flower gardens are in several in-
stances lacking; and in at least one of these instances, it is lack-
ing because the site of the house restricted the opportunities of
placing a garden in any proper relation to the building. The resi-
dences both of Dr. A. C. Cabot and Mr. Winston Churchill are
situated in the woods, so that the views therefrom, looking toward
the chief points of interest in the landscape, have had to be cut
through the trees. In the case of the Churchill place, there is in
addition, no level ground upon which a garden could be placed,
while the garden of Dr. Cabot is limited to some beds on each
side of a mall, forming a foreground for a long vista through the
woods. North Farm, on the other hand, is situated in a compara-
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
ffi .a
tn
H '3
218
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
219
tively flat country with a view of Narragansett Bay on one side, and
an extremely interesting plantation on the other. The problem of
putting this plantation into shape was largely one of elimination
and grading ; but advantage has been taken of rows of trees to get
them on axe with the principal vista of the house, so that the house
might appear to have been there when the trees were planted.
Of all the estates, which Mr. Platt has designed, the place in
which the conditions appear to have been most favorable is
Maxwell Court, and the result is correspondingly complete and
happy implying that the architect could dispose of abundant
resources, and had the opportunity of designing the layout of the
THE LIVING ROOM IN THE RESIDENCE OF DR. A. C. CABOT.
Cherry Hill, Canton, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
whole estate, including the architecture of the house and the disposi-
tion of the garden. The building itself is the most imposing resi-
dence, which has issued from Mr. Platt's office and the whole archi-
tectural treatment is nicely adapted to the ampler dimensions and
the more impressive scale of the estate. Stone, for instance, is
used much more freely in the trimmings of the house ; and such
features as the loggia and the terrace suggest rather the frank and
brave display of certain Italian houses than the somewhat timorous
under-statement of the majority of Georgian dwellings. The whole
place is both eminently domestic in its atmosphere, and yet emi-
nently effective in a high, fine, firm style.
Maxwell Court is situated on an abrupt hillside, with a distant
landscape counting as an essential condition of the planning both
22O
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE ENTRANCE TO THE RESIDENCE OF DR. A. C. CABOT.
Cherry Hill, Canton, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
221
of the house and garden. On the side of the terrace the problem
is similar to that of Faulkner Farm, and the terrace has been de-
signed chiefly as the place, from which the view is to be seen ; but on
the side of the garden the conditions are necessarily the reverse.
The garden of Faulkner Farm was, as stated above, pushed into
a grove of oaks, which constituted the background of the architec-
tural boundary of the garden at that end. At Maxwell Court, on
the other hand, the pergola is disengaged from any background of
foliage, and a beautiful and extensive landscape is visible from it,
and in a modified way from the rest of the garden. The pergola,
however, has been designed particularly to frame the view, and to
DINING-ROOM, RESIDENCE OP DR. A. C. CABOT.
Cherry Hill, Canton, Mass. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
reduce it to a scale commensurate with that of the garden. Con-
sequently, the columns have been left open at the back, instead of
being closed as at Faulkner Farm, and at the same time this end of
the garden has been purposely made less attractive in detail so that
there shall be no features of subordinate interest to distract the
attention from the major interest of the landscape. While the ef-
fect of this treatment might be said to hurt the appearance of the
landscape from the house, because the pergola is situated in the
direct line of vision, yet the disposition is really one which enhances
the value of the view as one of the beauties of the estate, just be-
cause this view cannot be seen at its best except from the pergola.
The consciousness that the landscape is there tempts one to the
222
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
"MAXWELL COURT," RESIDENCE OF ROBERT MAXWELL.
Rockville, Conn. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT. 223
HALLWAY OF "MAXWELL COURT."
Residence of Robert Maxwell, Rockville, Conn. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
224
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
225
226
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
227
end of the garden, so as to see it the better ; and when the garden
is crossed for this purpose the view as framed by the pergola is a
sufficient reward for the trouble.
V.
Before passing to a consideration of the general quality of Mr.
Platt's work there are two other buildings illustrated herewith,
which deserve individual mention. The special interest of these
buildings consists in the fact that they are, neither of them, private
dwellings and consequently show the issue of Mr. Platt's methods
THE GARDEN OF "MAXWELL COURT."
Residence of Robert Maxwell, Rockville, Conn.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
and power of design in other classes of buildings. Of these the
more important is the dining and bathing pavilions erected
for Mr. Charles M. Schwab at Richmond Beach Park,
Staten Island. As is well known Mr. Schwab purchased some years
ago a very available stretch of beach on Staten Island, with many
acres of park land back of it, in order to make a marine playground
for the poor children of New York during the summer months. For
the purpose of carrying out this plan a building was needed, in
which a thousand children could be fed, and which would also sup-
ply office and living accommodations for the staff of permanent
employees required for the administration of the charity; and the
228
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
structure which Mr. Platt has designed for these requirements is
one of the most original and brilliant, as well as one of the most
beautiful of his achievements. It consists of a long colonnade,
open both on the sea and the land side, and finished at the end
by two pavilions. The pavilion to the left is used for offices and
living rooms ; the pavilion to the right for the pantry, kitchen and
the like. The tables for the luncheon to be served to the children
will be placed in the space enclosed by the colonnade. This arrange-
ment is not only as convenient as any other, and gives the children a
cool and spacious place in which to eat, but it has the great ad-
THE LIVING ROOM OF "MAXWELL COURT."
Residence of Robert Maxwell, Rockville, Conn. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
vantage of affording a platform from which all the beauties of the
situation and all the amusements, which the beach and the play-
ground afford, are centered and composed. The outlook toward
the sea is entirely free and unembarrassed, as is the outlook on the
land side a fine stretch of green grass, the waters of a lake
and beyond the trees and sky. The children can see everything
while eating their lunch, and can run off thereafter, wheresoever
they please, without unnecessary confusion, impediment or delay.
The composition of the building itself is compact, without being in
the least stiff. The impression it produces is of a dignity corre-
sponding with the almost institutional nature of the charity, yet
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
229
it is also gracious, and within the colonnade, the effect is even
gay and exhilarating. Its gracious and hospitable aspect will of
course, be very much enhanced, as soon as the shrubs, vines and
trees, which are an important part of the plan, have been planted
and have reached a sufficient growth.
The other special building to which attention should be particu-
larly directed is the Rockville Public Library. The small Ameri-
can public libraries have tended to assume, unfortunately, some-
thing of the character of sarcophagi, and have been about as far as
possible from presenting an inviting appearance to prospective
DINING-ROOM OF "MAXWELL COURT."
Residence of Robert Maxwell, Rockville, Conn.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
readers. The architects of these buildings have habitually over-
looked the partly domestic character which a small building devoted
to the storing, distribution and reading of books should assume,
and have designed little school pieces of institutional architecture.
In the case of the Rockville Library the design conforms strictly,
too strictly, to the institutional type. It is a classic, marble build-
ing, situated high above the street, and approached by a broad
flight of steps. But while there might have been more propriety
in a more modest material and style, the building is none the less
a peculiarly successful, and in its way appropriate essay in classic
230
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
231
232
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
233
c
3
>-(
>
<
h
o
X,
234
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
design. The marble possesses fortunately an exceptionally warm
and lively grain and color ; the scale of the detail is admirably bold
and telling; and the design itself, while as tight as a classic design
must and should be, is still opened up and relieved by the large,
round-arched windows and the small panes of glass. These win-
dows help to give the building something of the inviting aspect,
which, as we have said, is the dominant effect, which a small library
building should possess. At the same time, they suggest an ar-
rangement of the interior which, for a library building of this size,
constitutes a desirable innovation viz., the use of the available
space in order to obtain one spacious, well-lighted reading-room.
The usual plan has been to make the doorway enter upon a lobby,
with a small reading-room on each side ; but in the Maxwell library
THE BATHING PAVILION.
Richmond Beach Park, Staten Island.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
one enters immediately into a handsome domed room, of sufficient
dimensions to render possible an effective architectural and color
treatment. The necessary division between the general reading-
room and that intended for children is obtained by the placing of
a screen at one end, after the manner of the old English halls.
VI.
Early in this paper I mentioned the consistency of Mr. Platt's
work, as one of its marked characteristics a consistency that has
been brought about both by the careful personal study, which he
has bestowed upon his designs, and by an insistent temperamental
demand for a quality in style which may be best described as the
classic quality. The use of this phrase in relation to Mr. Platt's
work is, however, open to misinterpretation, because the classic
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
235
quality means a very different quality to different people; and to
remove this ambiguity, the sense in which Mr. Platt's designs may
be said to possess the classic quality must be carefully defined.
As applied to modern work the word "classic" has practically
come to mean one or all of several methods of sacrificing archi-
tectural propriety and individuality to some kind of rigid and ir-
relevant formality of design. This use of the word has its justifica-
tion in the character of most of the neo-classic buildings erected
during the last century. The adoption by the architect, particularly
the American architect, of the classic forms, has generally placed
upon his imagination a charge which distinctly he could not afford
to pay ; and while this charge has not always left him bankrupt, it
Rockville, Conn.
THE MAXWELL MEMORIAL LIBRARY.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
has frequently left him artistically very poverty-stricken. Some
architects have used the classic forms in order to obtain at any
cost a grandiose and stately effect. Others have tried with much
assiduity and care to avoid this pretentious and florid inconse-
quence, but have succeeded only in imparting a cold reticence to
their buildings, and an inconspicuous refinement to the detail. It
has seemed at times that the attempt, not merely to use the classic
forms, but to obtain the classic quality, could not result at its best
in anything better than an impersonal impeccability of design.
The consequence naturally is that in the minds of many people
an antagonism has been created between any suggestion of class-
icism in architecture and the use of those styles which lend them-
selves more easily to free personal expression. The classical is
236
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE U'ORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
237
2 3 8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
identified with the unnatural and the inappropriate, while other
styles which break freely into picturesque forms are supposed to
possess the original personal and vernacular quality. The archi-
tect who purveys the classical thing is considered to have sacrificed
his chances of individual expression to a lifeless architectural con-
vention, which even if sincerely and intelligently adopted, con-
demns him to a mere frigid correctness of design.
It may be said in favor of this statement of the antagonism be-
tween the classical and the personal quality in architecture, that it
is assuredly much easier to imprint a personal stamp upon the so-
Detroit, Mich.
GARDEN OF THE YONDOTEGA CLUB.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
called freer architectural forms than upon those forms which have
been derived directly or indirectly from classical antiquity ; but al-
though it is easier to handle the more fluid forms and although a
smaller talent can use them without incurring the same heavier
penalties in case of failure, it is absurd to identify the free use of
these fluid forms exclusively with the personal quality in archi-
tectural design. If the personal quality is more conspicuous, when
embodied in such forms, it is only because this quality is obtained
under such conditions at a smaller cost. To give a personal note to
a classical composition requires more careful study and a more
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
239
RESIDENCE OF FRANK CHENEY, JR.
South Manchester, Conn. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
strictly architectural imagination, and, when achieved, the result,
as we shall see, is of higher value.
Disregarding for the moment the relation between structure and
design, the classic quality in design is, so far as appearance goes,
the strictly architectural quality the quality which makes for
completeness of form. It is an utterly different thing from the im-
personal impeccability of design, with which it is frequently identi-
fied. Every architect who has been thoroughly trained should un-
derstand the value of the different elements which make up an archi-
tectural composition the value of mass, of proportion, of scale,
MANTELPIECE IN THE LIVING ROOM,
Residence of Frank Cheney, Jr. South Manchester, Conn. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
and of light and shade. Such understanding goes to the making of
the classic quality in style; but an additional gift is needed which is
nevertheless the whole thing. This additional gift may be defined
a? the ability completely to compose these elements to give meas-
ure and balance to the whole design, so that every part of the build-
ing, every condition of its use and site will contribute to a single,
consistent and appropriate effect. This quality is in a sense inde-
pendent of the models from which the actual forms are borrowed.
It may be as present in a Jacobean manor house as in an Italian
palace. While an architect may and should have his well-founded
preferences, the most important point is not that certain special
forms should be used, but that the strictly architectural merit of
THE U'ORK OF CHARLES A. PLATT.
241
complete form should be resident in the building and should be
the constructive influence dominating expression, materials,
proportions and style.
Of course, this classic quality in design is not the whole thing. It
is the quality, which rather helps an architect to work out an idea
than helps him to originate one ; but it is no paradox to say that
at the present stage of American architectural development the
man, who can work out good architectural ideas with success plays a
more useful part than the man, who has more originality but less
power of patiently achieving the full effect of his conception. Every
successful solution of an architectural problem must be the result of
some power of original vision, because every architectural problem
RESIDENCE OF FRANK CHENEY, JR.
South Manchester, Conn.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
has to satisfy peculiar conditions ; but as long as an American archi-
tect is sufficiently flexible in his working ideas to meet a new prob-
lem with a new solution, he need not bother himself about any
other kind of originality. His effort and purpose should rather be
to develop most conscientiously the ideas of which he is possessed
and the forms which he has mastered, so that his buildings will
possess the quality of technical completeness of formal perfection.
Mr. Platt's work embodies this ideal of technical completness
and formal perfection to a very unusual extent. The exhaustive
personal consideration which every problem submitted to him re-
ceives, and his distinct gift for the proprieties of form stamp his de-
signs with a certain individual elegance of style. That Mr. Plait's
work should have assumed this character is all the more remark-
242
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
able, because Mr. Platt started his work as a painter of landscapes,
and would naturally, it might be supposed, have had a leaning to-
wards picturesque as compared to formal design. But just as he was
too well-informed a painter to seek for picturesque landscapes, so
he is too well-informed an architect not to discern the artificiality
of merely picturesque houses. The picturesque idea is not pic-
torial ; it is not architectural ; it is literary. In its own way it pro-
STAIRWAY IN THE RESIDENCE OF FRANK CHENEY, JR.
South Manchester, Conn. Chas. A. Platt, Architect.
duces as much architectural impropriety as does the most frigid
classicism. There can be no propriety of form, and not very much
real individuality of style without the formal completeness and con-
sistency, which I have described as the classic quality in design.
The peculiar value then of Mr. Platt's work consists of this union
of completeness of form with propriety of effect. At a time when
much conscientious architectural designing is spoiled by irrelevant
THE WORK OF CHARLES A. PL ATT.
243
244
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ideas and an erroneous point of departure, he stands for the thor-
oughgoing and successful application of pertinent ideas. The great
need of American architecture is not individuality but style the
style that comes from the sympathetic use of the most appropriate
historic models. For without this general sense of style, it will be
impossible to establish a good tradition of form ; and in the ab-
sence of such a tradition of form architectural design cannot escape
from an anarchy of invention and imitation, which does and will
sterilize so much well-intentioned effort. This general sense of style
"NORTH FARM," THE RESIDENCE OF HOWARD L. CLARK.
Bristol, R. I.
Chas. A. Platt, Architect
is both communicable and constructive. It constitutes good types
with which people can become familiar, and which become estab-
lished as standards in the popular mind. The more familiar, and
consequently, the less numerous these types are, the better; and
the individual architect should voluntary submit to the limitation of
such established types, so that both he and his clients may have
the guidance of a local architectural tradition. Since the best work
in architecture cannot be accomplished, unless such types can be
taken for granted, an architect, who, like Mr. Platt, persistently and
successfully endeavors to domesticate a thoroughly good type is
making a valuable contribution to American architectural progress.
Herbert Croly.
THE PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE.
history of the Hotel de Yille is the history of Paris. Its
origin and the first feeble attempts at municipal organiza-
tion are lost in the stormy, illiterate days of the Middle Ages, in
so far as written records are concerned ; for little more than re-
mote traditions of the infancy of ancient Lutetia can now be found
in the old chronicles. Still, at the time of Roman supremacy,
when the Thermes of Julian flourished, of which some traces re-
main at the Musee de Cluny, when Roman Lutetia was covered
with temples and statues of the gods of Mythology, a municipal
building existed for the assemblies of those ancient councillors ;
but the exact spot where it stood has long been forgotten. Under
the Prankish, kings such an edifice also existed for the meetings
of the Pdiles. Ages ago Germain de Brice wrote as follows : "The
Hotel de Ville of Paris stood at a remote period in the Isle du
Palais beside the river ; some remains of this ancient structure
were formerly visible in the Rue d'Enfer (long since disappeared)
near to the Church of Notre Dame, which shows that it was not
important; so another site had to be found."
It is also unknown at what exact elate this first "Parloir des
Bourgeois" wa? replaced by another house that was selected in
the St. Jaques quarter near to the monastery of the Jacobins, which
was formerly situated there. But as the tide of civic and commer-
cial life flowed to the right bank of the Seine, the "Parloir des Bour-
geois" was compelled to be "in the movement," as the French say.
The old home of the burgesses in the Rue des Gres was abandoned,
and a new place of assembly was established in the Valee de
Misere, near to the Great Chatelet, and close to the whilom little
church dedicated to St. Leuffroi. At last, in the year 1357, the
"Prevot des Marchands," Etienne Marcel, acquired a building in
the name of the city, situated on the Place de Greve. It was known
as the "Maison des Piliers." This house was transformed into
the new "Parloir des Bourgeois." Nevertheless, it became, ere
long, insufficient for the requirements of the civic dignitaries of
that period, for less than two centuries afterwards in 1529 the
municipal corporation obtained leave from Francis I. to buy sev-
eral neighboring houses in order to enlarge the city hall.
On July 1 5th, 1553, the first stone was laid of the building that
was henceforth to be called the Hotel de Ville, and which has
survived until recently, notwithstanding many additions and en-
largements. Operations of reconstruction were carried on from
1837 to 1846, but still the principal facade and the two-pavilions
were preserved.
i
246
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE OLD HOTEL, DE VILLE, PARIS.
(From an old print.)
THE PARIS HOTEL DE FILLE.
247
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248
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
02
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THE PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE.
250 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
The Place de Greve was the forum of the Parisians, for here
Marcel, the famous "Prevot des Marchands," harranged the peo-
ple, and Charles the Bad and the Regent, later Charles V., came
at times to excite the passions of the populace. In those early
days there stood an old stone cross on the Quai Pelletier, border-
ing the Place de Greve. Before this cross prisoners who had been
condemned to death, knelt and said their prayers before being ex-
ecuted. Heretics, Huguenots, supposed sorcerers and sorcer-
esses, and criminals among them the famous Cartouche suffered
death there in hundreds. During the Revolution the guillotine
daily claimed victims.
The law of the 28th Pluviose, An. VIII. (1799), brought into the
hands of the Prefect of the Seine the administration of the De-
partment of the City of Paris, with an exceptional organization
made complete by a general council and municipal council. In
proposing the amount required for the reconstruction of the Hotel
de Ville after the war of 1870-71, a writer remarked: "This great
organization for the government of Paris should be reflected in
the magnificence and grandeur of the edifice."
It would be impossible in the space at my disposal to enter fully
into the details of the architecture and decoration of the seat of
the government of Paris before its destruction during those ter-
rible days in May, 1871 the closing hours of the Commune. I
can remember, though a mere child at that time, the death struggle
in the streets of Paris between the remnants of the insurgents
fighting at bay behind their barricades against the overflowing
tide of the columns of the Versailles troops. I can hear once more
the roll of the drums and at times a bugle call as the soldiers
pressed on from street to boulevard. Now and then the patter of
musketry told that the "Federes" were still holding out in some
of the central parts of old Paris, and when night fell a ghastly
glimmer lighted the shroud of darkness that hung like a pall,
mingled with the smoke of battle, over the dead strewing the
thoroughfares of the fated city. It was their funeral pyre. The
light grew in intensity until the majestic capital stood forth clear-
ly in the glare of the conflagration like an unearthly vision. Pe-
troleum, like "Greek fire" of old, had done its terrible work of
destruction. The flames rolled onwards before the night breeze
like the waves of the ocean, and leaping fitfully upwards in angry
tongues of fire scattered cascades of sparks and embers. The
waters of the Seine seemed turned by the reflection of the appalling
scene into molten gold, and the greatest edifices of Paris burnt
on throughout that night like torches. When all was over, noth-
ing remained of many of these structures but their skeletons, while
others lay in heaps of ruins. Of the Hotel de Ville there survived
THE PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE. 251
only the outside walls, scathed and calcined by fire, but too massive
in their solid masonry to fall. Such was the fate of the Hotel de
Ville, the embodiment of the history and traditions of the city.
It would evidently be beyond the scope of a magazine ar-
ticle to write a full description of the art-treasures, the mural
decorations, statues, and frescoes and other ornamentations of
the former home of the ediles of the city before 1871. The rich-
ness of the interior was very remarkable; and a passing notice
may be given of the allegorical ceilings by Ingres, the frescoes of
Vaucheter, and the masterly work of Delacroix. This magnificent
HOTEL, DE VILLE, PARIS.
(Staircase leading to the Prefect's departments.)
ceiling in the painter's best style represented Peace a female
figure reclining upon clouds, and watching the return of Plenty,
accompanied by a procession of the Muses. The "Salon de I'Em-
pereur" was a sumptuous hall richly decorated and devoted to the
glorification of the Empire with, among others, a celebrated mural
painting showing the Great Napoleon, figuratively, leaving St.
Helena, and rising above the clouds to immortality. Of the nu-
merous statues by noted masters to perpetuate the memory of dis-
tinguished citizens of Paris, only a few can be recalled. There is
a long list, beginning with the great tribune of the people, Etienne
Marcel, and descending almost to the present time : Jean Goujon,
252
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE GRAND STAIRCASE. HOTEL DE VILLE, PARIS.
V
THE PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE.
253
the sixteenth century sculptor, the disciple of Michael Angelo ;
Boileau, Moliere, La Reynie, the lieutenant of Louis XIV. ; Vol-
taire, Condorcet, the Abbe de 1'Epee, and Levoisier, such are a
few of the names selected from many. A number of these statues
were restored, others replaced on the rebuilding of the edifice after
the Commune. The work began about 1873, after several plans
had b^en discussed, and the new Hotel de Ville was completed on
a scale of greater magnificence than ever, for the ceremony of
inauguration took place only in 1882. It is constructed in the
style of the Renaissance, and the architecture is very, rich and or-
namental. This palatial structure is rectangular in form, with four
HOTEL DE VILLE, PARIS MUNICIPAL COUNCIL CHAMBER.
facades facing respectively the Place de 1'Hotel de Ville, the Rue
de Rivoli, the Place Lobau, and the quay on the Seine. In the
gardens opposite the apartments of M. de Selves, the Prefect of
the Seine, there stands an interesting bronze statue of Etienne
Marcel ; while the three courts, ornamented with the statues of
Parisian celebrities present a striking and beautiful appearance.
Note the admirable entrance and staircase with equestrian statue
leading to the official apartments of that high state functionary ;
then the Cabinet of the Prefect, with its paintings, its crystal cande-
labrum and carved ceiling. The Salle des Seances or the Assembly
Room, with the President's raised seat, the orators' tribune, and the
254 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
HOTEL DE VILLB, PARIS SALLE HENRI IV.
This apartment contains a ceiling by Bonnat, and ceilings by Besnard and Jules Le-
fevre; also numerous panels on the wall by Buland, Berton, Lay rand, Robert Fleury,
Francais Pierre Vauthler, etc.
77/7- PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE.
255
MANTELPIECE IN THE SALON DES SCIENCES, HOTEL DE VILLE.
256
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
c 3
THE PARIS HOTEL Dll VILLE
257
258
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
richly carved ceiling will interest the visitor, for here the councillors
of Paris assemble with their President, the meetings often being
lively and the discussions stormy. The library is more austere in
decoration ; but the Cabinet of the President of the Council General,
with pictures and draperies and the handsome Empire writing-table,
is certainly an elegant and comfortable retreat for that dignitary.
The top of the staircase leading to the apartment of the Prefect,
the marble steps, the finely ornamental balustrade, the pillars, carv-
ings and statues, ensconced in niches, are most rich in ornament
HOTEL DE VILLE, PARIS THE VESTIBULE.
and very imposing. The Salle des Prevots with its rows of col-
onnades might be thought almost oriental in inspiration with its
arabesques, the delicate tracery of Moorish architecture, such
as may be seen at the Alhambra at Grenada, with its light,
airy aspect. But, perhaps, the Hotel de Vilh at night is the most
effective, nay wonderful sight ; when one of those brilliant and gor-
geous balls are given in the magnificent Salle des Fetes, on the
first floor, facing the Place Lobau. On these occasions (a reception
or a ball) many of the notabilities of the city are present with their
families, for these entertainments are on a vast scale, sometimes
several thousand persons being invited. To witness the procession
of carriages drive up to the main entrance ; and the spectacle of the
THE PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE.
259
toilettes, the decorations, the uniforms, the staircase covered by
the moving throng, the brilliant illumination of the entire building
is a sight long to be remembered.
A few words in conclusion. When the Roman Catholic Church,
representing the Royalists of France, decided to build on the
heights of Montmartre, a magnificent cathedral, and poured its
millions (out of the pockets of the poor, for the most part) into the
fund for the erection of the Sacre-Coeur, now towering over the
city like a menace to the New Republic the Republicans of Paris
HOTEL DE VILLE THE LIBRARY.
built their fine city hall. Situated on the spot where the most revo-
lutionary events took place, it is, in a manner, a rival building to
the collosal structure on Montmartre. The Republicans of Paris
in having their seat of Government decorated by such artists as De-
taille and Willette and Cheret intend to make the Hotel de Ville to
Parisians what Versailles was to the Royalists.
J. D'Arcy Morrell
260
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
"LORAMOOR," ESTATE OF JAS. HOBART MOORE, ESQ.,
LAKE GENEVA, WISCONSIN.
IN discussing country houses and measuring their merits,
a special attitude must be assumed in judging them. It is special
because in criticizing other types of building, we do not find so
prominent the one element which enters largely into the problem
of the country house. There are, of course, buildings of a very dif-
ferent nature from the domestic of which we are speaking, that
press very similar points for solution, but the methods pursued in
solving them differ widely, which leaves them out of our present
argument. Broadly considering the matter and arriving at the
main point directly, it is plain that unlike other buildings, a country
house demands .of the architect the consideration of something
more than strictly architectural conditions.
The architect is shown a plot of ground in the country whereon
his client desires a dwelling erected for the purpose of living dur-
ing the summer months, and of having at all times a place to re-
treat for rest and recreation. This primary reason of his client's
desire to build a house, the desire to get away from the restric-
tions of city life, should be the guiding note of the architect's efforts.
That there should be few reminders of city conditions embodied in
the establishments built in the country is only the fulfillment of the
very important law of fitness, as fundamental in architecture as it is
in everything else. Of all things, the particular question of pro-
priety in design relative to existing and proposed environment, ap-
plies here with doubled force. The right-minded architect will
readily recognize this supreme necessity, because he himself feels
it. It is a thing characteristic of the problem connected with the
building of country establishments, in that it offers the architect an
unusual latitude for expression. It does not confine him strictly
to architectural considerations, but in, addition it gives him a chance
to show his appreciation of the picturesque. This opportunity
thrills him, perhaps, to an extent that may be paralleled in the emo-
tions of a painter upon viewing a beautiful subject for a landscape
composition. He should not allow his architectural lore to emas-
culate his original picturesqueness of conception. If he does so it
may be because he is insensible to the true motive of all art, or per-
haps, because he has been over-educated. Excessive knowledge of
architectural history may be responsible for the great number of
stereotyped buildings that are built now-a-days. There is too much
"Academy" architecture; too much so-called "Classic" that is in-
8
262
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
discriminately stuck everywhere regardless of conditions ; too much
school and too little individualism ; too much tradition and not
enough originality ; too much of the profession and not enough of
the man. If the poetical spirit is driven out of architecture by com-
mercialism in the city, there is still, happily, enough of it possible in
this interesting subject of building country houses; and the archi-
tect of a constitution susceptible to the impressions, which the very
nature of such problems must give and necessarily impel him to
regard in his work, is certainly to be congratulated, for he is then
an artist.
To be less speculative let us turn to a comparison. An object
THE PIAZZA OF "LORAMOOR."
The estate of J. H. Moore, at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Jarvis Hunt, Architect.
lesson of unusual force on the question of right attitude towards the
problem was afforded the writer in a recent visit to Lake Geneva in
Wisconsin. One of the houses, figuring in the issue is "Loramoor"
which we are presently to describe, and the other is a conspicuous
classic dwelling in the same neighborhood. Strangely enough these
two houses are alone among the many in this district in their pre-
tentions to architectural merit. The two drawn into comparison
cannot fail to impress the beholder that Mr. Hunt, the architect of
"Loramoor," designed his building with a spirit much more appro-
priate that that displayed in the other extremely formal and aca-
demic house. We can note immediatelv how the one architect
"LORAMOOR." 263
carefully considered what his trust meant and how accurately he
surveyed the whole situation, while the other seems to have set at
naught all regard for the site of his building, with the result that we
find a cold-looking, severely uncongenial design staring out from
the east shore, like a figure of pride disdaining the sympathy which
it cannot get. Credit may be due to the architect, for a clean-cut
piece of interesting stone work, but none is certainly due him for
the manner in which he handled the problem intrusted to him. If
the house stood upon some level tract of country, with a broad ex-
panse of green on all sides, affording a ground for formal gardens
and broad terraces, the house would appear to better advantage.
The lines of the house, contemplated alone, are not bad ; its size is
generous, perhaps impressive, but it is totally out of harmony with
the natural wealth of the country, on the shores of this beautiful
lake. This law of fitness, which involves the relationship of build-
ings with their environment, will not bear violations, except they be
tempered with the subtle art, like the Italian palaces.
"At Loramoor" we see how frankly and earnestly the architect
set to work to add telling strokes, as it were, to an already inter-
esting picture, making it virile and human ; and should it be asked,
if a man can be a poet with bricks, mortar and tile ; if he can ex-
press his regard for the beautiful fully as deeply through the me-
dium of his workers in these materials as a man can through the
offices of verse and music ; if he can in wielding these bulky me-
diums tell a story .as effectively as a painter with his brush, a re-
sponse strongly to the affirmative will come from the collection of
buildings, comprising the estate of Mr. Jas. Hobert Moore on the
south shore. Arriving at the gate lodge, which is most picturesque,
with a quaint and appropriate symbolism of wide open arms, sug-
gested by its peculiar shape and plan ; the view of the whole grounds
produces a sensation in the beholder that would scarcely be felt if
the buildings had not so much of earnest sympathy with their sur-
roundings. They are one with each other, and all together one
with the whole spirit of the lake. These buildings form a unique
family, and the term "family" is easily appropriate, since their con-
sistency is very striking. All three are more or less alike, the same
materials entering into the composition of them all, and there are
solid reasons for their being designed as they are, particularly the
house and the stable. If time and space permitted, the writer would
be tempted (for the purpose of convincing our radical contempo-
raries) to give certain views on the subject of originality in design,
and its true meaning, but as a limit is set, the pictures alone must
show how much stronger is the conservatism of the buildings at
"Loramoor," contrasted with those architectural contortions of
that school of radical reform, whose aim appears rather to be eccen-
264
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
"LORAMOOR."
265
o
o .
266
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
tricity than beauty. "Loramoor" is a work representing uncom-
monly a sane originality of thought; a work that is permeated
through with the individuality of its architect ; and although he drew
his inspiration from that period in England when her architecture
was undergoing a transition from the old or Gothic to the new or
Renaissance, it is impossible to deprive him of his title to original-
ity. Though candidly reflecting the Elizabethan spirit, almost to
a degree that would lead one to think it bodily transplanted from
England, it will always remain the result of brilliant original
thought. The form of the building, its carefully studied color
STAIRWAY AT "LORAMOOR."
The estate of J. H. Moore, at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Jarvis Hunt, Architect.
values, its cleverly conceived roof lines, nil testify admirably to orig-
inal effort.
Specific description of the house seems scarcely necessary in
view of the photographs reproduced with this article, but a few
points about it may be interesting to know, and will aid the reader
in understanding the whys and wherefores of certain peculiarities
in the design, among which the most notable and the first perhaps
to attract attention is the form of the plan. The V-shape was
adopted, because it met the conditions of the problem best. Lo-
cated on the south shore of the lake, the house, to face the water,
would naturally obtain an undesirable exposure to the north; so
that, as a compromise between giving the best, if not all the rooms,
"LORAMOOR."
267
a prospect out onto the lake ; the benefit of the sun for as many
hours of the day as possible, and the advantage of the best direc-
tion for breezes, the V-form of plan, very obtuse in its angle, was
found available. As the house has been located to assist the plan
in obtaining these advantages, the result is that every room in the
house, from the living room in the first story to the servants' rooms
ir. the third, is afforded a view of the lake. The sun cheers the liv-
ing room, which is in the west wing, all day long, and the dining-
room, which is in the east wing, secures it at breakfast time and
again at dinner ; and as for the rooms upstairs, they all get a sunny
THE BILLIARD ROOM OF "LORAMOOR."
The estate of J. H. Moore, at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Jarvis Hunt, Architect.
exposure, especially those over the living room.. The arrangements
in the plan for securing every available breeze for each room
have also met with great success. Such a plan, too, afforded oppor-
tunities for a design of unusual interest, as the photographs amply
show; and let the reader supplement them by picturing to himself
the pleasing color values that exist in the brick surfaces and the
white plaster bays against them ; and the quaint dormers against a
background of a soft, variegating gray green shingle tile, and these
together, in their quiet harmony, with the tones of the natural
foliage around the house. The architect availed himself of the fine
quality of texture and color in the rainwashed brick, and laid them
268
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
O
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P4
65
2 3
'LORAMOOR."
269
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270
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
"LORAMOOR.
271
d
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272
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
up in thick and deeply raked out mortar joints, making a surface
presenting a beautiful tone between the variegations of soft grays,
quiet blues and dull reds. The effect is extremely picturesque ; and
not a small part of this pleasant effect is due to the soft lines every-
where apparent in the composition. A novel and quaint feature,
perhaps more evident in the Gate lodge than here in the house, is
the careful study made of the roof. All ridges, gable ends, hips
and valleys are tempered with a curve so that the dormers and
gables appear to grow naturally out of the roof. Ordinarily, the
roof of a house is thought of no more than that it is a lid, but at
"Loramoor" the architect perceived the necessity of careful study
of this feature, owing to the fact that the main road leading to the
estate is on a high ridge, and that upon approaching, the roofs of
the buildings are the first to appear in sight. This fact can be seen
in the photograph of the stable, which is taken from this road and
which gives almost a bird's-eye view of the arena.
It would require more space than the editor can allot to describe
adequatelv the interior of this interesting house, which is treated
in Mr. Hunt's characteristic style. Here, again, is that individual-
ity as prominent as it is where we first view it, upon entering the
grounds. Perhaps there are more carvings and mouldings in this
house than Mr. Hunt usually likes, but they are used with
quiet restraint, subdued in all places by his happy faculty for mak-
ing things simple. Color, texture, grain, the inherent beauty of
the material, are first in his respect. In the hall, however, we find
him using Gothic quite freely. This hall is large and of grand pro-
portions, done in quarter-sawed oak and stained black ; the walls
are of rough plaster, stained in an ox-blood color, which funereal
ground is amply enlivened by treating the heavy stair balusters
in white enamel. This contrast, as strong as can be made between
two colors, may strike one as jarring, but this is a mistake that
would be fully realized if one should see the hall itself. At any rate,
this study in black and white did not frighten the architect, for we
notice that this same idea is introduced in the living room, but with
less success, and again in the dining-room where, however, the
light and shade are concentrated, as shall be described. Its use in
the living room, one feels, is not quite as appropriate as in the hall,
and although very much unlike Mr. Hunt, it appears more like an
architectural whim. But there are so few of these light spots, that
they do not detract from if they do not add to the attractive-
ness of the room, which is also done in oak and stained a mouse
gray. The walls are hung with a pale red tapestry. The whole
room, in fact the whole interior, is characterized by an exceedingly
attractive simplicity. The mantel-piece in the nook of this room,
simple as it is, is worth considering because its treatment is typical
"LORAMOOR." 273
of the Hunt idea. The breast is ten feet wide, and only consists of
a plain shelf with brackets supporting it, but the claim to a high
credit is found in the handsome piece of wood above, the surface
of which is unbroken except for a shield carved in the center. Not
only is this a skillful piece of cabinet work, but one of considerable
artistic merit, since the grain is so matched as to make it appear
like one beautiful piece of oak.
Returning through the hall, from the living room, a peep to the
left shows the billiard room and the den, interesting rooms and
highly panelled ; but a greater attraction draws one to the dining-
room. Fortunately, our photograph shows the room as Mr. Hunt
had orginally decorated it. Note the simplicity. It is square and
panelled in a unique fashion about a third way up ; above this is
hung, leather of iridescent green, and then above that is a cove los-
ing itself in the ceiling. The panelling is of oak, of beautiful grain ;
was stained a quiet green originally and the carving of a floral mo-
tive was still further relieved by. a slight illumination, producing a
delightfully original effect ; but through a sacrilege, instigated by a
supposed necessity, the whole of the woodwork was covered with a
white enamel paint, destroying what was the most interesting room
in the house. There is a serving room which contains the serving
table and cupboards arranged as a feature of the dining-room, that
was white enamel, in contrast with the dark of the original scheme
in the dining-room proper, but now this pleasant contrast is re-
duced to a monotony which all white enamel rooms exhibit unless
they are rich in ornamentation or refinement of some kind. The
photographs of the bed chambers are typical of the purpose of the
entire second story. They are all simple, white in finish and dec-
orated in cool colors and interestingly furnished with good old-
fashioned furniture.
It is needless to say that no expense has been spared to make a
good house, which has been done, both in respect to its construction
and its artistic treatment. The house is built of steel and masonry
and is fireproof. In this light it is interesting to speculate on the
fact that what history the place will have ten or so generations
from now will only add to the spirit of romance it even now seems
to reveal.
Charles Bohasscck.
THE SINGER BUILDING AS COMPLETED.
Nos. 5C1-563 Broadway, New York City. Ernest Flagg, Architect.
A RATIONAL SKYSCRAPER.
IN the December number of this magazine, the designers of the
new Blair Building, recently completed in New York City, on
the northwest corner of Broad street and Exchange place, were
praised for an act of deliberate abstention from irrelevancy.
In designing their facade they adopted the novel scheme of a pal-
pable decorative screen in place of adhering to the usual semblance
of a strictly masonry front. The design itself, no doubt, was man-
aged with skill, even with consummate skill, but then, notable as the
building might be from that point of view, excellence of that kind
alone would hardly be sufficient to give it pre-eminence among all
skyscrapers recently erected, for no one will say skill of composi-
tion, ability to put together on Bristol board tasteful and har-
monious arrangements of time-honored architectural forms is so
rare with us as it was a few years ago. In literature, the "diffusion
of penmanship" has been bewailed by Henry James, but in archi-
tecture no one complains because draughtsmanship and "good
taste" the negative discipline have become general commodi-
ties. No ! The great deficiency does not lie in that direction ! The
difficulty is not to get speakers, but to find somebody who has
something of import to say.
Many designers, among the number possibly the designers them-
selves of the very clever Blair Building, will disagree with this
philosophy, and with its implication that there is anything finer than
good design, always meaning by that phrase, design at the surface,
the putting of architectural things together columns, arcades,
mouldings and what not "a string of epithets that improve the
sound without carrying on the sense" in an essentially pictorial
way, to please the eye without reference to the reason. That, at
any rate, has been the method that has ruled in the past, almost
without exception, in the making of the skyscraper, and it is, in
the judgment of a few, the very persistent adherance to that
method by the entire profession that has vitiated all attempts to
deal fundamentally (and in essence that means artistically) with
the problem presented by the high building.
The "problem of the skyscraper" indeed ! Who is there among
our architects that has had courage, we will not say to squarely
face it and strive with it, but even to seriously think about it?
Is there any wonder that whenever the subject comes uppermost,
at convention, or meeting, or elsewhere, among two or among a
hundred, there is inevitably in a short time a shrugging of shoul-
ders and finally a dismissal of the matter as one of the impossibili-
ties of life or shall we say the impertinencies of the client? Throw
it out of window ! That ends it ! And possibly by and by it will
j-f, THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
be placed in the list of subjects tabooed in good professional so-
ciety, like ventilation and acoustics and government architecture,
Perhaps our architects think as Sancho Panza did, "Recommend
the matter to Providence ; 'twill be sure to give what is most ex-
pedient for thee."
A few have protested, not, indeed, believing that the skyscraper,
with its bald utilitarian purposes and its fixed 5% "projet" affords
the artistic soul the highest empyeran for flight, but nevertheless
convinced that Art cannot fail before any problem that may prop-
erly be assigned to its beneficence without at the same time losing
its ultimate authority in human affairs, and preferring, therefore,
to believe that, in the case of the skyscraper, the artist, rather than
the Art, is at fault at least believing so until the architect has
applied himself to the problem with great veracity than the scene-
painter's, and with more seriousness than the modiste's.
But these were the critics ! They preached of function and logic,
of reason, veracity and thought. What have these to do with archi-
tecture ? Why ! has not the aim of the architect for four hundred
years been to get rid of these incubi, to cleanse the Art of its heav-
ier particles, and make it, as it were, fit for the emasculated energy
of the dilettante, or the quick purposes of the architectural shop?
And if the critics, the protestants, have been few, how much
smaller, alas ! is the band of those who have labored at the high
building problem with any sincerity of soul, sad or otherwise?
So far as the skeleton building is concerned, Louis Sullivan is per-
haps the only architect of marked ability who has addressed him-
self deliberately and sincerely to the discovery of an adequate ex-
pression in architectural terms for the metallic frame. The Pru-
dential Building in Buffalo, N. Y., the Wainwright Building in St.
Louis, and the Bayard Building on Bleecker street, New York City,
are the most conspicuous results of his highly personal and thor-
oughly intelligent effort. If we are restrained by a sense of prose
from the poetics of one of Mr. Sullivan's ardent admirers regard-
ing the Bayard Building: "Rising thus cream-white, maidenlike and
slender, luxuriant in life and joyous as the dawn of wistful spring,
this poem of the modern world will ever daily hail the sun on high
and the plodder below with its ceaseless song of hope, of joy, of
the noble labor of man's hands, of the vast dignity and power of
men's souls a song of true democracy and its goal" ;
we are sure the judgment of the judicious is that Mr. Sullivan's
work is very much superior in originality and force to any other
productions of the same class. If the lyrics of his admirer are
slightly too perfervid for the case, we trust they will at least faintly
indicate the celebration that attends the successful solver of the
problem of the skyscraper.
A RATIONAL SKYSCRAPER 277
It may well be understood, therefore, that it is not the mere
superficial design of the Blair Building, referred to at the outset
of these remarks, extremely skilful though that design is, that
called primarily for attention. The greater significance of that
building lies in the fact that it announces, or at any rate, seems to
announce, that one of our highest authorities in architectural prac-
tice, a firm particularly addicted to the "school" and the "tradi-
tions" have either by a deliberate concession to architectural
veracity or from an effort to reduce architecture to a more direct
expression a "lower term," as the mathematicians say of "pure
design," contributed an important step to the task of bringing the
tall building back to reason, to the logic of its own facts and func-
tions. For, so long as the steel skeleton building simulates ma-
sonry, imitates a construction of strongly differentiated structural
parts, progress beyond the limits of draughtsmanship and the
copy-books is a sheer impossibility. It is, therefore, a great gain,
as in the Blair Building, to get rid, and, moreover, to get rid with
conspicuous success, of the masonry fiction. We may be confident
that so notable a piece of work so generally acclaimed is bound
to be a hint to others, and bring forth imitators, traducers even,
and, may be, improvers. And once let us get set up in front of
our skyscrapers frank facades, mere decorative front walls that
neither express nor conceal the facts of structure, simulate nothing
(but a real Art !) and what more natural and easy further step
can be taken than to turn up one's artistic shirt-sleeves at last and
buckle down to the hard work of making our tall buildings really
say, or as Montgomery Schuyler said, sing something veracious
about themselves?
And curiously, more than curiously, fortunately, as though to
remove this anticipation of ours from the reproach of prophesy,
the Bhir Building was scarcely finished before the outer walls of
a far more revolutionary structure arose to attract attention and,
as it were, fulfill the promise of its predecessor, almost its con-
temporary.
We refer to the Singer Building, situated at Nos. 561 and 563
Broadway, New York City, with a front adjacent on Prince street.
Ernest Flagg, the architect of the New Naval Academy at Annap-
olis, is the designer; and here, again, we are called upon to note
the curious and oossibly significant fact that it is out of Nazareth
that good cometh. Mr. Flagg is one of our notable "Beaux Artists."
His activity and indubitable ability have been centered in the effort
to import into this country the forms and ideas of current French
architecture. Of importers of French modes, we perhaps have
enough ; but Mr. Flagg's distinction is that he has a clear insight
into and a real appreciation of the French mental process of deal-
2 7 8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
1OSMETRIC DRAWING SHOWING DETAILS OF CONSTRUCTION.
Singer Building, Nos. 5G1-5G3 Broadway, New York City. Ernest Flagg, Architect
A RATIONAL SKYSCRAPER.
279
ing with things architectural, its lucidity and directness. The
French forms to which he has hitherto been addicted may perhaps
be regarded more as an accident of his French training than as the
choice of a reasoned and thoroughly worked-out preference ; at
any rate, once the problem of the skyscraper was placed before
him, he sought its solution directly on logical instead of traditional
lines, relying rather upon the "principles" inculcated at the Ecole
than upon any established set of patterns. For, in a sense, this
Singer Building is Mr. Flagg's first skyscraper. The other Singer
Building, lower down on Broadway, for which also he is respon-
sible, is only ten stories high, and, moreover, it is, we believe, of
real masonry construction. A story, we remember, was circulated
at the time when this building was planned, to the effect that Mr.
Flagg was under the bond of a vow, registered somewhere, that he
would never "commit" a real skyscraper. Ten stories were his
limit. Possibly he regarded the crime of designing a tall office
building as one impossible to commit with artistic impunity. Cer-
tainly he was able to figure out to his own satisfaction that build-
ings higher than ten stories did not pay financially they required
protection as to light and air by the purchase of abutting property
that is, they became unremunerative as soon as every other
pirate of air and sunlight committed similar excesses. It is true, the
Bourne Building followed the Singer Building, adjacent to it, and
this was carried up many stories beyond the limit of ten. But who
can be consistent in a world composed of clients? The skyscraper
problem would not "down" even in Mr. Flagg's office. We are
afraid it will not be disposed of anywhere until it has either been
solved artistically by the architect, or until its very existence has
been legally banished by a more sensitive public sense of civic
decency.
But if the architect cannot dispense with the skyscraper, the
next best thing for him to do is really to grapple with it. Mr. Sul-
livan pursued that course with success, although he failed, as we
see it, to strictly adhere to his own principle that form should
follow function. The functionless arch crept into some of his de-
signs, and some of the members of some of his buildings are only
to be accounted for by a reference to "pure architecture." Mr.
Flagg has perhaps been more thoroughgoing than Mr. Sullivan,
for his design is a much more uncompromising attack upon the
structuresque problem of the skyscraper. Traditional forms in
the latest Singer Building have given way almost everywhere to
structural expression. The architect clearly has endeavored to
permit the structure to design itself, confining his own role as
much as possible to making the structural features as good looking
as lay within his power. His problem, as he understood it, was
280
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
A RATIONAL SKYSCRAPER.
28l
282
ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
A RATIONAL SKYSCRAPER.
283
to protect a steel frame, provide all the light necessary in a build-
ing devoted to strictly commercial purposes, and to let the building
tell its own story as agreeably as it might.
Our illustrations show clearly the details of how the task was
actually performed. The steel frame, it will be seen, is covered with
fire-resisting material, held in place by metal bands and straps ; the
steel columns do not masquerade as stone piers ; the steel beams
do not conceal themselves behind stone architraves ; there are no
classic columns, and Renaissance arcades, nor even does the metal
itself, where visible, simulate in its proportions or profiles another
material. The open spaces are filled with glass where glass is re-
PORTION OP BUILDING, SHOWING METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION.
Singer Building, No. 561-563 Broadway. Ernest Plagg, Architect.
quired, and for the rest, the encasement consists of small terra cotta
panels that reveal themselves between the metal framing or straps.
Ornamentation is confined entirely to such expression as rightfully
can be imparted to terra cotta and iron. The reader's attention is
particularly directed to the isometric drawing, wherein is set forth
very plainly the method adopted of filling in the panels of the iron
latice-work which protects the angles with terra cotta slabs;
also the plan used for constructing the cornices with angle irons
for the angles of the corona, and for the slabs of enriched terra
cotta for its soffits. The drawing also indicates the use of the terra
cotta blocks for the cyma and for the bed mouldings, the brick
284 . THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
work which protects the columns and girders, the way in which the
upper surfaces of the cornices and balconies are protected with
iron plates, and also the nature of the wrought iron consoles which
support the main cornice.
All this is very novel, very ingenous, highly thoughtful. Surely,
no other architect has ever so frankly accepted the situation which
the skyscraper presents and submitted it to so much real brain
work. So much we must all acknowledge. So much is a great
gain. So much is immensely creditable to the designer. Apart
from Mr. Sullivan's experiments, here we have for the first time, a
skyscraper on which a man may ponder, about which he may talk
seriously, analyze and judge with the same respect that he may
accord to a structure of the days when architecture was not a mere
"mode" like the milliner's.
It is not to be expected that a building, the first attempt along
such novel lines, should be entirely successful. It is enough for us
and for the profession, and it should be immensely gratifying to
the designer that his bold attempt must be acclaimed a pronounced
success an innovation which cannot oossibly be disregarded in
the future by his confreres. Even Roman architecture was not
built in a day, and it had no intractable problem to handle like the
skyscraper. Experimentation is necessary. Logic may deliver
its conclusions in a day, but not so Art. Grace of line and justness
of proportion are the result of a long-continued revelation, and
of an inspiration persisting with and working through genera-
tions. But, one or the other, the revelation or the inspiration can-
not be of substantial value unless derived from the actual struc-
ture ; indeed, neither is a reality so long as its source is merely an
academy or a set of copy-books. And this consideration brings us
back again to our building and to the value of Mr. Flagg's notable
achievement. H. W . Desmond.
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
A NEW FRENCH INFLUENCE HARDWARE.
AT the exhibition of the Architectural League in the Fine Arts
Building on Fifty-seventh Street "here stands a glass case
containing some specimens of hardware, which the Art Department
of Russell & Erwin Mfg. Co., of Three Hundred and Seven Fifth
Avenue, New York City, placed there at the special request of
those intrusted with the management of the exhibition.
The public interested in these annual exhibitions managed by our
architects have come to regard them as being, in the main, profes-
sional displays, limited, in practice at least, to architects' designs
or to pictures of those designs, supplemented incidentally but
only incidentally by a few decorative schemes and by still fewer
exhibits of perhaps a little plaster work or a little bit of mosaic, or
still rarer, an occasional example of wrought metal work. This
common idea of these exhibitions is in the main correct, and conse-
quently, standing before this glass case containing the hardware,
one can hardly avoid the question "What significance is to be
attached to this departure?"
Several answers suggest themselves immediately. It might be
said : "This hardware exhibition is here on account of its extra-
ordinary artistic excellence ; or it might be said (particularly as
this exhibit is French in origin) that our architects, deploring the
existing insufficiencies of American hardware in the matter of de-
sign and finish, invited the Russell & Erwin Mfg. Company to make
this display "Pour encourager les autres," or the matter might be
put in this way our architects recognize the immense improve-
ment that has been made in the design and manufacture of hard-
ware during the last fifteen or twenty years, and seeing that it has
now reached the full dignity of an artistic craft, wish to signalize the
fact by associating with their own exhibits an exhibit of the very
finest hardware that is now available for their use ; or, finally, it
286
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ESPAGNOLETTE.
might be said that this exhibi-
tion of hardware is due to the
fact that the profession, satis-
fied with American hardware
upon every point but that of
design and finish, wish from an
jducational point of view to set
forth the highest standard of
work that exists to-day, and, as
the highest standards in these
matters prevail in France, the
profession deemed it wise to
call upon the Russell & Erwin
Company for examples of the
work of the great modern
French craftsmen, which that
company to-day controls so far
as the United States is con-
cerned.
There is probably some truth
in each of these views. France
to-day is far in advance of
other nations in the decorative
arts, and French hardware, in
the matter of design and finish,
is incomparably finer than any
domestic product obtainable in
the United States or in any oth-
er country but France. This
statement does not in any sense
discount the immense progress
that has been made in Ameri-
can hardware during the last
twenty years or depreciate the
high character of the product
to-day. Indeed, if any man
wants to realize how great the
progress has been he has only
to turn to the crude, inappro-
priate metal fittings that were
the best at the disposal of an
American citizen of taste any-
where in the "seventies." Prior
to 1870 hardware had about the
same value artistically that a
P
ESPAGNOLETTE.
FRENCH HARDWARE. 287
cast-iron stove had, and in our costly houses of that time, hinges
and doorknobs and escutcheons were perforce usually perfectly
plain. The first faint dawn of the better thing occurred in 1870,
when the Russell & Erwin Manufacturing- Company commenced
to employ trained designers possessing some ideas of function, ma-
terial and process and some training in the art of design. The
Centennial Exposition of 1876 forwarded this move towards artistic
craftsmanship, and a few years later all the great hardware con-
cerns of the United States were working to bring their product into
some conformity with the standards of taste and the standards of de-
sign that prevailed in the offices of the best architects.
It was quite natural that at first the co-operation of the hard-
ware manufacturer with the architect should be on the most general
lines only ; that is, if the architectural profession was at any moment
chiefly interested in the Gothic Style, then the hardware would
conform to that style, or, at any rate, attempt to conform to it.
This general co-operation once started extended through all the
many experiments that our architects made with the Queen Anne
Style of architecture, the Romanesque Style, Classic Style, etc.,
and during the course of these experiments the co-operation became
closer, until, finally, in recent years it ceased to move solely upon
general lines, but extended to the point that the architect was
offered something better than "stock patterns." "Style 684" in
the catalogue of a hardware house might indeed be an escutcheon
01 doorknob or hinge design of good design, but so long as the
catalogue was inevitably associated with standardized hardware,
clearly the artistic possibilities of the product were seriously limited.
An improvement, no doubt, was made when the big hardware manu-
facturers announced their willingness to undertake the special man-
ufacture of articles to suit the particular requirements of architects,
but the product, nevertheless, remained the product of the factory,
and was vitiated by the principles and methods of the shop. Stand-
ardization with its catalogues, its order numbers, its subordination
to the scheme of multiplication, has, of course, its advantages, but
these advantages are not and cannot be those that are most sought
for and desired by the artistic spirit. It is not under the domina-
tion of these principles that the great French artists work
men (for instance like Charpentier) who do not regard it as beneath
their dignity to turn from the manipulation of a great piece of
decorative sculpture to model a doorknob or to design with ex-
quisite detail a hinge or an escutcheon. But then, work of this
latter kind is not for the catalogue, and it is exactly work of this
character, thoroughly artistic in spirit and purpose, that our Ameri-
can architects are now demanding in the case of hardware for the
finer buildings they are called upon to design. Factory hardware,
288
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Designer. Charpentier.
LOCKS.
Russell & Rrwin Mfg. Co.
(Art Department.)
Concessionaires pour Maison Fontaine.
Made by Maison Fontaine, Paris.
FRENCH HARDWARE.
289
Designer, Charpentier.
LOCKS.
Made by Maison Fontaine, Paris.
Russell & Erwin Mfg. Co.
(Art Department.)
Concessionaires pour Maison Fontaine.
290
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
despite its undoubted excellencies, is out of place, especially in the
great residences that are now being reared for our merchant
princes. When the wood carving is all specially designed and
specially worked by hand, when furniture, pianos, carpets, wall
paper even and china are all made to conform to the general effect
designed by the architect, it is something of a solecism to equip
the doors and windows with factory-made hardware, some of which
possibly may be found in duplicate by the owner of the house him-
self in his neighbor's mansion. The work of the artist not the
mere technical designer is a necessity. The pieces should be
as unique as the frescoes on the walls. For work of this kind the
greatest artists that can be employed are none too good craftsmen.
Men of this artistic standing, capable of work of this character
and willing to do it are not numerous in the United States. They
are, indeed, at the present moment almost entirely lacking. We
have no one to compare with the great French artists of the pres-
ent day and moreover, even had we the artists, we lack the crafts-
men to execute their designs, and even the skill to finish them to
the degree of perfection that pertains in France. The exhibit at
the Architectural League establishes this point beyond peradven-
ture. The articles displayed were designed by Charpentier and
executed by the great French bronze house Maison Fontaine.
The exhibitors the Russell & Erwin Mfg. Company have se-
cured the services of artists like Charpentier, and have become
the sole agents in the United States of the Maison Fontaine ; and
in taking this step they have undoubtedly contributed enormously
to the artistic development of hardware in the United States. The
recognition of this fact by the Architectural League was well
merited, and the discussion that took place at a recent dinner of
the Architectural League, when the subject of hardware was the
topic for the evening's discussion, showed clearly how welcome
the innovation is to our architects, who feel now the need of the
co-operation of the highest craftsmenship in all the departments
of decoration. The speech on that occasion of Mr. F. G. Draper,
manager of the Art Department of the Russell & Erwin Company,
which we quote below, stated the position of the subject in terms
that were heartily welcomed and cannot well be improved upon.
Mr. President and Gentlemen :
Your President, Mr. Brunner, has evidently called me out in the
hope that though connected with a kindred branch of the business
with which you gentlement are identified, something might be
said from my standpoint of interest to you.
It is not unusual, I believe, for commanders to summon to their
cabins ordinary gunners and subordinates for consultation, and in
FRENCH HARDWARE.
291
the development of Art hardware in this country the architect must
be the "captain" and the manufacturer "the man behind the gun."
Architecture embraces a knowledge of all the arts, and I must
confess to a hesitation in addressing a league of gentlemen com-
posed of the ablest and most distinguished artists in America.
What information I have on the subject has been gathered by
over thirty years experience as a hardware man, and I have had
the keenest pleasure in witnessing, during that time, the growing
demand, year by year, for better and more artistic hardware.
Our country is young. We can almost say that we have seen the
soiled and primitive "latch string" replaced by carved metal knobs,
hinges and escutcheons the creation of genius.
To France we undoubtedly owe the development of ornamental
and artistic house hardware. The crude and ancient hinges and
locks which you find in the ruins of Pompeii and the museum at
Naples, are not very much improved upon in the buildings general-
ly throughout Italy, not in the stocks carried by the dealers which
I had the opportunity to examine. This same lack of develop-
ment is apparent in Germany and England to a large extent. The
best class of villas and public buildings throughout Europe which
I found trimmed with ornamental hardware, was invariably of
French importation, excepting, of course, in Belgium, where the
workmen are famous for their creations in hammered iron and
bronze, and which, I think, is conceded to be due to the French
influence.
I think, gentlemen, it can be said without fear of contradiction
that America is to-day producing the best hardware of any country
in the world, and the most artistic hardware of any country in the
world with the exception of France.
From the beginning of the Renaissance down to the present
day the artists of France have been steadily at work, developing
not only the designs, but the methods of handling and treating
the models and castings.
France exerts a paternal influence in developing art, taste and
skill. She furnishes free tuition in art to all the children in her
schools, and you can almost, any day see in the galleries of Paris
young boys being instructed in the rudiments of art by tutors
paid by the government. This system produces a nation where
every individual is more or less versed on the subject, which, in
this country, is left to a great extent to the leisure class, and it is
not surprising, with this population to draw from, that the French
manufacturers should be able to employ artists and artisans who
have from childhood shown ability and skill in this work.
The manufacturer, inspired by the high regard which the na-
tion itself shows for art, treats the modeler and chaser and even the
foundryman with the consideration due to an artist.
In the factories which I visited in Paris I was surprised to
learn that the making of the castings is a separate industry, be-
cause the manufacturers claim that the art of making an intricate
mould, from which a reproduction in metal is made to bring ^out
clearly the lines and delicate ornament as expressed in the artist's
model, makes it necessary that such work be executed by those
who are especially gifted in this handicraft and often by those who
291
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
have inherited through generations the knowledge of the "art of
casting."
I also found that the modeling and chasing are done by artists
in their own homes or studios who work by inspiration and not by
the "whistle.". Is it surprising, when you consider the fostering
of this industry by the government, the large body of capable
artists to draw from, and the great care and strict attention to the
slightest detail, that there should be produced the beautiful and
artistic specimens of French hardware which you see before you
to-night?
Now, gentlemen, the demand for this high class ornamental and
artistic work has been created by you, and the artistic tastes of
the people in the future is also in your hands, and I think I can say
on behalf of the manufacturers of this country that they are thor-
oughly awake to the importance to this branch of your profession
and that you can rely upon their hearty co-operation.
tlbe
VOL. XV. APRIL, 1904. No. 4.
A FINE WORK OF AMERICAN ARCHITECTURAL
SCULPTURE.
HE new portals and their bronze doors which are now in place
on Madison Avenue, at the corner of East Forty-fourth
Street, and which make up what is indeed a new front for the old
Church of St. Bartholomew, are more evidently the work of the
sculptor than of the architect. And yet this statement is true only
in so far as if one were to say that the lower story of the west front
of Reims Cathedral were, to the hasty looker, mainly the work of
the sculptor. If that were stated the other question would imme-
diately arise in the mind, even of the uncareful, the question as to
who it was that ordained and marshalled that sculpture and gave it
its fitting place in a great composition.
The architect who had charge of this recent piece of work is one
of the ablest of modern designers; and in one important respect
he is perhaps without a rival. He can turn out more fine and
elaborate work in a given time he can perfect an important
composition like this with less jarring of contrary interests
and ambitions, with a more perfect and speedily won suc-
cess, than his neighbors. And as to the difficulties which
attend the carrying out of such an undertaking, no person
can know what they have been, or how great they have been;
no one can even guess at them, except the practitioner in dec-
orative architecture who has been through the mill already and has
tried with partial success to rally up the forces of three or four
sculptors' studios or of three or four mural painters' ateliers or
the strength of decorative artists of any class and kind, but who think
themselves, with reason, workmen of individual and independent
merit. No one who has not had that experience can even guess
at the difficulties which the controlling intelligence has been com-
pelled to see through and to harmonize in the case before us.
A comparison between this portal and the great porch of Trinity
Church in Boston has been made more than once, as of course it
Copyright, 1904, by "The Architectural Record Company." All rights reserved.
Entered May 22, 1902, as second-class matter, Post Office at Xew York, N. Y., Act of
Congress of March 3d, 1879.
294
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEWS.
295
would necessarily be made. Those two pieces of detail, alone in
very recent times, are worthy to be considered at all in comparison
each with the other. And yet the essential differences between them
are so interesting that it is well to point them out once again. In
the Boston porch the usual methods of the architect have been
followed ; a massive structure has been planned, its details carefully
considered, its effect on the whole previously existing monument
weighed ; and then, for the statuary and reliefs, an architectural
sculptor was employed and the design, as in the style of the South-
ern Romanesque of France, was carefully wrought on historical
lines. Mr. Evans, the sculptor in question, worked in perfect har-
mony with the architects, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge ; working as
he should, like a stonecutter with a more delicate job than usual
in hand. As to the modeling of the figures, and the very judicious
intermingling of modern anatomical knowledge with twelfth cen-
tury design, there is no room to discuss the subject here, nor is it
now our immediate purpose ; except to remind the reader that in
such a composition every part, every fold of the drapery, is a
detail of the architecture, as well as of the sculptor's own concep-
tion ; a result less certain to follow the more usual working out of
the sculptor's thought. However much a given statue may lack in
special interest, the whole design is an excellent piece of that
"associated sculpture" which has been truly spoken of as the very
essence and purpose of mediaeval art.
In New York the conditions have been as different as possible.
Three sculptors of very high standing were engaged for the work,
one of them especially a veteran and an admitted master, and to
each one of them a portal was confided ; but a fourth most able
artist joined this company because Mr. French, controlling the
central doorway, found himself compelled by other important duties
to divide his arduous task, and associated with himself Mr. Andrew
O'Connor. Each- one of the three men chosen Daniel Chester
French, Herbert Adams and Philip Martiny had taken for his
own one whole doorway and its bronze valves ; and, as the middle
doorway fell to French, so the large frieze which flanks the arch of
that doorway and stretches away on both sides was added to that
sculptor's undertaking; and one sees in this a sufficient reason,
apart from all others, why an assistant sculptor was needed in this
important case. But take either doorway that you please ; look at
it and consider how (say in the southern portal) the bronze with
its two larger panels, its four smaller and oval panels, the elaborate
framing and setting of these panels in delicate foliated sculpture
cast in the bronze, are in turn set within a frame of carefully con-
sidered stone work, sculptured judiciously at the right points, and
the most richly where the wealth of design could best be seen and
296 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
appreciated let all this be examined and let the student remember
that the sculptor named must be understood to have executed all the
work which is not abstract architectural carving. Thus the flat
leafage of the archivolt and the entire leaf-composition of the cap-
ital : the elaborate spiral of the great mouldings which frame in the
doorway and its tympanum, and the more elaborate carvings of the
hood mouldings outside of the arch ; all this is the work of the
architectural sculptor ; that is to say, these were modelled by Mr.
Buehler and cut by the contractors for the stonework, B. A. & G.
X. Williams. This purely architectural carved work, then, delicate
i' nd refined as it is, and inferior to the work of the sculptors first
named only in so far as it deals with conventionalized leafage and
accepted sculpturesque traditions, has been done in the same man-
ner in which all the work of the Boston porch was carried out.
\Yhat the Xew York architect has been compelled to do was to so
arrange his general design as to include and utilize the work of men
not accustomed to subordinate their sculpture to other considera-
tions than those springing from their own general designs for a
monument of any sort to so arrange his general plan of action
that each one of those able men could work in harmony with him
and with each other for the production of such a design as we have
before us.
It seems right to insist upon this even in a journal which ad-
dresses itself mainly to artists. Unfortunately it happens rarely to
the American architect that he should have a great chance like
this. Unfortunately, it is but seldom that the American sculptor
lias such a show !
It seems proper to state that this great opportunity came of the
generosity of the immediate family of the late Cornelius Vander-
bilt. The first proposal to give as a memorial the bronze doors,
thus soon developed into the more varied and extensive work of
art which we are considering.
Plate i shows the entire composition the three doorways with
the ne\vly built \valls above and resting upon them. It will be seen
that the transition from the extremely rich and varied work below
to the commonplace modern Romanesque work above, left over
from a bad old time for New York architecture, is managed in a
simple and effective way. There v/as nothing to be done of any
special moment here, merely to avoid too close looking by the
looker-on into the methods used : one exception only being made
to this statement, the attention given to the color-scheme. The old
front of the church was designed in harshly contrasting sandstones
of two or even three reddish browns and a light greyish green.
The architect of the new addition has tried to construct a delicate
color scheme not wholly out of harmony with the too violent one
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S. 297
PLATE II. THE SOUTH PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Herbert Adams, Sculptor. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
2 9 8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
above, and has used shafts of cipollino, panels of darker green
veined marble and other panels of the red sandstone, which last
are delicately fluted. There is shown also a delicate sense of that
color value which may be given to a surface by a relief pattern more
elaborate than fluting ; and the flat sculpture of the archivolts re-
sults from that perception.
Taking up, now, the doorways, one by one, the southern door-
way, that on our left in Plate I, is the work of Herbert Adams,
PLATE III. TYMPANUM. SOUTH PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Herbert Adams, Sculptor. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
except, as above stated, in the matter of conventional architectural
carvings of capital and mouldings. This doorway is shown in
Plate II. The exquisite tympanum, reminding one in a pleasant
way of Luca Delia Robbia, is certainly one of the loveliest details of
the whole front and confirms the opinion of those to whom Mr.
Adams has always seemed one of the first of decorative sculptors ;
see Plate III. And let no one suppose that this adjective is used in a
sense other than that of the highest praise. To be truly a decora-
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEWS.
299
PLATE IV. BRONZE DOORS, SOUTH PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Herbert Adams, Sculptor. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
300
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
PLATE V. NORTH PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Philip Martiny. Sculptor. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
301
tive sculptor is to be what is allowed to few modern men. There
are sculptors of greater fame and wider renown than Herbert
Adams, who have gained their reputations from the expression of
sentiment or of action in iheir work without having one tithe of his
power of working to scale and to the point of producing what we
need most when we ask of sculpture its noblest artistic results in
glorifying a building beyond and outside of its utilitarian purpose.
PLATE VI. TYMPANUM, NORTH PORTAL, OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Philip Martiny. Sculptor. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
That is to be a decorative sculptor, indeed. Unfortunately enough
we have a contrast to that lovely tympanum in the frieze below it
and forming part of the same general design. It is hard to say it,
but that frieze is trivial in appearance. The tripping action of the
gowned figures following one another, although broken by the
very different pose of the armed men, is still too aggressive; and
from far away that frieze shows a restless and disordered compos-
ition. It seems to come of a too earnest search for realism in ges-
ture and pose but realism of this sort is not desired, it is even
objectionable in many designs not connected with architectural
302
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
sculpture, for a class requiring- dignity and. chromatic charm,
as for mural painting or noble glass even for that. Just
as we object to landscape paintings or historical paintings or the
painting of incidents on the wall treated as if on the small scale of
the easel picture, so we object, and have a right to object to restless
and unsubdued composition and a too evident study of the inessen-
tial facts of nature. The bronze doors, shown in Plate IV., are less
stately in effect than those of the other doorways.
Therefore we turn to the north doorway, Plate V, and here it 'is
easy to find a nobler treatment of the bronze ; as much realism,
perhaps, but a stronger spirit of decorative design to inspire it and
make it harmless. As to the stone-carving, it is impossible to praise
the tympanum, Plate VI, and therefore, with so much admirable
work by Mr. Martiny and his coadjutors to praise, it will be well to
pass to the frieze. Here the free and vigorous rendering of the
Route to Calvary is worth anyone's study and patient thinking out.
Is it or is it not too huddled a composition ? Are we in the precence
of the really noble handling of a complex subject, varied action,
many and diverse elements of design, all bound nobly together; or
is there too much for architectural sculpture of the illustrative spirit,
of the story-telling spirit? Let the meaning of this query be ex-
pressed by a comparison with one of the most important works
of art of the century the well-known and constantly praised
Shaw Monument by Augustus Saint Gaudens. The great alto-relief
with the marching column, and the mounted officer to whom with
his horse the file of infantry serves as a background, seems to
many lovers of sculpture an unsculpturesque idea. It is not in that
way, as it seems to them, that great monumental compositions are
made. With this view is to be contrasted that unbounded and un-
questioning praise with which this work is most often received. Is
it book-illustration enlarged, or is it grand sculpture? Or if neither,
how are its great merit and its possibly slight demerit to be qualified
in words? So with the frieze before us. This present writer can
only say that the more he has looked at it the better it seems to be
a popular and easy way of giving, as he thinks, very high praise
from a single point of view. Plate VII shows the bronze doors of
this portal ; and nothing is more annoying than the necessity of
leaving them without minute analysis. Indeed, each several door
of the six calls for and rewards detailed examination.
The middle doorway (Plate VIII) is entirely the work of the
sculptors French and O'Connor, as stated above, but it appears that
Mr. O'Connor has done the actual work of the doorway has
modeled the groups, is, in fact, the sculptor in the ordinary sense;
while as for the determination of the design, to whom this and
that part should be ascribed we have no means of distin-
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEWS.
303
PLATE VII. BRONZE DOORS, NORTH PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Philip Martiny, Sculptor. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
304
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
PLATE VIII. CENTRAL PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Daniel C. French and Andrew O'Connor, Sculptors. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEWS.
305
guishing the different parts due to the two different, but harmoni-
ously working intelligences. There is a diversity of character in
this figure-sculpture ; and a singular readiness is shown to adapt the
conditions of the figure-sculpture to the requirements of the deco-
ration. Thus it had been decided evidently by the architectural
supreme intelligence that this middle doorway should be adorned
by broad pilasters and an architrave of scroll work, so that the
PLATE IX. TYMPANUM, NORTH PORTAL, OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Daniel C. French and Andrew O'Connor, Sculptors. McKim, Mead & White, Arjhitects.
bronze doors should be brought down to a width only slightly
greater than that of the side doorways ; so there arose the necessity
for those little squares of high relief and scroll-like and twisted
movement, which are to be seen serving as capitals to the pilasters
(Plate X). Let the reader look at them and see how perfectly they
serve their purpose. They are on a horizontal line with the frieze
and adjoin it ; and yet they form no part of it whatever. They are
on the same vertical line as the pilasters, and even more closely are
they bound to the pilasters by their architectural position, and yet
they tell at once as figure-sculpture, and as being many degrees
higher in the artistic scale than the Roman scrolls and realistic bird
forms beside and eke above them. They are beautiful compositions
306
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
PLATE X. BRONZE DOORS, NORTH PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S.
Daniel C. French and Andrew O'Connor, Sculptors. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEWS 307
the one representing, as it seems, the Revelation to Saint John ;
the other the Temptation in Eden ; but that is not so much the point.
If those subjects are to be treated in connection with tHe^middle
doorway it is indifferent, from our point of view, where they are
put in ; the essential fact concerning these reliefs is tnat they so per-
fectly lend themselves to the purpose for which they were needed,
namely, to connect the horizontal frieze of figure.' subject with the
vertical bands of formal sculpture. And as for the horizontal band,
the frieze below the tympanum (see Plate X), it is perhaps unfor-
tunate that it is set a little lower than are those of the side portals.
It is a little lower, and it looks much lower, because
of the width and importance of the doorway and the height
of the stilted arches above it. Ignoring this, which is
certainly not an essential peculiarity, the frieze itself, considered
as an architectural treatment of the Crucifixion, is a very noble
thing. Nowhere is there a more pure and faultless composition.
The strongly allusive and ecclesiological treatment of the composi-
tion only help the abstract and decorative, or (as people may prefer
to see it called) the architectural character of the sculpture. The
tympanum above it (see Plate IX), with all its dignity and in spite of
the exquisite group of angels, one group on either side, is less
fortunate in the central figure.
The bronze doors (see Plates IV, VII and X) are notable in this,
that they have been cast complete ; the whole surface modeled in
clay as one composition and moulded and cast as one piece of
metal-work. This is so very unusual in the history of this industrial
art that it deserves to have special consideration on the part of
every student, first as to the mere theory of the thing, the good
taste, the sense of propriety, the intelligence displayed; and, sec-
ondly, as to the resultant effect. This effect can only be judged
by one who has looked carefully at bronze doors in the past and has
been annoyed by the formality, the hard cold lines, the lack of
harmony in the treatment of .the moulded framework, the setting as
it might be called, of the sculptured groups. Such a student will
enjoy a real thrill of pleasure when he sees in these doors the figure
subjects of the panels, the flower and leaf work which surrounds
them, the formal and semi-architectural disposition of the whole
treated as a single work of art, modeled as one design, cast in
bronze as one complete entity. This is true of each one of the six
separate vantaux of each door in the strictest sense, and the recog-
nition of this is a delightful sensation which awaits him who visits
the church. This process, which seems to be an innovation at
least in the United States, and which cannot be common in any
part of Europe is due to the initiative of Mr. French, the chief
sculptor of the middle doorway.
3 o8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEWS.
3IO THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
It is most unfortunate that various considerations of utility, the
desire for light and easily swung doors as the congregation goes in
and goes out, to protect the interior of the porch from draft, the
desire to protect the bronze from too rapid staining with dust and
rain, should have involved the almost complete concealment of
these precious doors during the greater part of the day. In fact,
one does not know how to so dispose his visit to the church as to
see bronze and marble together, sculpture with the tool and sculp--
ture from the cast. Xo matter what you do, unless you obtain a
special dispensation and appropriate money to take down the flap-
ping outer doors, you will never see the composition as it is shown
in our Plate I. It would be absurd to blame those who have
brought about this result : they knew their own requirements and
are right in meeting them ; but the monument of art is most seri-
ously marred by the excrescence here mentioned.
Now as to the most striking and brilliant part of the whole com-
position when the sculpture is considered, the broad frieze which in
two parts crosses the front of the church, or seems to, filling up
the gap on either side between the middle and the side portal. This
detail comes to us from the same sculptors as the middle doorway,
and we are told that it is to Mr. O'Connor especially that these
highly decorative adjuncts are due, together with the lions carved
in the block which serves as the pedestal to the columns of this
doorway, and the solemn groups immediately above the capitals
of the same columns. This frieze shown on a large scale in Plates XI
and XII, is one of the most remarkable sculptures of modern times
in the way of extreme remoteness and subtlety of thought. Every
pair or small group of figures is to be weighed by itself both as to
its significance in an ecclesiological way, its import in a psychical
way, its interest to us as a piece of artistic composition There
is, at first sight, a great deal too much of Rodin in the rest-
less over-action the exaggerated postures ; and the evil influ-
ence of that great artist is seen here as it is seen in some
other modern works. If the vast power and energy of Rodin
and his brilliant modeling should get a strong hold on the sculptors
who are now coming to full power, the art of architectural sculp-
ture will have a most serious setback; the taking out of the artist-
ical human figure of tranquillity, of repose, of the dignity which
comes even to emaciated saints and suffering martyrs from the
tranquil spirit of the art in which they find expression, will be the
death of sculpture considered as the highest of decorative appli-
ances. Thus in the case before us, the composition and the treat-
ment of the small frieze over the middle doorway is more attractive
by far than that of either one of the great panels of the frieze above,
because of that verv reserve which we associate, indeed, with the
THE NEW PORTALS OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S. 311
arts of the past, but which also we associate with the noblest hopes
of the future. The decided action of the small alto-reliefs already
spoken of, those of the two ends of the lintel, can be easily accepted
and even admired for the reasons mentioned above they form a
part of the series of Roman scrolls, they break the series but con-
nect the parts of it again ; they are, in short, in their place, and do
their work nobly. In like manner the frieze of the lintel is in place,
its lines helping the architecture, its severe vertical mass of drapery
on either side controlling the more broken group of the center. It
cannot be alleged that there is too much action here, although
there is so much, and this because of the admirable treatment of
that action, the severity and gravity of line with which it is invested.
But of the two panels of the great frieze this would not be alto-
gether true. The bold experiment of using the nude form rather
freely in so purely ecclesiological a composition as this, is one
which it will take some months or years to rightly evulate ;
but it seems clear that in so far as we are reminded of
the debased rendering of humanity in Rodin's Burghers of
Calais, just so far there "is a false note struck. And ob-
serve that this comes of details of modeling, so far as the
study which has been possible during the constantly severe
weather of the present winter will allow the enthusiast to judge.
It seems as if a touch here, the changing of a fold by so very little,
the modifying of a pose in ever so slight a degree, would have made
the frieze a nobler thing. For it breathes all the spirit of a true
sculpturesque conception. Everything that designer and modeler
could do to make the thing a great work of art, is there ; marred
only, as the present writer feels, by the intrusion into the noble
composition of a thought too much of the illustrative spirit, the
spirit of realism in the matter of bodily action, of movement, which
is not often a fortunate thing for sculpture of any kind least of all
for sculpture of architectural association.
Russell Sturgis.
New York City.
NO. 42 BROADWAY.
Henry Ives Cobb, Archi'.ect.
THE ECONOMY OF THE OEEICE BUILDING.*
The writer presented a brief statement of the practical limiting
conditions in the design of an office building in a former number
of the Architectural Record, describing it as "the mammoth struc-
ture, of many stories, that the conditions of our
present business life requires us to erect in all
^T*t T"^ *'
centers of population, where the fever of money-
Its getting is permitted to have iull swing, unham-
Economic Life. pered by any traditions that involve avoidable
loss of time." This description still applies to
those examples which jump to the mind when office buildings are
mentioned ; but for the purposes of this article a further definition
is needed.
An office building is a building susceptible of minute subdivision
into practically uniform rooms (called office units), all well lighted,
heated and ventilated easy of access both from the street and
from its own various floors and intended for the brain-worker of
any type or class, and the clerical force needed to give his work
effect. It is the place for housing the executives of all kinds of
business, and its cost, therefore, is a necessary charge upon busi-
. *
ness receipts. Generally, the building is too large to be occupied
exclusively by one concern, and the renting of the surplus space
serves to emphasize its purely commercial aspect. The writer
wishes to state once for all, and as strongly as it can be put, that
the only measure of the success of an office building is the average
net return from rentals for a period of, say, fifteen years. Every-
thing put into the building that is unnecessary, every cubic foot
that is used for purely ornamental purposes beyond that needed to
express its use and to make it harmonize with others of its class,
is a waste is, to put it in plain English, perverting some one's
money. Of course, in the Wall street district, high rents cannot
be obtained from a building with its halls finished in concrete, when
the adjoining buildings have a marble finish ; but a mansard, or a
tower, or a group of statuary does not add to the value of the rent-
ing space, and consequently is a waste.
For this reason the design of these buildings has gradually
become more and more of an engineering problem, until now it
may be said that the best results will be obtained by securing the
plan from the engineer .of special training. He turns over to an
artist the bare skeleton, for him to clothe and decorate as well as he
can. The former practice of intrusting the design to a man
Being the first of a series of articles on the modern office building.
3I4 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
who is primarily an artist, and of permitting him to determine the
engineering plan, is commercially bad for every one but the artist,
and is a plain departure from the practice obtaining when the
world's most noble edifices were built. In a following article this
branch of the subject will be elaborated. At present, we will con-
sider the next most important commercial aspect of the skyscraper
its economic life or the question of how long it will serve its
purpose properly.
We know that in manufacturing there are few machines that
should not be replaced in from ten to fifteen years, as by that time
there are new machines to take their place, doing the work at less
cost. In manufacturing plants, as a whole, we know that good
business requires a remodelling or rearrangement at least every
ten or fifteen years. In the case of one new plant, for instance, it
has earned in three years, over four times its cost, and the point
has been reached where a very much larger plant is needed. We
frequently hear of such changes, and we occasionally have brought
home to us the folly of too much procrastination (such as the
ignorant delay in the electric operation of the New York "L"
roads for at least six years, and the consequent loss of millions
of dollars) and should keep these examples in mind in considering
our problem.
It sounds very imposing to say, "We are building for all time."
It might be much better business to say, "We are building for fif-
teen years." The canvas tent of the traveling circus, the plaster
buildings of a World's Fair, the granite and marble of a municipal
building, differing as they do, yet each exactly meet the require-
ments of the particular case. In the case of New York below
Chambers street, we may expect to see eventually all the space
occupied by office buildings, and so should build for at least fifty
years. In other localities, wisdom would limit the probably useful
life to twenty years.
Our office buildings of to-day must be of a certain type and
plan, slightly varied to suit certain localities and designed in ac-
cordance with the definite limiting conditions. What changes are
likely to occur in this ever-changing city to make a certain building
less remunerative? What changes or improvements will occur in
the planning and equipment of office buildings to make our new
buildings out of date? How soon may we expect to see these
changes? What changes in our business methods might occur
which would change business needs so that these buildings would
no longer meet them?
Well, the office building has come, because men wish to get
closer together and save time in transacting business ; and they
will not cease to need skyscrapers unless by so doing business can
THE ECONOMY OF THE OFFICE BUILDING. 315
be facilitated. As aids to business, the elevator and the telephone
have helped amazingly, but the personal interview for really im-
portant transactions is still necessary. In fact, the telephone has
made it easier to clear the way of preliminaries, and therefore has
made more business possible, the personal interview shorter per-
haps, but more essential than ever to bring two minds together
so that the stenographer and the typewriter may put the conclusion
into definite and practicable form. If this reasoning is correct,
humanity will continue to press closer together for the purpose
of transacting business, until the physical limit is reached in every
direction. The only sufficient obstacle to this result would be an
invention, whereby two separated rooms are so placed in com-
munication that whatever goes on in one can be seen and heard
in another as readily as if they were one room. Then mankind
will perhaps gratify its love of fresh air and sunshine. Our cities
will be deserted or will become storehouses for the convenient dis-
tribution of manufactured products. Should such an invention be
perfected, it would require, however, a generation to work a ma-
terial change in business methods so that we may continue to build
with an easy mind until some such invention comes. While we
may, therefore, feel reasonably secure against any complete de-
struction of the utility of the office building for at least a genera-
tion, are there not possible improvements that will change its
character or fundamental design ?
We are accustomed to think and speak of the enormous and
steady progress made in modern industrial machinery. While in
general this may be true, in the office building it is only true of the
details. We are beginning to put into effect im-
provements suggested -years ago, and have made
How Office Build- _i ,, ,- ,
real progress in the direction of carrying out our
plans more quickly, and all things considered,
more cheaply ; but our plans have not changed
substantially, and the limiting conditions are the
same. We are still aiming to make our buildings attractive, easy
to re-arrange to suit tenants, well lighted, with convenient internal
communication, polite and efficient service, quick elevators, and as
accessible as possible to elevated and underground stations. We
supply them with every necessity and many luxuries, and do all in
our power to get the maximum return for the money invested.
The writer considers it certain that for at least a generation
there will be an imperative demand for office buildings, and that
the present type will be practically unchanged in its broad out-
lines.
316 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
The improvement made during the past ten years may be briefly
stated. There has been a very slight increase in net elevator speeds
obtained mainly by improved signalling devices. Automatic heat
regulation is practically unchanged, but is a little more generally
used. Gas has practically been entirely replaced by electricity. The
finish of the buildings is a little more luxurious, and the exterior
a little more expensive. The average height of a building has in-
creased. There has been the usual number of gold bricks on the
market, and as usual they have mostlv been connected with the ele-
vator service. One company claimed for a time that it could oper-
ate cars at speeds of 700, 800, 1,000 feet per minute, but in the
language of the day it did not "make good." The speed was
there, but the time lost through missing landings, starting and
stopping, was far greater than the time saved in traveling from one
landing to another and, besides, poor human nature could not stand
the pace. To-day the highest practicable speed for a way elevator
is 450 feet per minute, and for an express 600 feet to 700 feet per
minute, depending on the distance traveled.
\Vc may, therefore, safely say that the future will see but little
improvement, except in details, and to show this more plainly, let
me state the problem rather more in detail.
We are required to produce on a given lot a building of any
number of stories, susceptible of a subdivision into a great number
of units, varying in size according to location, but approximately
with 1 6 ft. x 20 ft. of floor space and 10 ft. to 12 ft. high, each one
opening into a street or a court of from 18 ft. to 25 ft. in width,
which court usually has its long axis north and south, and is as
much open to the south as conditions will permit.
The vertical movement of the occupants must be effected by
small rooms (elevator cars), moving in vertical shafts at speeds of
fxx) feet per minute or less. The number of cars is determined
by the condition that nobody shall be required to wait at any floor
noie than 45 seconds in general, and not more than 30 seconds
in the financial district, and the size of the car by the number of
office units per floor and varying from 25 to 40 square feet in area.
The height is to a certain extent unlimited, but probably twenty-
five stories is likely to be the average of the high building. The
writer may be in error, for there are many influences to be con-
sidered ; but so far he has been able to discover absolutely no en-
gineering or economic limit of height below about eighty stories,
provided the area of the lot be sufficient. Taking into considera-
tion, however, the ethical or sentimental side of human nature, it
is the writer's belief that, while many buildings will exceed twenty-
five stories, many more, sufficient at least to establish a general
practice, will be kept down to sixteen or twenty stories, if left free
THE FR1CK BUILDING, PITTSBURGH, PA. 317
from municipal interference. On the other hand, the writer be-
lieves that the interests of the municipality would be best served
by establishing height limits in certain districts, so that the popu-
lation by day in such areas will not be too large for easy transpor-
tation and wholesome living, and so that some regularity of sky-
line may be secured. The typical plan will naturally tend towards
a U-form, open to the south.
It is theoretically possible so to perfect the
starting and stopping of elevator cars as to make
Elevator the higher speeds unobjectionable; but in order
Improvements. to accomplish this the human element in the con-
trol of the speed must be almost entirely elimi-
nated. The acceleration must take place in a
predetermined number of feet, regardless of the load in the car; the
stop must also occur in a predetermined distance, and as a conse-
quence the function of the operator on the car must be to simply
push in a starting button and held it. To stop, either the operator
or a person on a landing must push a button corresponding to
the proper floor, which will set the stopping device in motion at
exactly the right time, without regard io the operator. When a
car is at a landing the doors should automatically open and re-
main open until closed by the operator, and unless closed it should
be impossible again to start the car. The mechanical arangements
will not be simple, and will require considerable power. They may
cost more than they are worth, when compared to the approxima-
tion to these conditions now obtained.
The economy that is, the relation between the pounds of coal
burned and work done by the present appliances is very low ; the
work should be dene with an expenditure of not more than one-
quarter of the present amount of energy.
From the nature of the service it is probable that some form
of hydraulic apparatus must continue to be used, since only in
the hydraulic apparatus is there stored up the large amount of
energy necessary to produce the high rate of acceleration abso-
lutely required in an instantly available and convenient form. Elec-
tric elevators are absolutely unrivalled in their field, but office build-
ing service is not their field, nor is there any sufficient mechanical
reason for the expectation that in any of their present forms they
will ever extend their fields to include this service. The problem
is to impart a velocity of from 6 to 8 miles per hour, to a weight
of from 175 to 2,000 pounds, in from I to 2 seconds, or to bring
this weight to rest when moving at this velocity, in the same time.
The energy stored up in water under pressure will do the work
perfectly. The work may be stored up in the water, providing
318 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
the tanks are large enough, at the average rate for a day requiring
a relatively small amount of power constantly expended. There
are two drawbacks : which are that the expenditure of energy is
not proportioned to the load, but must be the same whether the
elevator car be full or empty, and that all forms of pumping en-
gines suitable for any but the very largest plants are inef-
ficient. The line of improvement must take the direction of over-
coming these two objections.
The heating of the offices is well enough ; but
the ventilation is very largely neglected. These
two are so closely related that they should be
considered together. Present practice is to
provide a radiator for heating controlled either
by hand or bv thermostat for each office unit,
and to provide ventilation by opening the window, the foul air
passing into the hall. The ideal arrangement would be to intro-
duce a fixed amount of warmed, fresh clean air to each office unit
at any predetermined temperature automatically, and all past at-
tempts may be classed as failures for general use. In fact, there
may be said to be no existing way of properly warming the bulk
of the offices of an office building without the constant use of a little
knowledge, intelligence and trouble. The foul air can be drawn
off into a vent-shaft placed at any convenient place. For banking
and similar large rooms on lower stories, the standard hot-air heat-
ing system, with either exhaust or blast fans, works with entire
satisfaction and but little loss of valuable room, but the air inlets
should be always 8 ft. above the floor and at least 5 ft. from ceil-
ing, and the outlets for foul air should be near the floor and large
enough to have a very low velocity (less than 10 ft. per second).
Then the occupants will not feel a draught. The inlet radiators
must be high up, because it is at times necessary to introduce the
fresh air at a temperature lower than 100 F. when it feels cold and
produces the effect of a draught. If the fresh air forms a current
flowing always in one direction, surfaces near it will get very dirty,
and we are therefore compelled to keep away from the ceiling.
The expedient of using warmed air furnished to each office
through flues in the walls has been tried, but is objectionable on
account of the large space occupied by the flues, the transmission
of noise from floor to floor, and the difficulty of maintaining the
desired degree of heat in each office. All floors and walls might
be heated by warmed air circulating through them, but the neces-
sary air passages are objectionable, because they afford a har-
borage for vermin, and in the case of a fire in the contents of an
office might distribute the smoke through the building. The neces-
THE ECONOMY OF THE OFFICE BUILDING. 319
sity of having widely varying temperatures in the different offices
also complicates the problem.
If ever electricity can be produced commercially at say i/io
of present minimum rates, the problem will be solved, for fresh
air can be introduced through an opening in the outside wall, all
of the dust screened out, warmed to any desired degree by pass-
ing over electric heaters and drawn into the office by electric
fans, the degree of heat and the speed of the fan being determined
by setting a dial hand at the desired temperature, the remaining
regulation being automatic and independent of the direction or
force of the wind. The windows constitute a serious problem.
We want to look out, and at the same time we want fire protec-
tion. If we use wire glass we cannot look out, and if we use clear
glass it will fly out with the first touch of flame. A three-sash metal
window, with one sash glazed with clear glass and two sashes
glazed with wire glass, solves -the problem and will mark the next
step. Cleaning need not present any difficulties or dangers.
We need either an incombustible wood or a
substitute for the trim of the office, the doors,
moldings, base and fixtures. It will come in
fact, has probably come, as there are several
materials of promise now on the market. The
ideal material will be readily worked, wear as well
as wood, be a poor conductor of heat and incombustible. . It will
then be pleasant to sit on, pleasant under foot, and absolutely safe.
An improvement will be made by departing from the custom
now prevalent of using a cord of wood, more or less, in trimming
the office, putting in a high base, chair rail, picture mold and archi-
traves around the doors. There is really needed only the picture
mold, and that only to carry wires in a way which permits them
to be tapped at any point ; and some member to make the joint
of the door frame with the partition.. With the simplification of
design we may expect to see a marked improvement in this latter
respect.
We may expect improvements in lighting in
the line of luminous surfaces rather than points,
the illumination being obtained with a relatively
Illumination and ^^ expenditure of energy. Wires will prob-
Construction. ably be gtm ^^ and Qur Distribution systems
will only change in detail. So long as the present
conditions obtain, an improvement can be made by using one cen-
tral chandelier in each office unit; making the picture mold a re-
ceptacle for wires and supplying those wires from mains running
up column lines. The desk illumination can be obtained by drops
^20 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
from the picture molding and partitions can be easily shifted. If
a system should be devised by which the salutary effects of sun-
light would be reproduced, we could reduce our courts to simple
vent shafts drawing pure air from the roof level and discharging
it at a proper temperature in each room. That only means the
flooring over of the courts and a shifting of partitions. Nearly all
of our buildings could be so changed without difficulty.
Partitions can now be made sufficiently sound and fireproof in
a variety of ways. The cost of making them can be decreased un-
der reasonable labor conditions. Any of the solid plaster parti-
tions resting on the floor construction and against the floor con-
struction above are efficient protection against the spread of fire.
They are frequently spoiled by the introduction of sashes glazed
with plate glass which, in the event of fire, immediately falls out.
Only wire glass should be used, and as the sashes interfere with the
utilization of the wall, they should be omitted.
It is probable that the future will see a decreas-
ing amount of structural steel used in the floor
Less Steel to be framing, and an increasing amount of reinforced
Used in Future. concrete, the development progressing until the
only structural steel used will be in the columns,
in stay beams connecting the columns of suffi-
cient strength to support the centers for the concrete, possibly of
less strength than that, and in wall beams. This is the writer's
opinion. ( )ne does not wish to be dogmatic, and it is only fair to
say there are other views on the subject, held by well-informed
people who would not agree at all with the foregoing.
Prick, stone and terra cotta are the materials used at present in
constructing the walls. Concrete is offered as a substitute. When
it is good, it is as good as any other substance ; but for walls it is
not likely to be uniformly good, nor is it likely to be consistent in
color or as pleasing in appearance as stone. Glazed terra cotta is
probably the best substance if properly made and set, because since
each rain washes it off, it is less likely to be injured by fire, and
when injured is more easily replaced. Any material is liable to
serious damage from fire in adjoining properties. The greatest
improvement that could be made would be a law, requiring all new
structures to be fireproof within certain limits and making owners
of property in which a fire originated responsible for all of the
damage caused by the fire regardless of where this damage oc-
curred or how the fire started.
We are using such large quantities of steel in our buildings, and
in fact, are absolutely dependent on it for strength, that we need
more knowledge to protect it absolutely from fire and rust, and
THE ECONOMY OF THE OFFICE BUILDING. 321
should improve our practice in applying the knowledge we have,
which is certainly sufficient to enable us to guarantee a life of fifty
years.
Fire insurance, as conducted, really places a
premium on bad construction under our present
laws and practice, for it permits the careless and
Insurance May cr i nl i na l to avoid the consequences of their acts
pro to a very large degree. A man can build an in-
expensive low building, insure it to the limit in-
sure its contents to the limit have a fire from which he will reap
a profit, and damage an adjoining handsome building to a greater
amount than his total loss. Moreover, the adjoining building can-
not be protected fully from this loss, except by an exorbitant an-
nual payment. It should be impossible to insure a really hazard-
ous building. In theory present practice, expressed generally, is
to fix a minimum premium or charge for each building of a certain
class in a certain locality and increase the premium for each de-
parture from what is considered good practice and to force the
owner to bear some of the .risk. In practice anything can be in-
sured. The difference in premium between a safe and hazardous
building is only a small fraction of the difference in the interest
cost, so that it is really cheaper to build badly and insure fully, than
to build well and insure reasonably. The increases of premium for
departures from good, practice, are in some cases indefinite
and in other cases absurd (as when a charge is made if a fire-
proof door is omitted between the boiler-room and the rest of the
cellar, even when there are other doors absolutely shutting off
the balance of the building, and there is positively nothing com-
bustible in either boiler-room or cellar, except the coal). The
credit for covering the metal columns of a building, certain to fail
if left bare and exposed to a small, fierce blaze, certain to cause
great damage and loss if they fail, is so small as to be practically
of no consequence as an offset to the interest on the cost of cov-
ering. The wTiter knows of one case where a fire, in itself causing
not more than $500 damage, would endanger columns, which,
if one should fail, would cause a loss of certainly $20,000, and prob-
ably many lives. Some of our serious losses have been from so-
called exposure fires, and yet the decrease in insurance cost that
comes from the use of wire glass and metal sashes and frames, in-
stead of wood sashes and frames and plain glass, the one affording
complete protection and the other no protection at all, is so little
that it is not worth considering. This whole subject requires re-
adjustment and reforming, and the data on which the premium
increase is based should be obtained by a continuing series of ex-
periments conducted by an admittedly impartial, competent direc-
322 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
tor with adequate facilities, and the insurance companies should
absolutely refuse to insure a really dangerous building or any
building, the value of which was materially less per cubic foot than
those immediately adjoining it. If it were possible to win a suit
for damages, where one building is injured by fire originating in
another, just as it is possible to win a suit for damages when an
owner makes an improper use of his property to the injury of the
adjoining property, this liability would quickly force owners of
hazardous property so to improve it as to make it safe. It is to
be hoped that sonu of our large corporations will try to establish
the precedent. Once established, it would work a wonderful change
in the point of view of the owners of many relatively unimproved
and really dangerous properties.
Now let us descend almost literally into the
bowels of the earth ; let us go far below the sur-
The face of the street to the place where heat, light
Power Plant. and power are generated, and see what is doing
there. We must first of all consider the often
discussed and by no means settled question of
private plants vs. supply from the street; i. e., from some lighting,
heating and power company.
An office building is a very large consumer of power. For some
years the Public Utility Company has endeavored to supply all
the power and heat necessary, and does supply many buildings at a
price which often shows a marked economy in the operation of
the building by so doing, but the mechanical engineer who is really
competent knows that wherever economy is so shown in a large
building, the owners of the building have been shamelessly robbed
by their employees. The wTiter knows of many plants in large
buildings that could advantageously take all power and light from
the street ; but for every dollar so saved at least one dollar and fifty
cents could be saved by getting a competent superintendent and
making a few changes.
To illustrate : Recently the writer changed the fuel of a plant in
which he was interested from Pocahontas coal to buckwheat and
rice coal. The coal bills were practically cut in two, with no loss
in efficiency. In one of our large buildings egg coal is used ex-
clusively if rice were used the fuel bill for that building would be
less than half. Engines are run under improper conditions, using
from one and one-half to twice as much fuel as they need. Pumps
are run with their drips open, thus doubling their coal consumption.
Compound elevator pumps are run at variable speeds, the maxi-
mum being less than one-half what it should be. The consequent
coal consumption is from four to eight times that of a decently
THE ECONOMY OF THE OFFICE BUILDING. 323
designed plant. Exhaust steam is wasted and live steam used for
heating, thereby increasing- the coal consumption from one and
one-half to two times.
Architects provide wholly inadequate spaces for machinery, and
so necessitate the use of inefficient boilers, insufficient tanks, steam
wasting appliances and other bad features that can be put into a
design, and make matters still worse by limiting the cost of the
plant to an absolute minimum. Contractors are furnished with
the merest outlines of requirements ; the bids are obtained and con-
tracts awarded to the lowest bidder, who is either careless, ignorant
or dishonest enough to talk of an economy (even to guarantee it,
sometimes) that a competent man knows he cannot attain. Still
it goes ; the plant goes in ; is a failure, and the New York Edison
gets another contract. If, however, the engineer or real architect
is familiar with the problem, this very essential part of the build-
ing is allowed adequate room. The parts are harmoniously de-
signed to fill the requirements. The superintendent of the building
is a competent engineer, who is paid enough to be above the temp-
tation to steal, and knows enough to keep his force up to their
work. The plant is relatively simple, easy to handle, and during
the first year reports are sent to the designer so that a record of
performance is made, by which the owners can judge of competency
in the future. When these precautions are taken, the cost of opera-
tion is far below the sum which the New York Edison Company
will charge. The writer and other engineers have proved this in
many plants, but the objectionable conditions obtain in so many
more, that general practice is rather in favor of procuring all of
the power possible from the Edison Company. Future develop-
ment will be in the line of better engineering and more independent
plants in buildings of 5,000 square feet or more.
The ideal plant should contain at least three boilers of the same
size, one being sufficient for the ordinary summer or light duty.
The other two will take the winter or heavy duty, leaving always
at least one in reserve. They should be of a type adapted to the
available space Manning, Marine or Water Tube.
The engine for power should be high speed automatic simple
engine of Curtis Turbines (when they can be purchased) at least
three of the same size, with heavy parts. The cylinder should be
of the same dimension for bore and stroke, proportioned to take
a generator overload of 30% when cutting off seven-sixteenths to
one-half stroke. They should supply power for every purpose
except that of the boiler-feed return pumps and the elevator pumps,
regular duty and for all lights. Two of them, however, should be
able to carry all lights and two-thirds of the power when over-
loaded 25%.
324
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
There should be three elevator pumps, compound, to work
against three pounds back pressure in the exhaust, with tanks so
large that, if a car is to start every thirty seconds from the first
landing, two pumps can supply the necessary water at a piston
speed of say 75 feet per minute uniformly maintained. One pump
at 75 feet piston speed can then handle a oo-second schedule with
irregular running of cars and regular running of pumps. The tank
capacity should permit half the number of cars to start up simul-
taneously, or to stand simultaneously without changing the pump
speed for six seconds. With a very large number of elevators
eight or more the pump should be of the- fly-wheel type, com-
pound, to work against three pounds back pressure in the exhaust,
with liberal tank capacity and with two compound pumps of one-
half capacity each, in reserve. I'nder no conditions should the
pump work against a governor that constantly varies the speed by
throttling, because this wastes steam. There should be an elec-
trically-operated pump for all night service, giving half the normal
speed for one car. This pump could be arranged with a special
suction on the pressure side of the other pumps to use as a safe-
lifting pump by making the water end strong enough.
There should be two boiler-feed pumps connected through a
return tank and governor, to the return of condensed steam from
the hot water tank and heating system. Xo less than three electric
pumps for house service: two air compressors for elevator and
house service, electrically operated, and two stage. Two rotary
electric pumps for low-line drainage, drip and blow-off tank work.
( )ne feed-water heater, open or water-tube.
Furthermore, space should be provided for two or more feed-
water heaters, the water tube to go on exhaust line for hot water
heating, perhaps a sewage lift, certainly a number of exhaust
and heating fans, and finally for the storage of at least one week's
supply of coal and one week's accumulation of ashes. The recip-
rocating engines are likely to be displaced in the near future by
the Curtis or similar turbines. In very large installations there
may possibly be a field for the Parsons turbine ; but ordinarily the
requirements of exhaust steam for heat will operate against tur-
bines of the Parsons type. Turbines requiring reducing gears are
not to be considered in general on account of the excessive noise.
Assuming that these various appliances are properly propor-
tioned and arranged, they require so much room that at least all of
the cellar of a building occupying less than two lots is needed. For
the building having less than this area, the greater part of the
supply must come from the street. Future improvements will be
along the line of a more efficient production of electric current, first
by improved forms of generating apparatus, engines and boilers ;
THE ECONOMY OF THE OFFICE BUILDING. 325
by the introduction of more electrically-operated apparatus; by
the use of more economical pumping engines until they can be
discarded ; possibly by discarding steam and using gas or pulver-
ized coal ; and probably finally by the almost direct conversion of
the energy stored in the coal into energy in the form of electricity.
When electricity is so cheaply produced that it can be used for
heating, steam will no longer be needed, and our plants will be
practically eliminated. When that time comes the cost of distribu-
tion, which is now as great as the cost of generating electricity,
will be reduced certainly to ten per cent, of its present cost, and
so will make it economical to generate the current in the building.
With electric current at say i per cent, per horse power per
hour every plant in New York almost could be economically shut
down and taken out.
The field for speculation in this branch of the subject is almost
infinite, but really hinges, so far as any radical change is con-
cerned, on the discovery of a new process of producing electricity
or power very cheaply.
Two matters remain to .be considered whether as improve-
ments or merely as developments depends on the point of view;
they are the question of height and of designing.
Height is effected by the following considera-
tions :. (a) Sixteen stories or less can be carried
on piles or grillages, no matter how bad the bot-
tom. More than sixteen stories require caissons,
or an equivalent expense if the sub-soil is bad.
Therefore, several additional stories must be
put in simply to pay interest on the extra cost of the caissons, (b)
For lots of 7,500 to 12,500 square feet, five cars will give a satis-
factory elevator service up to twelve stories. Higher than that a
car should be added for each additional three stories, costing 100
square feet of room on each floor per car. For still greater area the
number of cars must be increased, say one car for each 2,000
square feet, and this is because it is impossible to load and unload
a large car fast enough two cars of forty square feet running in
a twenty-story building will handle more people in a day than
one of eighty square feet, and do it with very much more satisfac-
tion.
(c) In a sixteen-story building, with ordinary foundations, the
addition of a seventeenth story will add more than one-six-
teenth the cost of the building by 5% ; for an eighteenth story 10%
must be added to the one-sixteenth, and so on. Thus, if a sixteen-
story building costs $480.000, then a seventeenth story will add to
the cost $31,500; an eighteenth story, $33,000, etc.
5
326 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
(d) The time necessary to go from a street corner to the twen-
tieth floor of a twenty-story building in front of which a person
is standing is about the same as the time required to walk half a
block, and reach the tenth floor of a neighboring building.
(e) The time required to go from the twentieth to the fifth floor
of a twenty-story building is about the same as that required to
go from the tenth story of a ten-story building to the tenth story
of an adjoining ten-story building.
(f) The heating of one upper story (above the tenth) will cost
nearly as much as heating two lower stories, unless there is always
exhaust steam to waste.
(g) The average temperatue of the outside air at any 200 feet
above the street and above is from 3 to 5 less than the average
at the street. This is an advantage in the summer and a disad-
vantage in the winter.
(h) If the elevators could be divided into sections and the shaft-
ways for the way elevators stopped, for example, at the tenth floor
of a twenty-story building, then a saving of space could be effected.
This has not yet been done, and would require a change in the
New York building law. The space so saved would not always be
available for renting purposes.
(j) Xo formula can be made to express all the conditions, for it
would have to be based on so many assumptions that would have
no value when solved ; but by averaging a number of cases and
making certain assumptions, it may be stated that probably a thir-
ty-two story building would have a gross return of 11% under
conditions that would show a gross return of 10% for a sixteen-
story building on the same lot. That is, an investment of $3,420,000
divided into: lot, $1,000,000; building, $2,420,000; would show a
return of $376,200; where a total investment of $2,000,000 divided
into lot $1,000,000, building $1,000,000, would show a return of
$200,000. That means that an additional expenditure of $1,420,000
would return $176,000. There are many cases in which the smaller
amount could be obtained, while the larger could not.
(k) The vibration of very tall buildings (over twenty-five stories)
is an unknown quantity. Theory indicates that it would be ob-
jectionable. Practice reveals its existence in certain cases, though
in a slight degree. It is probable that in buildings exceeding six-
teen stories and of a height exceeding five times the least width,
there will be objectionable vibration after the buildings have been
erected fifteen to twenty years.
If the soil is such as will support a sixteen-story building but
no more, the commercial considerations detailed above would
limit the height to sixteen stories. If it is doubtful whether more
than sixteen stories can be carried and the site is expensive, then
THE ECONOMY OF THE OFFICE BUILDING. 327
we must put in caissons and decide on twenty stories. If the lot is
not expensive, we would be content with sixteen stories.
Finally in the design and erection of these buildings we can al-
ready see the line of future development. While many owners
stick to the old practise of selecting an architect who draws plans
and gets gratuitously from contractors the plans for the foundation,
structure, heating, lighting, elevators, plumbing and even decora-
tions, who combines them more or less (generally very much less)
successfully, and who then jobs out the erection to one or more
contractors, other owners have adopted the latest practice of hav-
ing a corporation make the plans, erect the building, and even for
a time operate it; there are even many cases where the owner
plans, erects and operates on his or its own account. There can
be no question that the best way is to have one concern design,
erect and operate, and this will be improved upon only by special-
izing to the extent of limiting the field of the designing and erect-
ing concern to one class of buildings. Whether this be done by
an individual or a corporation makes no difference, since in either
case there must be the same organization, the same executive on
whom must rest the final responsibility, and from whom is de-
manded a good general knowledge of the subject, great executive
ability and that knowledge of men that will enable him to select
his associates successfully. There may be a board of directors^
there may be a president to dictate a general policy, but there must
be in this work, as in every other work steel manufacture, rail-
roads, manufacturing anything else you choose one head a
calm, constructive, thoughtful, intelligent, self-reliant, honorable
man, to direct affairs. It does not follow that necessarily the suc-
cess of a company will only be coincident with that man's life. In
fact, the greatest effort of such a man, after securing the success
of the company, would be to develop a worthy successor. Such
men, while relatively few, are still to be obtained. The first step in
this development will be the combination of promoting, financing
and building in one corporation in which the public, as share-
holders, will have a part. This final step has, in some cases, been
taken, and is destined to be ultimately successful, not by crushing
competitors, but by doing so much better work in its chosen, field
that there will be no competitors.
Geo. Hill.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
THE FRICK BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
THE FRICK BUILDING
D. H. BURNHAM & CO.
ARCHITECTS
330
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
ENTRANCE OF THE PRICK BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
THE FRICK BL'ILDIXG, PITTSBURGH, PA. 331
Pittsburgh, Pa.
HALLWAY FRICK BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
332
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
STAIRS AXD HALL FRICK BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
THE PRICK BUILDING, PITTSBURGH, PA.
333
Pittsburgh, Pa.
THE LION FRICK BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
334
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
STAINED GLASS FRICX BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
THE FRICK BUILDING, PITTSBURGH, PA.
335
TWO INTERIORS PRICK BUILDING.
Pittsburgh, Pa. D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
336
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
RESTAURANT PAVILION AT THE END OF THE TERRACE OF THE STATE?.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. E. L. Masqueray, Architect.
SOUTH FRONT OF THE LIBERAL ARTS BUILDING.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Barnett, Haynes & Barnett, Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE
EXPOSITION.
HE architecture of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition will be
much better than most people, and particularly than most
architects suppose. A visit to the grounds enables one to say that
with great confidence. The fair has been more or less discredited,
or, to use the expressive phrase of the street, "queered" by the
reports of the artists who have helped to make it. Every train
that sweeps from the West has brought to our ears the wails or
curses of some disgruntled architect, sculptor, mural painter or
what not, who has had his tale of woe to tell. As he was naturally
more intent upon doing justice to himself than to the show, the
show has correspondingly suffered in public estimation.
There are more causes for this than one. In the first place, to
refine upon the phrase of the street, the avidity of mordication of
the projectors of the fair has evidently exceeded their capacity
for mastication. They have been short of money wherewith to
execute their ambitious and grandiose designs, and they have had
no choice but to lop and prune in what the artists naturally as-
sume to have been an arbitrary and Procrustean fashion. The no-
tion at the bases of the projectors' brains and the tips of their
tongues was that it devolved upon them to "beat Chicago." Now,
beating Chicago in the artistic merit of the fair was a difficult and
ambitious, but a legitimate and worthy undertaking. This was
-^8 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
not quite the view the projectors took of it. By beating Chicago
they meant making a bigger exposition, not a better. Anybody
can see that from the kind of advertising to which they have ad-
dicted themselves. They do not expatiate to you upon the advan-
tage they have over that flat stretch of lake shore in the terrain at
St. Louis, although that is a marked and clear advantage.. They
do not point out to how skilfully this advantage has been employed,
as they accurately and properly might. They tell you, instead, how
much more mileage the fences of the fair enclose than were en-
closed at Chicago, and how much more acreage it has "under roof"
until you are grievously bored, and even begin to suspect that
General Choke and Jefferson Brick and Hannibal Chollop have
been making the fair as well as advertising it. But what the fair
is they never tell you, never, at least in the most widely circulated
and official of their proclamations. That it is "bigger than Chi-
cago" is the one fact that is hammered in upon your brain.
And it is in this naive effort that the inequality between the mor-
dication and the mastication of St. Louis becomes evident. Be-
cause beating Chicago, in point of mere magnitude, is a very am-
bitious effort for St. Louis. Why should the St. Louis Fair be
a bigger thing than that of Chicago when Chicago itself is so much
bigger a thing than St. Louis? In 1893 there were nearly twice
as many people in Chicago as there now are in St. Louis. There
was, we may assume, a proportionate superiority of wealth, and
there was a seething and ebullient local patriotism to which the
world had no parallel. The Chicago Fair cost, all told, over thirty,
millions. The St. Louis Fair had spent, a few weeks ago, sixteen
millions, and urgently needed some five millions more, but had
nothing left but to go to Congress, as it did with success. The
effort to beat Chicago in bigness with less money, under these con-
ditions, seems to have involved a sacrifice of things. more to be de-
sired than bigness. If St. Louis, like Buffalo, had cut its coat ac-
cording to its cloth, it might have given a fair so attractive that
no visitor would have asked or cared whether it broke any or all
records of mere magnitude. The actual effort involved, for ex-
ample, the abandonment of the steel interior construction which
enabled the bridging of such vast spaces and the reduction of the
width of the naves to what could be spanned with timber. It is true
that this reduction gives scope for a decorative treatment of the
interior courts. But such a treatment also costs money, and the
money was not to be had. It had all been spent upon the outsides
and upon their sculptural accessories. A few weeks ago, when
the observations were made upon which these remarks are based,
there was a great deal of landscape gardening, including transplan-
tation of considerable trees, which urgently needed doing in order
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION. 339
to carry out the plan. And there was equally urgent need of
the exterior employment of color. There was a chief of color,
Mr. Louis J. Millet, whose interesting and suggestive decoration
of the outside of the Transportation Building at Chicago will be
remembered by all visitors to the Columbian, and whose compe-
tency for the work may be taken as established. And there were
buildings in evident need of this enrichment. Mr. Link, the author
of the Building of Mines, is the "Secessionist'' of this Fair, as Mr.
Sullivan, the author of the Transportation Building was the Se-
cessionist of Chicago, and has been equally inspired by the desire
to make a real building out of plaster instead of being contented
with the semblance of a building of masonry. This purpose, at
least, seems to be denoted by the bold projection of the eaves,
with their solid shadows, and the plain expanses of the walls, even
if it be elsewhere contradicted, as in the massiveness of the pylons
of the entrances. But, evidently; the device which is meant to take
the places of the conventional modeled ornament must be the ap-
plication of color. And there are other buildings, designed by the
Chief of Design, or consulting architect of the Exposition, upon
which economic considerations have imposed an extreme plainness
of design which without the addition of painted decoration threat-
ens to become baldness. Of these are the buildings of Agriculture,
of Horticulture, and of Forestry, Fish and Game. Excepting for a
very modest and sparing, decoration of the entrances by modeled
ornament, these are but vast sheds, though very well proportioned,
well designed and well lighted sheds, evidently depending for their
festal effect upon decoration to be added, that is to say, upon
painted decoration. In fact, at every turn upon the grounds one
came, five or six weeks ago, upon evidence of the need for. more
money in some places to "make these dry bones live," in all to put
the fair into presentable and attractive condition. One was quite
prepared to believe that the additional four millions and a-half for
which the managers appealed to Congress was the irreducible mini-
mum of their requirements.
But let us turn from the temporary and casual imperfections of
the execution to the design. Without knowing the history of the
scheme, the spectator on the spot imagines that the original design
has been supplemented by an amendment, and so supplemented as
ii: some respects to supplant it. The site of the Exposition is part
of the "Forest Park" of St. Louis, consisting of a level, say a mile
in extent each way, which was known as "The Wilderness,"
grown with a tract of virgin woodland interspersed with some
thousands of fine forest trees. These have been quite ruth-
lessly sacrificed, one is tempted to say wantonly, for although the
clearing was evidently necessary, given the site of the fair, there
340
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
CORNER EXTRAXCE OF THE PALACE OF EDUCATION.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Eames.& Young, Architects.
THE ST. LOUIS EXPO SIT I OX.
341
seems to have been nothing to prevent the moving of the fair back
to a point where no such sacrifice would have been entailed. The
site, however, would appear to have been chosen before any artistic
counsel was invoked. When such counsel was taken, it appeared
that the one natural feature of the site, at least the only one left
to it after the clearing was a wooded ridge bounding it to the
Southeast. To crown this ridge, at its central point, with the most
monumental, and in fact the only permanent building of the fair,
NORTH FAQADE OF THE PALACE OF MANUFACTURES.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Carrere & Hastings, Architects.
was an obvious expedient. Accordingly, this site, commanding the
piain below which was to hold the group of palaces, was reserved
for the Art Building, which Mr. Cass Gilbert was appointed to de-
sign, and which was expected to be the dominating feature of the
show. But a second thought indicated that the picturesque possi-
bilities of the hill were not exhausted, nor even fully employed by this
acropolis, that the whole of this central ridge should be occupied by
the crowning feature of the fair, and that the slope of the hillside
should be brought into service also. Doubtless that was a happy
thought which issued in the Terrace of the States and the Cascade
Gardens which are in fact what the French call the "clou" of the
whole display. Only the execution had the unfortunate incidental
6
342
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION.
343
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
effect of obliterating the Art Building as the central feature of the
fair, or, indeed, as a feature at all in the general view. The curving
colonnade, a quarter of a mile in length, which is called the Terrace
of the States, is built directly in front of it, with the cupola of Fes-
tival Hall rising two hundred feet, and of about the same diameter at
the base, at the centre, effectually screening out the building behind
from any participation in the general effect. There was perhaps no
help for this after the better second thought had superseded the
first, and yet it seems a pity and a waste. In fact the Art Building
will not be fairly seen, will not be seen as it was meant to be seen,
until the fair has been demolished. The change was made, it must
be owned, with every possible consideration, for it was the architect
of the Art Building who was invited to efface his own work by de-
signing the building that was to hide it.
At any rate, this curving ridge being selected as the centre of the
plan, the rest of the plan, at least in its main outline, follows as a
matter of course. Festival Hall on its hill commands and termi-
nates the great avenue that leads direct to the main entrance, the
great avenue, five hundred feet wide, from front to front of its bor-
dering palaces, and the main entrance half mile away. The first third
of this interval outward from the central feature is occupied by the
hillside down which the cascades that take their rise at the centre
and at the ends of the colonnaded "Terrace of the States" are to
flow, and by the "Grand Basin" into which they are to be emptied,
and thence to be diverted, in the form of canals, around the two pal-
aces that front the basin, the palaces of Electricity and Education.
Two lateral avenues diverge from the pavilions which form the ter-
minal features, as Festival Hall forms the central feature, of the
Terrace of the States, and of which one stops the vista of the ave-
nue, looking inward, which looking outward is stopped by an en-
trance gateway. Observe that the avenue, a waterway between the
inner palaces, is terra firma between the outer, and the transverse
avenue between the inner and outer groups is likewise waterway
between the lateral avenues, and sunken garden outside of them.
This transverse avenue brings up one of the puzzles of the plan.
Since it could not be kept straight, being in effect a segment struck
with a radius from the central Festival Hall, and since, therefore a
view of it from end to end could not be preserved, why not make it
a curve instead of a broken line, and moreover a broken line of
which the break comes at the centre of a "block" of palaces ? There
were very likely practical reasons for adopting the actual arrange-
ment. One sees that the laying out and construction of the build-
ings along the curve would have involved more skill and trouble,
and hence more expense, than laying them out and building them
around a corner. But while the curve might have been practically
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION. 345
awkward, there is a distressing architectural awkwardness about
the broken line. One result of it is that no one of the buildings
which face this transverse avenue gets the benefit of its dimensions.
Evidently the effect of the colonnade of Education, or of the arcade
of Manufactures would have been far more impressive, if it had
been built along a sweeping curve than it is when it is rudely broken
by an abrupt change of direction. On the inner buildings the de-
signers have suffered from this misfortune only on one side, and
that the outer, where the angle is a projection, but in the outer on
both the longer fronts, while on one of them the angle is a recess
and offers a space extremely difficult to make a "feature" of. It
seems a great pity that the segment of a circle should not have
been adopted for this cross street, and the designers relieved from
the necessity of trying to treat these awkward and intractable poly-
gons that accrue from the actual plan. With regard to the actual
treatment, the architect of Electricity, who had only a projection to
manage, seems to have been ill advised in voluntarily making it a
recess. Of the two. designers who were forced to treat recesses, the
architect of Manufactures has resorted to a simple truncation, oc-
cupied by a triumphal arch bigger and more imposing even than
the wide and deep arch that forms the unit of his design, while the
architect of Varied Industries has resorted to the ingenious and ef-
fective expedient of a projecting and segmental colonnade. But
from the arrangement it follows that the actually shorter fronts of
these four buildings are architecturally and effectively the longer,
and that the greatest effective length is not of one of these principal
and most conspicuous palaces, but of such an outlying building as
that of Transportation, outside, that is, of the lateral avenue on its
side. To be sure this is a quarter of a mile long, and looks it, but
it is not so long as the outer front either of Manufactures or of
Varied Industries would be if it were straightened out. Moreover,
its extent becomes monotonous for want of the central feature
which the architect designed for it, a reproduction of the colossal
and effective triple portal of the ends, which appears in the draw-
ings for the long side but has disappeared from the building. It
would rather have emphasized than disturbed, while it would have
enlivened, the vast expanse of this flank.
Another puzzle of the plan is the placing of the Louisiana Pur-
chase Monument, monument so-called, though only of plaster and
destined to no longer a duration than that of the fair. This is a
stout erection, a solid tower rather than a column in the classic
sense, of which the architectural purpose is to provide at one end of
the great basin a counterpart to the Festival Hall at the other,
which shall be a focus for lookers-on from the hill as that for look-
ers-on from the lower level. It is well-designed for its purpose, but
346
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ill placed. It seems obvious that this shaft should stand in the axis
of the transverse avenue as well as in that of the straight central
avenue and focus the view from so much of its extent, on either
side, as the turn allows to be taken in at once. For this purpose a
bold semicircular projection from the shore at the centre of the
basin is pretty plainly indicated. Yet in fact the monument is with-
drawn behind the building- line of the flanking palace and is not ap-
prehensible except from the central avenue itself. Whatever prac-
tical considerations may have seemed to require the abrupt turn in
the transverse avenue, instead of a gradual bend cannot have oper-
ated here. The artistic loss is without practical compensation.
THE TERRACE OF THE STATES.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
E. L. Masqueray, Architect.
These two drawbacks are important as affecting the general "lay
out" upon which the spectacular and panoramic success of the Ex-
position must so largely depend. In spite of them, and in spite of
the fact that to make it the most costly, important and permanent
structure of the fair, the Art Building had to be sacrificed for the
whole period of the fair, and that, for the purpose of the fair the
money spent upon its architecture has been largely wasted, this lay
out is admirable, and makes the best use of the terrain. But the
defects are precisely such as were avoided at Chicago, and were
avoided there by that harmonious and enthusiastic co-operation of
everybody concerned which really made the success of the Colum-
bian Exposition. Everybody concerned would doubtless admit,
did, in fact, at the time admit, and even proclaim that the one in-
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION.
347
dispensable factor in that success, so far, and that was very far, as
it was an architectural success, was the personality of Mr. Burn-
ham, who, more than anybody else, was the designer of a fair in
which he did not appear as designer at all. It was he who made
the "direct selection" of the architects who so vindicated his choice,
and who afterwards stood between them and the business men with
whose notions their own were so apt to come into conflict, and who
also mediated effectually between themselves and promoted that
interchange of friendly but frank criticism by which the work so
PROJECTING ANGLE OF THE ELECTRICITY BUILDING.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Walker & Kimball, Architects.
greatly profited. It has' not been the fault of the managers at St.
Louis that Mr. Burnham's services have not again been made avail-
able. But to expect an equal success in the way of loyal and cor-
dial co-operation without the man who brought it about was
"As if a miracle could be encored."
The same system of selection has prevailed at St. Louis as at Chi-
cago, and Buffalo. That is to say, the work has been equally divi-
ded between local architects and architects from outside. But the
system has not worked in all respects so well in this instance as in
those instances. The architects of Chicago, counting among them
348
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION.
349
350
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Mr. Atwood, who succeeded John Root as consulting architect, at
an early stage of the work, contributed quite their full half to the
attractiveness of the Exposition, and the architects of Buffalo, as
everybody knows who saw the Pan-American, came out unexpect-
edly strong. Nobody can go about St. Louis without seeing evi-
dences of such professional competency, in the design of commer-
cial and domestic buildings, which, as in Chicago, so nearly ex-
CORNER OF LIBERAL ARTS BUILDING.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Barnet, Haynes & Barnet, Architects.
haust the architectural activities of the place, as would clearly en-
title the architects who have manifested it to take part in the build-
ing of a World's Fair. But the visitor does not find that in all cases,
it is the men who have manifested this competency who have been
chosen, and in some cases comes to speculate with some wonder
upon what the principle of selection can have been. For, if the most
complete architectural success of the principal palaces is, as it seems
to the present visitor to be, the palace of Education, by a local
architect, the palaces of Machinery and of Liberal Arts, which he
finds himself unable to acclaim as successes, are also the works of
local architects not, just now, to put in either category that ques-
tionable and question-provoking edifice, the palace of Mines.
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION.
351
THE EDUCATION BUILDING. ONE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCES.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Eames & Young, Architects.
t ^ 5 2 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
A glance at the ground plan will show that the central part of
the Exposition, in which a uniform, formal and grandiose scheme of
architectural treatment seems to impose itself, consists of eight pal-
aces.. Those of Education and Electricity, as confronting the Grand
Basin and the Cascade Gardens, and consequently as nearest to the
centre of the diverging plan, are at once the smallest and the most
conspicuous. By reason of their centrality and their conspicuous-
ness, one is inclined to think them, in spite of their lesser dimen-
sions the architectural prizes of the plan, the buildings one of which
an architect who had his choice of all the fair would prefer to do.
The architect would be likely to be tempted, not only by the situa-
tion, but also by the fact that the awkwardness entailed by the
break in the line of the transverse avenue occurs only on one side of
the building, and then in the mitigated form of a projection and not
in the aggravated form of a recession. Behind these, that is to say,
across the transverse avenue, come the larger bulks of Manufac-
tures on one side and Varied Industries on the other. The greater
magnitude of these can scarcely be counted an advantage when one
considers that it not only entails the necessity of trying to signalize
the awkward recess, but that, architecturally, the magnitude is not
effectively greater than that of the buildings which in area are so
much smaller, The straight side of Electricity or Education is as
long as that of Manufactures or Varied Industries and as long as
either of the two facades into which, by the peculiarity of the plan,
the outer front is broken which, if straightened out, would equal or
approach the length of the great building of Liberal Arts at Chi-
cago. But only half of one of these outer fronts can be really seen
at a time. The inner fronts to be sure can be seen together and all at
once, and if the avenue they front had been curved instead of broken
the expanse might have been made most impressive. But the im-
pressiveness is very much diminished by the jog at the centre,
which moreover offers such an awkwardness in itself that one is
tempted rather to condole with the authors of these larger buildings
upon an architectural difficulty than to congratulate them upon an
architectural opportunity. Outside of each of the four buildings
of this central group, flanking it, that is to say, comes another,
which is to be seen in conjunction with it, and which has the ad-
vantage of a parallelogrammatic plan, Mines outside of Education,
Liberal Arts outside of Manufactures, Machinery outside of Elec-
tricity, and Transportation outside of Varied Industries. The two
former are nearly squares, the two latter nearly double squares, and
affording by far the best opportunity for the emphasis of mere mag-
nitude, or rather of mere longitude, which the Exposition presents.
As has been indicated, the design of Transportation, or rather the
execution by omitting an important element in the design, puts
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOS IT I OX
353
THE MANUFACTURERS' BUILDING THE VESTIBULE.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. CarrSre & Hastings, Architects.
354
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
> "*
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION.
355
356 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
emphasis on this feature so exclusively that the result becomes
monotonous. It is a pity, for the great triple portal of the end, de-
signed to be repeated on the side, would not only effectively relieve
this monotony, but is in itself, in its largeness and simplicity, and
its unfailing success in scale and in detail, one of the most impres-
sive things the Exposition has to show. The building of Machinery
suffers from the opposite defect. Its parts are so numerous, so
various, and so insistent, that the expanse of the whole, which
would be so impressive if it had been left more alone, tends al-
most to disappear as an element of effectiveness. The huge ar-
caded and pedimented central feature which almost constitutes the
end of the building is repeated, with the addition of a mansard and
flanked by two towering steeples, at the centre of the side, to such
effect that nobody is likely to complain of the monotonous length
of the building, or even to observe it. while even the curtain wall
between this central feature and the lower steeple, with a pedimented
and columned base, carrying a pedimented and columned belfry
stage which occupies the angle, is diversified by being divided be-
tween a central colonnade and two flanking arcades. Decidedly, it
is not monotony that one primarily objects to in this collection of
features which scarcely constitute a countenance, and in the pro-
fusion of which the architect seems almost to have exhausted his
repertory of forms of the Italian Renaissance, in a "free" version of
which all the buildings of the Exposition are supposed to be de-
signed.
( )f the central group of four I have already expressed my own
belief that Education is the most successful. For one thing, it is
the simplest. The stately and interminable classic colonnade, given
the chance to do it on the grand scale, is among the most obvious of
all architectural effects, but it is one of the surest alike to break in
upon apathy and not to become stale by iteration. It is one of those
appeals to which, as Stevenson has it, a man must be dead and buri-
able when he fails to respond. But to say that the building of Edu-
cation displays on every front a colossal Corinthian order by no
means exhausts the design of it, nor limits the merit of the de-
signer to his selection of a motive. The very point of which we
have just been speaking, the difficulty of emphasizing extent so as
to make it effective without making it monotonous, in which the
flank of the Transportation building by a misfortune of execution
shows one kind of failure, and the flank of the building of Machin-
ery by a misfortune of design shows another, is admirably dealt with
in the building under consideration. On each of the three straight
fronts the effective extent of the colonnade is the whole extent of
the front, and yet each shows a centre and tw y o ends emphasized in
the design, the former a triumphal arch with a flanking and pro-
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION. 357
jecting order, of which the raised attic is crowned with a quadriga,
the latter square and massive pavilions in which the columns of the
colonnade are subdued to pilasters, so that the actual extent of the
colonnade is only that of the curtain walls, and nobody is likely to
complain that the fronts are monotonous on the one hand, or that
they are unduly cut up and frittered away on the other. To attain
this just mean so that the features of the design shall animate the
expanses without interrupting them is a task to the successful per-
formance of which there has evidently gone a deal of study. There
is no question of the success here, nor that the building is a schol-
arly essay in a really classical spirit as well as in the conventional
classical forms.
A scholarly performance likewise, is doubtless the counterpart-
ing building of Electricity. If it comes short of the success of the
other, it se-ems that that is largely because in the boldly projected
order which alternates with the large plain round-arched openings
of the wall behind, on its most conspicuous front, the designer
seems to have hit upon a unit of design so large as to dwarf his
building, or at least to prevent it from getting the full benefit of its
dimensions. The columns of the colonnade of Education, being
not at once numerable by the eye are practically interminable,
whereas nobody can help being aware that the curtain walls of Elec-
tricity consists of just three bays each. The pains the designer has
been at to exaggerate the magnitude of the parts has the effect of
belittling the whole : 600x700 feet are very respectable dimensions.
But when the parts are so "scaled up" as these are, the frontage
which would make them take their places as the units of an effect-
ively extensive series would have to be greater by a considerable
multiple. Moreover, the crowning features of this edifice, the ter-
raced roofs of the terminal pavilions, rising actually or at least ap-
parently higher than the central gable with its pediment and its big
semicircular window, seem to have no necessary connection with
the substructure or with one another, nor are they in themselves of
attractive form or outline. Nevertheless there is a grandiosity
about the performance. The building has a style of its own, and
fills not unworthily its important place.
In the respects in which we have been finding fault with it the
building of Manufactures offers an instructive contrast to this.
Here also the architects took a unit larger and more important than
that of a column as the motive of their design. Here also this is
the Roman arch, framed in "orders" and the feature is on an am-
ple scale. But the columns and the arches go very much better
together than in the building of Electricity where the emphasis
given to the order by its projection seems meant to emphasize its
separateness from the construction it adjoins. In Manufactures, it
35 g THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
is so subdued as to become an integral part of that construction.
With the smaller scale and the greater length of frontage, the
succession of arches becomes really a series, an arcade, as it is so
far from becoming in the other case, while the colonnaded pavil-
ions of the corners and the triumphal arches of the central en-
trances take their places not as detached objects, but as parts of an
impressive and successful whole.
The building corresponding to that of Manufactures, that of Va-
ried Industries, is noteworthy as the work of the only architectural
firm represented at St. Louis which was also represented at Chi-
cago. The present building, however, does not at all recall the
Electricity Building at Chicago, showing, for one thing, a very dis-
tinct advance upon it, and, for another, recalling another building
of the Court of Honor, that of Machinery, namely. This it does un-
mistakably in virtue of its steeples rising from the Spanish looking
dead walls of their lower stages, and flanked by the long colonnades
over an arcaded basement. The effect is at once stately and ani-
mated, and one feels moved especially to congratulate the archi-
tect on the device by which he has circumvented the awkwardness of
his recessed angle, by projecting in front of it a segment of col-
onnade. One cannot do so much by the cupola, so incongruous
with the steeples of the other front, that crowns this feature, and
still less by the open and bell-crowned corner pavilions that em-
phasize a void where there was required an emphatic solid. Neither
can one at all or anywhere congratulate the architect of Liberal
Arts, whose "features'' are so big and so insistent as to deprive his
building of a countenance. The huge size and the number of the
triumphal arches of entrances would denote that the purpose of the
edifice was mainly to be got into and out of, for they dwarf into
nothingness the strips of wall betwen them, while at the corners he
has connected a huge monumental arch on each front by means of
a round colonnade. The effect may not be more easily imagined
than described, but certainly it is not easily described.
Last of the great palaces comes that of Mines, of which the ef-
fect, as has been said, cannot be judged without the color it was
still, a few weeks ago, awaiting. Evidently enough, the huge over-
shadowing eaves that protect the walls and cast their solid shadows
no more come within the most liberal construction of the "Italian
Renaissance" than do the Egyptian pylons that flank the entrances.
There is this marked difference between it and the Transportation
Building at Chicago. The Transportation Building at Chicago
was isolated. This building is part of the principal group and
must be seen in connection with other buildings of an entirely dif-
ferent inspiration. Whatever its individual success may prove to
be, it will be one at the expense of its neighbors, and at the ex-
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION.
359
CORNER OF THE VARIED INDUSTRIES BUILDING.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Van Brunt & Howe, Architects.
3<3o
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
pense, therefore, of the general effect. Evidently that is not polite.
But evidently there is more to be said about it than tha^t one may
not see the relevancy of the pylons. Rut one has to see that the
building is a forcible and effective composition, in itself considered.
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition will be worth seeing.
There is no doubt about that. There are a great many more things
to be said about it. But one that it would not be decent to omit ex-
pressing is the recognition of the admirable way in which the ac-
cessory architecture has been handled in the office of the Chief of
Design. The colonnaded "Terrace of the States" with its terminal
pavilions is the most conspicuous example of the work of the office,
but many examples of it are to be seen at every turn about the
grounds, and all of them confirm the impression that in this matter
the managers of the fair have been particularly fortunate.
There is a good deal to be said, too, about the subordinate build-
ings, foreign and domestic, particularly about the great advance
that is shown since Chicago in the design of the buildings beginning
with the Government Building. "But that is another story," and
matter for another article.
Franz K. Winkler.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS.
^T.T is beginning to be more and more apparent that a number of the
JL better architects of the West have a tendency consciously to break
away from the time-honored European tradition to which their
eastern brethren devotedly cleave. The statement, however, that
such a tendency exists must be made with due caution and with
many qualifications. It is not a tendency, which by any means
stares one in the face, as one wanders observantly through the
western cities. On the contrary, the new buildings, of all descrip-
tions, which one sees most frequently seem to belong to much the
same types of design as the buildings which one sees under similar
conditions in the eastern cities. As has been frequently observed
before, there is a "regular thing" in office-buildings, hotels and
private houses, which is coming to have a prevailing influence,
wherever any pretence to good design exists ; and these popular
types, while by no means entirely satisfactory to a well-trained
eye, possess, nevertheless, an increasing fitness and architectural
respectability. What is more to our present purpose, however,
the popular types of buildings, which, as I have said, dominate the
newer architectural landscape, are all of them more or less faith-
ful reproductions of well-known traditional types of design. Con-
sequently the observer of architectural conditions throughout the
country will be impressed superficiallv, not by any divergence in the
habits of design of the eastern and western architects, but rather
by certain general similarities.
It is true, nevertheless, that there is a group of western archi-
tects, resident chiefly in Chicago, who are, as I have caid, depart-
ing from the allegiance to the strict European tradition which
prevails in the East. The number of the protestants is not as yet
very great ; several of the architects whose work shows the influ-
ence of the different ideal are by no means consistent in their de-
votion thereto ; and the different members of the group differ con-
siderably in the extent to which they push their search for an origi-
nal vehicle of expression. In the cases of some of them the desire
to free themselves from tradition does not go much further than
a search for irregularity in exterior design and for certain novel
details in the interiors. Others have become absolutely revolution-
ary in their ideals and in their technical machinery. They are
seeking to make one big jump from a condition of stylistic servi-
tude to that of irreverent and self-assured independence. They
do not seek originality, however, as the "great American architect"
once did by combining a number of traditional types into one in-
362
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
congruous architectural hodge-podge. The radicals among the
group are seeking for a rational and consistent basis for American
design and ornament. The more conservative are merely seeking
to reduce their debt to the European tradition to a few fundamental
forms and to work out on the basis of those forms some new
types of design. For the most part the movement is marked by
moderation and good sense.
It is natural that some such departure should be made in the
West, because the western architect does not, as a rule, handle the
traditional European architectural forms with any very zealous
sense of the peculiar values of those forms. So far as the East
is concerned, it is undeniably true that the great successes have
been made by architects, who were capable of designing thorough-
ly well along strictly conventional lines. These architects have
been fully equal to the task of taking any one of the several Renais-
sance domestic styles, and of reproducing in the American em-
bodiment of the type some of the vitality and flavor of the origi-
nal, so that the American reproduction has an effective presence
and a permanent carrying power of its own. They have caught,
that is, something of the spirit of the periods wherefrom they bor-
row, and can make their buildings, both inside and outside, a great
deal more than academic imitations of European types. So far as
the exteriors are concerned, they can frequently give that appear-
ance of measure and balance to the elements of the composition,
without which the various Renaissance forms are lifeless; while
at the same time they can impart a certain freedom to the design
by the adaptation of some of the important members of the com-
position to local American needs. So far as the interiors are con-
cerned, they have acquired the power both of reproducing with
some charm of effect the formal French styles of interior decora-
tion, and of rehandling the materials used by the old French and
Italian decorators in an idiomatic manner with the result some-
times of making genuine living-rooms out of the remnants of
rooms in European castles, palaces, churches, halls and galleries.
Like thrifty business men, they justify their borrowing by the fact
that they make their loan yield a good deal more than the interest
charges. So far as my observation goes, the western architects
have not shown the same power to anything like the same extent.
The attempt to get the quality of measure and balance into the
exterior of buildings designed under the influence of classic models
does not seem to go beyond symmetrical duplication of the sev-
eral parts of the building, the resulting effect being both loose and
stiff. Neither are they very much more successful with the in-
teriors, when these interiors are wrought of similar materials. In
tne first place, their clients, the well-to-do western gentlemen
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS. 363
for whom the houses are built, do not seem to demand the use of
European styles and remnants to the same extent as do the east-
ern owners of expensive dwellings. They are content with home-
made furniture and fabrics, and when they do ask for an interior
designed along- the same lines as that, say of the Whitney house
in New York, they cannot get it, or, at least, they have not got it
in any of the houses of this kind, which the writer has seen.. The
western architects do not seem to have a lively sense for this sort of
thing. They have never gained touch with the tradition that en-
dows it with life and meaning.
It will probably prove to be a fortunate thing for American ar-
chitecture that such is the case. In a country, such as the United
States, which is in the process of making and naturalizing its local
architectural traditions and forms, it is a good thing both that
some of the leading practitioners should intentionally cleave to
the standard authoritative historic styles, and that others should
propose, also intentionally, to depart from strict allegiance to the
time-honored tradition, and to substitute types of design
that have a manifest local propriety. These two ideals of de-
sign seem to be exclusive ; but both are as necessary to the steady
progress of American architecture as are a conservative and a
liberal party to a healthy political organism.. The two sets of ideas
will prove to be supplementary provided both of them are sin-
cerely and intelligently adopted, and are applied with a high sense
of technical honor. What American architecture needs very much
more than devotion to any one group of forms is devotion to an
uncompromising technical standard. When such a standard pre-
vails, and brings with it all that it implies, the forms will take care
of themselves.
The group of western architects, whose work shows a con-
scious attempt to break new ground, are most assuredly sincere and
intelligent designers possessed of a sufficiently high technical
standard. Their work is inevitably more uneven than is the work
of the eastern architects who stick more closely to the "regular
thing;" it is not calculated to please people, whose point of view
makes them unsympathetic with architectural experiments ; yet,
nevertheless, it has a quality and effect which can only come from
a thoughtful and conscientious attempt to devise forms which are
appropriate, novel and striking. The forms which they devise oc-
casionally suggest the influence of the "New Style," which is so
popular abroad ; but when this is the case the suggestion points
rather to the German than the French variety of that movement.
For the most part, however, it borrows little either from "L'Art
Nouveau" or the "Jugend Style." It really derives its momentum
and inspiration chiefly from the work of Mr. Louis Sullivan, and
364 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
from a very able architect, who issued from Mr. Sullivan's office,
Mr. Frank Wright. But it is still too young to have a history, and
probably ten years must pass before any very intelligent estimate
can be placed upon its value. In the meantime its significance as
an attempt to meet a real need both of local and of general Ameri-
can architecture should be recognized and be allowed its full credit.
In order to give some idea of what this group' of architects is
doing, there are reproduced herewith photographs of four houses
which have recently been erected in or near Chicago. Two of these
houses were designed by Mr. ( ieorge Maher and two by Mr.
Richard Schmidt. It would be going too far to say that these
houses are thoroughly typical of the movement to which attention
has been directed, because this movement is a very composite
thing, and includes a varietv of new tendencies. Rut while not
claiming that these houses are thoroughly representative, it is
none the less true that they tvpify fairly well, on the one hand, the
extremely radical phase of the new movement, and on the other,
the phase which is content with a more modest ideal and a less
uncompromising rigor of rejection.
( )f the four houses, that of Mr. L. Wolff. Jr., designed by Richard
Schmidt, exhibits probably the new movement more nearly at its
best. The general character of this design obviously owes a great
deal to the work of Mr. Prank \\ right, and this is as it should be,
for Mr. Wright is the most thoroughly and sensibly original among
the younger men. ( )ne marks immediately the very simple and
rational method of the exterior design, the frank treatment of the
materials, the exclusively utilitarian situation of the openings, the
almost complete rejection of detail and ornament, and the mani-
fest seeking for structural honesty. The architect is evidently think-
ing in terms of masses, of surfaces, and of light and shade. He
is looking, that is. for a well-massed structural effect, the surface
of which shall express the color value of the brick, and which shall
at the same time be made a little spectacular by the bold shadows
cast by the overhanging roof. All this is very good ; but it must
also be remarked that the simplicity of effect, just because it is
obtained by such a process of rejection, has within limits the dan-
ger of becoming the simplicity of attenuation. The rejection of
the classic precedents has gone so far that proportion and symmetry
are secondary elements. It is very well to think in terms of masses
and surfaces and it is probably better to do so than to stick to
the current practice of interpolating detail for the sake of com-
posing it ; but there should be enough detail to afford some chance
of effective proportion, some chance of that simplicity which re-
sults from the perfectly achieved organization of a wealth of struc-
tural and ornamental members.
THE ARCHITECTURE OP IDEAS.
365
Hazel Avenue, Chicago.
RESIDENCE OF L. WOLFF, JR.
Richard Schmidt, Architect.
366
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
INTERIORS IN THE HOUSE OF L. WOLFF, JR.
Hazel Avenue, Chicago. Richard Schmidt, Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS.
367
INTERIORS IN THE HOUSE OF L. WOLFF, JR.
Hazel Avenue, Chicago. Richard Schmidt, Architect.
3 68
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
In passing to the interior of Mr. Wolff's house, one is impressed
by the same seeking 1 for an honest simplicity of effect. In this
case the architect is obviously pre-occupied chiefly with the sur-
faces of the walls and panels, and the colors whereby they are deco-
rated. Wherever he can he tries to get large surfaces, which are
never figured or disfigured with paper, but if not paneled, are
tinted with some solid color. At the same time these wall sur-
faces are made interesting by a well-designed base and cornice, and
by a treatment of the woodwork around the openings which
gives these spaces a varied and appropriate framing. The panel-
ing, wherever it is used, is also designed with the utmost discre-
tion, the scale of the mouldings and depressions being admirably
appropriate. In short, the desirable simplicity of effect has been ob-
tained without as many sacrifices as the architect felt impelled to
make on his exterior, and the result possesses not merely integ-
rity but an open and comfortable charm. The only jarring note in
these rooms is the furniture. Some of it has evidently been de-
signed for the house, although without very much success, but in
other cases as, for instance, the piano, several of the ponderous
stuffed chairs, the stool with the palm on it, and the elaborately
carved piece in the hall in all these cases the style of the furniture
disagrees with that of the house; and it becomes evident at once
that people who wish houses designed in this style should be pre-
pared to make a clean sweep of their customary household belong-
ings. The ordinary modern Colonial, Italian and French furniture
is for the most part entirely out of place in such rooms as these.
The other house, of which Mr. Schmidt is the architect, that of
Mr. Chas. Thome, possesses some of the same characteristics, but
the result is decidedly less successful. It is a frame structure, de-
signed with the same disregard of proportion, and with the same
bold effects of light and shade, derived from the projecting eaves.
There has been a manifest attempt also to give the material some-
thing of its proper value. The house presents a gay, picturesque
and fragile appearance. The sharp mouldings which frame the
clapboards in as if they were panels, break the surface of the build-
ing and intensify the dominant lines at that point. But the effect
is none the less bizarre and confused. Neither is the interior as
pleasing as in the case of the other house. Here again Mr. Schmidt
has given a spacious effect, and has kept his abundant wall surfaces
bare of paper ; but the woodwork is much less interesting, and the
stenciled design which he has placed above the shelf in the draw-
ing-room is unpleasantly frivolous. In this case also the furni-
ture which apparently is "Grand Rapids Colonial," does not
harmonize with the style of the decorations and leaves an uncom-
fortably jarring impression. Doubtless many of the differences
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS.
369
between the two houses are directly traceable to the fact that in one
case the architect had more money at his disposal than in the
other ; but in the second case the smaller resources might
assuredly have been better used. Evidently in designing in this un-
conventional manner, an architect may easily lose his clue and go
pretty well astray, for he has nothing to correct an error but his
own taste ; and personal taste, even with the most gifted men, is
often a doubtful support.
If Mr. Schmidt represents a moderate version of the new move-
ment, Mr. Maher evidently stands for its most revolutionary ex-
HOUSE OF CHAS. THORNE.
Winnetka, 111.
Richard Schmidt, Architect.
treme. He is assuredly the "new architect" in his most garrulous
and candid moment. He has not been afraid to design houses,
which would impress any eye, not merely as extraordinary, but per-
haps as grotesque ; and in so doing he stands alone, for the other
architects this group are much more discreet in their innovations.
Personally I prefer in this matter the quality of discretion to the
quality of courage ; but Mr. Maher's courage, if it makes him more
dangerous as an example to imitate, also makes him more service-
able as an example to study and consider particularly when
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
INTERIORS IN THE HOUSE OF CHAS. THORNE.
Winnetka, 111. Richard Schmidt, Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS.
371
we have what may be taken to be an official expression of his ar-
tistic creed. An admirer of his writes as follows :
"A gratifying example of art from the philosophical standpoint
is offered in the work of Mr. Geo. H. Maher, of Chicago. Cast-
ing tradition to the winds, this artist presents a system which is
at once novel and enduring. . . . He is a champion of rational
aestheticism, and holds that the expression of art, to be consistent
and therefore idealistic, from its very nature can never be identi-
cal in any two localities. Environment and local conditions are
the leading indices." Let us see what sort of a building the philo-
sophic architect will conceive.
INTERIOR OF THE HOUSE OP HARRY RUBENS.
Glencoe, 111. Geo. Maher, Architect.
The Hollyhock as a "Floral Emblem."
The best opportunity which Mr. Maher has had to give expres-
sion to his system of rational aestheticism is contained in the house
designed for Mayor Patton, at Evanston, Illinois; and, indeed, a
better opportunity has rarely been offered to any architect. I
have already remarked how important it is that the "new architect"
should have the chance to design everything about a house, in-
side and out; and this is just the chance which Mr. Patton has
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THII ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS.
373
374
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS. 375
placed in Mr. Maher's hands. Consequently, in this instance, unlike
so many others, the responsibility for satisfactory results or the re-
verse belongs exclusively to the architect.
The first impression which the untutored and undisciplined ob-
server obtains from the Patton House is not very exhilarating.
It strikes one as a heavy, gloomy, chunk of a building, with de-
pressing reminiscences in its appearance of such primitive archi-
tectural achievements as Pelasgian masonry and Egyptian sar-
cophagi. But mingled with this unfavorable impression is the con-
sciousness that to dismiss it with such words on one's lips would
not be fair to Mr.. Maher. We are dealing with an architecture of
ideas, which is struggling not very successfully at formal expres-
sion; and it is only fair that the idea should be considered as well
as the incarnation. Even though ugly and clumsy in appearance,
such a building may, at least, have the intellectual integrity, the
"rational sestheticism" of art from "a philosophical standpoint," and
an interest of this kind, a closer examination, most assuredly proves
the design to have. It assuredly has the value, for instance, of a
very honest piece of stone masonry, with the structural value of
the granite almost painfully emphasized by the huge, rough, flat
blocks of which it is constructed. The ruggedness of its effect
is modified by the smooth and restful stone base and cornice,
which provide the only pleasant lines of the building, and do more
than anything else to give the design distinction and unity. In
spite, however, of the honesty of the stone work, the total sacri-
fice of scale to massiveness of effect, which the building exhibits,
remains unappeasably disagreeable. It reminds one of the figure
of a man whose arms and legs are swollen, so that no matter
how bold his muscles are, or how vigorous the whole effect of his
strong body, that effect is spoiled by the disproportion of certain
salient parts.
All the ornament on the exterior of the building is concen-
trated on the balcony above the entrance door, and it is signifi-
cant that this ornament consists almost exclusively of a superficial
carving and mosaic and some beauty of effect and originality
of design. It is this fact that the ornament is designed, instead of
being merely copied, which gives the ornament its best promise,
In this respect Mr. Maher is, of course, frankly the follower of
Mr. Louis Sullivan, and he follows him, not merely in seeking for
original ornamental forms, but in confining his ornament mostly
to surface treatment. Perhaps this is necessarily the case with
architects who seek to depart from the classic forms ; but if so, it
means, most assuredly, a relation between the structure of a build-
ing and its decorative detail, which is as objectionable in one way
as is in another the more general practice of designing apparently
376
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE RESIDENCE OF MAYOR PATTON. WOODWORK IX THE
HALL AXD DIXIXG ROOM.
Evanston, 111. Geo. Maher, Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS.
377
INTERIORS IN THE RESIDENCE OF MAYOR PATTON.
Evanston, 111. Geo. Maher, Architect.
378
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
RESIDENCE OF MAYOR PATTON. WALL DECORATION.
Evanston, 111. Geo. Maher, Architect,
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS. 379
structural members for merely decorative purposes. This super-
ficial ornament is not architectural and lends the architectural effect
of the building little assistance, so that the architect is thrown
back, as has already been observed, chiefly upon masses of his
building and the surface value of his material; and any attempt
to bring the composition into close relation to the material could
result only in substituting for the block-like simplicity of the best
of the present architecture of ideas a freakish irregularity of de-
sign,
It is on passing to the interior of the house that one begins to
realize the full proportions of Mr. Maher's enterprise. The deco-
rative motives suggested on the interior of the building have been
carried out on the inside with incorruptible consistency. It is
part of Mr. Maher's creed that the ornament "should be identified
with some floral element of the locality to which he is confined,
recognizing that the leading. flower of a neighborhood is nature's
symbol of the spirit out-breathed there." The "floral element
of the locality" to which Mr. Maher was confined in the case of
the Patton residence is the thistle, a motive which is varied ingeni-
ously to cover large areas of wall, to surmount mantelpieces and
side-boards, to figure curtains, and to supply decorative borders
to wall surfaces tinted in solid colors. Some of these designs are
in themselves very beautiful, and one cannot help attributing to
the architect, who is capable of handling such a motive with so
much variety, so much originality and in a sense with so much pro-
priety, very unusual powers of design. The effect of the ornament
is in other cases somewhat explosive, as if a shell had burst, and
was blowing the "floral element" all over the wall; but for the
most part it is handled with a good deal of restraint. One cannot
say as much that is favorable of the hectic angel, into which the stem
of the thistle flowers in specified places. The sort of thing is so ex-
tremely jarring to the writer that he can scarcely consider it with
decorum and patience. To my sense she is merely orna-
mental impertinence, which would become intolerable as steady
company, and which is an example of the worst solecism whicn the
architecture of ideas can commit.
There is less woodwork than in many houses of this class the
hall and dining-rooms being apparently the only apartments in
which it prevails. Wherever used, however, the dimensions of the
members designed in this material are framed on a scale, which
is much more appropriate to a bar-room or a hotel than a private
house. Mr. Maher, indeed, has throughout kept his structural
members extremely massive, while his ornamental "elements"
have been made almost aerial in their lightness. Even the furni-
ture is chunky and heavy too much so for the taste of most people,
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Evanston, 111.
INTERIORS IN THE RESIDENCE OF MAYOR PATTON.
Geo. Maher. Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS.
Glencoe, 111.
THE HOUSE OP HARRY RUBENS.
Geo. Maher Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
v d'/> -
THE HOUSE OP HARRY RUBENS.
Glencoe, 111.
Geo. Maher, Architect.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEAS. 383
but none the less very cleverly designed from the architect's point
of view.
It is very difficult for the writer to pass upon the effect of the
interior as a whole, because, as I am bound to confess, I am com-
menting on the house with nothing but the photographs before
me; and obviously much if not most of Mr. Maher's effect de-
pends upon his colors. Furthermore, it is probable that the
photographs over-emphasize the excessive scale of some of the
parts. Nevertheless, one cannot help remarking that the architec-
ture of ideas, when embodied in such a fashion as this, places even
a heavier responsibility upon the owner and occupier of the house
than upon the architect. Just think of living in such a thorny en-
vironment ! Think of being constantly entangled in such a system
of "rational sestheticism !" Think of trying to establish one's house-
hold gods in such a temple of artistic puritanism ! One could
scarcely buy an ornament or place some flowers on a table, or
cover a cushion without the danger of producing a jarring effect
as may be seen from the cushion on the lounge in the study,
the one homely detail in the whole austere interior. Evidently the
architecture of ideas is intended for clients, who are willing to trust
their architects absolutely, and who are prepared to make great
sacrifices for the good cause from which we may conclude that
the real hero of this architectural enterprise is even more Mr.
Patton than it is Mr. Maher.
Finally we come to the house of Mr. Rubens, at Glencoe, Illinois,
designed also by Mr. Maher in which it must be straightaway
admitted that the architecture of ideas goes to seed. Indeed, this
house or group of houses makes one wonder what the difference
is between "rational" and irrational sestheticism, for to all appear-
ances nothing could be more irrational than every disposition and
detail of these structures. One feels impelled to ask the question
"why" about everything one sees. Why run up rectangular walls
against a peaked roof? Why construct these walls of brick, while
the other walls are constructed of concrete ? Why put a roof on a
post and give it the appearance of being inhabited? Why make
all the lines of a building angular except a few of the openings,
.and then use circular window sashes and balcony decorations.
How is the room under the tower reached, and what sort of plan
can the interior of such a group of buildings have ? Why anything
.and everything? Doubtless, some reasons may be alleged for these
perverse dispositions, for this is an architecture of ideas, and Mr.
Maher has evidently put plenty of them in this design ; but in this
instance, at least, the appearance of the building is devoid of archi-
tectural reason or propriety. The architect has broken away from
the safe method of designing a good solid block of a house with
384 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
plain, honest walls, and has attempted to construct some kind of a
decorative scheme. The result is simply grotesque, and leads one
to hope that the "new architect" will henceforth keep his decora-
tion superficial. This sort of thing is, of course, the great
danger of architecture "from the philosophical standpoint," which
substitutes ideas for traditions, and originality at any price for the
authenticity of time-honored forms. The revolution which it en-
dorses comes perilously near to anarchy. It cannot establish any
authority in place of the one which it is trying to overthrow, and
some kind of authority, some recognized form which can be taken
for granted, is as necessary to good art as it is to an established
society. The moral is, not necessarily that architects should not try
to depart somewhat from the European tradition, but that the de-
parture should be made gradually, and with the purpose not to be
unscrupulously original and American, but to design beautiful and
appropriate buildings.
Arthur C. David.
THE RESIDENCE OF
H. M. FLAGLER
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
CARRERE & HASTINGS
ARCHITECTS
386
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
'WHITEHALL."
3*7
388
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ENTRANCE DOOR OF "WHITEHALL."
Residence of H. M. Flagler. Palm Beach, Fla. CarrSre & Hastings, Architects.
"WHITEHALL."
389
I II !! II !!
THE COLONNADE OF "WHITEHALL" AND ITS COURT.
Residence of H. M. Flagler, Palm Beach, Fla. Carrere & Hastings, Architects.
390
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
WHITEHALL."
391
392
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
'WHITEHALL."
393
394
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
'WHITEHALL."
395
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
tlbe
VOL. XV. MAY, 1904. No 5.
THE WORK OF MESSRS. FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER.
PHILADELPHIA is a city of astonishment: with a political
tradition second to none, it has developed a condition of
political depravity without an equal in a land singularly prolific in
products of this nature. Purest in blood of all the greater Ameri-
can cities, with a solid foundation of honest and sturdy stock, it
seems now to be the one municipality in the country where the
forces of rectitude and reform are a negligible quantity. Blessed
with an early architecture of the very best type developed on this
continent, it sunk first of all to a condition of stolid stupidity al-
most unparalleled, then produced at a bound a group of men of
abundant vitality but the very worst taste ever recorded in art, and
then amazed everyone by flashing on the world a small circle of
architects whose dominant quality was exquisite and almost im-
peccable taste, men who produced work of infinite refinement, who
had the faculty of instilling their own high principles into their
followers, and who have established a school of practitioners who
resist steadily and serenely the tendencies to bad taste that for the
moment have the call in the profession and with the public.
It is useless to seek for an explanation, for none is adequate.
There are the facts; what to make of them we do not know, but we
can at least be grateful for a notable mercy.
In the XVIII. century a type of architecture was developed in
and around Philadelphia of very singular beauty. It was perfectly
frank, simple, direct. Blessed with good brick and a building stone
of unexampled charm, the early builders modified their inherited
tradition to adapt it to local conditions, and as a result the farm-
buildings of Eastern Pennsylvania became quite worthy of com-
parison with similar work of a century earlier in England and on
the Continent. What is there in the United States more charming
as an example of vital architecture than the dwellings and barns
of the vicinity of Philadelphia? Frank and simple in form, the
Copyright, 1904. by "The Architectural Record Company. " All rights reserved.
Entered May 22, 1902, as second-class matter, Post Office at New York, N. Y., Act of
Congress of March 3d, 1879.
39 g THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
texture and tone are fine to a degree, while there is that wonderful
quality of picturesqueness that is almost wholly absent from similar
work in New England and the South. A spacious and noble
dignity, high-bred and aloof, is characteristic of the latter ; delicate
and sensitive detail, the mark of the former ; but of picturesqueness
of composition and charm of texture and color there is almost
nothing in either.
In spite of this fine tradition, this environment that surely should
have worked towards a persistence of type, Philadelphia in the
middle of the XIX. century was producing by the mile a kind
of architecture that was the very limit of dull formality, far worse
in every way than the grave and reminiscent brick-work of Boston's
Beacon Hill or even than the much scorned "brownstone front" of
New York.
Then came the next transformation, and a new wonder was
wrought on earth. The historian of the Philadelphia reign of
architectural terror is yet to arise, but he is much to be desired,
for the astonishing phenomenon that followed is well worthy of
serious consideration. Bad it was, with a degree of depravity not
to be measured in words, but this was not all. Underneath the
evil was, I believe, a serious and laudable purpose, and the
men who had their will in the Quaker City during the seventies
and early eighties were entitled to something besides bitter or
scoffing condemnation. Consider two buildings for example,
chosen almost at random ; the Library of the University of Penn-
sylvania and the Unitarian Meeting House in Chestnut Street.
At first sight one sees only inflexible, unvarying bad taste. Well ;
the bad taste is there, all one could possibly claim, but besides this is
something else that is more radical and demands our sympathy, or
at all events our considerate recognition, and this is Personality.
Bad taste is like a club-foot or a hare-lip ; it is a misfortune, not a
fault ; it marks individuals, for example, the artistic "sans-culottes"
of Philadelphia, or even whole races, as the French architects and
painters of to-day. Yet a man with a club-foot and a hare-lip may
be a gentleman, and a man or a race blighted by bad taste, may yet
come nearer to solving the fundamental problems of artistic crea-
tion than the most consummate disciple of Walter Pater.
Bad taste is, to me, a salient characteristic of modern art in
France. Yet, to take one branch of artistic creation alone, archi-
tecture, we find there a more profound sense of the basic principles
of this noblest of arts, a more logical sense of its functions, its
laws, and its method of development, than can be discovered in any
other contemporary country whatever.
Therefore, in jeering at the Furnissic Revolt, let us remember
this ; that its founder and its disciples tried to be something besides
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER.
399
FIG. 1. TERRA COTTA DETAIL, HOUSE OF H. K. CUMMINGS.
Germantown, Pa. Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
cheap copyists, tracing their working drawings from Vignola or
LeTarouilly or Welby Pugin ; they tried to be live Americans, not
dead archaeologists ; they sought for vitality, originality, personal
and ethnic expression. If God had given them good taste they would
have succeeded beyond belief ; as it was they failed, and their works
do follow them ; but in their failure was more of honor than accrues
to their better bred contemporaries and successors who could see
no further than the steel engravings of classical "Fragments" and
mediaeval "Remains."
Some of Philadelphia's vicissitudes are inexplicable, not so the
next development which followed inevitably. The salient sin of
the last third of the century was against good taste ; in opposition to
this was raised up a group of men predestined to be the exemplars
of good taste. The city never did anything by halves, and the awful
taste of the "seventies" engendered the delicate sensibility of the
"nineties." Within the space of a very few years four new men
became active, and in the following sequence, Wilson Eyre, Cope
& Stewardson and Frank Miles Day. These four became one voice
crying in the wilderness, a voice proclaiming artistic salvation
through the doctrine of good taste.
Mr. Eyre's work has already been considered in these pages; it
falls to me to deal with that of the other two firms.. In a way,
however, it is almost a mistake to treat of these three separately,
for their crusade has been one work, their activity has been simul-
taneous, their sympathies identical, their personalities closely allied,
while in one instance the three firms came together to produce
what seems to me the most significant structure resulting from
the enforcement of the principles for the establishing of which
they have been allied.
One thing we must postulate of all as of each, this same good
taste of which I have spoken so continuously. Each firm is varied,
each differentiated from the other by certain degrees of stress laid
on certain qualities by the several firms. In the one characteristic
4OO
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
named above they meet on common ground. Yet even here there
is a difference in degree, and Mr. Day and his brother stand
forward pre-eminently as the apostles of refinement and sensibility.
The keynote is struck at the outset in the Art Club (Fig 2), un-
less I am mistaken the first important commission ever given Mr.
Day. It is an enthusiastic revolt against the sort of thing that is
lined up beside it in the photograph and against the bizarre pro-
ductions of the men at that time in the fullness of their very sur-
prising powers. It is also the unmistakable work of a young man
FIG. 2. THE PHILADELPHIA ARTS CLUB.
Broad St., below Walnut St., Philadelphia. Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
just back from Europe, and a file of sketch books is the manifest
source of inspiration. Detail is lavished with a prodigal hand ; vari-
ety and picturesqueness were sought at any cost ; here was a chance
to do a good deal, and it was done, and very thoroughly. As a re-
sult, calmness, reserve, simplicity are lost and the building fails to
this degree. But consider the year, the locus. It was a manifesta-
tion of delicacy and sweetness, of fine instincts and subtle sympa-
thies. Weak it is in mass, composition and scale, but every line of
it is as refined and sensitive as possible. Too much so, of course ;
exquisite ornament is not all of architecture, indeed it is not even
a necessity, but when it comes it is a boon, particularly when it is as
THE ll'ORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER.
401
charming as holds in the present instance. Above all this building
marks the entrance of a new influence in a devastated field, an
agency of good taste. This is the beginning of all things, a solid
foundation, and much may be builded thereon, though this may not
follow inevitably.
In the case of the Art Club, French and Italian influences are
dominant. In the house in I7th Street, and the block of residences
in West End Avenue, New York (Fig. 3), which shortly followed,
the sketch books from Holland and Flanders are more in evidence,
FIG. 3. RESIDENCES ON WEST END AV. AND 94TH ST.
New York City. Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
and they show a keen eye for choosing the good over the bad and
for assimilating this good very thoroughly. In all these buildings
there is not only a strong sense for beautiful ornament, for engag-
ing picturesqueness, but as well a new feeling for color and for
texture of surfaces ; the brick is chosen with scrupulous care, the
stone is judiciously placed for the obtaining of what the Japanese
402
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
FIG. 4. BUILDING OF THE AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION
SOCIETY.
Philadelphia, Pa. Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER. 403
would call "notan." With years Mr. Day has learned that salvation
is not by fine line alone, but by other and more important matters,
yet his feeling- for color and texture has persisted, growing- stronger
every day, until the crowning result is to be found in that building
where all three firms met on common ground and in a common
work.
It is very interesting to watch an architect "find himself," partic-
ularly in the case of Mr. Day, where the process is perfectly logi-
ical, entirely continuous, and, if one may venture the prophecy, not
yet completed. Beginning with a very evident and equally domi-
nant passion for fine line, graceful ornament and delicate colors,
consciousness of composition, mass and the co-ordination of parts
is a matter of subsequent growth. We find the first evidence of this
in two important structures, the office building for the American
Baptist Publication Society (Fig. 4) and Horticultural Hall. The
former may be called a creation; it is elaborate, ambitious, magnifi-
cent. The idea of an office building as an utilitarian entity, postu-
lating an entirely new set of architectural principles developing from
a peculiar function entirely without precedent, had not yet sug-
gested itself. Indeed, it was to wait many years yet, and until Mr.
Sullivan could work out his logical and original theories. In place
of this was the old tower idea ; a solid and somewhat elaborate base,
a plain and simple shaft, and a topping out of all kinds of splendor ;
an efflorescence of ballustrades, dormers, pinnacles and diaper
work.
Grant the primary assumption and it is magnificent ; rich, florid,
sumptuous, yet in excellent taste. The composition of the splendid
crown is admirable, the ornament conscientiously studied, beautiful
in itself, and judiciously placed. It is hardly logical in its expres-
sion of function however,, and must count as a very beautiful mile-
stone in a progression then only begun, and even now not yet at its
term. Two points are worth noting in this connection. The first is
that in designing high buildings the upper stories are not the place
for elaborate ornamentation ; in this respect the building is in error.
The second is that it is not the mark of an educated architect to
lavish his luxury on the street side of a given building, treating
his party walls as matter of no concern, at least he cannot do this
unless he is coerced into such action by a conscienceless owner and
after his own solemn protest ; in this respect the building is admir-
ably right. As matters now stand the sides of this structure are ten
times more conspicuous than the front, and actually they are better
in design. Here is a mark of serious purpose, of conscientious
principle, of thorough good taste on the part of the architect that
demands high praise.
The problem is somewhat difficult ; in time these same party walls
404
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE U'ORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER. 405
may be entirely hidden by adjacent buildings ; again they may not.
If they stand revealed ten years, or five, a little money and a little
thought given to the side walls, are well expended. I have one case
in mind which is somewhat exaggerated perhaps, but it seems to
point a moral. There is in Boston a certain building with a main
frontage on a narrow but important street ; a second side gives on
an open space full of trees and sunlight, a space that will forever re-
main open, though it is not a public square. From the main point
of view this subordinate faqade is conspicuously in evidence while
the street front is seen only in the steepest perspective and is there-
fore most inconspicuous, except so far as its two or three lower
stories are concerned. Now the almost invisible front is treated
with the utmost care, the material is expensive, the windows well
proportioned, the mouldings around them well thought out. But
the other side, the one that stares you in the face, that never can be
hidden, and that rises from a lovely base of grass and trees and
shrubs, this is scamped and ignored, built of the cheapest brick,
cheaply painted, with factory windows punched in the crude walls,
and with boiler flues rearing their hideous length and galvanized
iron bay windows of the baldest type as the only ornament.
Either the architect or the owner is to blame for this, and in
either case the blame is ponderous, the offence egregious. This is
not architecture at all, it is Heaven knows what jerrymandering
perhaps ; certainly it is not art.
I speak of this matter at length because it seems to me that the
.radically different treatment accorded the Baptist Building proves
the point I wish to make in the case of Mr. Day ; that whatever
mistakes he may make, superficiality and errors in taste are not
among them..
Horticultural Hall (Figs. 5 and 6) is to me about the best thing
Mr. Day has done, working that is, alone. In detail it is just as
delicate and lovely as the earlier work, but this detail is more care-
fully used, and disposed with far greater craft ; while the primary
importance of strong and simple composition, with a just disposition
of voids and solids, has evidently impressed itself on its designer.
The building is thoroughly delightful in its mass and its general
composition. Nothing appears that does not justify itself by its in-
herent beauty ; archivolts, mouldings, medallions, balcony fronts, all
are studied to the last degree ; and as a result one has the same im-
pulse to sit down before it with sketchbook and pencil that mani-
fests itself in Italy.
I am aware of the current theory that subordinates abstract
beauty in detail to scale, relation and accent. This may be perfect-
ly right, in a measure it certainly is, but surely these desiderata
need not exclude the element of beauty. Walk up Fifth Avenue
406
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
from Madison Square to the Park in New York City and you will
see that as a general thing it does ; not always, but as a rule. Now
in the earlier of Mr. Day's buildings beauty was allowed to destroy
scale. This is particularly true of the Art Club and of the Baptist
Building, but it is not true of Horticultural Hall nor of the work
now in hand. Here was a lesson learned with years, with years
also the prophets of the new theories will learn perhaps that strong
FIG. ({.HORTICULTURAL HALL INTERIOR.
Broad Street, below Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
in
scale may yet be in-
and powerful detail that is thoroughly
trinsically beautiful.
In one aspect Horticultural Hall is not wholly successful, and
this is a point to which its designer evidently gave the deepest
thought ; I mean its color. Mr. Smith's frieze is exquisite, the man-
ner in which gold and pigment work down through the medal-
lions, windows and balconies to the little shield over the door is
very wonderful and itself perfectly competent, but the general tone,
like that of the Baptist Building, is hot and almost uncomfortable ;
reds and yellows and sultry browns have proved themselves unde-
sirable as the fundamental tones of architectural compositions, and
for some mysterious reason a lower and soberer key alone justifies
itself; even red brick, which is as good a building material as was
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER. 407
Philadelphia, Pa.
FIG. 7. RESIDENCE ON LOCUST STREET.
Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
408
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ever invented, demands much gray mortar and light, cool-colored
trimming stone to bring it down to the requisite pitch.
In this respect only the intensely interesting and very successful
house in Locust Street (Fig. 7) seems to fail. As a piece of com-
position, as a study in proportion, it leaves absolutely nothing to be
desired ; the brickwork is admirable, the ornament intrinsically
beautiful and perfectly placed ; on the other hand the trimmings are
of rich red sandstone and the color effect is therefore somewhat
cloying and lacking in the vigor and accent that are very necessary.
Like all of Mr. Day's domestic work, this house is personal, in-
dividual and marked by just the right ethnic suggestion; not the
only ethnic suggestion, but one of them. Messrs. Cope & Steward-
son, in their more recent work have taken over the Colonial of
Pennsylvania and, glorifying it, have made it living, local and log-
ical. Mr. Day and his brother have harked back to the preceding
English work and with this as a basis have produced something that
is quite equally justifiable though its origins are so far removed in
space and time.
In this particular house, I want to call attention to the two
points just mentioned, namely composition and sense of propor-
tion. I can hardly call to mind any modern example where the
stylistic basis is the same, where so keen a feeling is shown for
massing, for line composition, and for the proportioning of solids
and voids. In considering later the dormitories for the University
of Pennsylvania we shall see how grave an error it is to lose scale
in window openings. This Locust Street house shows how abso-
lutely imperative is exactness in this respect, where this particular
style is involved.
Another point worth noting is the carved detail. Now only too
often the ornament of Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean architec-
ture is peculiarly ugly, tainted as it is by debased influences from
Germany. As a general thing an architect working in one of these
styles accepts the detail as inevitable, granted the primary assump-
tion of the style itself. Not so Mr. Day. The historical detail was
not beautiful ; this was enough for him, and he promptly evolved
something better which lacked historic precedent but had the
greater merit of pure beauty. Action of this sort marks the archi-
tect of taste and conscientiousness and creative ability.
I can't quite feel that the great country house in Ambler, Pa.
(Figs. 8 and 10) is as successful in its field as is the far more modest
Locust Street house. The composition is crowded and casual, the
parts are not co-ordinated, the windowing haphazard, the roofing
tent-like and formidable. It has good points, many of them; for in-
stance the strong base of stone terrace, the carriage porch and the
gabled end adjacent, above all the magnificent stonework. On the
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER. 409
FIGS. 8-10. RESIDENCE OF C. WILLIAMS BERGNER.
Ambler, Pa. Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
whole, however, the house is disappointing. It lacks the grave
calm, the "Vere de Vere" self-restraint, the poise and presence of
its great prototypes, the XVth and XVIth century manor houses
of England. In this regard it serves to show how rapidly Mr. Day
came to grasp the essentials of a style used here, I assume, for the
first time. A few years later the Locust Street house, and the gym-
nasium now under construction, manifest a penetrating grasp of
the essentials of this most inspiring style ; proportion, composition,
self-restraint. It is an architecture for gentlemen, it breathes good
Ambler. Pa.
FIG. J). STABLE OF C. WILLIAMS BERGNER.
Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
breeding and marks good blood. Without these qualities it be-
comes intolerable, as witness the rank and file of American imita-
tions recently popular. Straight classic is a style where it is hard
to go hopelessly wrong, though the late Mr. Mullet and the crea-
tor of the Philadelphia City Hall would seem to prove the contrary,
but in this other style it is correspondingly hard to go right, for it
pre-supposes a power of keen analysis and a faculty for grasping
essentials on the part of the man who handles it. No one has re-
duced it to a tabular statement of mathematical formulae, therefore
each must delve for himself. In nine cases out of ten the practi-
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER.
411
tioner is content with what he sees on the surface ; contours of
mouldings, buttresses, battlements and gables, and this way lies
perdition. The mistakes in the Ambler house are fewer than usual,
for refinement of feeling will mitigate much error, but it is not
what the Days would make of it now as is proved by the gymna-
sium for the University of Pennsylvania. Before I speak of this,
however, we must take up for a moment that amazing creation
where four men of singular sympathy and unity of purpose came
together to bring into existence one of the most original and im-
portant buildings in the United States.
FIG. 11. CLINICAL AMPHITHEATRE OF THE! MBDICO-CHIRURGICAL HOSPITAL.
17th and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
How shall we speak of the Archaeological Museum (Figs. 13, 14,
15) the building which should be era-marking and which is the result
of the fusion of the brains of Messrs. Eyre, Cope, Stewardson and
Day? I have tried in vain to bring home to any one of them the
credit for some single thing. Independent action, individuality of
product is strenuously denied, therefore the building must stand
as the precipitation of five sets of brains fused in the crucible of en-
thusiasm. In so far as the Days were a part of this startling amal-
gam a portion of the credit must go to them and be recorded here.
I am a little afraid to speak of this structure at length for it makes
412
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
-3 a
THE WORK OF PRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER.
413
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
FIG. 14. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL, MUSEUM.
f Frank Miles Day & Bro.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. Architects -? Cope & Stewardson.
(Wilson Eyre,
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER. 415
FIG. 15. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM.
( Frank Miles Day & Bro.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. Architects < Wilson Eyre,
( Cope & Stewardson.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER. 417
so instant and overwhelming an appeal to me that I doubt my judg-
ment. Personally, I feel increasingly that it is at the very least one
of the most significant works of art yet produced in America. What
is its basis, Lombard, Tuscan? Or are the hints of these infiuen-
ences accessories only, accidents? Is not the basis just keen, crea-
tive enthusiasm? The thing baffles and amazes. It is as spontan-
eous as the Ducal Palace in Venice, the Hotel de Ville d'Orleans or
the Chapel of Henry Vllth. It grows from its plan inevitably, im-
peccably. It is as logical and crystalline as great music ; as the
Vorspiel of Parsifal, or the Third Symphony of Brahms. It has the
unity of a great tree, the directness of nature itself.
One feels that American architecture should show at least its
chain of ethnic continuity. Of this there is nothing in the Archeo-
logical Museum. Does this prove that the theory is wrong, or that
the building is an episode only, a sport of genius ? For one I admit
my inability to answer the question, but whatever the final solu-
tion, there is a living lesson here of the value of simplicity, direct-
ness and independent thought. Is genius but the power of taking
infinite pains ? Then this is a work of genius, for every detail in
this design is studied to the ultimate limit. The brickwork with its
entirely new bond and its joints an inch and a half wide ; the inlaid
decoration, perfectly placed and Japanese in its "naivete" and spon-
taneity, the color composition and "notan," the intimate use of
water, grass and foliage all these things and many others show
what results are obtainable where every point is scrupulously con-
sidered, and all is rejected that has not been studied to the point
of perfection.
Right or wrong in style, significant or the reverse in the history
of American architectural development, this Archeological Mu-
seum stands as a great lesson in right methods at least and in this
respect at all events it must have its effect.
Mr. Day and his brother are now engaged on two projects of
great importance and each shows very clearly the sureness that
comes with maturity. These are the group of buildings for the
Municipal Hospital, Washington, D. C. (Fig. 16), and the gymna-
sium for the University of Pennsylvania. The first exists thus far
only on paper, the second while under construction can be illus-
trated only by drawings, which is unfortunate since the work itself
is immeasurably finer in every way. Both show to perfection one
of the strongest marks of the firm's genius, power to plan logically,
monumentally and practically, and to express this plan outwardly
with force and precision. This is the fundamental quality of all
good architecture, and unfortunately it is not noticeably common.
All that the Days' design is organic ; I have already called attention
to its perfect taste. The combination is invincible and when the
4i8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE WORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER.
419
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42O
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
great opportunity comes, as it surely will, the result will be notable.
The Washington hospital scheme is as I have said a master-
piece of practical and monumental planning. In style it is of a vital
and noble colonial, dignified, competent, convincing; sufficiently
historical, adequately mod-
ern, a strong" essay in the
development of ethnic style.
The gymnasium (Figs. 17
and 18) is even better as an
example of organic plan-
ning and the outward ex-
pression thereof. It shows
the most mature restraint,
grasp of the components of
architectural design and
their relationships, certain-
ty and confidence of touch.
It is an essay in architectu-
ral logic. Outwardly it is
based on the best type of
English collegiate work, re-
motely suggestive of St.
John's College, Oxford,
one of the buildings that
proves finally that compo-
sition is as important and
as highly developed in Med-
iaeval as in Classical design.
Mass, outline, proportion,
all are just and calm and
sure. The surfaces are just
broad enough, the structu-
ral lines just sufficiently em-
phasized, the oriels and
mullioned windows shaped with exactness, right in their openings,
placed where composition demands them and where the plan re-
quires them. There is no straining for effect at any point, no
sketch-book detail, no affectation, no self-consciousness. The
whole thing is grave, serious, solid and logical, sure in every touch,
the work of men that have found themselves.
Measured by recent standards the Days have not done an exces-
sive amount of work, but their influence has been profound and
far-reaching. Why ? Simply because they have stood unflinchingly
for good taste and for intrinsic beauty, and because they have done
nothing that was half studied or for revenue only. They treated
FIG. 10. RESIDENCE IN PHILADELPHIA
Frank Miles Day & Bro.. Architects.
THE U'ORK OF FRANK MILES DAY & BROTHER.
421
their art with respect, they never forgot that an architect must be
first of all a gentleman, and they held faithfully to the gentleman's
creed "Noblesse oblige." They, with Mr. Eyre and Messrs. Cope
and Stewardson, turned back the tide of "Sans-culottism" that was
overwhelming Philadelphia, and they set up their standard as a
rallying point for all men loyal to good taste, to seriousness of pur-
pose, to faithfulness in the small things of architecture as in the
great.
Ralph Adams Cram.
CARVING OVER MAIN DOOR.
House on Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Frank Miles Day & Bro., Architects.
422
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The South End of Sargent Hall.
HERE is at last a mural painting in America worth a journey
across the continent to see; and this forms part of a large
scheme of wall decoration, promising much claiming greatness
and not likely to be disputed in this claim by art lovers of whatever
predilection. Those who are able to visit Boston for two days, or
to "stop over" for the time between, two trains, may add definitely
to their happiness in life such hapoiness as the great achievements
of literature and art are capable of giving by a visit to the Public
Library.
Mr. Sargent is the most swift and dextrous of portrait painters.
His readiness, his resource, his command of every device known
to the modern painter in oils, all are recognized by the artists of his
epoch ; all are admitted or asserted ungrudgingly by painters who
talk about one another's work. The peculiar swing and dash, and
the graceful dexterity of this portrait painting of his have been
especially notable in the recent exhibition of his portraits which was
held in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in September last. There
were seen about twenty-five of his most recent works, life-size
portraits all, some full length, as in the case of the astounding
picture of Mr. Higginson painted for the Harvard Union, others
of half length only, some of ladies, some of the ladies' husbands,
all brilliant, all swift and slight in their manipulation, all suggesting
the work of a mind and hand so trained in what might almost be
called sketching in oil, that the temptation to make and develop
a sketch and to try for nothing more might well be irresistible.
And this is noticeable that, in the mural paintings of eight years
ago, at the north end of Sargent Hall, something of the same swift
and clever manipulation was visible, and also much of the same
realism of pose and gesture which the recent portraits show so
strongly. The Frieze of the Prophets which comes below the lun-
ette at the north end, is not a frieze of decorative quality, it is not
an organized group or a series of groups, it is not architectonic
nor subdued to the conditions of an architectural adjunct. It con-
sists of seventeen standing figures and one crouching or seated
figure, in addition to the centre piece in relief, in which a grandiose
Moses surrounded by the spread wings and the serpents of East-
ern mythology rests his hands upon idealized Tables of the Law
and stands full front as the only architectural or elaborately com-
posed figure of the whole series. All the rest are clothed in that
abundant, that super-abundant, that incomprehensibly full and flow-
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ing drapery of which painters of the figure have the secret; and
each of these figures is in action, as it were. There is gesticula-
tion, there is beckoning, there is prayer and lamentation, there is
drawing of swords and clenching of fists. The crouching figure is
overwhelmed by his grief ; the standing figure next him hides his
head in a vast black cloak. Each one of the prophets is employed
in some individual and active movement, or occupies some empha-
sized pose expressing personal feeling, rather than aiding in a
united movement or emotion ; and, from the painter's point of
view, each is the study of a nobly conceived human figure rather
than one part of a great decorative composition. On this account
it has never been possible for the lover of mural painting, as such,
to accept that frieze as entirely and in all respects the thing to be
desired. But now the aspect of the great decorative scheme for
Sargent Hall is changed. In the work done during the winter of
1902 and 1903, namely the putting into place of the pictures of
the south extremity of the hall, a mural painting is given us which
is to be described in very different terms from those used above
and which is, until further notice, the best thing for its purpose
which our public buildings contain.
Sargent Hall is the third landing place of the main stair. The
great square staircase hall of the ground floor, with its memorial
pedestals supporting marble lions, is only high enough to contain
that single set of stairs which leads to the landing place where are
the paintings of Puvis dc Chavannes. From that landing place
open two square lobbies through which you go northward to the
children's room and southward to the "Issue" department. From
one of those lobbies the stairs go upward, and reach Sargent Hall,
which is figured on the plans in the guide book as 23 ft. wide and
85 ft. long. The staircase with its well-hole and high parapet oc-
cupies one-third or rather less of the floor space. The Hall is
higher than it is wide, for the vertical height of the walls is about
14 ft. and above that the chord of radius of the vault is of n ft.
6 inches more. The room is all light gray, walls, floor and vault,
either built of the pale limestone used generally for the interior of
the library or plastered in close imitation of it so far as the color
is concerned. The only exception to this uniform grayness is at
the two ends. The north wall from the top of the dado to the crown
cf the vault is covered with the painting of eight years ago ; and of
the same date is an adjoining band painted upon the side walls and
the vault above them ; a band six feet wide measured horizontally,
and seeming to frame the composition of the end wall. .Now, too,
the south end is painted, but the terminating wall only, without any
setting or framing such as the band above described supplies to
the north lunette and its frieze. If, now, these end paintings were
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. 425
conceived with a view to the painting of the whole gallery, as to
which there is no doubt, then they are intended to look and they
will look very differently, this painting once completed, than now,
or so long as this pale gray tint embraces everything except their
own surface.
Then, there is the lack of sufficient daylight. The side walls
may perhaps find themselves enough in daylight for their pic-
tures when put into place to be seen; but assuredly the
paintings of the end walls are not seen aright, and as
certainly the light upon them will be still more dim when
the side walls no longer reflect light as freely as they do
now. It is one of the misfortunes of the hard-and-fast Neo-
classic style design chosen for the interior of this building a
style contrasting so decidedly with the free Parisian work of 1840
which was imitated in the exterior, that no such thing as a proper
skylight could be endured for a moment by the designer or his
assistants. How can vou make a skylight in a tunnel-vaulted gal-
lery? Aparently in only one way the mere cutting of a series of
square holes, as if a carpenter had gone up there with a saw after
the vault was complete. Nothing else is allowed to you as a faith-
ful classicist ; and yet nothing else that pretends to be a skylight
could be quite as feeble in actual decorative effect or quite
as unsatisfactory for the admission of light, as that row of
rectangular holes. The result of this arrangement is that
the light which impinges upon the upper part of one of these lun-
ettes has been reflected upwards from the floor and diagonally side-
wise from the long walls that almost no light reaches these paint-
ings direct from the sky, and that the light which does so reach
them comes at a thousand different angles, much of it flashing back
Hirectlv into the eves of the speculator in a wav that would be at
once recognized and at once voted insufferable if the surfaces were
more glossy, but which even as they are is injurious to their best
effect.
Under all these conditions the painting of the- south wall has
been put into place, and it consists of a lunette decoration in
which are represented the personages of the Trinity, with seven
haloed doves which it is possible perhaps to explain as the seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit ; and a band below, corresponding in posi-
tion and in size with the Frieze of the Prophets at the north end ;
and of a great sculpture in low relief representing Christ on the
cross, which relief sculpture invades the crowning lunette and to
a less degree the frieze below, crossing also the band of separation
between them and forming the central figure of the composition.
This central piece, then, presents first the body of the Saviour on the
cross, and on either side of it our first parents who, by an unusual
426
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
FIGURES OF THE SAVIOUR AND OF ADAM AND EVE.
(South end of Sargent Hall, Boston Public Library.)
John Sargent, Painter.
Copyright by the Trustees of the Public Library of Boston, 1903. From a Copley print,
copyrighted 1903 by Curtis and Cameron, Publishers, Boston.
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. 427
piece of symbolism, are themselves collecting the blood which flows
from the wounds in the hands. The feet of Christ bear upon the
coiled and twisted serpent, of whose body, however, one fold passes
around the feet of Adam. The red drapery which hangs from the
shoulders of the Saviour passes also around the crouched figures
on the right and the left. This drapery is dark red ; the bodies
themselves are colored in a rather cold gray which is perhaps to
be considered an injury to the composition ; at least, one who learns
to love the color scheme may find himself troubled a little by the
chill of those gray and shining, rounded limbs. The cross itself
is framed, as it were, in strongly emphasized mouldings which, as
they are solidly gilded, and are echoed by the gilded frame of
the curious square in which Adam and Eve are placed and which
serves as a background for the cross, makes the metallic glitter of
this part of the picture very decided indeed. This golden gleam
is repeated in the crowns of the Divine Persons of the lunette, in the
angelic wings and weapons below, always placed upon details
which are modelled in relief. Now the present writer can never
join in thought with those to whom gold is a glaring or an aggres-
sive thing in decoration. Gold is the greatest of all harmonizers,
the most perfect of softeners and reconcilers. There is nothing
like gold for the use of the man who does not quite know how to
harmonize bright colors ; nor is gold to be shunned by any artist of
decorative purpose until his figures approach realism in their treat-
ment, and the placing of his picture with regard to its lighting and
the approach of the spectator to it have been perfectly calculated.
In other words, Paul Veronese does not demand gold for any part
of his Marriage of Cana, but the men of Florence, still greater as
mural decorators than Veronese if much less powerful as painters,
could hardly dispense with gold and were always ready to use it
freely. The use of it in this instance in large masses is a part of
that admitted and obvious return to the principles of an earlier
school of decoration which is so welcome in the superb composi-
tion which we have now under consideration. A peculiar charm
is found in this frank return to decorative principles, this frank
adoption of a decorative purpose, on the part of a consummate
modern painter.
The Frieze is made up of the Angels of the Passion, of whom two
support, or seem to support, the cross. They hold the reed, the
spear and the nails of the cross, the crown of thorns; while on
the right hand side one supports the pillar of flagellation and the
scourge. There is nothing individual about these figures. They
are the Angels of Passion and are to be taken together; no one
of them is a personality. It is to be noted that in like manner no
effort has been made to distinguish by facial expression the person-
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ages of the Trinity, for, according to an account which has been
published, the three being in low relief were cast in the same mould
with the deliberate purpose of making them exactly alike in expres-
sion. They are crowned differently ; the Papal crown on the central
figure, the Imperial and the Royal crown on the side figures, in a
way capable of being interpreted as sufficient distinction for the
three Persons, but as to the exact signficance of such details dif-
ference of opinion may exist. It is of comparatively little conse-
quence to the student of decorative art what school of theology has
had the most weight in inspiring these symbolic representations.
The thing for us all to consider is rather the magnificent glow of
solemn color, the splendid treatment of the separate parts of this
color scheme in the reallv stately draperies, the exquisite grada-
tion of hue in the sombre red garments of the angels, the harmony
of the whole thing when looked at from a sufficient distance to see
it all as one composition, and the almost equally splendid quality
of a single part which one may select and enjoy for the moment
as a separate picture.
To accept this as a decorative painting of the highest possible
quality is much. To study it farther is to find in it something still
more remarkable as artistic achievement, in that a skilled and
daring portrait painter should have bent his genius and his ex-
ceptional facility to so grave and so reserved a work. Perhaps
even more important still is the triumphant solution of the difficulty
which must have harassed every painter at different times during
his career, and which is always present in the mind of the student
of modern art the difficulty of treating well drawn and well posed
and anatomically correct human figures in a highly decorative
spirit. In connection with this view of the case one might cross
Copley Square to the front of the porch of Trinity Church, a
porch erected only six years ago, and studv there a similar effort in
sculpture of life-size and smaller. There was a sincere and even a
successful attempt at treating sculpture of Romanesque design
with modern knowledge of the human body, and this was, as there
has been occasion to say before, a partial success greatly encourag-
ing to the makers of such designs for the future. In the Sargent
composition, however, a further step is taken, and the highly
trained technician has found in his spirit the thought, which as he
has known how to embody it, will remain a permanent example of
the way to treat the human figure in painted decoration.
Russell Sturgis.
A "MODERN CLASSIC."
6REAT have been the vicissitudes, within living memory, of the
plot at the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and Thirty-fourth
Street. About a full generation ago, the late A. T. Stewart found
it brownstone and left it marble. Before that was it not the "pala-
tial residence" of one Townsend, patentee of a sarsaparilla, long
forgotten, or remembered only byArtemas Ward's "quotation from
old man Townsend's advertisement." At any rate it was, in the
estimation of a man who could afford to take his choice, precisely
the most eligible site for a residence in the City of New York,
though only across the avenue from the residence, a conventional
brownstone front, which the millionaire already occupied. The
residence itself which he "left marble" was and remained, so long
as it remained at all, noteworthy for the extreme massiveness and
solidity of its construction. A member of the club which occupied
it after the millionaire vacated it by death, and who must have been
of Irish extraction, complained of the expensiveness of the neces-
sary alterations in it, entailed by the fact that "the wood work
was all marble" rbarring what was iron, he might have added. In
design it was far more ambitious and far less successful than the
conventional brownstone front which it supplanted, being the re-
sult of the millionaire's infatuation for an architect who was little
better than an "artchitect," and whose works have mostly, to the re-
lief of the judicious, followed him, the only conspicuous monuments
of his art left being the "up-town store," at Broadway and Tenth
Street, and the "new" court house in City Hall Park, the demolition
of which the judicious await with some impatience.. The club, in
adapting the interior to its uses, "incredibili labore" as already set
forth, refrained from tampering with the unsuccessfully pretentious
exterior and it stood until it was pulled down, also "incredibili la-
bore," as a monument of the architectural uncultivation of the most
conspicuous New York millionaire of A. D. 1870, having in the
meanwhile witnessed strange changes in its environment having
seen the fashionable centre for residence shift a couple of miles to
the northward, and itself confronted across the way by the towering
caravanserai of the Astoria. The millionaire's pecuniary instinct
had served him well as to the "investment," for in the interval the
ground had become too costly for any man or even club to keep
house in, and been marked out by the progress of events, as the
proper place for a "financial institution."
The financial institution is to be congratulated by all lovers of
architecture upon refraining from turning its premises into a
speculation in real estate by putting up a skyscraper on them, with
432
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE BUILDING OF THE KNICKBOCKER TRUST CO. FIFTH AVENUE FACADE.
34th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
A "MODERN CLASSIC."
433
BUILDING OF THE KNICKERBOCKER TRUST CO.
34th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
434
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE BUILDING OF THE KNICKERBOCKER TRUST CO. DETAIL, OF THE EXTERIOR.
34th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
A "MODERN CLASSIC."
435
THE BUILDING OP THE KNICKERBOCKER TRUST CO. THE CANOPY OF THE
ENTRANCE.
34th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
436 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
only one floor reserved for its own use. That would have given us
another of the sort of buildings of which we have already, for arch-
itectural purposes, several hundred times too many. The attract-
iveness of the actual result proceeds primarily from the dignified
determination of the owner, the Knickerbocker Trust Company, to
erect a building chiefly for its own use, a modest three stories with a
partly visible and partly inferable attic which may serve for janitor's
quarters. And, secondarily, it proceeds from the perception of the
architect that this building project gave scope for a really classic
building, as very few building projects do which are fitted in a Pro-
crustean manner to what it pleases their architects to regard as a
classic scheme, or oftener are decorated with classic members di-
vorced from their natural and appropriate belongings and surround-
ings. This latter process is very ancient as well as very common,
but it does not on that account become venerable. It dates back to
the architecturally bad old times of the Roman Empire, when the
inartistic Roman engineers, for all the world like inartistic modern
architects, built their buildings as they practically had to, in such
forms as the construction naturally took, and then, instead of ex-
pounding and decorating this construction into architecture, which
they had neither skill enough to do nor perception enough to at-
tempt, plastered upon their fronts the "orders" of another construc-
tion, which had been developed to an architectural result, but which
were entirely irrelevant to what they were doing. Of the two classes
of architects, the class which took part in the Greek revival of the
early nineteenth century, and frankly sacrificed their buildings to
their architecture, as, for example, by designing windowless Parthe-
nons for the uses of modern custom houses, seems more respect-
able than the compilers of the things of shreds and patches.
It is by no means often that a modern architect has a project
which will allow itself to be simplified to the Greek construction,
and in which a single system of uprights and cross pieces can be
made the whole visible structure of the modern building. When
that exceptionally happens, the most convinced mediaevalist or
modernist can hardly cavil at the adoption of the "order," in which
that construction was once and for all so beautifully developed and
expressed that no construction more complicated has attained an
equal perfection. A case is clearly made out for classic when the
architect can employ the order as the structure, instead of reduc-
ing it to the place of a superficial decoration, or of taking it apart
and undertaking to reassemble its elements in other connections
than that for which they were devised. There are few recent works,
and not many modern works, in which that opportunity is legiti-
mately offered. When it is offered it is a pleasure to see it embraced
and made the most of, and to see how immensely the order gains in
A "MODERN CLASSIC.'
437
THE BUILDING OP THE KNICKERBOCKER TRUST CO. DETAIL OF THE INTERIOR.
34th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
438
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
effect by being restored to its structural significance. The typical
example of this true and appropriate use of the classical construc-
tion is that truly "neo-Grec"' edifice, the Faculty of Medicine in
Paris. Here, above a basement of one moderate story, and be-
tween wings of two moderate stories, is enclosed the main motive
of the building, the Ionic colonnade which is the actual framework,
and which is so much more impressive, because so much more ex-
pressive, than any superposition of orders, each with its own entab-
lature, or than any hybrid of the Grecian colonnade with the Ro-
man arcade. The wall here becomes the mere screen that it must
be in a truly "classical" construction. Speaking of the great Bas-
ilica of the Giants of Agrigentum, Viollet-le-Duc says, very perti-
nently : "To use columns as points of resistance, piers, or but-
tresses, and then to shut up the intercolumniation with a light con-
struction was to reason very wisely ; but to treat the voids as if they
were the solids, the screen walls as if they were the necessary con-
struction, and the buttresses as mere decorative features, as was
done habitually by the Romans at a later, day, was, with all due re-
spect to the Romans and their infatuated imitators, very barbarous
reasoning."
In this country, there are recent examples of this true method of
employing the classic construction, which commend themselves
alike to those who are in the habit of analyzing architectural ar-
rangements, and to those who are not, but who feel the truth of a just
arrangement without reasoning upon it. One is the Memorial
Hall at West Point, which may or may not have been inspired by
the Faculty of Medicine or by the Basilica of the Giants which was
the prototype of both. It now (by the addition of the wings) re-
sembles the Parisian building more nearly than when it stood de-
tached. But it differs from the Parisian building, in that it has no
supporting oasement, but that the order is not only the structure
but the whole structure, and that besides the essential structure
there is only the "screen wall" of Agrigentum. All this is beau-
tifully and classically carried out, and is calculated to meet the views
of Gibbon's celebrated friend, "the rational voluptuary." Another
success in the same kind is that of the New York Stock Exchange,
where the order is equally the structure, but where the "sweet rea-
sonableness" of the arrangement is perhaps a little obscured by the
fact that, in order to reduce his order to classical proportions, the
architect has found it necessary to introduce, under the order and
above the basement, a low arcaded story which is sufficiently ac-
counted for on the interior by a gallery, but is scarcely satisfac-
torily explained on the outside. All the same the Stock Exchange,
like Cullum Hall, is a very distinct success and equally a success
upon rational lines.
A "MODERN CLASSIC."
441
BUILDING OF THE KNICKERBOCKER TRUST CO. THE WAITING-ROOM.
34th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
442
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
And now we have to add a third success in the building of the
Knickerbocker Trust Company which is the subject of these re-
marks. The site is something like 75 feet on the avenue, by 125 on
the street, and the primary merit of the architect lay in perceiving
that upon the narrower front he could erect an order which would
be ample in scale for effect, and which would accommodate and
embrace all the requirements of a three-story building (unless part
of his merit was to persude his clients that a three-story building
for their own use was the dignified minimum to which to limit them-
selves). Such at any rate is the fact. The order is ample in scale for
purposes of impressiveness. Since it holds its own against the huge
mass of the many storied Astoria, it is not likely to be put out of
VAULTS OF THE KNICKERBOCKER TRUST CO.
34th Street and Fifth Ave., New York City. McKim, Mead & White, Architects.
countenance by any succeeding erection. And it is well spaced, with
ample but not excessive intercolumniation, columns neither hud-
dled nor scattered but effectively detached in the Vitruvian ter-
minology neither "araeostyle" nor yet "pycnostyle," but simply
"eustyle." This ''tetrastyle" front is one of the most impressive
visual objects in Fifth Avenue, or indeed in the street architecture
of New York, and we ought to feel very much obliged to the arch-
itect for giving us something so good to look at. It is perhaps a
pity that he could not have continued his colonnade along the
longer front, without being obliged to subdue the order into a series
A "MODERN CLASSIC."
443
BRONZE DOORS OF KNICKERBOCKER TRUST CO.'S BUILDING.
Photo by courtesy of John Williams. McKira, Mead & White, Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
of pilasters, necessarily less effective than - the great fluted col-
umns, but we owe the owners so much for what they have allowed
him to do that it would be ungrateful to labor this point.
The accessories and the details are all elaborately and artistically
carried out "in the high Roman fashion." For though the scheme
of the building is unquestionably Hellenic, the detail is as unques-
tionably Romanized. And rightly so rightly at least, when one
concedes the Corinthianism of the order. For it is pretty clear that
while the Romans undoubtedly degraded the other two orders
which they imported, they improved the third by heightening its in-
herent expression of elaboration and sumptuosity. The "light con-
struction" framed by the order is not here as in Cullum Hall, a
"screen wall" in masonry but a mere trellis in glass and metal, a
close grillage in the lower or banking floor, an expanse above of
plate glass with just enough frame to hold it. The exception brings
up the one unfavorable criticism one is moved to make, the one ap-
parent solecism in the treatment. For the pedimented doorway in
masonry pretty plainly does not "belong." It is not and could not
be really allied to the main construction, the great framework of the
order. Why, then, should it not be frankly treated as part of the
filling, with some elaboration and emphasis, if you please, of the
treatment of the very successful projecting openings that flank it.
There seems to be a failure here of the rigid logic that prevails else-
where, and in the diminution of rationality a diminution of the
pleasure of "the rational voluptuary." One would like to see this
central interstice filled, like those that flank it, with a frank filling
which shall disavow connection with the main structure.
The interior is for the most part as classic, as Hellenic, in effect
as the exterior, and the columns which are to make their effect
by sumptuosity of material are very properly reduced to the sim-
plest possible expression in design. The canopy of the doorway on
the inside it is true, partakes much more of the fantasy of the Ital-
ian Renaissance than of Attic simplicity, but that is comparatively a
trifle. One has to congratulate the architect upon attaining the
rare success of a "modern classic."
Montgomery Schuyler.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING.
FEW phrases have included such a miscellaneous collection
of facts and statements as this the art of the high building.
For much of the phenomena to be classed and discussed under this
head has no artistic quality or value whatever. It is sheer ugli-
ness, uncouthness, misunderstanding and absurdity, if judged by
artistic standards ; and the true artistic elements so far as they
exist are often of a singularly undeveloped nature. One has but to
mentally compare the great high building of to-day the typical and
most noteworthy architectural creation of our time with the great
typical building of the Italian Renaissance or of the French med-
iaeval period to realize how very different modern standards of
art in things architectural are compared with those of more gen-
uinely artistic epochs.
The erection of the high building has been a recognized branch
of our architectural industry for some time. For nearly a quar-
ter of a century it has occupied the minds of our architects,
given them their most important monuments, on the whole, and
lined their pockets with the largest fees ever obtained in general
practice. The participants and contemporaries in a movement are
not apt to be competent judges of its tendencies and results, and
yet so much thought and treasure have been poured out on the
high building, it has become such an intimate part of the commer-
cial life of our time, that it is by no means impertinent to ask, even
at this early day, if some definite steps have been reached in the
solution of the artistic problems involved in its construction, or
if and perhaps this is the more rational question if. tendencies
have been shown which look anywhere, and whither is the direction
towards which they tend.
It is more than right to insist on the artistic conception of the
high building. Engineers will doubtless maintain that the chief
problem is that of engineering. I am not in the least disposed to
discount the importance of the engineering problems in buildings
of this description ; but I respectfully submit that in a building that
covers a considerable area, that raises its head as high into the up-
per strata of the air as the engineers will carry it, which cries aloud
for attention and consideration, which invites criticism because of
its vast cost, and in which, moreover, the engineering part is care-
fully hidden and covered up from view in such a building, surely,
the artistic expression, the form, the covering, the outer aspects,
are of supreme public importance.
One of the most interesting views in New York may be had
from the junction of Liberty street and Maiden lane. Standing there
6
446
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE JUNCTION' OF LIBERTY STREET AND MAIDEN LANE.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING. 447
LOOKING UP BROADWAY FROM BOWLING GREEN.
448
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING. 449
the spectator sees before him a little old brick building, five stories
in height, placed at the intersection of Maiden lane and Liberty
street. It is a simple little structure, absolutely devoid of orna-
ment and detail, but with a flat, rounded end, a recognition of the
site that was as much as its builder cared to consider. The win-
dows are plain, flat-topped openings of the old style ; the fifth floor
is manifestly an attic floor since it contains fewer windows than
the lower stories, and the roof is slightly pointed. How much of
this structure may be modern or restored I do not know ; but it
is distinctly of the old type, and it bears the date "1823."
Here, then, is a fair starting point, a building eighty years old,
standing in a district long since given up to commercial purposes,
and itself used in the same way. And what strange things this
little old house has seen grow up around and behind it! The
buildings in the foreground are of a later date, but still entirely
antiquated as commercial buildings go to-day. But behind it, what
marvels and miracles of contrast ! Directly at the back is the sheer
solid brick wall of the John Wolfe Building, a structure moderate
enough in height, as high buildings are built to-day, but colossal
compared with the little old house of 1823. To the left, on Liberty
street, is the generous facade of the Bishop Building twelve
stories, tier upon tier of windows a building wholly different in
material, in design, in expression, in use, from the old structure
with which the neighborhood, as we now know it, started. Here
is effort at architectural treatment, a great building, with a base-
ment in design, a superstructure and a narrow attic, a building so
different that the barest analysis of its parts shows how tremend-
ously we have moved in eighty years,
But there is more than this ; for still further off, and so huge as
to almost overwhelm our little brick building, is the mighty
tower of the new part of the Mutual Life Building, a building with
piers and columns and cornices lifted so high in the air that, we
may be very sure, the builders of 1823 could never have conceived
of such things or of such possibilities. The entire progress of com-
mercial architecture in seventy-five years is here brought into one
view, and one may note the change and advance without moving
a step from one's original standpoint.
There is another panorama in New York which is almost as in-
structive in illustrating progress not perhaps so picturesque, yet
better known and that is the spectacle that may be viewed from
the lower end of Broadway, looking up from Bowling Green. It
is a wonderful sight, one of the most astonishing views in the
metropolis. Starting with the vast facade of the Produce Ex-
change, the eye meets just beyond it, looking up the street, with an
old brick building, five stories in height the single antiquated note
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
in this array of splendor as it is understood in commercial New
York then the Wells Building, the Standard Oil Building, with
the later addition Mr. Kimball has so cleverly added to it, the
Hudson Building, No. 42 Broadway the newest of the series
No. 46 Broadway, a brick building of later type than the one at
Beaver street, but already so out of date as to be quite comparable
to a wedding guest without the wedding clothes in the sumptuous
company in which it now finds itself; then an old type four-story
building, brick a veritable derelict then the Tower Building
the first structure in this country, so an inscription tells us, in
which the steel cage construction was used Exchange Court ; the
Consolidated Exchange, and the vast bulk and height of the Man-
hattan Life Insurance Company's Building. There is more beyond,
but surely there is more than enough here for the philosophic
observer, more than even the casual critic can well digest and
ponder over on a winter's day.
Surely, then, with these contrasts and this great activity in build-
ing, it is time to ask if anything has been accomplished towards
the solution of the artistic expression of the high building, or if
tendencies have been started which would seem to indicate definite
results. Let me frankly admit that I am entirely skeptical on both
these points. Progress in architecture does not consist in the mul-
tiplication of buildings, but in real artistic achievement; and prog-
ress is not obtained by a hundred individual efforts, each orig-
inating separately, each overlooking what has been done by others,
each failing to note where others have failed, each ignoring where
others have succeeded. Yet a survey of the modern commercial
buildings bring out no clearer fact than that this is just what has
been done, and, more's the pity, it is just what is being done, and
what would seem likely to be done for some time to come.
I am speaking generally, of course, and of high buildings as a
whole ; for in the case of individual architects very genuine steps
of progress may be noted. The Blair Building, in Broad street, is
a much franker and truer expression of the high building than the
Mail and Express Building in Fulton street, both by Carrere &
Hastings ; the Empire Building, overlooking Trinity churchyard
is a much more interesting building than the Manhattan Life across
the street, on Broadway, both by Francis H. Kimball. But does
the Park Row Building proclaim any note of progress over the
building of the American Tract Society? Or do any of a score
of buildings erected in the last two years indicate that their design-
ers have profited by the experiments of other architects or taken
the lessons of other buildings to heart? Is the Atlantic Building
any more notable contribution to art than the building of the
National Bank of Commerce? Does the Broad Street Exchange
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING.
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BUILDING OF THE LAND TITLE AND TRUST CO.
Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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THE NORTH AMERICAN BUILDING.
Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. James H. Windrlm, Architect.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING. 453
sum up any nobler thoughts in architecture than the St. Paul
Building?
These are pertinent questions, for the gentlemen who have built
these structures have thrust them upon us for all time, so far as
living man can see ; they have spent huge sums in their architec-
tural doings, and they have given our city for limits of space in
this discussion restrain me to New York a new and characteristic
aspect. It is quite beyond the question to point out the beauty
of Manhattan's skyline that has nothing to do with the case
and a building whose chief merit is that it out-tops its neighbors
is necessarily wanting in most of the characteristics we are ac-
customed to associate with good architecture.
That the commercial building is a commercial enterprise is well
known ; that it is an architectural enterprise is a circumstance all
architects would have us believe. Architectural it is, of course,
being concerned with iron and stone, brick and gla, c s ; but is it archi-
tectural in any other way? Even in its short life of twenty-five
years several steps or periods may be noted.
First, the introductory period ; the first steps, in which such
buildings as the Tribune Building and the Western Union Building
were erected. The possibilities of high building design as they were
afterwards made known were not at all understood in this remote
epoch ; but these first efforts were manly and straightforward, and
still command respect.
Second, the advertising period. It was suddenly realized that a
showy building was a good advertisement for its chief occupant.
It attracted attention, it drew tenants, it became a profitable ven-
ture. The Pulitzer Building is a fair type, the Broadway front of
the Mail and Express an extreme instance ; the Manhattan Build-
ing a third example. The chief aim of the buildings which may be
classed under this head was to be impressive by sumptousness of
parts, by splendor of appointments, by richness of effect. A great
financial corporation felt that it might stand better in the com-
munity if it had a fine house, and the greater the wealth the more
splendid its abiding place a natural proposition to which no dis-
sent can be taken.
It was a type of building that gave architects their greatest op-
portunities, for they were not merely required to build, but they
were commanded to build well and sumptuously, a certain artistic
character was required of them ; and if the architects failed to rise
to their opportunities it was simply and solely because they failed
to comprehend the problem presented to them. It is true they have
endeavored to proclaim that the fault was not in them, but in the
problem ; but the bitter fact remains that they gladly accepted
454
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE FARMERS' DEPOSIT BANK BUILDING.
Pittsburgh, Pa. Alden & Harlow, Architects.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING. 455
these impossible problems, and gleefully signed their names to de-
signs that proclaimed their own incompetency.
Third. Then came the third period, which I take to be the pres-
ent. A change has certainly come over the designing methods of
high buildings within a very few years. The buildings are bigger,
higher, broader, more costly ; but there is less external art, less
visible splendor, less effort to create interesting structures ; on the
contrary, the high building as illustrated in many of its most re-
cent examples in New York, is a frigidly severe edifice, a sheer
brick wall, lit with numberless windows, and with the smallest pos-
sible efforts to give it architectural form or rhythm.
As an illustration, let me take a group of buildings in lower Wil-
liam street. The Woodbridge Building has a front filling an entire
block. Its facade contains no ornamental detail, and yet it is a very
excellent effort to treat a commercial front in a dignified and archi-
tectural manner. It starts out with a basement >of two stories in
stone ; then an intermediate story, in which the "windows are in
pairs and round arched; then a superstructure of eight stories, in
which the walls are treated as piers carrying round arches ; finally
an attic story; all above the basement is in warm, yellow brick.
The structure, as will now be perceived, is not a "high" building,
as such structures are understood ; but it is notable for the fact that
its architect undertook to treat his front in an architectural way;
he discarded ornament, but retained form ; and he produced a de-
sign of considerable interest and of much architectural merit.
Pass down the street and compare it with the Wylljs Building,
the Bishop Building, and No. 68 William street ; compare it again
with the Kuhn, Loeb & Co. Building, with the Wall Street Ex-
change, with the new structures in the lower part of Wall street.
A basement of one or two stories is still retained ; but above there
is nothing but wall and windows, windows and wall. There is no
effort to group the openings, no wall treatment, no piers ; even
the attic story fails to emphasize itself, or is so far removed from
the street as to be actually out of the design. If these latest build-
ings are the last word in high design, as it is understood in New
York, it is obvious that the artistic architect is out of the effort
altogether, and the high building has become a simple box, with
openings in it to admit the light.
An economic restraint has, apparently, come over our high build-
ings which is most detrimental to them in an artistic manner.
W r hether the architects have given up the problem in despair,
whether clients have despaired of the architects, whether there has
come a realizing sense on all sides of the utter commercial char-
acter of these structures and therefore, of the apparent folly of
456
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
"THE WHITEHALL."
Battery Place, New York City. H. J. Hardenbergh, Architect.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING.
457
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Chicago, 111.
THE RAILWAY EXCHANGE BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
458
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING.
459
Minneapolis, Minn.
STORE AND OFFICE BUILDING.
F. B. & L. L. Long, Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
making them artistic, I do not know ; but here are the results, and
very unpleasant most of them are.
Yet rigidity of treatment is not incompatible with successful and
interesting results ; huge height is not inconsistent with interesting
efforts ; a barren wall, the piling of windows one on top of another
is not necessarily devoid of merit; all of which is most pleasingly
and successfully illustrated in the Whitehall Building. Simplicity of
parts could hardly go further than here. The stone basement is
as devoid of unconstructional parts as the plainest building in New
York; the tremendous superstructure has not a single note of
ornament, and the walls are sheer brick fronts. But success here
has been obtained by a clever use of color ; the central walls are
red brick ; the end pavilions of light colored brick, with thin lines
of red; the stone of the base is gray; the attic is simple and re-
strained. In plain words, this elevation was studied, and studied
intelligently and well ; no one would think, for a moment, that its
parts were thrown hastily together and the topmost course of brick
laid with the utmost haste, that an unpleasant task could be com-
pleted as speedily as possible, and with the smallest effort. Yet
New York has not a few such buildings, and some of the latest and
biggest are distressful examples of such unarchitectural proceed-
ings.
Are we getting anywhere? Apparently we have run the gamut
of ornamental structures and settled down or is it up? to use-
ful ones, in which there shall be plenty of utility and the smallest
possible amount of art. The basic type of design is still adhered
to basement, superstructure and attic but the basement is
hardly more than the protrusion of the foundation above the soil ;
the superstructure is a shapeless tier of windows ; the attic a mere
finish. The latter has long been a favorite feature with New York
architects. The logic of their proceedings is quite irresistible ;
the lightest parts cannot be below, and a building must come to
an end ; let us, they have cried with one voice, adorn our buildings
at the top. By this time, apparently, they have awakened to the
fact that the tops of their structures are so remote from the ground
that no one can see them, and it has become absolutely true that
the enriched attic story is becoming a feature of the past. But
they still remain with us, and as one travels down Wall street quite
a series presents itself ; the Atlantic Building, the Sampson Build-
ing, and the structures below Pearl street, all characterized by a
lower severity and enriched crowning, much of which, owing to
the low altitude of the adjoining structures, is still visible, but seem-
ingly destined, in the near future, to be well hidden from the view
of posterity.
The ornamental entrance story has disappeared even more quick-
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING.
461
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THE CORN EXCHANGE BANK BUILDING.
William Street, New York City. R. H. Robertson, Architect.
462 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ly than the decorated attic. The Atlantic Building boasts a crown-
ing member of considerable richness, but the basement story is
quite bare in its simplicity. The single feature is a heavy entrance
portico, which is in striking contrast with the delicate carving of
the United States Trust Company Building, immediately adjoining
it. The latter is not a high building, although the time is not far
past when it was proudly labelled a "modern office building." The
contrast is most impressive. The United States Trust is a building
of moderate height, treated in an architectural manner, and deco-
rated with finely carved capitals and bands. The Atlantic Building
is several times its height ; has the barest of porticos as its chief
lower ornament ; has a featureless superstructure, and flares out
above with a crowning member of several stories quite elaborately
treated, a system of design that has become almost typical in New
York.
The change towards simplicity in design, it should be thoroughly
understood, is quite for the worst. Mr. Hardenbergh has shown,
in his Whitehall Building, that simplicity is not incompatible with
dignity, and that this dignity may have a decided quality of beauty ;
but the lesson has not been generally learned, nor its possibility
appreciated. The featureless high building the front that is mere-
ly, built up, story on story, tier upon tier until the appropriation
gives out is no embellishment to our thoroughfares. Wealth of
ornamentation is not embellishment ; the prefixing of unnecessary
parts is perhaps needless ; but lack of interest is altogether inex-
cusable, and of this there is still a plenty and to spare.
A plain wall, however, has merits which the variegated treatment
entirely fails in. Our architects are apparently moving away from
the repetition of motif illustrated in the American Tract Society
Building, the Park Row Building, the St. Paul Building, in each
of which a large feature of several stories is repeated several times.
It was an unfortunate system that should never have been tried
more than once, for it quite ignored the idea that the high building
was a unity, requiring to be designed as a whole, and not treated
as a series of buildings piled one on top of the other. Yet the hor-
izontal line remains in high favor, buildings which are without any
other effort at architectural treatment, being erected with each
story carefully indicated by bands and string courses repeated
"ad infinitum."
It is strange, this cutting up of buildings into layers. There is
a new building going up at Pearl and Beaver streets, unfinished
when these words are written; but a building with a sharply
rounded end, as befits the site. Each floor of the otherwise un-
marked superstructure is indicated by bands of darker brick, as
though the breadth was the element to be insisted on in a building
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING. 463
whose greatest distinction is its height. The attic member of this
structure promises to be a brilliant piece of polychromatic work,
one of the most striking novelties in high building design.
The most impressive element in the high building is its height ;
that is the single feature that distinguishes it from all other struc-
tures. Of all the architects who have essayed to solve the problem
of high design, Mr. Louis H. Sullivan, of Chicago, has alone frank-
ly expressed the vertical element and given the high building
logical, as well as genuinely artistic expression. New York is
fortunate in possessing in a building in Bleecker street, a fine ex-
ample of Mr. Sullivan's work. It would be interesting to trans-
plant it to Broad street, set it up before Carrere & Hastings's
Blair Building, and ask them to exchange views on each other's
aspect.
The architects of both structures studied at the Ecole des Beaux
Arts in Paris ; the Western architect has long been our most con-
spicuously individual practitioner; the New York firm is easily
one of the most distinguished practitioners in the academic
style. Their buildings are as far apart as the poles ; both are fine
examples of their kind; both well illustrate the characteristics of
their designers. And both are vertical buildings. It is a triumph
of principles over art ; for Mr. Hastings has not previously given
us a vertical high building, having contented himself with the repe-
titive method. Mr. Sullivan can not count Mr. Hastings as a
disciple they are much too far apart artistically for that but at
least he has pointed the way which Mr. Hastings has gladly taken
in this most distinguished design. One has but to compare it with
the immediately adjoining Cable Building, to become aware of
how much better things can be done to-day than were done a few
years since.
The Kean, Van Cortlandt & Co. Building in Cedar street is an-
other structure whose chief interest is the frank way in which it
displays its Beaux Artism. Here again a vertical design, in so far
that the chief part, the superstructure, is treated in great bays of
seven stories, that emerge from a base and intermediate story of
three floors ; the attic is a single story. It is an honest effort to
apply Beaux Arts ideas to the high building, although lacking in
interest. Like many other new high buildings the ornamental
enrichment of the lower stories is heavy and large ; more vigorous
by far than that which any French architect would produce, and
heavier than seems called for in a building of such moderate dimen-
sions.
It is a difficult problem, this of the scale of ornament. The build-
ings are so huge, the basements necessarily so heavy to seem to
carry the weight above them, that the architect who would seek
464
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
BUILDING OF KEAN, VAN CORTLANDT & CO.
Pine Street, New York City. Warren & Wetmore, Architects.
THE ART OF THE HIGH BUILDING. 465
to treat the question logically from the standpoint of the whole,
has a sorry task. And his difficulties are not lessened when classic
detail is employed, for his capitals and ornaments increase with
diameters, and the laws of Vignola were not drawn to solve such
problems as the modern Beaux Arts architects set out to illustrate
them with.
The sightseer very soon learns to realize that there is little within
the high building to see the more reason, therefore, it would ap-
pear to make the outside beautiful and impressive. The problem
of the interior is chiefly one of plan and of construction. Yet our
great commercial buildings are not entirely without interior in-
terest. The entrance and lobby, the elevator hall and vestibule,
are legitimate spaces for the display of the architect's personal
taste. Make them as splendid as possible, was once the universal
rule ; I doubt if this is quite so general now.
Take the Mutual Life Building as an example. The entrance
hall on Nassau street the oldest part of the building is quite
splendid with its columns and arches, its walls and ceiling, all of
po 1 ished and carved marble. The entrance is up a flight of steps
within an outer porch, and one enters a rectangular vestibule, large
enough to give a decided sense of space. The Metropolitan Life
has a larger and more sumptuous vestibule than this, but that of
the Mutual Life is comparatively large and is by no means recent.
It is in striking contrast to the entrance of the National Bank of
Commerce a later building just across the street. One stumbles
there almost into the elevators, so narrow is the space ; but even
this shallow entrance is sumptuous with polished marble, as are
most of the hallways and corridors of the large buildings.
But the Mutual Life Building has received several successive ad-
ditions, and it would seem entirely proper to utilize them as types of
progress. Around in Liberty street, the first entrance is No. 32, One
goes in almost directly from the street level. There is nothing of
the splendor of the entrance on Nassau street ; only a small, com-
pact corridor ; marble walls, it is true, but the slightest decoration.
Further down, No. 26, is another type. The elevators are in a
branch corridor to the right; directly in face is a partly hidden
stairway ; rich marble again ; but restrained. This, then, would
seem to be the type of the high building entrance way: rich ma-
terials. These materials in older buildings were richly treated ; in
the newer they are still rich in surface treatment, but the architec-
tural parts have almost completely disappeared. Apparently, no
more money is being lavished on these great buildings than can be
absolutely avoided.
The outlook is not cheering. There is no standard of artistic
excellence. There is no indication of general appreciation of the
466
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
real problem involved. There is plenty of haphazard effort, a good
deal of well meant effort, an occasional success. We had as much
ten years ago ; and we have to-day a vast quantity of uninteresting
building which harms through its very negativeness. Surely every
possible expedient and experiment has been tried. The time for
such ventures has passed. The high building problem is not one that
will solve itself, but it can only be solved by the most painstaking
care, by the most thorough study of past efforts and failures, and
by a thoroughly artistic meeting of the conditions involved. There
never was a type of building evolved yet of which it can be better
said "the more haste the less speed."
Barr Ferree.
Detroit, Michigan.
THE MAJESTIC BUILDING.
D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
THE ART OF WHISTLER.
HE Whistler Memorial Exhibition, which is open in
Boston while I am writing, is what will likely prove a
unique occasion for the study of Whistler's art. It is not at all
probable that so many of his works will ever again be got together
in one place, or that so ample an opportunity will be offered for
seeing him in almost every phase of his career and in almost every
branch of his practise. The exhibition is, indeed, incomplete in
one important particular, for it could not contain three or four
pictures which are his most uncontested successes. The portrait
of his mother is in the Luxembourg Gallery, that of Carlyle, be-
longing to the Corporation of Glasgow, has been lent to the exhibi-
tion of the Royal Scottish Academy now open in Edinburgh. The
former is generally admitted to show a more perfect balance of
the qualities personal to Whistler with the qualities common to
good painters of all times than anything else he has produced,
and is therefore rightly, in a sense, considered his masterpiece. The
"Carlyle" is of nearly the same time and of much the same char-
acter. Another picture which is thought by those who care es-
pecially for the Whistlerianism of Whistler to be finer than either
of these, the "Miss Alexander," is also in the exhibition at Edin-
burgh. These omissions, serious to be sure, are almost the only
ones of importance. Of Whistler's beginnings and tentative efforts
in this or that direction before he made sure of that which was to be
his own ; of his early and charming successes in the first works that
defined clearly his artistic personality; of the later work, entirely
personal, in which his peculiar qualities become more defined and
all other qualities gradually cease to occupy him ; there are abun-
dant examples. There are works in oil, water-color, pastel; there
are drawings, lithographs, etchings, dry-points ; works in every
medium which he used, and subjects of every kind which he at-
tempted; portraits, figure-subjects, marines, "nocturnes"; and
works of every date from his schoolboy sketches to canvases left
unfinished at his death. Even for the absent portraits there is the
best substitute attainable in the "Rosa Corder," which is of about
their date and nearly of their quality, ranking only just below the
portrait of the artist's mother in. the opinion of some connoisseurs,
while "The Fur Jacket" marks the beginning of the transition to
the later manner.
Such an exhibition naturally incites one to attempt some sort of
estimate of Whistler's artistic production. It is too early for any
definite decision as to its ultimate value or as to this artist's relative
rank in the hierarchy of artists, ancient and modern ; but one may
4 68 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
at least try to define the nature of his art to show what it was
and what it was not, wherein it failed or succeeded, what are the
qualities which it did or did not possess. I the less regret my
inability to speak with any authority as to Whistler's etchings, be-
cause in this field his superiority seems to be less contested. The
variation of judgment seems to be between the opinion that he
was the greatest etcher since Rembrandt and the opinion that he
was the greatest etcher that ever lived. Mr. Pennell, who has
strongly stated the latter view, begins by ruling all Rembrandt's
more important plates out of the count as "pot-boilers," a term
which he makes synonymous with compositions, and having thus
eliminated, almost entirely, the intellectual and imaginative content
of Rembrandt's work, bases his judgment, as far as one can gather,
on technical considerations alone. One may accept expert testi-
mony as to the great technical excellence of Whistler's practice
as an etcher without feeling that this alone is sufficient to secure
for him, permanently, the supreme position assigned him. The
inexpert may feel that his art is, after all, of the same kind and
quality in his etchings as in his paintings, and that his limitations
are not, in themselves, reasons for praise, until it is proved that the
world would be gainer by the absence from all art of the qualities
he had not. With the general statement that Whistler's etchings
are to-day considered by the best qualified judges as among the
finest ever produced, I am willing to leave them, and to give my
attention to his work in color as represented in this collection
and in such examples as I have been able to see elsewhere.
One of the feelings most commonly expressed by visitors to
Copley Hall is that of surprise at the variety of the work shown ;
and the pictures certainly do cover a considerable range of sub-
ject-matter. Yet the limitation of this range in certain directions
seems to me quite as remarkable as its extent. I do not re-
member a single figure-picture by Whistler in which anybody is
doing anything in particular. His figures stand or sit or recline,
but they never act. And I do not remember *a landscape with a
tree in it, or a hill, or, except in one or two early works, so much
as a rock. From the beginning he shows a tendency toward that
elimination of definite subject and of definite representation which
he justified theoretically in his "Ten O'Clock," and elsewhere a
tendency to extract from nature a few notes of color, a few lines and
shapes, and to give these with as little else as possible. This
tendency affirms itself more and more until it assumes its extreme
form in some of the later "nocturnes," where mist and darkness so
disguise all forms that definite drawing becomes not only un-
necessary but impossible, or in some of those pastels in which there
is but a hint of anything actual, a line or two and a touch or two
THE ART OF WHISTLER. 469
of color, suggested by and suggesting something in nature, but
imitating nothing. The nineteenth century has been an epoch of
shifting and uncertain standards, of confused efforts, in which each
of the arts has been reaching out for the effects proper to the
others. Music has become more and more pictorial, and has
attempted to convey definite ideas and even to represent external
facts. For more than forty years Whistler was engaged in the
effort to make painting resemble pure music as nearly as possible
to make it a matter of tones and harmonies and intervals of in-
trinsic beauty, acting directly upon the senses and the nerves inde-
pendently of the intellect. His titles, which seem affected and are
certainly inconvenient, being hard to remember and helping little
in the identification of particular pictures, are yet perfectly logical.
In practice we find ourselves neglecting them, and seizing on those
sub-titles' which answer our purpose better. But the musical
titles he chose do show what his art constantly tended to become,
even if they do not answer in all respects to what it was. It would
seem that painting can go no farther in the direction of Whistler's
later work without ceasing altogether to be the art we have known
by that name.
It is of no special significance that W'histler began the serious
study of art as a pupil of Gleyre ; it is much more significant that
the earliest of the paintings exhibited by the Copley Society shows
him as an admirer of Courbet. This is a portrait of himself, the
head only, in a large black felt hat, and has been frequently repro-
duced. It was painted about 1859, an d the rather violent light and
shade, with black shadows, the yellowish tone of the flesh, and
the attempt at powerful modelling, point unmistakably to the in-
fluence under which it was produced. Courbet's vigorous natural-
ism and rather coarse and boisterous strength is as unlike the spirit
of Whistler as anything one can well conceive ; but Courbet was
the most prominent opponent of the old academic formulas at the
precise moment when Whistler and Manet, Whistler's elder by
one year, were beginning their careers, and they could but be
attracted to him. Both impressionism and the radically different
art which seems, just now, to be superseding it as an influence on
the younger painters, owe their origin, in a manner, to Courbet.
He proved that good painting could be done without regard to
"the rules," and he set students to looking at nature for them-
selves ; and we are therefore indebted to him for more than his
own pictures. His direct influence on Whistler, however, was not
very deep or lasting.. Traces of it may perhaps be found, now and
then, in the pictures painted within the next few years, but they
soon disappear. Whistler may have been thinking of Courbet
when he painted the Coast of Brittany in 1861 there may be even
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
a lingering reminiscence in "The Blue Wave" of 1862. Later than
that one can find no specific resemblance to Courbet in Whistler's
work. For still a year or two he occasionally produces a piece of
representation, more or less realistic in intention, like "The
Thames," in 1863, but by this time he is finding himself, and ceasing
to attempt the things which it is not in him to do.
"The Coast of Brittany" and "The Thames" are not pictures
which any one would be likely to care much about except for the
after-work of the man who painted them. They are interesting
because he did them, but they are not beautiful. It is different with
three pictures painted in 1862, "The Blue Wave," "The Building of
Westminster Bridge" and "The White Girl." Each of these
remains a remarkable and beautiful work, not in all respects sur-
passed by anything the artist did afterwards. That which is most
unlike the things which were to follow is the "Westminster
Bridge," which, if it stood by itself, would seem the work of an
artist of an entirely different type from that of Whistler. Its
virtues are other than those which came specially to characterize
him, while it is weakest in just those qualities in which he became
strongest. It is not particularly fine in color, being of a some-
what conventional brownish tone throughout ; neither is it
distinguished by charm of linear pattern, though its intricate linear
structure is interesting. As straightforward painting of nature
it is vigorous and skilful, showing much clearness of vision and
power of representation. But it is its treatment of subject and its
ttitude toward humanity that mark it as something apart in the
production of its author. Here, for once, there is something
going on, and something very definite. The figures are very small,
and insignificant as figures ; but the power of humanity over nature,
the many and strange inventions of man, loom large in it. This
is no "arrangement" or "harmony" ; it is a picture with a subject
imaginatively conceived and powerfully rendered a picture by an
artist partly realist, partly romanticist, who seems destined to
carry on in new fields and in a personal way the work of the school
of Barbizon. Never again did Whistler do anything resembling it
or show any signs of the kind of energy that it witnesses to.
In "The Blue Wave" we have more of Whistler as we know him,
but we have at the same time both more naturalism and more con-
ventionalism than we shall see later. Essentially it is an arrange-
ment in blue and brown, but the brown is richer and deeper, the
blue more intense, than he will ever make them again ; and there
is more occupation with the precise notation of form than in his
maturer work. He is beginning to experiment with color, but he
uses it in strong oppositions and with the aim of attaining fulness
and force rather than refinement ; while he hesitates to break too
THE ART OF V/HISTLER. 471
sharply with realism or with the traditional methods of painting..
It is rich and handsome, a fine and most effective picture, but
besides the marines he painted some years afterward it seems a
trifle heavy and sombre.
In these two pictures we have two phases of an interesting and
highly promising artist, whose future course is not yet certain. In
"The White Girl" Whistler definitely announces himself as the
painter he is to become. Here there is no more subject than in
any portrait, no strong oppositions, no great amount of realization.
The picture represents a girl in a white dress standing on a white
skin before a white curtain, the only color, apart from the tones
of flesh and hair, being a bit of blue in the matting on the floor and
the hues of a few flowers which she has let fall. There is little
firmness of construction or solidity of modelling, in the flesh, which
is reduced almost to one flat tone, and there is no especial ease
or brilliancy of handling. The painting has evidently cost trouble
in parts, and the color is a little lacking in perfect purity, the con-
ventional brown not being yet entirely eliminated from the palette.
The greatest charm of the work is in the sympathetic rendering of
the face, not beautiful, but young and pure and sweet, and in the
natural grace of the erect figure. It is somewhat timid and awk-
ward work as yet, but in its reliance for artistic effect upon the
decorative division of space, on grace of line, and on the delicate
opposition of nicely discriminated tones, it is already very charac-
teristic. The artist has found the road he was destined to tread,
and henceforth steps aside from it but seldom.
In the years from 1861 to 1864, according to Mr. Freer, were
painted a number of small sketches, owned by him, which show
Whistler experimenting on the lines suggested in the "White Girl,"
and preluding such delightful early successes as the "Little White
Girl" and the "Symphony in White No. 3." They are sketches
only, without heads or hands or definite form, not completed pic-
tures in any sense; but as sketches they are delicious, and the
chance to see them in relation to the work for which they were a
preparation is one of the things for which we are most grateful
to this exhibition. When one remembers how lately Whistler
himself had been under the influence of Courbet remembers, also,
that Manet was in the midst of his black manner, and that the later
impressionism was not yet heard of one realizes the great
originality of their delicate, pure color and high key of light. In
composition they remind one of Japanese prints, but there is
something Greek about the figures, as if Tanagra figurines could
be flattened and painted upon a screen. Not only much of the
later art of Whistler is here in germ, but all the art of Albert
Moore.
472
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
In the ten or twelve years following Whistler produced almost
all of the works which have ever achieved anything like popular
success. In 1864 he painted the "Princesse du Pays de la Porce-
laine" ; in 1865 or 6 the "Little White Girl," and about the same
time "The Music Room" ; in 1867 the "Symphony in White, No. 3,"
which seems to be the last picture he signed with his name, and also
the first which he signed with the butterfly which here appears
in the first of its many forms. To the late sixties or early seventies
belong the earliest of the "nocturnes" and of the later marines.
The portrait of his mother and the "Carlyle" must have been done
before 1874, and probably, also, the "Miss Alexander" and the
"Rosa Corder," while the date of "The Balcony" is, conjecturally,
about 1876. I know of no instance of a dated picture after 1867,
and it is very difficult to make certain of one's chronology. It is to
be hoped that someone will take the trouble to search all available
records and gather all scattered information, and will give us, as
nearly as possible, a chronological list of Whistler's works. In
the meantime it may be safely stated that the period from his
thirtieth to his fortieth year was that in which he produced those
pictures which, if they do not necessarily show his special qualities
at their highest and finest, show them in the best balanced com-
bination with others which have generally been considered desir-
able in art. It is the period in which his work, if not in all ways
most characteristic, is most complete as we generally understand
completeness.
Whether or not the work of this decade is considered Whistler's
best will always be largely a matter of the personal equation of
the critic. It is also, in a sense, a matter of small importance.
The career is ended, the work is all done. The painter's reputation
will stand upon what is best of him, whether it came early or late.
If the work be fine and great, the man was a great artist, and
whether he was greatest a forty or at sixty is, indeed, a matter of
some interest, but one that docs not and cannot affect his essential
greatness.
"The Little White Girl" is, perhaps, the general favorite with
visitors to Copley Hall, pleasing more people than any of the.
other pictures there shown. It owes this distinction partly to its
very great merit, partly to w f hat its author would, a little later,
have thought to be extrinsic and eliminable qualities. Its appeal
lies partly in the painting, partly in the things painted. It has no
very definite subject it is essentially an arrangement of exquisite
tones in a delightful pattern but the objects represented have
more than their relative value as elements of the pattern ; they are
things capable, in themselves, of arousing interest and of giving
pleasure. In the first place, there is physical beauty. Whistler
THE ART OF WHISTLER. 473
is thought to have painted it under the temporary influence of
Rossetti, and certainly he never again produced anything which
shows the same feeling for the beauty of womanhood. Character
and expression continued to occupy him more than he would
admit, but pure beauty of form and feature he never again repre-
sented with the same interest. The figure leans against a marble
mantel, her head, in profile, pensively inclined, one arm stretched
along the shelf, the other falling by her side, the hand holding a
Japanese fan. Behind her is a mirror, and the reflection of her
face therein is not beautiful, but her profile is, and the lines of her
throat and of her graceful left hand are admirable. The dress is
of some filmy substance, and its white, with that of the marble,
contrasting with the black of the grate and the mysterious grays
of the reflections in the mirror, are the main elements of the har-
mony ; but there are pure and vivacious blues in the fan and in an
Oriental vase, delicate tints of rose in the flowering azalea which
fills the lower right-hand corner. These notes enliven the scheme,
while the objects that make them are, as I have said, interesting
things apart from the role they play. The azalea, particularly,
charmingly drawn and painted, is altogether delightful. The
painting is flat, almost without shadows, a little dryer and sharper-
edged than later work, a matter of justly discriminated values and
simple silhouettes ; but there is substance in the figure, subtly
expressed, everywhere but in the left hand, which is rather thin and
papery. The art of choice and arrangement is greater than the
ability of rendering, but the latter is not so noticeably deficient as
to interfere greatly with one's enjoyment. The total effect is of
extreme refinement and exquisite loveliness.
In "The Music Room" we have again a mirror in an important
role. There are two figures in the room, a woman in a black riding
habit who seems to be holding up something, the nature and posi-
tion of which one does not quite understand, and a little girl in
white buried in a book. In the mirror is the reflection of a third
figure, whose place in the real room is also rather enigmatical,
that of an elderly lady apparently playing on the piano. The girl
is a charming figure, not quite realized, but very adequately sug-
gested. The riding habit is perfectly flat, but its rich black is
pleasant to look at. The head and hands of its wearer remind
one of Corot's flesh-painting rather vague in form, a fine gray-
pink in color, absolutely just in value. The great beauty of the
picture, however, is in the wonderful painting of the accessories,
the curtains and vases, and their reflections in the glass. One
ceases to care what the figures are doing, or almost whether they
are figures or not, as one studies the delicate color, the perfect
tone, the fascinating lightness and fluidity of touch with which
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
these things are rendered. In spite of Whistler's query, his ad-
inirfis are ever prone to "drag in Velasquez." Here, at least, is
a bit of painting that the great Spaniard might have been proud
to own.
Was it because he felt that in such a picture as this the still-life
was, in a manner, better than the figures, that Whistler never
makes so much of it again? For complete representation of
objects this picture is perhaps his high-water mark. And in only
one important picture of later date that I can remember, "The
Balcony," a picture more purely Japanese than any other, in which
representation has almost ceased to exist does he put two or more
figures on one canvas. Except as mere spots or suggestion of
cro'.vds his figures hereafter exist alone. He confines himself to
the portrait-painter's problem of the single figure or even the single
head. In the "Miss Alexander" there are still a few accessories
a panelled wall, a garment thrown over a stool, a few daisies at
the side in the "Mother" there are only a straight curtain and a
framed print, and in the Carlyle even the curtain is gone. In the
"Rosa Corder" there is not even a wall, the black figure emerging
from blacker space, and this is the commoner condition in his later
portraits, though a gray wall or a curtain filling the whole back-
ground is now and then suggested. In the use of anything like
positive color, also, Whistler becomes more sparing during this
period. The "Mother" and the "Carlyle" are arrangements in
black and gray, the Rosa Corder is an arrangement in black and
brown. He even loses his interest in white, and the "Miss
Alexander" seems to be the last picture in which white plays an
important part. In "The Balcony" there is a bouquet of bright
colors, but it is the last. The earliest nocturnes have still a
powerful blue, though far less positive and intense than in earlier
work, but it becomes less and less decided, fainter and grayer, or
shifting into black. The variations of gray become his dominating
preoccupation, and he distinguishes them with extraordinary
subtlety.
The purely artistic elements of such a picture as the "Mother"
are few and simple. A gray, a black, a little low-toned white, and
the dim pink of the flesh, this is all of color. The right lines of the
curtain and the baseboard, cutting the parallelogram of the canvas,
are echoed by the .smaller rectangle of the frame upon the wall,
and diagonally across this background is drawn the austere sil-
houette of the figure, its boundaries simplified into long curves,
delicately modulated, but with scarce a break or accident in all
their length. Everything is sober and severe except for the one
outbreak of capricious fancy in the dainty embroidery of the
curtain, which lights up the picture like a smile on a grave face.
THE ART OF WHISTLER. 475
It is the masterly management of these elements the perfect
balance of the spaces so frankly outlined, the quality of the few
tones of black or gray, the fine gradation of the curves which
gives the picture its rare distinction. These purely artistic matters
were, perhaps, all that Whistler was consciously occupied with
this beautiful arrangement of tones and lines and spaces was all
he would admit he had produced but the picture owes its popu-
larity to quite other qualities. The public has insisted on "caring
about the identity of the portrait," or at least about its character
and humanity, and in feeling that such a "foreign" emotion as love
has, somehow, got itself expressed on the canvas. The gentle
refinement of the aged face, the placid pose, with hands folded in
the lap, the sweetness and strength of character, the aroma of
gentility, the peace of declining years all these things have been
rendered "or suggested by the artist with reverent care and sym-
pathy. One feels that he has. so painted his mother that she be-
comes a type of the mother as she is for all of us, or as we should
wish her to be, and we accuse him, in spite of his denial, of having
made something finer and nobler and far more important than
any "arrangement in gray and black," however exquisite.
It is ten years since I have seen this picture, and I have never
seen the "Carlyle" or the "Miss Alexander," but I am fresh from
seeing the "Rosa Corder." Here the scheme is black on black, a
bit of gray in the gloved hand, and a single note of brown in the
low riding-hat and feather. It is a canvas of the narrow, upright
form which becomes henceforth so characteristic of Whistler's
portraits, and the lines are more sinuous and graceful than severe,
though with no slightest tendency to floridity. They are admirably
expressive of the firm elasticity of youth and strength, and of the
easy poise of a body in its prime. The head, turned over the
shoulder, is again in profile, and in its low tone and lack of model-
ling seems, at first, somewhat sacrificed, but as one looks at it it
grows more elegant and distinguished. Here also we have some-
thing more than mere arrangement a sympathetic presentment of
a human personality.
It is in such pictures as these that the comparison to Velasquez,
so frequently made, is, if anywhere, justified. If any Western artist
exercised anything like a permanent influence on Whistler it was
the great Spaniard, but it seems to me more just to say that
Whistler's talent resembled one side of that of Velasquez than that
there was anything like imitation. Some of the things which
Velasquez had done it was natural for Whistler to do, as it was
natural for him to attain some of the qualities of Japanese art, and
in the arrangement and division of space, the elegance of sil-
houette, the beauty of quiet tone, the richness of his blacks and
476
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
grays, the younger painter is nearly or quite the equal of the elder.
The comparison, then, is natural, but it is rather overwhelming.
Putting aside the mere abundance of Velasquez ; putting aside his
ability as an organizer of great spectacles like "The Lances" or his
mastery of large compositions like the "Maids of Honor" or the
"Spinners" ; neglecting his horses and his dogs and everything but
such single portraits as in their simplicity of scheme may be fitly
compared with those of Whistler ; and we have only to remember
that another painter of our day. and a very different one, is also
constantly compared to him to see how much of Velasquez is out-
side Whistler's range. If to all the qualities of Whistler's best
portraits could be added all Sargent's sure notation of form and
brilliancy of execution, we should have, not yet Velasquez, but
something liker to him than anything done in two centuries past.
How far the balance may be redressed by those things in
Whistler's work which are not to be found in that of Velasquez,
or of any one else, we may not yet say ; but in the portrait of his
mother Whistler is one of the most refined and delightful artists of
the nineteenth century ; Velasquez is one of the greatest painters of
all time-
How far the absence from these portraits of Whistler's of sub-
stance, form, construction, modelling, is consequent on inability,
how far on deliberate choice, is a question that perhaps admits of no
definite answer. After all, if desire is not necessarily ability, a lack
of desire is disability. One may not be able to do what one
likes, but one cannot, in art, do what one does not like ; and to
say that an artist does not care for certain qualities is the same
thing as to say he cannot attain them. It may be true that he could
do this or that if he chose, but he cannot choose. He lacks the
first essential ability, the ability to desire. Either from a les-
sening of physical vitality or a greater concentration on the
purely musical elements of his art, then, Whistler did not choose
could not choose to give us, after the early seventies, anything
so complete as these three or four portraits ; anything with their
human interest, their quality of characterization, their degree of
realization. "The Fur Jacket" is already slighter and looser, and
after that his later portraits become more and more the "arrange-
ments" he called them. The pigment grows ever thinner and more
fluid, the edges disappear after the modelling, the figures grow
ghostlike and unsubstantial, the hands cease to exist, and the heads
become only a note of flesh-color in the general harmony. Perhaps
the weakest of them all is the "Comte de Montesquiou-Fezensac/'
which is not even an agreeable arrangement either in line or color ;
one of the best is also a very late one, "L'Andalousienne," graceful
in line, delicate in its differentiation of closely related grays, but
with a face almost devoid of features.
THE ART OF WHISTLER. 477
It is not in his later portraits, which show no new invention of
harmony to balance their loss of humanity, that the best work of
the last thirty years of Whistler's life is to be found, but in that
series of small canvases, "harmonies," "notes," "arrangements,"
"nocturnes," which are among the most characteristic, if not in all
respects the finest, of his productions. They rarely exceed a foot
or two in dimensions, and many of them are only a few inches
square. They are occasionally small single figures, more often
merely heads or they are bits of streets and shop fronts, river
scenes, marines. Whistler was a city-dweller who took occasional
trips to the sea-shore, and there is no sign of love for the country
in any work of his ; indeed, one can hardly say that there is any
love for the sea, as such, in these later works one can hardly
imagine .a yachtsman caring for Whistler's sea-pieces because they
represent his favorite element. He treats the sea, as he does
everything else, as a pretext for a harmony of two or three subtly
discriminated tones, and it lends itself admirably to his purpose
because of the lack of solid objects or of definite and generally re-
cognizable forms. Definition and realization have become irk-
some and distasteful to him, and, whatever his subject, he gives as
little of them as possible. Many of these things are true sketches,
nearly instantaneous in execution, painted, almost, in an hour or
two. Others have been long retained and worked over again and
again, but never with the preoccupation of "finish." The labor
has gone to the gradual refinement of the tones, the achievement
of more perfect harmony, and the work is left, at the end, as vague
and floating in its forms as at the beginning. It is even possible
that the vagueness has increased with the progress of the work,
and that the least definite statements are those which have been
most pondered. The painter has come almost as nearly as is
conceivable to a realization of his personal ideal the ideal of
painting purged of its representative elements, and brought to
the condition of what is called "absolute music" painting in which
color, pattern, line, exist for themselves, with the least possible
reference to anything external. But if we are refused so much that
has hitherto pleased or interested us in painting, what we get we
get with a singular intensity. Clear your mind of prepossessions,
forget about meanings and intentions, forget about nature, forget
about form or substance or definition let the artist play to you,
and you shall find his airs ravishing in their sweetness.
And they are airs which no one else has played. For this art
differs from all the art of the past not only in that everything but
the purely musical elements has been banished from it, but in that
these elements are treated differently and are of a different kind
and quality. It is not only that color and pattern and the material
478
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
beauty of paint are to stand alone, but that we are given a different
color, a different pattern, a different material beauty from any
we have known. In all these things the characteristic note of
Whistler is extreme refinement and tenuity. To its extra-
ordinary sensitiveness and delicacy of perception any fulness of
sound is almost as distressing as noisiness, and splendor is
perilously akin to vulgarity. In color he gives us no crashing
climaxes, no vibrant, full-orchestrad harmonies his is an art of
nuances and shadings, of distinctions scarce to be followed by
the ordinary eye. What he calls blue or green or rose, violet or
grenat or gold, are the disembodied spirits of these colors, tinges
and intimations of them rather than the colors themselves. Some-
times the tinge is so faint that no one else can perceive it, and
sometimes what, to his consciousness, is the keynote of his com-
position, is so faintly sounded that, to another, it seems the least
important note of all. Finally he wraps everything in the gray
mystery of night, and his picture seems composed of nothing more
substantial than the atmosphere itself.
So his lines are reduced to the fewest, and modulated with the
most imperceptible fineness, and his actual use of material has been
similarly sublimated. Not only could he not abide the rough
hatchings of the impressionists or the heavy masses of paint of
the modern Dutch or the followers of Dupre, but the rich textures
of the Venetians, the close enamel of Holbein or Van Eyck, the
crisp touches of Hals, are equally foreign to him. He has a strong
sense for the beauty of material, but it is of material brought to
the verge of immateriality. His paint is fluid, thin, dilute ; his
touch feather-light and melting. There may be twenty successive
layers of pigment on the canvas, but it is scarce covered, and its
texture shows everywhere. It is almost as if he painted with
thought.
One feels thick-fingered and clumsy in trying to distinguish
among these later works of Whistler works in which a kind of
art by suggestion has gone so far that one catches oneself wonder-
ing whether one has not been hypnotised into a belief in pictures
which have no objective existence. It is to rub the bloom off
them to examine them too closely. There are many of them in
Copley Hall, and by no means all of the same quality, but they all
seem too slight to bear handling, too lacking in the positive for
description, too evanescent, almost, for separate recollection.
They blend in one's memory like past twilights, and have, in the
retrospect, little more individuality than last year's violets. Is it
worth while to catalogue and annotate, to say that this is beautiful
and that not so beautiful, this successful and that a failure? I
have my notes, and even without them I recall a few things with
THE ART OF WHISTLER. 479
some distinctness "Grcnat ct Or Le Petit Cardinal," one of several
variations in dim reds ; "Symphony in Violet and Blue," a marine
in which the violet is little more than gray, and the blue is but a
faint blue-green; "Blue and Silver Trouville," dainty and clear;
and "Nocturne in Blue and Silver Cremorne Lights," lovely in its
pale opalescence. Then, "Nocturne in Black and Gold The Fall-
ing Rocket," with its sprinkle of gold-dust on the blue-black
darkness ; and, most ghostlike of all, two nocturnes, "Grey and
Silver Chelsea Embankment," and "Blue and Silver: Battersea.'
Reach," so much alike and so devoid of nameable color that one
fails to see how one has more blue or less gray than the other, but;
quite wonderful in their feeling of mystery and of palpable air. So*
one recalls other things, not so perfect, where the harmony has.
been missed, be it ever so slightly, and there is nothing to takeits-
place. But it is not this of that picture that one remembers most
clearly, it is the. total impression of an art infinitely subtle, infinitely;
fastidious, tremulously intense; an art of exquisite sensibilities and'
fine nerves, of reticences and reservations ; a music of muted strings. '
Slight as are Whistler's, later oils, his watercolors and pastels
are yet slighter. Pastel is the slightest and most evanescent'
seeming of materials ; but surely no one has used it with such slight-
ness as he. A few square inches of brown or gray paper, a few :
chalk lines, lightly set down, a .touch of color here and there this
makes up a pastel as Whistler conceived it. The subject is
generally the figure, nude or lightly draped, but these are figures
from which all the things :on which the great figure-painters spent
their efforts have been eliminated. Here are no attempts to ex-
press structure or stress or pressure, still less to render solidity or
the texture of flesh or even its color. The lines are of beautiful
quality in themselves, but their charm is that of their own curvature
as abstract lines and of their arrangement, their relative distance
from each other, and the way in which they subdivide the space of
paper. The touches of color are delightfully placed, but they repre-.
sent nothing, though nature may have given the hint for their
placing and the relative intensity of their hue. Light and shade,
for which Whistler has never greatly cared, is eliminated entirely,
and even truth of values, which he has retained longest of the
qualities common to great painting, is now abandoned. Pretty
much everything of our Western art has been left out as non-
essential, and even that composition of light and dark, upon which
the artists of the far East have always laid so much stress, has
disappeared. With infinitely greater deftness and mastery, and
now of set intention, as the ultimate expression of his ideal in art,
Whistler has come back to the condition of those early sketches,
already mentioned, which were the prelude to "The Little White
480 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Girl" and "The Balcony." His material aiding him, he has
sloughed off, more completely even than in his latest nocturnes,
everything that can be sloughed and leave a vestige of painting as
an art of representation. To this he was bound to come at last, if
he lived long enough. It is impossible to imagine any further step
that shall not lead to the tracing of purely meaningless lines and
spots for the pleasant diversification of a surface. The Whistler
who is most like the great artists of all times, as our Western world
has known them, is the Whistler of the "Mother." The Whistler
who is most entirely himself, pushing his own theories to their
possible limit and relying exclusively upon his own special gifts, is
the Whistler of the nocturnes and the pastels a dainty, winged
spirit, as light and as graceful as the butterfly he chose for his
emblem.
Two or three interesting beginnings in directions which were to
lead to nothing, a few captivating early pictures, perhaps half a
dozen fine portraits, a hundred or two little pictures and pastels of
ethereal charm such is the baggage, slender enough it must be
confessed, and, perhaps, a trifle fragile, with which the painter
begins his voyage down the ages. One can imagine some of the
abounding geniuses of the past, henceforth his fellow-travelers,
looking at him with raised eyebrows. "Was, then, your time so
impoverished that this seemed wealth to it?" It is, indeed, prob-
able that in no other century could so great a reputatioin have been
founded on work of this texture, but there are certain considera-
tions which lead to a reasonable expectation of permanency for it.
For it is not the men who do many things well, and achieve a high
average of merit, whom the world most delights to honor, but the
hien who do one thing better than anybody else. Whistler has
done certain things that no one else has done, given us certain
sensations not to be had from other works than his. No one else
has so well painted night, no one else so suggested mystery, no
one so created an atmosphere. In no other art we know has the
pleasure to be derived from tone and from the division of spaces
been given so' purely and so intensely. Even should these things
be done again, and done better, he will have been the first to do
them, and that of itself is a title to fame. And apart from the
value of his own achievement, Whistler has been, and is, a potent
influence on others, and such influences have their own special
glory. He has had, and will have for a time, mere imitators who
copy his methods and vainly hope to become great artists by paint-
i'ng everything in black, but there are thousands of others whose
perceptions have been quickened by contact with his, who have
learned to see more delicately because he has shown them how,
whose eyes have been opened to beauties before unnoticed.
THE ART OF WHISTLER.
481
Was he a great master? Posterity will decide. At any rate, he
was a true artist, and in an age too much dominated by the scientific
spirit an age given up to experiment and the desire to know and
to record he consistently devoted his beautiful talent to those
things in art which are farthest removed from naturalism and from
science, and in his impatience of a painting that is not always art
created an art which almost ceases to be painting.
Kenyan Cox.
482
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
GROTESQUE MASK.
On the Facade of the Art Gallery at Bale.
Arnold Bocklln, Sculptor.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
483
THE PROFESSIONAL INVASION OF BALTIMORE.
(As Seen by Our Special Artist.)
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
A STRIKING EXAMPLE OF RAPIDITY IN CONSTRUCTION.
PROBABLY the best
part of the transform-
ation Observed in the ways
and means of modern build-
ing has been in the direction
of greater dispatch in opera-
tions and consequent lessened
costs and earlier returns for
investments. With the types
of the latest era now very
well settled, plans do not
Dec. l.~>, 1002. Excavation complete and column
bases set.
Jan. 2. 1903. Foundations com-
plete and steelwork carried
above first floor.
the means for rapidly
work.
An office building being purely a com-
mercial enterprise, everything that adds
to the cost of constructing it beyond
what is absolutely necessary is a waste ;
and therefore it makes a great difference
to investors and owners whether their
building is two years in course of erection
or only six or eight months, and whether
the interval during which the investment
is bringing no return in the form of rents
is long or short.
There is a case in point at Columbia,
S. C., where the Columbia Real Estate
change substantially between one build-
ing and another of the same class ; and
units, forms and equipments become
susceptible of being reproduced, multi-
plied and knit together with increasing
facility and quickness at the hands of
skilfully directed operatives. The pres-
ent type of office building will probably
not be essentially changed for a gener-
ation. The desire will be to reproduce
it in many cities, and it is important for
investors to know the shortest period
in which a great building can be erected
and who are the contractors that have
had the qualifying experience and possess
executing such
Jan. 15. Granite water-table set
and six tiers of beams in place.
TVs' CHNICA L DEPA R TMEN T
485
Feb. 4. Limestone one story high
and ten tiers of beams in place.
Fireprooflng in fourth tier.
& Trust Co., otherwise the Loan
& Exchange National Bank, of
which Mr. Edwin W. Robertson is
president, having a twelve-story
building to erect, gave the contract
to the Tidewater Building Company
of New York. The directors knew
and realized that they had purely
a business proposition before them
that having decided on a certain
type of building, slightly varied to
suit their particular locality, it was
their duty as trustees to arrange for as
quick a return from the surplus space
as possible. It'was the first real sky-
scraper to be erected in that section
of the South, therefore regarded as
a particularly important operation.
Should it prove a satisfactory invest-
ment, it will soon have neighbors of
its own kind.
The speed with which the work was
carried on by the Tidewater Building
Company is shown in the accompany-
ing illustrations. Begun about De-
cember 1 5th, the building was entirely
finished about the first of September
Feb. 15. Limestone to height of
second-story window sills.
Roof tier of beams in place
and flreprooflng in six stories.
March 13. Brickwork seven stories
high.
following. This would have been
nearly record work even for New York
City, and was a marvelous feat for the
South, though not the best the same
builders have accomplished. On Jan-
uary ist of this year, 1904, a group of
manufacturing buildings, covering
twelve acres, of steel, concrete and
brick work, was finished by the Tide-
water Building Company at Wilming-
ton, Del., after having been in course
of erection only since the preceding
April. The contract for the Repub-
lican Club Building in New York City,
486
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
April 1. Brickwork to lower tier
of cornice.
a twelve-story steel frame structure, was taken by the Tidewater Build-
ing Company on May 6th, 1902, and in slightly more than five months
from that date the building was enclosed. The Collier Building in
New York, costing four hundred thousand dollars, was started by
the Tidewater Building Company on
March ist, 1900, and was occupied by
the owners in the January following.
So far as he could, President Napier
of the Tidewater Building Company
used for the Columbia contract such
help as was obtainable locally, but the
expert foremen were brought from
New York ; and the company did its
own ironwork, masonry, carpentry
and painting. Brite & Bacon were
the architects.
The Tidewater Building Company
does work with dispatch in any part
of the country, and in a style uniformly
satisfactory.
Mr. A. Milton Napier, the president and chief executive, was
trained in the office of McKim, Mead & White, and his associates
are, like himself, all practical men of high-class experience. Mr.
H. Stevenson is vice-president and Mr. Jos. P. Ranney is secretary
and treasurer. This company recognizes the value of time in purely
commercial projects, and from long
practice in the best methods, in organ-
izing large forces, and collecting and
handling material, it can so lay out
work that operatives can labor to-
gether without interruption, and by
orderly progression and sequence pro-
duce the finished edifice in the shortest
space of time and yet have it all
well done. With the steadily increas-
ing investment in single buildings it
is a vital matter for owners to have
their work done expeditiously. This
company has also erected a number
of fine private dwellings, including Mr.
George Crocker's at Ramsey's, N. J.
The main office of the Tidewater Building Company is at 25
West 26th Street, New York City. Branch 227 St. Paul Street,
Baltimore, Md.
July 1. External construction fin-
ished.
tlbe
VOL XV. JUNE, 1904. No, 6.
A RENAISSANCE HOUSE OE PARIS AND ITS HISTORY.
O a historian of the picturesque school, as well as to
a man of imagination, old houses possess a ro-
mance which archaeologists are sometimes apt
to overlook. . The antiquary, over-zealous about
mere inscriptions and the like, too often fails
to penetrate beneath the surface of what he studies, los-
ing in consequence that delightful aroma which clings to
most ancient things, and unwittingly depriving his subject
of one of its greatest charms. Old houses, as M. G. Le-
notre, in "Vielles Maisons, Vieux Papiers," has shown bet-
ter than any other modern writer, can be made as fascinating
as great human personalities, as entrancing as works of fiction if
studied in connection with the times through which they have
passed. Instead of mere conglomerations of stone and mortar
they then become living entities. Ancient buildings, indeed, ought
always to be considered side by side with the events of history ; for
these, sometimes, have an important bearing on their destinies, and
leave the most eloquent traces on their interiors and exteriors. In
a slighter degree, of course, than is the case with the works of great
writers, but in a manner no less certain, is it possible to read, in
the changes which old houses undergo from century to century, a
partial story of ancient and modern times.
France has witnessed so many political changes, so many tragic
upheavals in the course of her history that in no other city in the
world are romantic houses so numerous as in Paris. Unfortunately,
the majority are devoid of any special architectural interest, time
having laid a rough hand upon them ; and, though their records
may have become exceedingly rich, it has been at the expense of
beauty of form. Of the few now remaining in which architectural
beauty and wealth of historical association are fairly equally bal-
anced is a four-century-old house, standing at the corner of the
Rue Bayard and the Cours-la-Reine, whose record is unique. Few,
however, of the thousands of people, Parisians and visitors alike,
Copyright, 1904, by "Architectural Record Company." All rights reserved.
Entered May 22, 1902, as second-class matter, Post Office at New York, N. Y., Act of
Congress, of March 3d, 1879.
THE ARCHITIiCrURAL
MA1SON FRANCOIS PREMIER. 489
who, passing it daily on the cars and in cabs, admire its admirable
proportions, could tell you much about it beyond the fact that it is
called the "Maison de Franqois ler." They are as equally ignorant
of the noteworthy fact at any rate for France, where houses are
not commonly removed from place to place that it once stood at
Moret, forty miles from the capital, as of those details of its striking-
subsequent history which research has enabled me, in part, to re-
constitute. They know vaguely that it is a fine specimen of Renais-
sance work, and they may, possibly, venture to inform you that the
medallions which ornament its facade are by Jean Goujon, as has
been done by certain learned German archaeologists inaccurately.
Rut that is all you will learn from them. Yet each group of beauti-
fully sculptured children, each exquisite capital, each delicate pilas-
ter, each inscription, almost every stone of this architectural jewel
might tell them something.
Moret is a small country town of exceedingly ancient origin, sit-
uated on the river Loing, not far from where it joins the Seine, and
about four miles from Fontainebleau. Enclosed on all sides by the
magnificent forest, a better center could not be found by those en-
gaged in sport, and it was this qualification which gave Francis I.
ardent sportsman that he was the idea of building there a small
house where he and his retinue could assemble before or after the
chase. Accordingly, he had built an elegant little "pied-a-terre"
just as a wealthy sportsman of to-day will build for himself a shoot-
ing-box. That it was not intended to be used as a place of resi-
dence, but as a temporary house where rest and refreshment could
be obtained, is evident from the manner in which the rooms were
arranged. A portico with three arcades formed a sort of open ves-
tibule which occupied almost the whole of the ground floor, and
opened into a little courtyard, which, in all probability, was sep-
arated from the street by a low wall. A stybolate, breast-high, was
the only thing preventing communication with the court. At right
angles to the facade and on the left-hand side looking towards it
was a beautiful doorway, surmounted by a magnificent salamander
framed in an elaborately sculptured design and bearing an inscrip-
tion, "Jevne Govvernement avit le vent" "A youthful government
is influenced by the wind." On the first floor was a large room a
sort of banqueting hall whose principal ornament was a choice
mantelpiece. It was lighted by three small bays charmingly orna-
mented with bas-reliefs and in perfect keeping with the decoration
of the remainder of the building. Finally, on the upper cornice of
the faqade was a second inscription "Qvi acit frenare lingum
sentvmque donare fortier est illo qvi frangit viribus vrbes"- -"He
who can curb his tongue and overcome his passions is stronger
than he who takes cities by storm."
490
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
There cannot be the slightest doubt that this house was built for
the personal use of Francis I. The salamander is an unmistakable
sign-manual ; the two inscriptions one showing that he had not
long been on the throne when his architects received orders to
build, the other that he commenced to reign with the good inten-
tions of a young man just starting in life are additional proof.
It is no mere supposition to say that he occupied it, on occasions,
from time to time; no mere effort of the imagination to picture
him there with his courtiers in the intervals of hunting and shoot-
ing. We have plenty of trustworthy records bearing on the life of
this royal lover of art and letters, and we can, without difficulty,
place him in the framework of this Moret house. His great pas-
sion from his early youth to the last days of his life was sport,
which was so irresistibly attractive, indeed, that he frequently post-
poned important business of State, until after he had satisfied his
craving for the excitement of the chase. He kept his Court con-
tinually moving from place to place from Fontainebleau to Ram-
bouillet, Amboise, St. Germain, Blois, Compiegne,Villers-Cotterets,
Chatellerault, or Moutiers, as the case might be. The branches of
sport which he followed were falconry and what was called "la
venerie de toiles," which was equivalent to a modern battue. But,
unlike Louis XII., who was equally as keen a sportsman, he much
preferred the latter to the former. "La venerie des toiles" was
under the captaincy of M. d'Annchaud, afterwards a Marshal of
France, whose hundred archers were charged with the placing of
sheets of canvas sufficiently large and broad to enclose that part of
the forest which had been selected for the battue. When this had
been done, beaters drove the game towards the sheets, and, a suf-
ficient quantity having been encircled, Francis and his friends did
slaughter with bow and arrow or arquebuse. The king's sporting
outfit made no light load ; fifty wagons were required to carry the
canvas sheets and the planks and carpets for the tents. In addition
to this "materiel," his hunting staff consisted of more than a dozen
mounted huntsmen, fifty bloodhounds and six valets to look after
them, and fifty ordinary sporting dogs in charge of six other men.
The annual expenditure involved in these battues was about $100,-
ooo, but double this amount was spent on falconry. No fewer than
three hundred hawks were kept by Francis I., who was so inde-
fatigable that he hunted both summer and winter.
The little house at Moret must, therefore, have often been the
scene of brilliant gatherings. In the summer Francis and his prin-
cipal courtiers would meet in the vestibule on the ground floor,
while the excited hounds gathered in the courtyard, moving hither
and thither with tails waving on high and their tongues lolling, or
eagerly crowding beneath the stylobate in hope of dainty morsels
MAI SON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
49 I
FRoncovs en guerre eflvn Macs funcux
t>
ILn paix. Minccue &dianc aIacbalic=9Jt^
AbicnpaderMcreure cop
A bicn aymervray Amour plem de grace
O ii-dficc bcuLCufclxnotx donclafacc^v^jr
d Roy c|in futpall
Carlbonoranttuicrs en mdmc place
Mincruc Mars, thane, Amour, AVcrcure*^
FRANQOIS PREMIER.
From an engraving of the original painting by Nicolo dell 'Abbate in the Cabinet
des Estampes, BibliothSque Nationale. This picture, painted from life, was given to th
Cabinet des Estampes of the King by Comte de Caylus on June 15, 1765. Verses by
Ronsard.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
from the table of their royal master ; in Winter he would partake of
refreshment in the upper room, where the large open fireplace made
it possible to have a roaring, crackling fire of logs. These repasts
after the hunt was over must have been particularly delectable, if
what Brantome tells us is accurate ; for he states that the king's table
was "un vraie ecole." since all manner of subjects were discoursed
upon. Great captains were always in attendance at his board, de-
lighting the king with their narratives of renowned fights, and he
loved to have learned men, writers and artists by his side when he
ate. 1 doubt not that, on more than one occasion during his reign,
the learned Pierre Duchatel, called Castellanus, Bishop of Tulle,
sat with him in the house at Moret and gave his opinion, as he was
frequently called upon to do, on knotty points which arose during
the conversation. And one can readily imagine the great protector
of the arts turning his smiling, intelligent eyes upon him on re-
ceiving some particularly ready and sound pronouncement, and
saying, in much the same words as those once used to Benvenuto
Cellini, at Fontainebleau, on receiving from him an exquisite cup
and basin, "Castellanus, it is my real opinion that the ancient phil-
osophers themselves could not have been given so wise an answer. I
have read all their works, but never have they given me such high
satisfaction as your words." Rarely did Francis I. let an oppor-
tunity slip of encouraging learning. As everyone knows, the part
which he played in the Renaissance of art and letters was all im-
portant in the history of France. In regard to architecture, alone,
he exercised a powerful influence; and it is certainly thanks to him,
in a great measure, that we to-day possess such superb specimens
of the work of Pierre Lescot, Jean Goujon, Philibert de I'Orme,
Jean Ijiillant, Pierre Bontemps, and Germain Pilon. Which of
these sculptor-architects it was who built and ornamented the
Moret masterpiece is not on record. Its sculpture has frequently
attributed to Jean Goujon ; but, although the merits of some of the
capitals, pilasters, and panels amply justify the supposition, we
must be content to look upon them as the work of an unknown
artist. The general opinion among authorities on the Renaissance
is that the house in many years anterior to the time of the authors
of the Fontaine des Innocents.
We will not follow the story of this Renaissance house subse-
quent to the reign of Francis I. What was its history under Henry
II.. under Francis II., under Charles IX., and their successors?
Was it used for the purpose for which it had been built ; or was it
transformed into a dwelling house, a secluded and convenient place
of rendezvous for royal lovers ? On these points the records are
silent. But it is almost certain that in the course of the next two
hundred and thirtv vears from the death of Francis I. to the
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
493
MAISON FRANQOIS PREMIER.
(Sketch of the Doorway made at Moret in 1825.)
494 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Revolution the little house was neglected and gradually fell into
ruins. Such was the state, at any rate, in which we find it about
1820. At the beginning of the last century attention being called
to the beauty of its faqade, a number of sketches were made by
architects and artists. Some of these are still in existence, enabling
us to judge with perfect accuracy of its original aspect. One, a
pencil drawing by M. Deroy, is reproduced as a frontispiece to
Blancheton's "Yues pittoresque des chateaux de France;" careful
engravings, based on another, are given in the second volume of
N. X. Willemin's "Monuments Franqais Inedits" (1839); ar| d there
is a third in Bosc's "Dictionnaire raisonne d'architecture et des
sciences et arts" (1878), here reproduced, showing the doorway al-
ready referred to, part of the frieze, and a small window which was
to the left of the porch. The most interesting sketch, however, was
an oil painting, executed prior to 1826, showing the facade and the
doorway at right-angles to it, and recording the curious fact that
the former "maison de chasse" of Francis I. was used at that time
as the workshop or warehouse of a barrel-maker! The artist
so I am told by a Parisian gentleman who saw the picture in the
collection of M. Cain, the father of M. Georges Cain, the amiable
curator of the Musee Carnavalet depicted hoops and staves on
all sides. Unfortunately, this valuable archaeological record,
which one could wish to see in the Cabinet des Estampes at the
Bibliotheque Xationale, has disappeared ; it was either lost or
stolen, M. Cain tells me, in the removal to his own house of his
late father's collection.
It was not for long, however, that the Moret house was put
to such an unworthy use. A better fate was in store for it, and
when the Government, in 1826, sold it to an art-lover of Paris, it
entered upon a new existence. And not before it was time. At
the latter end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth
century its rich decoration suffered terribly, and but for the timely
intervention of this "amateur des arts" there is no doubt it would
quickly have gone to utter wreck and ruin. This gentlemen had
the principal portions of the building carefully transported, stone
by stone, to Paris. There, on the Cours-la-Reme, these scrupu-
lously numbered "debris" were applied to a fresh building. All
pieces of sculpture which had become worn by time were recarved
after the model of existing perfect specimens.
The restorers, as will be shown later on, were not always judi-
cious in their work, and the arrangement and details of the Moret
house were somewhat modified ; but taking all things into consider-
ation, they did not do so badly. It is easy, with the records at our
disposal, to see where they deviated from the original plans, to
distinguish the genuine examples of sixteenth century work from
MAI SON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
495
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
(The Salamander in the Courtyard.)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
496
THE ARCHITECTURAL RKCORl).
modern copies, and to detect portions of architecture which did not
exist in the Moret building. There can be no doubt, for instance,
that all the right-hand side of the fagade, with the exception of
the bas-relief, which was originally above the arcade to the ex-
treme right, is an invention of the restorers, whose object, it should
be borne in mind, was not to produce an exact copy of the house
at Moret, but to build an agreeable and harmonious house-front
out of the fragments at their disposal. They were so heedless of
archaeological exactitude that they placed the exceedingly beautiful
doorway at the back of the house, and, moreover, separated it
into two portions. The porch itself is now in the vestibule, the
salamander and accompanying ornamentation are let into the wall
of a private house, which now adjoins the "Maison de Francois I."
in the courtyard. Hut let us return to our comparison of the pres-
ent facade with the original one.
"As to the first floor," says M. Leon Palustre in "La Renaissance
en France." which, with Willemin's book, is the most reliable au-
thority on the subject, "it also formed a large room lighted not by
a series of windows in three groups but by the bays open only on
the right of the keystone of each of the lower arcades. The mul-
lions. ornamented with circles and little figures, did not exist, at
any rate as they are to-day; but at the sides they formed a frame-
work for blind-windows, which, because of the contrast of their
solid surface, gave more value to the empty middle spaces." The
termination of the building above the cornice, on which is the Latin
inscription already given, is also the work of the restorers, since
the exact character of the roof of the original house is unknown.
Similarly, the seven medallions (but not the ornamental designs of
fruit and flowers which encircle them) are modern work, and not
very artistic specimens, either. Nevertheless, these medallions
(representing Louis XII., Anne of Brittany, Francis II., Mar-
guerite of Navarre, Henry II., Diana of Poitiers, and Francis I.)
were actually attributed by the German critics Lubke and Kol-
loff to the sixteenth century ! . Another slight addition, though
not an architectural one, was an inscription on the cornice, viz. :
"Inst. 1527 et rest. 1826." As Palustre says, the former date is in-
accurate, the Moret house having undoubtedly been built much
earlier in the sixteenth century ; it was inspired, probably, by the
latter date, as much as to say that it was almost exactly three hun-
dred years since its erection.
In spite, however of these additions and alterations, the greater
part of the faqade of this Paris house is genuine work of the
Renaissance. Note the perfect art with which the three large ar-
cades are ornamented ; the exquisitely delicate sculpture on the
garlanded pilasters which separated tl>em, and the sweet curves of
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
497
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
(Dcorway in the Vestibule.)
Cours-lp.-Reine, Peris.
498
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
MAISON FRANQOIS PREMIER.
(Bas-Relief to the Right of the Fagade.)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
two of the capitals those in which cupids figure. The last are
particularly noteworthy, and especially the one with cornucopias
and cupids swinging from lions' muzzles. Observe, also the archi-
volts, on whose outer face, on each side of a foliated console
which protrudes at the keystone, are harmonious foliations, and
other similar ornamentations. As to the intrados, the decoration
consists of a series of sunken panels on which figure either plants
and flowers alone or these alternating with scenes inspired by the
Labors of Hercules. "No less remarkable," says Palustre, "is the
execution of other cupids standing, two by two, between the rich
crowns of foliage, which, in the compartment above the first ar-
cade to the left, are certainly authentic. They share this quality
with the ravishing bas-reliefs at each end of the frieze represent-
ing nude children occupied in various amusements. Probably, in
the case of the one to the left, they represent some bacchanal fes-
tival ; but it is impossible, in the one to the right, to interpret it, with
Liibke, as a vintage-time scene. All the elements of such a com-
position are lacking and the trees in low-relief have only a distant
resemblance to green pampres." To finish with the subject of ar-
chitecture, the beauty of which will be fully apparent from the
photographs in detail, I may point out that the "magnificent man-
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
499
MAISON FRANQOIS PREMIER.
(Bas-Relief to the Left of the FaQade.)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
telpiece," mentioned by historians as being in the room on the first
floor at Moret, does not exist in the house on the Cours-la-Reine.
Yet it was undoubtedly intact in 1826 and, presumably, was re-
moved to Paris with other remains, since I find a reference to it
in a description of the present house in the "Magasin Pittoresque"
for 1834. It would be interesting to know what has become of it.
After getting as far as the period of restoration in my investi-
gations into the story of the "Maison de Francois ler," it occurred
to me that it would be well to make inquiries into the identity of
the "amateur des arts" who removed it to Paris. Much to my
astonishment, my search brought to light an unexpected store of
romance. Information obtained from M. J. Darcel, the present
owner, who purchased the house from M. Fevrier, a notary, in
1881, led to the discovery that, about 1826, it was in the possession
of the celebrated actress Mile. Mars. But it was not she who ac-
quired it from the Government in that year. The purchaser was a
Colonel De Brae a "beau garqon," whose heart had been capti-
vated by her beauty ; and the house, like his affection, was be-
stowed upon the still brilliant star of the Comedie-Franc.aise.
Though fast approaching at that time her fiftieth year, and within
fifteen years of her farewell performance, Anne Franchise Hippo-
5
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
MAISON FRAXQOIS PREMIER.
(A Par.el in the Intrados of one of the Arcades.)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
501
MAISON FRANQOIS PREMIER.
(A Panel in the Intrados of one of the Arcades.)
Cours-la-R3ine, Paris.
502 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
(One of the Capitals.)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK.
503
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
2
MAISON FRANQOIS PREMIER.
(One of the Capitals.)
504
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
lyle Boutet was as youthful on the stage and as beautiful as in the
early days when she appeared before Napoleon. On the advent
of the romantic drama (1830) she showed every bit as great talent
as in the old repertory ; and when, in 1841, she acted at the Theatre
Frnc,ais as Celimene in "Le Misanthrope," and as the Marquise
in "Fausses Confidences," she astonished everybody by her juvenil-
ity. Only two years before her retirement she had created the
role of Mile, de Belle-Isle, in Alexandre Dumas' play, in such a
manner as to make people believe she would never grow old.
Mentioning her appearance before Napoleon reminds me 'that
Mile. Mars remained passionately attached to his memory until
the end of her days. It is related by Leon Gozlan in his "Chateaux
de France" that when, on one occasion, he was at Rambouillet
there was pointed out to him a certain little kiosk on an island of
a lake where the great Corsican used to meet her in secret. The
circumstance is quite sufficient to explain her pronounced Napo-
leonic opinions, and the incidents which occurred at the Comedie-
Franqaise during the Restoration. It is said that Louis XVIII.'s
body-guard decided to make a demonstration against her. Hear-
ing of their intention, the great actress exclaimed : "What has the
King's body-guard in common with Mars?" a disdainful remark
which did not mend matters. Appearing on the stage in a dress
embroidered with bees and violets, the hostile party threw the en-
tire theatre into an uproar. She was called upon to deny having
spoken disrespectfully of the body-guard and to shout "Vive le
Roi !" but she stoutly refused to do either. At last, out of all pa-
tience, she got over the difficulty by a flash of wit. "You request
me," she said, "to cry 'Vive le Roi !' Well, I have said it." She
appears, however, to have become reconciled after a time to the
new "regime ;" though, so strong was her attachment to Bona-
parte and his cause, it is highly probable that her attitude was dic-
tated merely by personal interests. Louis XVIII. settled upon her,
as in the case of Talma, a pension of $6,000 a year, and to have
persisted in a course of stubborn resistance to the reigning family
would have been financially unwise. Mile. Mars could never have
too much money. She squandered several princely fortunes ; had
one of the finest mansions and the most beautiful diamonds in
Paris ; and, towards the end of her life, acquired a taste for specu-
lation on the Bourse.
Now, this passion for gambling is closely connected with her
ownership of the house on the Cours-la-Reine. She was the owner,
not only of the "Maison de Francois ler," but of a good deal of
the land where the Rue Bayard, the Rue Jean Goujon, and the Rue
Francois ler are now situated. In disposing of this magnificent
building site she determined that the little house which she had re-
MAISON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
505
D KID ii IK
MADEMOISELLE MARS.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
MAISON FRANQOIS PREMIER.
(Italian Mantelpiece in the room facing the Terraced)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
MA1SON FRANCOIS PREMIER.
507
ceived from Colonel De Brae should play a part. Her desire was
to sell building plots at a higher price to the aristocracy, so she hit
upon the happy plan of presenting the "Maison Francois ler"
to Henry, Duke of Bordeaux. To place a home built on the sacred
remains of the "maison de chasse" of a great King of France in the
possession of the heir to the throne was an idea which could not
tail to charm the aristocracy and aid in the realization of her object.
But, unhappily for Mile. Mars' pocket, it was not she who founded
the aristocratic quarter which the Cours-la-Reine, the Rue Bayard,
and the Rue Franqois ler constitute to-day. The Revolution of
MAISON FRANQOIS PREMIER.
(Room facing the Terrace.)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
July, 1830, dashed her hopes to the ground. Charles X. and his
grandson fled to England ; Louis-Phillipe, Duke of Orleans, suc-
ceeded to the throne ; and a serious financial crisis, in which Mile.
Mars was a heavy loser, followed on these political changes. The
prospects of the Bonapartist party were at this time at so low an
ebb that the only man to protest openly against the candidature
to the throne of the Duke of Orleans was a Captain Dumoulin,
who, on July 2ist, appeared at the Hotel de Ville in a uniform so
forgotten that the crowd mistook him for one of Charles X.'s
5o8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
body-guard. On attempting to distribute several thousand copies
of an Imperialistic proclamation he was attacked and only escaped
with his life by taking refuge in a room occupied by Lafayette.
Meanwhile, the young King of Rome was languishing at the
Court of Vienna, where, two years later, he was to die.
Little more remains to be said of a house, the complete history
of which is here related for the first time. It is now occupied by
a gentleman, M. Darcel, who is a keen connoisseur of art, and
who appreciates to the full the splendid artistic qualities of his
property qualities which he never wearies of pointing out to visi-
tors. 1 must not omit to mention, also, that he is the possessor of
many art treasures, including fine old furniture, ancient carvings,
and an exceedingly beautiful Italian mantelpiece the last-named
being in the room on the ground floor opening on the terrace. In-
side as well as outside the "Maison de Francois ler" is beautified
by art.
Bernard St. Lawrence.
MAISON FRANgOIS PREMIER.
(Window to the left of the Facade.)
Cours-la-Reine, Paris.
DECORATIVE WORK IN VARIOUS METALS.
I.
Primitive Decorations in Iron and Bronze.
FRIEND who lived many years in Japan was walk-
ing across a deserted part of one of the great
southern cities, once a busy quarter, but then
burned over, when his foot struck something heavy
and hard, yet none too resistant. Turning back he
pushed the object clear of the ashes and unearthed a curio which
he presented to me on his return.
It is an octopus in bronze with snout and eyes pushed up on
one side to simulate a face, the arms gathered under in small com-
pass, more like waves or big moustaches than legs, the body
swelled up to counterfeit the shaven head of a coolie above the
eyes. To finish off the solemn comicality of the piece, a porter's
knot is twisted around the bald head. The amusing adaptation
of a marine monster to the head of a coolie, the whimsical ex-
pression of the creature, the sly caricature of a body of honest
laborers for hire, all combine to produce a work of art of no mean
order, while anyone conversant with bronze must admire the
technical skill of the casting. Men who can work so deftly and play
as they work are sure of the admiration of later generations.
This bronze was once part of some simple flimsy Japanese house
or the furniture thereof. The bottom has been filed off in order
to adapt it to a paperweight, and it stands before me on the library
table now, blinking from protruding eyes with the slyest, most
solemn air. There is no mark of maker or place, no inscription to
give a clue to the period or forge. The able artisan who modeled
it in beeswax is gone without a sign ; but we may be sure that he
enjoyed his work and that in order to produce it there was a public
keen of appreciation which encouraged such trifles by purchas-
ing them for their delectation though with little interest in the
artist who fashioned them.
The use of bronze in temple and house goes back to remote
times. In literature we get a hint of it from the description given
by Homer in the Odyssey of the palace of Alkinous, king of
the Phaeacians, the palace with a threshold of bronze. "Brazen
were the walls that ran this way and that from the threshold to
the inmost chamber and round them was a frieze of blue, and
golden were the doors that closed in the goodly house. Silver were
the door-posts that were set on the brazen threshold and silver
J.JQ THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
the lintel thereupon, and the hook of the door was gold." The
Phaeacians, embellished by the fancy of the poets, were in Homer's
time perhaps a. tradition of the lordly palaces in Crete, whose
foundations have been explored by Evans. There is no reason to
doubt that bronze and silver were used to clothe walls and doors,
since we know that at early periods the gates of cities on the Eu-
phrates were so treated. The description in the Bible of Solomon's
temple suggests the same, where it speaks of the wood being "over-
laid with gold," the roof covered with tiles of gold, and the porch
embellished with the symbolical "pillars of brass" with capitals of
molten brass decorated with lily work, chain work and pomegran-
ates. Here we may suppose the columns were of wood on which
plates of brass or bronze were fitted and held in place by nails,
while the capitals of "molten brass" were castings. There is no
reason to believe that the Phoenicians who built the temple for
Solomon, or the architects of Egypt and Mesopotamia whom the
Phoenicians copied, possessed the mechanical devices for casting,
transporting and setting up such large objects in one solid piece
as the pillars in the porch of the temple.
The description of the capitals of "molten brass" will recall the
argument that the prototype of the so-called Corinthian Greek
capital as we know it must have been originally of metal, because
the foliage on it is too elaborate and undercut to have been first
carved in wood or stone. Its title of Corinthian rests on no his-
torical basis worthy of the name, but the fact that Corinth was as
celebrated for its metal work as for its pottery may be noted as a
point in favor of the supposition that elaborate capitals for columns
were once cast at Corinth and that after these bronze capitals were
copied in stone in Asia Minor and Italy, and occasionally elsewhere
in Greece itself, the term Corinthian adhered to them. At the same
time we have no evidence of the existence of solid metal capitals
and very imperishable things they are, if once they get buried
in any of the countries about the Mediterranean. On the other hand
the metal plates of ancient tombs within and without, the over-
lays of bronze on gates and temple walls and other easily portable
bits of metal in architecture were, of course, the first objects to
be taken from a ruined house or temple or tomb after it was given
over to plunder. So that the absence of such things from ancient
sites does not prove they were unknown.
Iron, on the other hand, had no such records from antiquity to
boast of like bronze, though its use for tools and weapons goes
far back. So far as architecture is concerned, iron is a metal alto-
gether modern in its use, but it is making up for lost time. Within
one century it has driven stone out of the field for the construc-
tion of bridges and within the last half century we have instances
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK. 511
of iron churches, iron domes for great public edifices, iron markets,
railway stations, office buildings, iron for dwellings and for sheds
and barns in agricultural countries, England led the way in the use
of iron for bridges more than a century ago, and France,
a country that values more than any other the precedents of
classical times, erected at Paris a number of churches of iron,
Saint Eugene and Saint Augustin, for example. Just now we are
about to see the state of Alabama casting in iron a statue fifty
feet high as the contribution of her iron industries to the world's
fair at St. Louis.
The very word we use for the metal in question is a puzzle to
those who delve into the origins of terms. Most of the Aryan
peoples use words for iron that hark back to the same root, for
Latin ferrum merely retains the "f" which has fallen before our
word from German "eisen" and Norse and Irish "iarn." We can
see that also in the Irish word "fiarlann," a curved blade, where
the "f" still adheres. The best we can do is to suppose that it
comes down from some general term for ore, such as Sanskrit
shows in "ayas," Latin in "aes" and German in "erz." But then
we can make little of such forms as "sidereos" in Greek and
"rauta" in Finnish. The impression we get from this, however,
is the great antiquity of the metal, contrary to the idea formerly
prevalent that bronze is an older metal in the hand of primitive
man than iron.
As to "bronze" we are not much better off, but the testimony of
language seems to corroborate the idea that it is a metal younger in
history than iron. Attempts have been made to allv it with "brown,"
owing to its color, the trail leading back through an Italian
term, brunezza, swarthiness ; also with "to burn," because it was
used for soldering metals. Those who derive the names of metals
from places whence they were imported, as currants were so called
because they came from Corinth, propose the town of Brundisium
in South Italy through which they imagine the metal was imported
from the Levant. Copper (cuprum) was certainly named from the
island of Cyprus ; so the analogy is pushed that this alloy of cop-
per and tin or zinc was named from the "Brundisian" metal,
the term becoming "bronzo" for short. This etymology has
not been received with enthusiasm. Be that as it may, we are
more interested in the uses to which these two metals are put in
modern times than in the fancies of the philologist.
Although it is evident that bronze weapons were easier to
make and easier to repair and did not rust like iron, so that they
were both cheaper and more convenient, it is more than probable
that iron was known in what is called the Bronze Age. Arrow
and spear heads of different forms were made at the same time,
512
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK.
513
5I4 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
also iron swords. But where moisture can reach it, iron is soon de-
stroyed by rust, so that the earth and waters yield many bronze ob-
jects, while the absence of things in the other metal does not neces-
sarily mean they did not exist. On the contrary, we may believe
that from the streams and rocks and wherever else iron could be
mined without trouble this metal was taken, though in less quan-
tities than bronze and put to use under greater difficulties. Hence
the peculiar importance given to the iron forge and the blacksmith
among primitive people.
The ancient religions of northern Europe have glorified the work
of the forge by giving the hammer to Scandinavian Thor and
Gaulish Taranis, gods who used the celestial hammer as Zeus used
the thunderbolts. We recognize the impression made upon bar-
baric nations by the wonder-working combination of fire and wind,
the shop of the blacksmith becoming a place of magic. Endless
are the variations in folk lore on this fruitful theme. From Greece
we have descriptions of the forging of armor by Hephaistos and
from Finland imaginative details of the wondersmith Ilmarinen,
who was very properly allied to the gods of air. From the literature
of old Ireland we have a pen picture of an establishment for the
forging of iron weapons in the story of the battle of Magh Mu-
cruihme (Moy Muckroo), from the Book of Munster. King Art, the
chief king of Ireland, whose period is set by the Irish annalists
in the second century after Christ, takes a solitary ramble on the
day before the decisive battle waged against an army of rebels
and foreign mercenaries from Great Britain and Gaul.
He chanced to stray and wander from his path; but had not
gone far when he saw the branchy, thick foliaged wood and
heard what surprised him much, the "great thunder, the heavy
tramp, great loud rattle and reverberating sounds and commotion
on all sides, and he saw the boarded spear-factory with its clean-
bordered smoke chimney upon it." It was extensive, broad-yarded
and had seven noble wide doorways. This great edifice was not,
however, a place of ease and rest "owing to the active rubbing of
the blades on the grinding stones, the expert working of the
tongs, the noise of the working of the bellows, the sledges and
the anvils, the roar of the fires on the hearths, the hissing screech
of the edged weapons when being tempered, the shrill noise or
clashing of the hard-tempered, tough-bending swords that were be-
ing rubbed with the files and the simultaneous exertions of the pupil-
armorers (Felmacs), the apprentices (Foglomantai) and the brave
men working with those tools, so that endless black, smoky,
opaque clouds, enveloping and concealing everything, and showers
of red, fiery sparks were emitted from the broad sides and great
flanks of that forge (ceardha)."
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK.
515
ANCIENT BRONZE CHARIOT, SIDE VIEW.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ANCIENT BRONZE CHARIOT, FROM TH3 FRONT.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK. 517
Speaking of Ireland, it is not a little curious to find that
bronze was used in the interiors of the houses of chieftains who
lived in constant close contact with their retainers and especially
on the couches of the great assembly hall. The early buildings in
Ireland were of wattle and thatch, often circular in shape, having
a fireplace in the middle with a hole in the conical roof for the es-
cape of smoke. Wood was more rarely used as a material for
building, while only later, perhaps as late as the conquest of
England by William, were stone buildings erected to any great ex-
tent, even for churches. Exception, of course, must be taken for
the small oratories and the round towers; also for the beehive
cabins in those parts of Ireland where a great scarcity of trees
forced the inhabitants to construct stone huts. The fronts of the
couches between the fireplace and outer wall were often covered
with bronze.
The old stories speak of canopies of bronze or silver over the
king's couch. Bronze or silver pillars supported the canopy. While
the bards gave rein to their imagination when describing such
things, the foundation of their sketch is always an actual object.
Thus, from the description of the circular palace of King Ailill and
Queen Meave (the original of Queen Mab in English poetry), we
learn that bronze was used as an embellishment of the interior
fittings, just as among the Assyrians and the Phaeacians of Homer.
This circular house was in four compartments, each compartment
having seven divisions for couches reaching from the wall to the
central fireplace.
"A front of bronze upon every couch ; facings of red yew with
moulded ornamentations upon them all. Three columns of
bronze in the front of every couch. Seven strips of bronze from
the concave roof oi the couch (the canopy) to the roof of the
house. The house was made of fir and covered with shingles on
the outside. There were sixteen windows to the house with
doors of bronze upon each of them. A yoke of bronze across the
door into the courtyard. Four pillars of bronze on the couch of
Aillil and Meave and ornamentations of bronze upon them all ;
and the couch was in the real centre of the house. Two railings
of silver embellished with gold about it. A silver wand in front
capable of reaching with its sound the centre of the courtyard of the
house."
We may suppose that this was only one building among many
close together within the wall of the royal abode in Cruachan, for
others are mentioned. It was the assembly house for the royal
couple, their courtiers and guests, the couches representing chairs
of state, but capable of being used for sleeping as well as feasting.
When Ailill wished silence or desired to stop a discussion that
518 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.'
boded a quarrel he seized the silver wand before his couch and
striking the bronze canopy supported by the four bronze columns
gave notice by the clang that conversation should cease.
That there ever existed literally such a palace it is not necessary
to suppose ; but the liberal use of copper, bronze and brass among
the early people of Europe, the remains of ancient chariots,
shields, war-horns and helmets of bronze in the museums, which
have been found in Italy, France, Germany, Scandinavia and Ire-
land in the bogs and in graves, give us to understand that such a
description as this \vas based on facts and that during certain
periods the smiths and bronze-founders of Ireland were nowise be-
hind the artificers of the rest of Europe, more especially during
those centuries when the continent was ravaged by the wars that
destroyed the power of the Roman Empire.
The covering of gates, doors, windows and fronts of couches
with sheet bronze which we find in Assyria, ancient Italy and old
Ireland, could not have had its origin in a feeling for decoration,
but must have had a practical purpose at first. Evidently it was
to give a stay to the attacks of fire. The enemy could not burn
gates and doors if sheathed with metal. The front of couches was
protected from the sparks from the wood fires burning in
the centre of the primitive house. Later came the impulse
to make the safeguards beautiful. In their storehouses, built of
thick plaster walls and wood, the Japanese us 2 bronze to offer
resistance to the fires that devastate their towns. Bronze plates are
also employed to bind together the wood of boxes and large carv-
ings. These are useful, but the artistic sense of the Japanese
has made them things of beauty by hammering and chiseling the
metal and stamping them out in forms that suggest the leaves of
plants and trees ; gilding and lacquer are often further means of
embellishment. Especially do the Japanese beautify and accentuate
the joints of wooden construction by such tastefully shaped and
chiseled, hammered and colored applications of metal.
This slight sketch of the employment of metals in a decorative
way among the old peoples might be extended to embrace those
of Syria, Persia and India, and instances might be given from
tribes in Central Africa. But I am not reviewing the records of
the past. All that is necessary is to recall the fact that there are
many ways for the use of metals within and without our public
and private buildings which are never tried in modern times. On
the other hand, we employ metals in a thousand ways the ancients
and the Orientals never dreamed of.
Charles de Kay.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
SOME EXAMPLES OF
MODERN ORNAMENTAL
WORK IN METALS
520
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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SCREEN IN ST. MARK'S CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Executed by the Sterling Bronze Co. Cope & Stewardson, Architects.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK.
521
ALTAR PIECE CHURCH OF ST. IGNATIUS, NEW YORK CITY.
Executed by the Gorham Manufacturing Co.
S22 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
DETAIL OF THE MAIN DOOR.
(Building of the Land Title and Trust Company, Philadelphia, Pa.)
Executed by the Chicago Ornamental Iron Works. D. H. Burnham .& Co., Architects.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK.
523
BRONZE TABLET.
Executed by W. S. Tyler Co. Hubbel & Benes, Architects.
524
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
BRONZE DOORS.
Illinois Trust and Savings Bank.
Executed by Winslow Bros. & Co. D. H. Burnham & Co., Architects.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK.
525
SCREEN.
Executed by C. Colnik Manufacturing Co.
526
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
STANDARD FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS OF WROUGHT IRON.
Executed by Sterling Bronze Co.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK.
527
- Qt Q> A
BRONZE DOORS.
Executed by Gorham Manufacturing Co.
528
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
WROUGHT-IRON DOORS.
Executed by William H. Jackson Company.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK,
529
GRILLE IN SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE, WASHINGTON, D. C.
Executed by John Williams.
530
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER.
HILE it may be some time before all the lessons of
the great Baltimore fire will have been learned, one
point, at least, appears to have been clearly demon-
strated, which is that concrete-steel construction
went through the terrible ordeal with remarkable
results, and has thereby demonstrated its superi-
ority as structural material for buildings. A small four-story build-
ing with a cast-iron front located in the heart of the burned district,
was originally a brick building, with ordinary wooden joist floors.
Recently, however, the floors were taken out and the entire in-
terior reconstructed with concrete-steel columns, girders and floors,
while the brick walls were retained for the enclosure of the build-
ing. The fire demolished a large portion of the walls, but the en-
tire concrete construction, columns, girders and floors, remained
standing uninjured by the fire and intact, except some slight bruises
inflicted by falling walls. What a pity that the walls, too, had not
been of concrete ; for in such case the result must surely have been
very different.
In view, therefore, of the remarkable test which this wonderful
material so successfully withstood, the entire architectural and en-
gineering professions, as well as the builders and the building pub-
lic, should be interested to know that while concrete-steel is not by
any means a new material, or rather combination of materials,
and has been seriously taken up only in recent years, it has never-
theless long since passed the experimental stage, and fully demon-
strated its general adaptability to the many complex prob-
lems of modern building, even to the most exacting of all;
the skyscraper the first example of which is the Ingalls Build-
ing, built on the northeast corner of Fourth and Vine Streets,
Cincinnati, Ohio. It is, indeed, an accomplished fact the first con-
crete skyscraper. It was begun in the fall of 1902 and has just been
completed, having required in its erection but very little longer
time than the standard steel cage type would have done, and at
probably somewhat less cost. It is but fair to add, also, that in the
next building of this kind not only the cost, but also the time re-
quired for completion, would undoubtedly be considerably reduced ;
and without question this process will be carried to a much higher
development as the material comes to be more thoroughly studied
and understood. The rapidly increasing production of high-grade
Portland cement in this country cannot fail to help further in re-
ducing the cost and insuring the popularity of the construction.
532
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
$i
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II
THE) INGALLS BUILDING.
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Elzner & Anderson, Architect!.
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER. 533
The Ingalls Building occupies the entire area of a corner lot,
50x100 feet, and is fifteen stories and a full attic, practically six-
teen stories, rising to a height of 210 feet above the sidewalks.
The one-half of the basement is the usual twelve feet deep ; but the
other half, containing the power plant, is twenty feet deep. The
foundations extend five feet below this, so that the entire height of
the structure from the bottom of the foundation is 235 feet, entirely
concrete-steel. In fact, it is a concrete box of 8-inch walls, with
concrete floors and roof, concrete beams, concrete columns, con-
crete stairs ; the whole entirely devoid of the usual I-beams, Z-bars,
angle irons, plates, rivets and bolts.. It consists merely of bars
embedded in concrete, with the ends interlaced, making actually a
complete concrete monolith of the entire building, covered on the
exterior with a veneer from four to six inches thick of white marble
for the lower three stories, glazed gray brick for the next eleven,
and glazed white terra cotta for the top story and cornice.
The principles of concrete-steel are rapidly coming to be fairly
well understood, especially so by the structural engineers ; for, after
all, it is primarily an engineering problem. But without question,
a large proportion of the profession, and certainly the great ma-
jority of architects have not as yet had actual experience in its
use, and perhaps have not given the subject the serious considera-
tion which it deserves.
A brief description, therefore, may not be out of place at this
point. In the first place then, let it be understood that for struc-
tural purposes the concrete should be made of strictly high-grade
Portland cement, clean sand, containing, if possible, grains of
variable size, and crushed stone or gravel. In the superstructure,
limestone should not be used, as it would too readily be injured in
a fire. Such concrete should be dense, that is to say, the voids
should be well filled, and all thoroughly tamped. Enough water
should be used to make a soft concrete, so as to insure perfect
contact with the steel bars ; for concrete-steel, it must be remem-
bered, depends for its strength chiefly upon the adhesion between
the concrete and the steel. The concrete itself is figured only in
compression, never in tension; and wherever tension occurs, this
is to be taken up by the steel bars ; as, for instance, in the bottom
of a beam or footing, or near the surface of a column where wind
or other bending stresses must be considered. The compression
in columns is taken up chiefly by the concrete ; but where this is
not sufficient, vertical steel bars are inserted, which, however, must
be thoroughly tied together to prevent spreading. Shearing
stresses in beams and columns are taken up first by the concrete,
but this must be reinforced by bars placed across the line of shear.
The floors are preferably made in slabs of uniform thickness and
534
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE INGALLS BUILDING.
Showing Method of Construction.
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Elzner & Anderson, Architects.
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER. 535
reinforced near the underside with bars of steel mesh of various
forms. It is of utmost importance, however, that the amount of
steel used should be determined by actual calculation, and not by
guesswork or rule of thumb, as is apt to be the case. Walls, if used
merely as curtain walls, may be as thin as three to four inches, or
not more than six to eight inches, as may be required by the depth
of the window box. They should, however, be reinforced by a net-
work of bars, placed not over three or four feet apart both verti-
cally and horizontally, to prevent shrinkage cracks*.
In the Ingalls Building, described here, a system of cold-twisted
square bars was used throughout. This gives excellent results,
due to the greatly increased tensile strength of the bars after
twisting, and the mechanical grip of the twisted bar on the con-
crete.
The floors are continuous slabs 5 inches thick, reinforced with
a mesh of f-inch square twisted steel bars from 18 to 20 inches on
centers in both directions and strengthened by a beam or rib across
the center of the column bay of 16x32 feet, dividing this into two
panels, each 16 feet square, without any other supporting beams.
The columns have stiffening bars placed on two opposite sides
near the surface to take the wind strains. They are further rein-
forced near the center by compression bars, which take up all such
load as may be required in excess of the carrying capacity of the
concrete alone. These bars not being in tension need not be twisted,
and accordingly plain round bars were used of various sizes, accord-
ing to location, from 2\ to 3^ inches in the basement, diminishing
in numbers and sizes in succeeding stories until they were reduced
to i-inch and then entirely abandoned at about the tenth floor,
from which point on, the concrete was sufficient to do all the work.
The interior or compression bars had the ends milled off and were
joined just above the floor level by a sleeve of steam pipe, a trifle
larger than the bars and grouted with cement. They were then
tied together firmly at three or four points in the height by small
bars bent around them. The exterior or wind bars were joined in
the center of the story height by splices, which consisted of several
smallers bars wired about the joint. The columns were further
reinforced by means of hoops of |-inch bars, placed around all the
bars near the surface at intervals of from 12 to 18 inches through-
out the height: As stated before, these prevent the spreading of
the bars and take up the excess of vertical shear.
The question has been asked as to how the girders were con-
nected to the columns. Very simple, indeed ; the girder bars merely
extend in between the column bars and the concrete of the one be-
ing monolithic with that of the other completes and perfects the
connection, than which nothing could be more secure. The walls
4
536
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Cincinnati, Ohio.
THE INGALLS BUILDING.
Showing Method of Construction.
Elzner & Anderson, Architects.
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER.
537
above the piers of the lower two stories are 8 inches thick and
afford the best possible system of wind bracing, inasmuch as the
entire mass between the head of one window and the sill of the
one next above is figured as a beam with rods top and bottom.
The method of supporting the exterior facing of marble, brick,
or terra cotta, as the case may be, is as simple as it is effective.
In the case of the marblework or granite, if such be used, for the
lower stories, a concrete ledge or corbel is formed around the
Cincinnati, Ohio.
THE INGALLS BUILDING.
Showing Method of Floor Construction.
Elzner & Anderson, Architects.
piers just below the sidewalk level, and these afford the necessary
foundation for such face work.
In the case of the face brick above, the various floor slabs are
merely extended out beyond the wall three inches. This forms a
ledge for the support of the brick facing, each story being inde-
pendent of the other, and is afterward covered with i-inch tile, or
whatever may be desired.
All the face work, however, is securely anchored by means of
round wrought-iron bars which are built into the concrete by boring
holes of proper size through the wood forms and inserting the
anchors, which are perfectly straight at the time, but are afterwards
53 8 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
bent to suit; they must be straight so that the form work can be
drawn over them upon being removed, when the concrete has suffi-
ciently set.
In case of the cornice, which is of terra cotta, the roof slab was
simply projected out as a cantilever to the required distance, which
in this case was 5 feet. Sleeves of sheet iron were inserted at proper
points and remained built into the concrete, and bolts to secure
the terra cotta were afterward inserted through them and grouted
in place.
In a brief sketch like this, it would be impossible to describe the
points of advantage peculiar to this method of construction.
There are many, and it might suffice to say that numerous new
problems are encountered, and while they are all solved in a satis-
factory manner, it must be remembered that this is the first at-
tempt to make a consistent application of the concrete-steel sys-
tem to the skyscraper problem. It has apparently been eminently
satisfactory, yet it is not claimed to be final in all respects, and
there will undoubtedly be marked improvements here and there
as the system develops.
Let us hope that engineers and architects may apply themselves
earnestly to the question, so that little time may be lost in perfect-
ing at last a rational system of construction, which will make
impossible such disastrous fires as that of Baltimore.
During the progress of the work on the Ingalls Building, some
men of great ability who should have known better, predicted that
the structure would never reach the roof, and that even if it did,
it would certainly crack all to pieces by shrinkage and that it could
not possibly withstand wind pressure. The facts are that it did
reach the roof ; that there are no shrinkage cracks, and that the
building not only has not blown over, but that in the highest winds,
there is not even a perceptible tremor, and that too with concrete
walls only eight inches thick from bottom to top, and the floors
but five inches thick in unbroken slabs sixteen feet square, a por-
tion of which on the second floor carries a bank vault weighing
nearly a hundred tons.
Such and other equally absurd arguments having fallen to the
ground. The opponents of this construction pointed first to what
they were pleased to call excessively large columns ; then they re-
ferred to failures of various concrete constructions, and finally dis-
covered that the steel building could be erected more rapidly than
the concrete one.
These arguments, which appear to be the only ones left to the
opponents of concrete, are really not more substantial than the
others. In the first place, the column design, especially in the lower
portion of the structure, was almost wholly a new proposition, and
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER.
539
Cincinnati, Ohio
THE INGALLS BUILDING.
Showing Method of Construction.
Elzner & Anderson, Architects.
540
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
was largely controlled by a spirit of conservatism, which was but
natural in so radical a departure. As a matter of fact the columns
might readily be made much smaller, perhaps not much larger than
a properly fireproofed steel column. Manifestly the sizes of con-
crete structural members have not yet been reduced to the most
economical basis, and it may, and undoubtedly will, require some
little time, for since it is a comparatively new field of engineering,
it must have time to grow. I Jut that it will grow and will mature
THE INGALLS BUILDING.
Showing Method of Stair Construction.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Elzner & Anderson. Architects.
just as steel engineering did, there can be no doubt, for we have
but to look at the research of such men as Considere and others, to
marvel at the possibilities in store for us with this remarkable
material.
Regarding the failures of concrete constructions which have oc-
curred and which are much to be deplored, it is only fair to say that
the popularity of the new method has been so great that anybody
and everybody has rushed into it, and as will happen in such events,
THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER. 541
without stopping to secure experienced foremen or engineers, who,
by the way, must naturally be scarce in these first few years of
development. But time will correct all this, as it will also the last
argument : that of increased facility of erection. If the first con-
crete skyscraper required only a few months longer in erection than
did the most recent one in steel, which has passed through nearly
a generation of development, it cannot be difficult to believe that
in a few years this slight difference in time will not only disappear,
but that in this, as in all other points, the race will be to the con-
crete.
Now let us view the question from a purely architectural stand-
point. We have been told over and over again that the skyscraper
problem still remains unsolved. The critics 4 will have it that there
must be no imitation or representation of masonry construction,
and that in some way or other still to be discovered or invented,
the steel skeleton must find adequate expression through its fire-
proof casings. Perhaps so ; but it will be a difficult thing to do
with entire consistency. Again, if the dress is not to be an imita-
tion, even of masonry, then it is clear that we cannot well have a
dress at all, and be truthful in our design. And since the building
laws very properly require the steel skeleton to be covered, we
cannot escape the use of an architectural dress. In other words,
as long as the visible architecture of the steel skeleton building
will, as it evidently must, remain a mere sham construction, the
critics will never be able to accord it a place in true art.
The only way out of the dilemma, therefore, would seem to turn
to concrete, and see what solution this construction has to offer.
Already it is beginning to assert itself ; slowly, of course, but surely.
Before long it will enter into friendly rivalry with steel ; then will
follow sharp competition, and finally a struggle for popularity.
Why?
Because, first of all, concrete will form a better investment. Did
it not pass through the terrible Baltimore fire better than steel?
And this fact carries with it a long story of incidental fire losses,
greater endurance, preservation, and what not?
Then, too, it will be considerably cheaper. It requires a great
deal of capital these days, and always will, to equip and operate
a steel plant, and the price of structural steel has been pretty well
settled, and is not likely ever to be very much less than it has been.
Moreover, it can be produced only in certain limited locations,
which involves long hauls and heavy freight bills.
On the other hand, the manufacture of Portland cement involves
a comparatively small amount of capital and very small operating
expenses. Deposits of suitable material are being discovered every-
where in all parts of the country (and we are only interested in this
542
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
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THE FIRST CONCRETE SKYSCRAPER.
543
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544
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
country at present), and cement plants are springing up in most sur-
prising numbers. This activity is bound to continue in an increas-
ing ratio as the demand for this wonderful material grows. It
follows, therefore, that production is not susceptible to the control
of combines to such an extent as is the case with steel ; the result
of which naturally will be relatively lower prices for cement.
Now to turn to the third argument in behalf of concrete. This
will appeal to our friends the critics, for it deals with the purely
architectural question, which, after all, is the greatest and highest
and will endure long after all others have been silenced. Inasmuch
as a concrete building is not built up like masonry, but is actually
poured into a mould in its entirety, it at once becomes a mono-
lithic structure, every particle of which is doing structural duty ;
and this can be said truthfully and without hesitation. Now then,
it is not incumbent upon us to face the concrete with marble, or
brick and terra cotta, as was done in the Ingalls Building, for rea-
sons of momentary expediency, for as the state of art advances, the
architectural forms, mouldings and what not, will be incorporated
with the moulds for the structural work, and upon removing the
form work, the surface of the exposed concrete, will be given the
desired finish of rubbing or tooling, as the case may be. Thus we
will have a truly rational architecture, in which there is no sham,
no deception, a solid thing, no joints, every member incorporated
v\ith and a part of a living body ; living because it is straining every
particle of its substance in the performance of a great work, in its
own self-preservation; a living architecture, indeed, and a rational
one in every sense of the word, which will rise far above criticism
an! endure as long as the hands of man shall not be raised to its
destruction.
A. 0. Elzncr.
METAL WREATH.
Executed by the Gorham Manufacturing Co.
THE PRESENT SYSTEM OE ARCHITECTS' CHARGES.
N the course of the remarkable expansion which has
placed the United States in its present command-
ing position, its building industry, as a natural con-
sequence, has undergone radical changes.
In spite of this fact the general methods of de-
signing and executing work, so far as it devolves
upon the architect, remain to a great extent as before, and it would
therefore seem reasonable to assume that the present custom of
employing consulting architects as confidential agents of owners,
and the present manner of letting work to builders may be consid-
ered as having stood every test and as likely to be adhered to in
general features for an indefinite period to come.
Experience has taught, however, that as between the architect
and the builder, the work is not in all respects divided
in an entirely logical and reasonable manner, in that certain
parts of the detail drawings and outlays (shop outlays, set-
ting plans, etc.) have been removed from their natural connections
in the architect's office and now form part of the builder's work,
because the present antiquated system of architects' charges ren-
der it impossible otherwise to provide for them.
Under modern conditions full and complete drawings and out-
lays and ample superintendence and testing constitute the
requisites of speedy and economical building. This has been amply
illustrated by past experience in the building trades themselves as
well as in the work of civil and mechanical engineering, and it ap-
pears equally logical and, in fact, self-evident, that this work and the
entailed responsibility should be placed upon the architect.
This can be accomplished by in some way establishing a ra-
tional system of architects' charges based on the elements of ser-
vices rendered or else by leaving the question to be regulated by
natural laws.
Our present system, if it deserves that name, is in reality nothing
but an obsolete rule of the i8th century established for the public
buildings of France as a fair average for a rather uniform class of
work which, therefore, takes no account whatever of the infinite
variety of modern types of buildings, conditions of employment, in-
dividual requirements, standing of practitioner, etc., and the appli-
cation of which to modern work is indeed, as George Edmund
Street is said to have remarked even fifty years ago, "a great
absurdity."
54 6 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
History of the Five Per Cent. Rule.
Under the schedule established by the American Institute of
Architects, the compensation for so-called full services is fixed at
five per cent, on the cost. Historically, percentage rules and more
particularly the 5 per cent rule originally came into being as a fair
average for the public buildings of France. Previous to the end of
the :8th century all architects were probably paid salaries or grants.
However, with the beginning of the architectural profession in the
modern sense of the word during the i8th century it seems to have
become customary in France to pay the architects for public work
five per cent, on the cost as a fair average for a class of architects
and a class of work very nearly uniform in standing and character.
This custom was enacted into law during the French Revolution,
was adopted by most architectural bodies as the only precedent
available and gradually spread to other countries. It was probably
the best that could be done under the circumstances then prevail-
ing. But at the present day, while not underestimating the
past usefulness of the five per cent, rule, the impression is undoubt-
edly gaining ground, that the architectural profession has entirely
outgrown the necessity for it ; that it is, in fact, now difficult of ap-
plication, unjust in its workings and productive of conditions oper-
ating to the distinct injury of the building interests of the country
at large.
It may be observed, at this juncture, that European and Ameri-
can conditions in the architectural profession are not at all identical,
and neither are those of the building trades. The conditions of
architects' employment vary considerably in the different European
countries and are everywhere different from those prevailing in
the United States ; in England, for instance, the five per cent, rule
really means seven and one-half per cent, in addition to the wages
of the superintendent, two and one-half per cent, on the cost being
added for quantity surveying..
In order to meet the objections to percentage schedules, amend-
ments and classifications have been tried, in some European coun-
tries on a very elaborate scale. But the difficulties of charging so
as to meet the ever-increasing complexity of conditions determin-
ing architects' employment are steadily multiplying and it is always
an open question to what extent owners would accept amendments.
The very fact of the classification shows also that the five per
cent, schedule cannot be applied to all classes of buildings, and that
the originally fair average for public buildings in France. is not fair
and reasonable for all classes of buildings to-day. At the same
time it is clear that the establishing of several percentage rules in-
stead of one must be a fruitful source of trouble and contentions.
THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF ARCHITECTS' CHARGES. 547
The Present Schedule in Its Application.
We referred above to the fact that the five per cent, rule originally
represented an average and probably a fair average for services
rendered. Such is not the case under modern conditions. Heat-
ing, plumbing, electric wiring, steel constructions and all the thou-
sand and one improvements and appliances now to be located and
studied to the great complication of plans did not exist. Each local-
ity possessed only one or two materials of each kind, as a rule, and
the present enormous market of materials and variety of construc-
tions were yet to come. Under present conditions a greatly in-
creased amount of drawing, supervision and other work has thus
gradually been added to the architect's work. On the other hand,
the changed conditions which have brought it about have also
made the services of capable architects exceedingly valuable in a
new direction, in that the selection of materials and methods of con-
struction for a given purpose, necessarily leave a wide scope for ex-
ercise of judgment in the accomplishment of the greatest possible
results with the least expenditure.
The architects of the United States have thus gradually come
face to face with a new condition, vastly increasing their work,
outlays and responsibilities and clue mainly to the following condi-
tions, namely :
1. The new systems of construction and complicated appliances.
2. The variety of materials available.
3. The speed of execution demanded.
4. The increased cost of labor to offset which a better organiza-
tion of the builders work became necessary with increased shop
work and reduced field work.
At the same time the organization of a building enterprise grad-
ually became impossible except on the basis of complete and well-
studied architects' plans. While the work and responsibility of the
architect were thus vastly increased, it is also true that buildings
became more expensive because more complicated, and in many
cases the present schedule is fairly satisfactory.. But in the great
majority of cases it is not so, and as between the different classes
of buildings it is unfair in operation, the simple constructions and
work of repetition being vastly more remunerative than compli-
cated structures and work requiring careful study in all its parts,
which is, of course, the exact reverse of what a rational schedule
should accomplish. It also provides for a supervision which is in
reality insufficient and therefore unworkable.
I think there can be no question that a more complete system of
shop drawings would both cheapen buildings and shorten the time
of construction and the architect should be put in a position to
548
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
prepare these drawings absolutely complete and ready for the work-
men, which is not now the case. In some cases the arrangement I
here suggest has proved indispensable, for instance in the matter of
steel constructions, etc., where the specifications require the con-
tractor to include in his bid the cost of the shop drawings at a cer-
tain price per ton, the engineer to be appointed by the architect.
The Principle of Percentage Schedules.
Another series of objectionable features may be said to have their
origin in the fundamental fact that the five per cent, rule, which
originally was arrived at as a fair average has now been raised to the
dignity of a principle. Unfortunately it is not defensible as such.
It is neither an axiom nor a tenet rendered sacred by general usage.
In the course of time, in certain lines of business, like bank-
ing, real estate, etc., certain transactions have been fixed
by law or custom at a certain percentage on the amount involved.
But architects' services are in no sense brokerage. Other methods
of regulating wages and employment are those adopted by the an-
cient guilds and the modern labor unions, but architects are not
employed by the day. How, then, can we defend the implied denial
of difference in skill, in experience, in talent and special
fitness for a given task and the placing of the official stamp
of the American Institute of Architects upon the proposition that,
as far as it is concerned, the services of the novice are as valuable
as those of the experienced and expert, those of the well educated
as good as those of the less well trained, those of the successful no
better than those of the unsuccessful. In spite of the fact that the
schedule is marked "Minimum Schedule," this certainly bars the
successful practitioner in the great majority of cases from obtain-
ing the increased price which naturally should be his, limiting him
to the one reward of doing more work with its added cares and re-
sponsibilities. This point is extremely important.
There can be no question that, even with the most efficient organi-
zation, the amount of work which one man can directly inspire and
carry out is small compared to that handled by many offices to-day,
and, conversely it follows that the successful architect of to-day
gives his name to and assumes the responsibility for a large amount
of work of which he is not the real author. There is no other road
open to him. From the point of view of public policy this is cer-
tainly not a desirable condition, and in view of the fees paid other
professions and the sums entrusted to successful architects of the
present day, entailing corresponding responsibilities, it would
seem fair to infer that the five per cent, rule is the main, if not the
only obstacle to successful architects obtaining such fees for im-
THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF ARCHITECTS' CHARGES. 549
portant work as would enable them to limit their work to what they
can personally perform with proper assistance.
The five per cent, schedule also stamps with the Institute's ap-
proval the principle that the services and ideas of an architect are
valuable in proportion to the cost of carrying them into execution.
On this principle advice becomes valuable only when expensive to
follow. The conflict between the original conditions and our own is
here most apparent. Viewed as an average for public buildings in
France it appears quite fair that a large building should earn a
proportionately greater fee than a small one. Under the complex
conditions of modern times the same rule becomes, in many cases,
absurd, as for instance in many alterations involving a very small
outlay yet compelling on the part of the architect a complete study
of the entire building or plant and on the part of the owner a ben-
efit out of all proportion to the fee sanctioned by the schedule.
A design in a cheap material earns a double fee by being exe-
cuted in a material twice as expensive, and architects, under this
rule, are paid for wasting their clients' money and punished in
pocket for saving it. Under the present contract system the work-
ing of this rule becomes particularly vicious in the following man-
ner, i. e., A set of plans and specifications necessarily embrace a
large amount of work of many different trades. Therefore the
degree of care, skill, experience and familiarity with the working
processes and other conditions of all these trades, which is em-
ployed in the architects'work must needs to a large extent influence
the estimates obtained and sums are easily saved or wasted in this
way which far exceed the architects' commission.
Under the present schedule the exercise of such care and skill op-
erates to reduce the architect's commission. If he manages to de-
feat an unjust claim or secures good terms for his clients, he is at
the same time conscious that his efforts will reduce his own com-
missions.
Analysis of the Value of Architects' Work.
In considering the different ways in which architects' services in-
fluence the cost of buildings and their permanent value we may
view these services under two heads, namely:
1. In their bearing on the building operation itself and prepara-
tions for the same, and
2. As a factor in the permanent or investment value of property.
The immediate value for the prosecution of the building opera-
tion itself is apparent and should be easily understood. But few
realize that the permanent or investment value of buildings de-
550
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
pends to a large extent on the architect. Yet, such is the case nev-
ertheless. The immediate value during the building operations
may be considered under several heads, namely :
1. In safe-guarding the interests of the owner in the letting of
the work and during the construction.
2. In applying expert knowledge of methods of construction and
materials available towards securing them for clients the greatest
result for the smallest possible outlay.
3. In so adapting designs to the conditions which they are to
serve as to secure the greatest possible efficiency, rentability, econ-
omy of management, etc.
4. In the quality of art work accomplished in design and execu-
tion.
In point of any one of the heads mentioned the value of a design
will and must vary according to talent, skill, experience, etc., and
once the public were taught to look for it it would soon register its
experience in records for each architect on which his fee would
to some extent depend.
It becomes apparent at first glance that several of the factors
which are of immediate value will also influence the investment
value of property. So will, for instance, the care exercised in ob-
taining conscientious work soon make itself felt in the repair bills
and generally in the wearing qualities of constructions and their per-
manency, while the degree to which a design is adapted to its pur-
pose will in many cases absolutely decide the investment value of
the property. This is self evident in apartment houses, hotels and
office buildings, but it is equally important in residences and even
in factories in which latter a badly studied plan imposes a perma-
nent tax of wasted labor, often a very serious one.
The rate of insurance has also been found to rest, to a large
extent, in the architects' hands and the amounts saved and wasted
are doubly serious because levied both on the cost of buildings and
their contents.
In the matter of residences it is startling how quickly many so-
called speculative dwellings decline in value, even in first-class
neighborhoods, and it is equally surprising how well designed and
well built houses satisfying all proper requirement will hold their
value even under objectionable surroundings.
A thorough appreciation of the elements of architects' services
and their bearing on results accomplished as well as a more satis-
factory handling of working outlays would necessarily lead to a
largely increased employment of experts and possibly to the estab-
lishment of specialties in the architectural profession itself.
Specialists in designing and specialists in executing work might
not prove an unmixed evil. Such a division might be natural and
THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF ARCHITECTS' CHARGES. 551
advantageous in cases, just as undoubtedly the greater number
would remain "General Practitioners."
The selection of a professional adviser is largely made on per-
sonal grounds, and it would seem reasonable that a client should
have an opportunity to obtain a design of recognized authorship in
connection with his accustomed architect as his physician may call
in another physician for consultation in important cases.
Architectural Competitions.
The recognition of the elements of service and the establishing
of records and standards which it would entail and eventually spec-
ialties as mentioned, might possibly terminate the prevailing system
of architectural competitions or at least keep it within reasonable
bounds. Competition there must always be as a matter of course ;
it cannpt and should not be avoided. It is an open question, how-
ever, whether the great majority of competitions are successful or
profitable from any point of view. A great many of our least suc-
cessful buildings are undoubtedly results of competitions ; the bulk
of our best work probably not. Broadly speaking it is, perhaps,
not unfair to say that the competition system as now practised
has not been generally successful, while the practise of select-
ing architects on their records without competition seems to have
produced the best results.
Without considering the great number of competitions judged
by laymen or those decided by outside influence it would appear
that our competitions are very liable to become contests of
draughtsmanship. In the other professions competition is essen-
tially as between records for work done, and it is perhaps true
even in the architectural profession that the architects of the bulk
of the best work have, as a matter of fact, been selected on that
principle.
The fact that so many competitions have been contests of
draughtsmanship very naturally led to the appointment of teachers
as judges. Teachers, however, follow a vocation entirely separate
and distinct from that of practising architects and it is perfectly
natural that both their point of view and their sympathies should
be different. It should also be born in mind that draughtsmanship
is only a part of an architect's work, and as history has shown in
several important instances not an indispensable one at that. Arch-
itects of the very highest order have sometimes been indifferent
draughtsmen, while some of the most accomplished draughtsmen
have executed work as bad as their draughtsmanship was good.
Arne Dehli.
Author of "Details of Byzantine Ornament" and of "The Norman Monuments
of Palermo and Environs."
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
Fifth Avenue and Fifty-fifth Street, New York City.
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
I.
HE HOTEL ST. REGIS is peculiarly worthy of
notice as an architectural and building achieve-
ment, because it establishes a new and higher
standard for the construction and decoration of
hotels in a city that in this department of building
establishes the standard for the whole country.
For the third time in the history of the Astor family one of its mem-
bers has had a hotel built, which is in its way different from and
better than any other hotel then existing in the country. Before
the war the old Astor House on lower Broadway was the boast
of the city and the wonder of foreign travelers. Much more re-
cently the Waldorf and then the Waldorf-Astoria became the great
metropolitan hotel, and the place to which the birds of passage,
particularly when their plumage was gay, liked to come in flocks.
And now the Hotel St. Regis, which is owned by Col. John Jacob
Astor, fulfils once again the family tradition of owning and building
what is assuredly destined to become the most distinctively metro-
politan hotel of its day.
The Hotel St. Regis, however, is metropolitan with a difference.
It does not claim distinction because of its huge size or because
of the enormous dimensions of the plot on which it is built. The
site of the building, as originally planned, did not contain more
than 12,500 square feet, and although about 7,500 more have
been added in an extension now being built on 55th St., the whole
plot includes less than 20,000 square feet, against about 70,000 for
the Waldorf-Astoria, almost 35,000 for the new Hotel Brunswick,
and 44,000 for the Fifth Ave. At the present time it is, with its
eighteen stories, the highest hotel building open for business in
New York City, but its height will be equalled or exceeded by the
Hotel Brunswick, by the new Imperial and the Belmont. The
kind of distinction at which the designers of the Hotel St. Regis
aimed is indicated by the location on which it is built. The corner
of 55th St. and 5th Ave. is situated, not in the business or amuse-
ment part of the city, in order to attract the attention of a miscel-
laneous crowd of people who have a little money to spend. It is
situated at the southern end of the most exclusive and expensive
residential district, sufficiently convenient to the good shops, the
theatres and the like, yet at the same time plainly withdrawn from
the ordinary places of popular resort. It was not intended, con-
sequently, to cater to the thousand and one New Yorkers and
554 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
transient visitors who want a big show for either a good deal or a
very little money. It is intended for a class of people, both New
Yorkers and transients, who want absolutely the best quality of
hotel accommodation, and who do not mind paying for it, who
want, that is, a quiet but convenient location, rooms of fair size
and finished in the best prevailing manner, the best service and
cooking that New York can afford, and an atmosphere of good
taste and distinction.
This idea of establishing a new standard of excellence in hotel
accommodation runs through all the details and dispositions of
the building. The structure, the equipment, the materials in which
it is finished, the design of the decorations, and the uniform good
taste of the furnishing in all these respects the builders of the
Hotel St. Regis can claim a superiority in quality certainly over
any hotel in this country, and probably over any hotel in the
world. Just wherein this superiority in quality consists will come
out sufficiently in the course of this article, but what I want to
insist upon here is that it is the success of this attempt to estab-
lish a new standard of excellence in the arrangement, the out-
fit, the decorations and the appointments of the hotel which justifies
my preliminary statement that the hotel will become the distinc-
tively metropolitan hotel of its day. Anyone who understands
the contemporary growth of New York must perceive that the at-
tempt to establish new and better standards of design and decora-
tion has been profoundly characteristic of the building movement
of the past fewyears, and that this attempt has been more character-
istic of its residential building than that of any other class. New
York has become, that is, more and more the financial centre of
the country, the rich man's city, and its precedence as the rich
man's city has received full expression in the large number of
costly and handsome residences which have recently been erected.
In the Hotel St. Regis the standards of quality which have been
established in these residences have been transferred to a hotel, and
have even in some respects been transcended. By a happy com-
bination of circumstances, the architects, Messrs. Trowbridge and
Livingston ; the owner, Col.. John Jacob Astor ; the lessee, Mr. R.
M. Haan, and the contractors, under the general direction of
Messrs. Marc Eidlitz & Son, were all united upon the same idea,
and neither time, expense, care or talent were spared in order to
make the achievement satisfactory. Opinions may differ as to the
necessity of some of the expenditures, or the complete success of
some of the details, but no one can doubt that, on the whole, the
standard has been the highest attainable, and the result need not
fear comparison even with such buildings as the University or
Union Clubhouses.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL. 555
II.
In considering the design of an important building it is ex-
tremely interesting to understand precisely what the architect
was seeking to accomplish, and, so far as the Hotel St. Regis is
concerned, we have the advantage of a statement of his purpose
by Mr. Trowbridge himself, published last spring in the proceed-
ings of the "Societe des Architectes Diplomes." Mr. Trow-
bridge's explanation is intended for Frenchmen, who are not sup-
posed to understand the inevitable conditions which confront the
designer of a "sky-scraper," but it describes so well the point of
view from which the intelligent American architect may approach
such a problem that it will be almost as instructive to Americans.
The imperative conditions of his problem, according to Mr. Trow-
bridge, consisted of sheer walls, without breaks or "decroch-
ments," no base or substructure other than can be obtained by
the treatment of the masonry, and the building being a hotel, a
battery of small windows above, with larger openings and conse-
quently less wall below. At the same time, this building, so dif-
ferent from the traditional dwelling-house, had to be given some-
what the character of a habitation ; it had to awaken the asso-
ciations of domestic rather than commercial architecture. To
this end no help was to be derived from the openings which were
made simply and frankly of the size and number necessary to light
properly the rooms of the hotel ; but something of the character
of a residential building was obtained by the treatment of the upper
stories and the roof. It has been the ordinary custom to carry up
the walls of high buildings to the very top, crowning the edifice
after the manner of lower buildings by a heavy cornice, generally
of sheet iron, with a parapet and flat roof; but this method of
terminating a tall building is open to several objections. It gives
the structure a harsh sky-line, and an ungraceful shape ; and as
to the cornice, while the use of iron in imitation of stone is un-
worthy of consideration, it is impossible to give a stone cornice a
projection proportionate to the height of the building. Conse-
quently a roof was considered the proper termination, both as
being more pleasing and more appropriate ; and to mark the
crowning of the edifice in place of a cornice, a strong horizontal
line was obtained by the projection of a balcony at the fifteenth
floor. As to the proportion of the roof to the height of the build-
ing, it undoubtedly gives a shock to people accustomed to the
corresponding proportions in lower buildings, but, as it has the
propriety of being imperative, our eyes must and will accustom
themselves to it in the course of time. At the lower part of the
structure the effect of a base was obtained by adding a balcony at
556 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
the level of the third floor, and by courses of heavily rusticated
masonry from the ground up to that level, while to give dis-
tinction and definition to the design the corners were decorated
with double chenaux of flat rustication, accented at the base by
"degringolades" of flowers and fruits.
It was not considered appropriate to bestow any very abundant
ornamentation on the outside of such a building; which obtains its
effect by its mass and surface rather than by superficial detail, but
in designing such detail as it was deemed advisable to use, careful
attention was paid to the fact that this building could be seen
only from a considerable distance or from points near its base
in the narrow streets on which it faces. It was important,
therefore, first, that the silhouette of the mass, when seen from
the distance, should be bold and picturesque, and that the ornament
should be concentrated at a few salient points ; and, secondly, that
the projection of the detail should not be so great as to shut off
the upper part of the building when looked at from the street
below. The scale of the ornament was consequently a matter of
extremely careful adjustment, so that not only it should count
properly from the points of view from which it was seen, but
that the soffits of all projecting members and the lines of the bal-
conies should have their place in the general composition. At the
same time, a good deal of freedom was used in designing the de-
tail. Natural forms were copied \vith more or less accuracy, and
new profiles for the mouldings were provided, together with new
outlines for the balustrades, consols, keystones, and other orna-
ment. The completed fagade shows plainly the effect of this careful
study. The building obtains its effect by its mass, by the emphasis
of its lines at salient points, by the subordination of its detail, and
by the rich, warm grey of the limestone of which it is constructed.
It is as simple and monumental as an eighteen-story building
should be, yet it preserves an appropriate relation to the tradi-
tions of residential architecture.
III.
A great modern American hotel is, among other things, prob-
ably the most complicated piece of mechanism which the invention
and ingenuity of men have ever been called upon to devise. The
only other modern mechanical contrivances which might be in the
same class are a contemporary battleship and ocean-liner ; and in
some respects the requirements of a hotel are more numerous and
various than those even of a steamship of the highest class.. Both
of these peculiarly modern achievements must, as Mr. Trowbridge
points out, supply from its own premises and at the shortest
THE) HOTEL, ST. REGIS THE PUMPS AND THE DYNAMOS.
New York City. Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
558
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Machine Room.)
Ttowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
559
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Machine Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
560
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
possible notice every demand of modern life ; but a hotel, unlike
a steamer, which can be laid up when it is out of date, is, when it is
eighteen stories high, a permanent structure, which must be
planned not only to meet present needs, but with a view to unfore-
seen emergencies. Furthermore, a hotel, although it is not sub-
jected to the wear and tear of a constant strain upon its vital parts,
has to be arranged for a much more elaborate mechanism of heat-
ing, plumbing and elevator service than does an ocean steamship.
The bowels and frame of such a building are in truth comparable
only to the human body in the complexity and interdependence of
the processes that go on within them.
In every "sky-scraper" a large amount of space must be devoted
to the "power" equipment to the boilers, engines, dynamos and
pumps necessary to heat, light, and ventilate the rooms, to run the
elevators, and to operate the plumbing system ; but in the case
of a hotel this mechanical equipment is very much more complex,
and its requirements are very much more exacting. More
power, for instance, is needed at night than during the day-time,
the plumbing equipment has to be arranged on a far more elab-
orate scale, as may be seen from the fact that when the house is
lull, an enormous hot water supply is necessary to feed the several
hundred bath-tubs between 8 and 9 o'clock in the morning. Fur-
thermore, in addition to the services above mentioned, a hotel must
find place in its basements for large and convenient kitchens, for
the storage of great stocks of food and wine, for ice-making and
laundry machinery, for the pneumatic tube, telephone and bell
services, for the servants' dining and toilet rooms, and for a num-
ber of additional mechanical contrivances, such as the water filters,
the rubbish crematory, and the machine for charging water with
gas. The difficulty of providing house-room for all of this neces-
sary equipment was increased in the St. Regis by the fact that, al-
though the building was eighteen stories high, the superficial area
of its site was not much more than 12,000 square feet. In order
to obtain the necessary space, the excavation had to be made
exceptionally deep, and three stories were placed underground.
Even then, as may be seen from the photographs, the network of
pipes in the engine-room is utterly bewildering to a visitor, and
would be so even to the engineer of the building were not the
apparatus carefully mapped and numbered. In looking at this
maze of pipes, however, its analogy to the intestinal convolutions
in the human body is forcibly suggested.
The excellence of this mechanical outfit is perhaps illus-
trated best by the arrangements which have been made for
heating the St. Regis, an account of which has already been pub-
lished by Mr. Trowbridge in the paper mentioned above. The
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
561
usual method of heating all "sky-scrapers" has been that of direct
radiation from coils of pipes, conveniently placed in the rooms
and corridors, and connected with the boilers in the basement,
which supply a constant circulation of steam at low pressure
throughout the entire system- This method has the merits of
being simple, economical, easy to install, and easy to handle ; but it
also has certain disadvantages, which tell more against its use in a
hotel than in an office building. The coils are frequently
noisy and always ugly ; the amount of heat supplied cannot be
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(The Kitchen.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
flexibly and accurately regulated ; and, what is even more serious,
it does not include any provision for ventilation. The foul air
generated in a steam-heated room can be exhausted only by open-
ing a door or a window. In the Hotel St. Regis these objections
were overcome by installing a system of indirect radiation com-
bined with forced ventilation, which will give the rooms of this
building a regular supply of pure, fresh air warmed to any degree
which may be desired. This system has already been used in
private houses, but when applied to sky-scrapers it was considered
to be too costly in floor space. Such a loss was, in the present
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS THE KITCHEN.
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS THE KITCHEN.
New York City. Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
564
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(General View of the Kitchen.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
instance, reduced to a minimum, because the fresh air, instead of
being taken in at the basement and then conducted to all the floors,
as in a private house, is drawn into the building at intervals in
the height and at those parts of the floors which are of least value.
Every four or five stories chambers have been provided wherein
the cold air enters, is filtered, warmed by passing over steam coils,
moistened, and then forced by blowers operated by electric motors
through ducts to the various rooms. The space necessary for
these ducts has been readily obtained by utilizing the room above
the ceilings in the corridors, provided by the fact that the corridors
are not necessarily as high as the rooms. An equally efficient
mechanism for exhausting the foul air is obtained by gathering the
chimney flues together at the top of the building, and by creating
vacuums at these points by means of large exhaust fans. In order
to regulate the temperature, an automatic thermostat is placed in
every room, corridor and bathroom, and this regulator, after being
set at the degree of warmth desired, operates by electric con-
trivances the dampers and valves necessary to introduce more or
less warmed air.
Another comparatively novel mechanical device used in the
hotel is the pneumatic sweeping apparatus. It consists of a sys-
tem of pipes, having a branch in every room connected with
vacuum pumps in the basement. In order to operate it, the ser-
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
565
vant, instead of sweeping the floor with a broom, and raising
assiduously as much dust as she removes, merely attaches a
small flexible pipe to the outlet, turns on the valve, applies the
nozzle to the dusty surface, and the rubbish is sucked off to the
basement. There it is discharged into large sacks, which are taken
from the building with other refuse.
Another respect in which the Hotel St. Regis sets a new standard
of excellence is in the care which has been taken to protect its
structure and contents against fire. Of course, as an eighteen-
story building, its owners were obliged to adopt the highest
standard of fireproofing demanded by the Building Code of New
York, including the use of metal sashes and window frames and
fireproofed wood; but they have done more in this respect than
they were legally required to do. Not only was an extra effort
made to obtain an extremely good quality of fireproofed wood, but
it was used for purposes such as picture mouldings, which are not
usually considered important enough to be dignified by this care.
It was even proposed to make the furniture of the same quality
of material ; but this idea was finally abandoned. The amount of
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(The Oven.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
5 66 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
wood, however, used in the finish is comparatively small, other
materials, such as marble, bronze and tile being very generally
employed. The corridors and main stairs on every floor are lined
with marble from the floor to the ceiling. The door trims in all
the corridors, halls and bath-rooms are of the same material. The
floors, when exposed to view, are either of marble or of tile, the
only exception being several special suites of apartments on
the second and third floors. The bedroom floors, where covered
by carpets, are of cement. The bath-rooms, elevator shafts, ser-
vice stairways, service pantries and the like are wainscoted with
white tile, while the elevator doors, stair balustrades and grilles are
of bronze.
Notwithstanding the elaborate precautions taken to make the
building fireproof, the safeguards which have been provided against
any local fire originating in any room of the house are correspond-
ingly careful and elaborate. The fire-alarms, which are con-
veniently and conspicuously placed in the halls, ring up, not only
the general office of the hotel, but the office of the chief engineer,
and that official can deal with the emergency according to his
judgment of its seriousness. If need be, he can alarm the whole
house, or he can ring up a single floor, or he can isolate the disturb-
ance. Furthermore, his staff will, at stated intervals, go through
a regular fire-drill, each man having his appointed place and his
definite duties. The truth is, that the chief engineer of a hotel such
as the St. Regis has as important and as responsible a position as
the chief engineer of a great steamship, and a correspondingly
good grade of engineering ability and experience is needed. In
proportion as the machinery becomes elaborate and complicated,
just in that proportion does the controller of the machinery be-
come an extremely important agent in the successful operation of
the hotel. The chief engineer of the St. Regis, for instance, Mr.
Jurgensen, has under him a staff of 36 men, all carefully selected
with a view to the duties which they are called upon to perform ;
and very complete arrangements have to be made for the health
and comfort of these men, such, for instance, as the provision of
abundant bathing facilities in the sub-basement near the machine-
shop.
As to the increased responsibilities which are placed upon the
chief engineer through the greater elaboration of the machinery,
two illustrations must suffice. In addition, of course, to the super-
vision of the smooth, ordinary operation and extraordinary repairs
of the whole mechanical system, a method of heating and venti-
lating, such as that installed in the St. Regis, whereby the air is
heated and moistened or dried, according to the character of
the weather, obviously requires much more attention than the ordi-
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
567
New York City.
THE HOTEL, ST. REGIS.
(Service Counters in Kitchen.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
568
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
nary steam radiator system, as may be inferred from the fact that
on one occasion during the past winter the machinery had to be
rearranged to suit different conditions seven times in forty-eight
hours.. Again, each room in the St. Regis will contain as a part of
its equipment an electric clock. This device for the convenience of
hotel guests has been tried before, but the attractiveness of the
device was somewhat marred by the fact that the local clocks
have not kept very good time. In the present case, however,
careful arrangements have been made to regulate these time-
pieces from the chief engineer's office, in which the master-clock
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Pantry Off the Banqueting Hall.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
is situated. Correct time will be furnished from the Western
Union every day, and it will be possible by daily regulation to keep
the clocks in the rooms approximately correct.
This very imperfect account of the mechanical equipment of the
St. Regis must suffice. No one but an expert engineer can really
understand how much ingenious planning and what a vast amount
of experience is required in order to make the operation of this
great machine smooth and economical, and nothing but a complete
set of plans could make the details of the engineering dispositions
really intelligible. These few remarks, however, assisted by the
illustrations, will, however, afford some idea of the difficult prob-
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
569
lems which confront the designer of a modern hotel, and the intri-
cate mechanism required to meet them, while it should also indi-
cate that neither money nor effort has been spared to make the
St. Regis as complete mechanically as it is in other respects.
IV.
The Plan.
In the competition which preceded the selection of Messrs.
Trowbridge & Livingston, as the architects of the St. Regis,
these gentlemen succeeded because of the ingenuity and flexibility
4icj->xj3 Jr* 1 ^! % r ;* -r N'
i k *./ . dTTTt: ""'* -JR-^ '-' {i
^In^ /"MS* v ^ *^IT>- - JL
^n,,'-5 v ^. Tr-I^ ^rrl.tJ * + > ^
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Typical Floor Plan.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
of the plan furnished by them. At that time it was proposed to
erect an apartment house rather than a hotel, or at least an
apartment hotel in which much of the rentable space was divided
into comparatively large suites, and the plan of Trowbridge &
Livingston was well thought out for this purpose, while at the
same time allowing, if necessary, for a reduction in the size of
the apartments.. As a matter of' fact, the apartment house idea
was subsequently abandoned entirely, the private halls changed into
hotel corridors, and the large suites of rooms transformed into
sets of one, two or three rooms, with a bath. The plan, repro-
duced herewith, shows a typical floor plan of the existing hotel.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
It will be noticed that this floor plan provides every room in
the hotel with good air and light, and every room but three on
each floor with an outside or street view. Only three rooms face
upcn the court, which, being 60 feet wide, affords abundant light,
but which, of course, restricts the outlook. The other rooms open
at present on a clear view of house-top and street. The rooms on
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Typical Service Pantry.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
tiic three street corners are naturally larger than the others,
measuring about 17 by 20 feet, but all of the rooms are, according
to New York standards, of fair size. Bath-rooms and abundant
closet room go with every suite. Each floor contains a service
pantry, equipped with dumb-waiters and everything necessary to
keep the food hot and savory during its service. The arrange-
ments have all been made on the supposition that the St. Regis
will appeal to a comparatively permanent set of residents, who
will frequently want meals served in their rooms.
The public or semi-public rooms of the hotel comprise the fol-
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
571
lowing apartments. On the ground floor the whole 5th Ave. front-
age and a part of the frontage on the street is given up to the
general dining-rcom and restaurant. The dining-room connects
directly with the palm-room (so-called), which occupies the middle
part of the southern portion of the hotel, and which is lighted from
above. The palm-room again leads directly to the cafe, which
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(An Elevator Hallway and Entrance.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
occupies the south-east corner of the ground floor, while on the
northeast corner is a comparatively small ladies' waiting or recep-
tion room. These four rooms, together with the entrance hall and
the office, occupy the whole of the ground floor.
On the second floor, the Fifth Ave. frontage is given up to the
banqueting hall and ball-room, while connecting with it there is a
suite of apartments running along almost the entire street front-
age, which will be used for reception rooms, a library and other
similar purposes. At the southeast corner of the same floor there
is a private dining-room suite, consisting of three rooms. The
572
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
only other suite in the house which deserves special mention is the
one on the 5th Ave. frontage of the third floor. These are the
state apartments, consisting- of two bedrooms, a bath-room, a
dining-room, sitting-room, library and reception room.
V.
The Decorations and the Finish.
The statement was made at the outset that by a happy com-
bination of circumstances all the people who played an important
part in building the Hotel St. Regis were united in the attempt to
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Barber Shop.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
produce a thoroughly excellent result, and the fact that the result
establishes a new standard of hotel design and decoration in this
city should be credited to the lessee and to the contractors as well
as to the owners and the architects. Mr. R. M.. Haan, the pro-
prietor of the new hotel, was fortunately of the opinion that the use
of the most permanent materials in finishing a hotel was
good economy. The lessee is compensated for the increased
rent by being relieved of the heavy expenses ordinarily incurred
for repairs and renewals. The consequence of the conscientious
carrying out of this view of hotel economy in the St. Regis is that
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
573
no building has ever been erected in this country, whether hotel or
residence, which presents a more substantial interior finish, and it
makes no difference in this particular respect whether the room
selected for the best be a servant's pantry or a banquetting hall.
The finish of the latter would be more sumptuous, but it would
not be any more substantial and serviceable.
This matter has been already touched upon in referring to the
care which had been taken to use materials as far as possible fire-
proof, but it deserves even more emphasis from the present point
of view. The hall walls of every floor are lined with carefully
selected marble, the floors are paved either with marble or tile,
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Bath-Room, State Suite of Apartments.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
the servants' stairways and the pantries are finished with white
tiles in fact, practically all the service portions of the house are
finished in this manner, of which a number of good examples can
be seen in the illustrations to this article. The barber shop, for
instance, is a very novel and interesting example of the clean and
gay effect which can be obtained from the use in such a room of
white tiles, panelled with colored ones. Again, the kitchen, be-
sides being a well-arranged and spacious apartment, is finished so
that the great wear and tear to which such a room is subjected
will be spent upon the toughest and hardest materials. The
574
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
floor is marble, the walls are tiled, the counters are made of
glass. There is nothing perishable and nothing which is hard to
keep clean.. The excellence of the arrangements of the kitchen can
only be appreciated by those who understand the complex procesi
necessary to cook and serve all sorts of food in almost all parts of
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Hallway Second Floor.)
Trowbrldge & Livingston, Architects.
an eighteen-story building, and the same time to check properly
the different parts of this process. Here it is only necessary to
state that the refrigerator storage space is abundant, the ranges
are of the very best make and equipment ; special places have been
apportioned for every phase of the work of preparing and storing
an enormous food supply, and the ventilating apparatus is particu-
larly elaborate and complete. None of these details has been de-
cided without full consultation with Mr. Haan's "chef" and other
assistants, and it is his expectation that these arrangements will
permit to conduct economically and smoothly a kitchen and
restaurant which will satisfy the most exacting demands and the
most fastidious taste.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
575
The bedrooms are finished, so far as possible, just as sub-
stantially as the other apartments. The floors are of cement. The
mantelpieces in the more important rooms of marble, and the
woodwork almost exclusively of hard-woods. One thing which the
lessee, Mr. Haan, wished particularly to avoid was the expense in-
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Entrance to Stairway, First Floor.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
separable from the maintenance of a great deal of paint in the
rooms, with the consequence that the doors, base-boards and the
like in many rooms are made of white mahogany. At least one
corner room on each floor has been painted a dull greyish white,
but, as may be inferred from the illustrations, the amount of paint
employed is probably smaller than in any building of its size in the
world. The bath-rooms are tiled, and contain porcelain tubs, open
plumbing and a separate thermostat, the only exception being the
bath-room in the state apartment suite, which is finished through-
out in marble.
These examples will give a sufficient idea of the substantial
character of the finish, and it only remains to speak of this finish
576
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
from the point of view of design and effect. Since a modern hotel
cannot succeed without being attractive and festive in appearance,
as well as safe, comfortable and substantial, the owners, the archi-
tects, and the lessees have, of course, bestowed as much attention
upon the appearance of the hotel as upon its structure, plan and
equipment. Moreover, the point of view from which the problem
of interior design has been approached testifies both to good taste
and good sense. They have purposely avoided the besetting sin
and temptation of the great majority of people who have been
responsible for the deco-
ration of modern Amer-
ican hotels the sin of
decorative excess. Of
course the public rooms
of a hotel are necessarily
showy and to a certain
extent sumptuous apart-
ments. The scale of the
decorations may with
perfect propriety be
heightened to a point
which would be offensive
under other surround-
ings, and the designers of
the St. Regis have not
made the mistake, which
would be bad architec-
ture as well as bad busi-
ness, of subduing the de-
tail to the modest and
reticent scale appropriate
to a private residence.
They have made the pub-
lic rooms rich, handsome
and even "stunning,"
but in so doing they have
not piled on swollen de-
tail and gaudy colors un-
til the whole effect be-
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Entrance.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
came confused and mon-
strous and the eye craved the simplicity of bare walls and
modest projections. The detail of each room has been kept
in its place by a consistently realized general design, and the
whole effect, while as gay as is appropriate in rooms used by
pleasure-seekers, are not only not adorned to the point of decora-
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
577
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(The Office.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
57
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
live inebriation, but have been, for the most part, treated with
comparative sobriety and good taste-
The styles used in decorating the rooms have been, as in almost
all American work of this kind, borrowed from one of the several
periods of classic European decoration, but there has been no very
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Corridor Leading to the Main Dining-Room.)
New York City.
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
scrupulous adherence to stylistic consistency. It is motives quite
as much as forms which have been borrowed. An attempt has
been successfully made to give life to these classic forms by nicely
adapting the scale of the decorative motives to the space which they
fill and to their function in the design, and this detail consequently
deserves careful study. Unlike so much detail, particularly in large
American buildings, it is not mechanical and lifeless ; on the con-
trary, if it has a fault, it is sometimes too crisp and vivacious, too
little subdued to its architectural setting. As a matter of fact, it
has all been specially designed and carefully modeled under the
incessant supervision of the architect, and credit for the result
should be divided both between the designer and the many skilled
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL. 579
workmen, by whose co-operation the designer was enabled to
carry out his ideas.
If the Hotel St. Regis shows anything, it shows the great ad-
vance which has taken place during the past "ten or fifteen years in
the ability of the leading contracting firms and their workmen to
execute with vivacity and skill the decorative purposes of an archi-
tect. In the early years of the architectural revival in this
country nothing hampered architects more than the difficulty of
securing the assistance of competent artizans ; but the long educa-
tional effort is now having its effect. No one can look at the ad-
mirably executed finish of the St. Regis without realizing that the
architects have been skilfully and loyally assisted by the con-
tractors and the expert artizans in their employ. The value of this
assistance is shown in pretty much every division of the work ; but
particular attention should be directed to the modeling of the
plaster, stone and metallic detail, to the very workmanlike setting
and finish of the marble, both on the walls, floors and chimney-
pieces, to the care with which the wood-work has been installed
and stained, to the great beauty of the woods chosen, and to the
general excellence of the electric fixtures, whether in the main
dining-room or the smallest bedroom. On no iob in this country
has better workmanship been shown and a higher standard of
execution been laid down, and we doubt whether this standard
will be matched for a year and several days.
The main entrance and the general office have been treated
with a sobriety which is very unusual in buildings of this class.
There are two swing-doors, one on each side of the office, and
each is housed in a handsome bronze canopy. One of these en-
trances is opposite the door leading into the palm-room, and the
other opposite the door leading into the cafe. It has been the
evident intention of the architect to keep this general office busi-
nesslike and simple, as well as handsome. The floor is of Irish
marble, laid in an elaborate pattern ; but it will, of course, be
covered with rugs. There is a dado of light brown shaded marble,
which stops about three feet from the floor, and above the walls
are finished in Caen stone, which, because of its warm and pleasant
surface, is one of the few stones, except marble, which can be
used for interior finish. The pillars are decorated with bunches
of flowers tied together by a ribbon, but the detail, while vigorously
modeled, stands out rather too much from the flat surface on which
it is carved. Bronze capitals decorate the heads of the column,
and the room is lighted chiefly by skylights, filled with dull and
well-patterned stained glass.
The entrance to the general dining-room on the Fifth Ave.
frontage is on the right, and the hallway is finished in rich-veined
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
H a)
02 ,0
H S
.
O i
582
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Detail Main Dining-Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
583
New York City.
THE HOTEL, ST. REGIS.
(Detail Main Dining-Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(The Palm-Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
585
white marble, thus constituting a gradual introduction to the
greater splendor of the restaurant itself. This room is quite the
most sumptuous apartment in the building, but the splendor of the
effect is obtained more by the use of rich and striking materials
than by mere superfluity of detail. The walls are lined with the
same grained marble as the hall, but they are broken so much with
windows on the one side and doors on the other that the uprights
are treated as pilasters and supports. The south wall carries a large
mirror. The ceiling is domed, wrought into an elaborate pattern
and gilded. The gilding, which has been lavishly employed, both
New York City.
THE HOTEL. ST. REGIS.
(The Caf6.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
in this and in other rooms, has been done with skill and discretion
by Mr. James Wall Finn, and its use with the marble has served
to make the room splendid without any touch of vulgarity. The
sheen of the gold has been made sober and deep, yet it has not
been made dull and colorless. On the contrary, it has the effect
of burnished metal; it still glows, but with a fire that burns slow
and long.
Every large contemporary restaurant must have a room, which
it is customary to call the palm-room, and which differs from the
5 86
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(A Private Dining-Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
main restaurant in that smoking is permitted during all hours and
in all company. The main dining-room of the St. Regis gives
directly upon such a room, which occupies the floor of the court of
the hotel, and consequently is lighted from above by stained
glass, similar to that in the main hall. The walls are finished with
low dado of Istrian marble, and above mirrors on one side
and Caen stone on the other. The room derives its character, how-
ever, chiefly from the decorations, painted by Mr. Robert Van Vorst
Sewell, and distributed around the room in the tympana of the
arches. These decorations tell the story of the troubles of Psyche,
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
587
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Detail of the Banqueting Hall.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
5 88
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
589
590
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Mantelpiece ic Reception Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
591
New York City.
THE HOTEL. ST. REGIS.
(The Library.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
New York City.
THE3 HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Small Reception Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
593
New York City.
THE HOTEL, ST. REGIS.
(Library of the State Suite.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
and are excellently toned to harmonize with the color scheme of
the room. It is the one palm-room (so-called) in the city, in which
an intelligent attempt has been made to reach a general effect, and
this effect owing to the more strictly architectural character of the
decorative devices possesses dignity as well as gayety..
The cafe, adjoining the "Psyche" room, is a high, somewhat
<lark apartment, paneled deep to the ceiling in quartered oak.
The wood is extraordinarily fine and rich in quality, and the room
is correspondingly handsome. It is a much higher room than the
cafes of the important restaurants of New York, and arouses asso-
ciations of paneled dining-rooms in some of the great residences
594
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
of Europe. Like the "Psyche" room, its dominant effect is sub-
dued and dignified rather than festive.
Probably, however, the greatest success reached by Trowbridge
& Livingston in their interior designs is the banqueting hall, on the
5th Ave. frontage of the second floor. This room is something
more than festive and splendid. It is extremely simple, yet at the
same time "stunning" ; it is both very gay and highly distinguished.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Small Reception Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
Like the restaurant below, the walls are paneled in marble, the
panels being framed by pilasters with bronze capitals ; but the
whole effect is much simplified by the dull white and consequently
flat appearing marble which has been used. This material has all
the value of marble, in that it is rich, highly polished, and struc-
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
595
tural ; but it takes its place more modestly on the wall than do other
varieties of marble, and in this respect has something of the value
of wood. In fact, the service doors of this room, which are wood
painted white, harmonize perfectly with the marble on the wall.
The wall spaces not occupied by windows, doors and the marble
pilasters are thrown into large marble panels, which will be hung
with tapestries. The fabrics used for the hangings will be copied
New York City.
THE HOTEL. ST. REGIS.
(A Corner Sitting-Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
from rich yellow and white Venetian velvet, and the total effect,
when the chandeliers are lighted and the prevailing whiteness is re-
lieved by the fabrics on the walls, will be not only brilliant and
"stunning," but really beautiful.
596
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
The frontage on 55th St. of the second floor leading off from the
banqueting hall is occupied by a series of reception and sitting
rooms, which will be used either in connection with entertain-
ments given in the banqueting hall or individually, as occasion
serves. The room of this series, nearest the frontage on 5th
Ave., is a very handsome and original apartment, paneled to the
ceiling in Circassian walnut, and with the frames of the panels
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Small Reception Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
worked into patterns and skilfully gilded. It is scarcely worth
while, however, to describe these rooms separately, for the illus-
trations that go herewith give a very much better idea of them
than could be obtained from a detached description. It is sufficient
to point out that these rooms have been designed, not as a suite,
for the purpose of obtaining some unity of effect, but rather indi-
vidually with a view as to some special purpose which each of
them might be called upon to serve. Another very handsome suite
of rooms on this floor is the several corner rooms, which can be
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Bed-Room and Sitting-Room of Corner Suite.)
New York City. Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
598
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
a ^
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL.
599
used either individually or together as private dining-rooms. One
of these apartments is finished in Circassian walnut, with a simple,
but very effective, gilded ceiling, while the other two are paneled
in white mahogany.
It is almost unnecessary to add that the decoration of the
private sitting-rooms and bedrooms has received as careful atten-
tion as that of any other part of the house. One of these suites,
particularly, occupying the frontage on Fifth Ave. of the third floor,
and constituting the state apartments of the hotel, has been finished
in the same expensive manner as the series of sitting and waiting
rooms on the floor below. As the mantelpieces of the rooms were
not in place at the time the building was photographed, it has been
impossible to secure good illustrations of this extraordinary suite,
which will never be appropriately occupied until Prince Henry or
the like is again domiciled for a few nights in New York ; but some
idea of the character of the rooms may be obtained from the
sample given of the wood-work in the library of the suite. The
lesser sitting and sleeping rooms are none of them paneled ; but
what wood-work there is is well designed, particularly the mantel-
pieces, the panels of the doors, and the mouldings of the door
frames. The walls are very frequently covered with fabrics rather
than paper, and wherever paper is used its quality is of the very
best. Several of the designs are somewhat florid ; but I presume
that the private rooms of a hotel must make an appearance which
will satisfy all kinds of people. Many of the papers used in
the Hotel St. Regis are, however, uncommonly good, and what
with the hard-wood finish, the simple and well-shaped electric fix-
tures, the excellent system of heating and ventilation, and the
abundant closet room, these apartments can hold their own with
the best of that class in the city.
The furniture and hangings have been either specially designed
or selected for the places they will occupy. The character of these
designs may be gathered from some illustrations which appear else-
where in this issue. Here it is only necessary to state that Mr.
Haan, in ordering this furniture, had the same purpose in mind
as the owners and the architects did in constructing and equipping
it, the purpose, that is, of equaling or surpassing the standard
established by the best private houses in Manhattan. He has not
been content, consequently, to use any of the stock furniture and
hangings. For the important public rooms he has imported
tapestries, hangings, and, in many cases, individual pieces of fur-
niture. And the materials, chairs, and the like, manufactured in
this country have been copied from the best models which could be
procured. Attention should be particularly directed to the excel-
lence of the ordinary chairs in the public dining-room.
6oo
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
Finally, in considering the St. Regis as a whole, and the general
ideal of practice which it stands for in current American archi-
tecture, I cannot do better than quote a sentence from the article of
Mr. Trowbridge in the "Societe des Architectes Diplomes," to
which reference has already been made : "It -is in all modesty we
say," declaims Air. Trowbridge, addressing his French readers,
"that it has become necessary to depart from the precedents which
have been established for so many generations. It is not a desire
for originality which actuates us, but a sincere desire to solve new
and complex problems, which are the result of the conditions
under which we live, and over which we have no control." It is in
the spirit expressed by these words that the St. Regis has been
designed. The architects have not tried to be original, which is
the last thing which any artist should try to be. They have
merely tried to find a satisfactory and praiseworthy solution for the
architectural and decorative problem, and by which they were con-
fronted, and in so doing they have departed from established prece-
dents only so far as it was necessary to meet imperative con-
ditions. \Yhat they have sought was not novelty or "individu-
ality," but propriety of design, excellence of workmanship, and it is
in the light of this standard and purpose that their work should be
judged.
Arthur C. David.
New York City.
THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Sitting-Room.)
Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects.
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
A TRADE REVIEW OE THE WORK ACHIEVED IN THE
HOTEL ST. REGIS.
In the general description of the Hotel St. Regis contained in
this number of The Architectural Record, attention has been
called to the excellent work achieved by the sub-contractors, under
the general supervision of Messrs. Marc Eidlitz & Son, and the
character of this work and the names of the firms that achieved it
TYPICAL CORRIDOR IN HOTEL, ST. REGIS.
(Marble furnished by John H. Shipway & Bro.)
are worth more specific description. The original contractor for
the foundations, the steel structure and the masonry was the
Thompson-Starrett Company, which completed its part of the
job with all the promptitude characteristic of the work of that
firm. The structural steel was manufactured by the American
Bridge Company, and the paint used to coat the steel-frame in
order to preserve it from corrosion was Dixon's silica graphite
6O2
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
paint, manufactured by the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, of
Jersey City. The handsome stone, to which the building owes
so much of its architectural effect, was furnished by James Gillies
& Sons, the lower stories being of granite and the upper stories of
a carefully selected and warmly colored blue-gray Indiana lime-
stone, while the works of the Sayre & Fisher Co. manufactured the
brick. The system of fire-proofing used, as in the case of so many
other important buildings in the citv, was that of the Roebling
Construction Company. A score or more of firms participated in
C & C ELECTRIC MOTOR INSTALLED IN HOTEL ST. REGIS.
the work of completing the mechanical equipment of the building;
but special mention should be made of the C & C electric motors,
which play an important part in running the ventilating and
other apparatus of the building; the Loomis-Manning fil-
ter, which has become a necessary adjunct to the sani-
tary outfit of great residential buildings ; the Ellis automatic
ejector system, which is so frequently used for the removal of
sewage and other liquid waste, when the fixtures are set below
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
603
the sewage level ; the Watkins Laundry Machinery Co., of Cin-
cinnati, which manufactured and installed the elaborate machinery
necessary to wash the enormous quantities of linen used in such a
hotel ; and the rolling steel shutters, so desirable for fire protec-
ENTRANCE TO HOTEL. ST. REGIS.
(Showing the revolving door furnished by the Van Kannel Revolving Door Co.)
tion, manufactured by the Kinnear Mfg. Company, and sold in
this city by the William H. Brodie Company.
Since the lessee of the hotel proposes to have the best restaurant
in New York, he has naturally been very careful about his kitchen
equipment. Not only are the floors of the kitchen of
marble and the walls of tile, supplied and installed by
William H. Jackson Co., but the firm responsible for the ovens,
ranges, kettles and the rest of the cooking apparatus, Messrs.
Duparquet, Huot & Moneuse, state that it is the most complete
plant of the kind which they have ever installed. The counters of
glass in the main kitchen and in the several serving rooms are not
only the "latest thing" in modern improvements, but for cleanli-
ness, sightliness, durability and general serviceableness, are a great
advance over tables of other materials. The glass for these coun-
ters is known as the "Novus" glass, manufactured by the Penn-
604
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
American Plate Glass Co. As for the refrigerators, they
are both very numerous and very well equipped ; and the
Jewett Refrigerator Company, which supplied them and put
them in, testify to the excellence of the outfit. The plumbing fix-
tures, which are of the highest grade used, were supplied by the
J. L. Mott Iron Works, which is a sufficient guarantee of their
quality.
Since the woodwork in the Hotel St. Regis was, for the most
part, to be finished rather than painted, it was of the utmost import-
ance that the natural grain of the wood should be good, and that
nothing should be done to spoil this grain in working it. Conse-
KINNEAR MFG. CO.'S VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL, STEEL,- ROLLING SHUTTERS IN
HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(William H. Brodie & Co., New York, Agents.)
quently, the utmost care was used in selecting the actual boards
used from the stock of Messrs. I. T. Williams & Sons, who sup-
plied the material, and every precaution was taken against the
subsequent discoloration of the lumber during the process of fire-
proofing. After an investigation of the various methods of fireproof-
ing the architects and builders decided that the work would be
done best by the Fireproofine Manufacturing Company. The fact
that the delicate mahoganies, beautiful walnuts and oaks and other
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
605
fancy woods used in this magnificent hotel have been so well
treated that it is impossible to tell that the material has been
through any process at all, is one of the best evidences that the
process of the Fireproofine Manufacturing Company is what they
claim for it a process that will not discolor in the slightest degree
the most expensive and delicate woods. In relation to this wood-
work it is also interesting to note that the standing trim on six-
teen floors was furnished by W. & J. Sloane.
As will be seen from the illustrations, the Hotel St. Regis con-
tains an unusual number of rooms, wholly or partly finished in
marble. Among the apartments so finished are the main office,
KINNEAR MFG. CO.'S VERTICAL, AND HORIZONTAL STEEL- ROLLING SHUTTERS IN
HOTEL ST. RBGIS.
(William H. Brodie & Co., New York, Agents.)
the chief dining-room, the palm-room, the banqueting hall and
all the corridors. In addition, a great deal of marble flooring has
been used, and some particularly handsome marble chimney-
pieces in rooms otherwise finished in wood. The work of setting
this marble, particularly of the elaborate arches in the main
restaurant, was an exceedingly delicate and difficult job, and was
accomplished by the two contractors with the greatest skill and
success. One of these contractors is Messrs. Batterson & Eisele,
606 THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
and the other John H. Shipway & Bro., and no better work of the
kind has ever been achieved in this country. The large amount of
ornamental metal work which the hotel contains was also divided
between two companies, the Hecla Iron Works and William H.
Jackson Co. Articles published elsewhere in. this issue describe
in detail the work accomplished by each of these contractors, and
here it is only necessary to state that the Hecla Iron Works are re-
sponsible for the elaborate bronze marquise on the exterior, for
the metal sashes and window frames, which have been used
throughout the building, and for the handsome canopy in which
the swing-doors are housed. These doors, by the way, were manu-
factured by the Van Kannel Revolving Door Company, and are spe-
cially adapted to hotel use. The Hecla Iron Works also executed
most of the elevator grilles, the elevators being, of course, furnished
by the ( )tis Elevator Company. The William H. Jackson Company,
on the other hand, executed the ornamental metal-work in all the
principal rooms, the grille on the counter in the office, the elevator
enclosure on the main floor, and the mantelpieces in the private
apartments. The hardware, part of which was imported and part
manufactured in this country, was all of it sunolied by Yale &
Towne, and it is throughout specially designed and carefully exe-
cuted. The lighting fixtures are also worth special considera-
tion. They are the work of the Sterling Bronze Company, and
are extremely various in character, to suit the different treatment
of the rooms. Attention should be particularly called to the hand-
some chandeliers in some of the main rooms, to the delicate and
graceful side lights in the restaurant, and to the uniformlv simple
and excellent fixtures in the private apartments. In the same
wav that part of the furniture, which was manufactured in this
country, came from the shops of the Pooley Furniture Company, of
Philadelphia. The models from which this furniture was designed
are peculiarly appropriate to the purposes for which they are used ;
the wood is of the best quality, and the workmanship the finest that
could be obtained. The same is true of the pianos, of which there
are forty-seven instruments in the hotel, all designed by the Art
department of Steinway & Sons, and manufactured by the same
firm. Another interesting piece of work is the stained
glass, through which the lobby, the hall leading to the restaurant,
and the palm-room obtain their light. This is the product of the
office of Duryea & Potter, the well-known decorators, and con-
tributes much to the effect of these rooms. It will be seen, con-
sequently, that the same idea runs through every detail of the hotel,
and that the various contractors have contributed their full share
to the pervading high quality of the result. They were employed
with that end in view, and have fully justified their selection.
A PIECE OF EXHIBITION WOODWORK.
The illustrations and the text that appear in this issue of the
Architectural Record are a sufficient demonstration of the fact
that the St. Regis Hotel is a remarkable building remarkable even
among a numerous class of buildings that have been tending more
and more in their development of recent years toward the superla-
tive. From a technical point of view, that is in all matters that con-
cern material, workmanship and equipment, the St. Regis is almost
a piece of exhibition work. In the smallest details there is clear
evidence not only of the most careful and skilled workmanship,
but of a most competent selection of the highest grade of materials.
In some cases, indeed, the selection of material may quite properly
be described as opulent. There is every evidence in every particular
that choice was made from immense resources, and this character-
istic contributes so much to the total effect of richness produced
by the building upon the spe-ctator that it ought not to be over-
looked, for it is a contribution that may easily be missed and hidden
by the more positive and tangible elements of the decorative results.
One can easily imagine how much of the success achieved by the
architects in the St. Regis would be quite eliminated had their ef-
forts not been supported and augmented by a quality of effect en-
tirely due to the large selection offered them by certain firms whose
particular resources are abundant in an extraordinary degree.
RECEPTION ROOM OFF BANQUETING HALL, HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Wood Supplied by I. T. Williams & Sons.)
6o8
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
ROLLING DOORS IX SMALL REOEPTIOX ROOM, HOTEL ST.
(Wood Furnished by I. T. Williams & Sons.)
REGIS.
These remarks hold particularly true in alt that concerns the
v.oodwork of the building. This woodwork, indeed, is one of the
most successful features of the structure from the point of view
we are now discussing. Good woodwork no doubt is not an un-
common thing in our buildings, but fine wood is a rarity a rarity
because here is a case where "selection" constitutes almost the very
essence of expense. Moreover, even selection itself, no matter how
carefully performed, is a limited affair unless exercised upon a
large and carefully accumulated stock, and stocks of this kind ne-
cessitate not only abundant capital but extensive connections and
large experience. These are just the very facts which the appre-
ciative eye quickly recognizes in the decorative wood used in the
St. Regis. It is a splendid exhibition. No finer material has been
used in any interior in New York. The English brown oak, the
red mahogany, the Circassian walnut and the Prima Vera are fine
even to the point of being a decoration in themselves. Much fav-
orable comment has already been passed upon this element of the
decorative scheme by architects and by other competent judges
who have seen the result, and Messrs. I. T. Williams & Sons, 25th
Street and nth Avenue, who supplied the product are to be con-
gratulated upon demonstrating in so signal a manner the premier
position which they have so long held in the fine lumber trade of
the United States.
BRONZE WORK AND MANTELS BY WM. H. JACKSON CO.
A large part of the artistic elegance of the interior of the Hotel
St. Regis is due to the graceful effect of the decorative bronze-
work, made by William H. Jackson Company, of 29 East I7th
St. All the work in the principal rooms has been done by this
company. Some of the more prominent and noticeable pieces are
shown in illustrations on this and other pages. The grille on the
counter in the office (photograph below), the main stair rail
(page 575), the great three-arch mirror frame in the restaurant
(page 580), and the elevator enclosure on the main floor (page 571),
are especially deserving of attention.
Not only the bronzework, but all the mantels and fireplaces, both
wood and marble, in the apartments are the work of the Jackson
BRONZE COUNTER RAILING IN THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
Company. The marble mantels are all copies of French patterns,
some being tastefully trimmed with French gold metal work.
These mantels and fireplaces have a solid, comfortable look. Their
lines are simple, strong, and graceful. The gold metal work has
a very handsome effect.
Art and utility have been wrought together with unusual success
in the tiling which covers the floors and walls of the bath-rooms,
and the walls and ceilings of the kitchen.
In all of this work no expense of money or endeavor has been
spared, the aim being to produce something representative of the
highest development of this important branch of decorative art.
EXAMPLES OF FURNITURE FOR THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Made by the Pooley Furniture Co.)
THE ART FURNITURE FOR THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
The furniture built for the St. Regis Hotel by the Pooley Fur-
niture Company, of Philadelphia, is to be admired not more for
its individual beauty and elegance than for the excellent taste with
which it has been designed to harmonize in all its lines and colors
with the architecture and finish of the rooms wherein it is placed.
Most of the furniture is made after the fashion of the Louis
XIV., XV. and XVI. periods, the material used being the very
finest of selected Circassian Walnut, Satinwood, Prima Vera, Ma-
hogany and English Oak. The accompanying photographs illus-
trate the designs of some of the pieces, but a black and white
picture can hardly do justice to the rich deep tones in the wood
and upholstery of the furniture itself. The suits cost from five
hundred to five thousand dollars. The beautiful chairs which are
used in the Palm Garden and illustrated on page 598 cost $55 each
and are considered the best of their kind and the most elaborate
used for this purpose.
The Waldorf-Astoria and the new Manhattan Hotel contain
furniture of the Pooley make, and the Bellevue-Stratford, of Phil-
adelphia, is now being furnished by the same firm.
The address of the Pooley Furniture Company is Indiana Ave.,
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Sts., Philadelphia. The New York
showrooms are in the Furniture Exchange, 43d St. and Lexington
Ave.
EXAMPLES OP FURNITURE FOR THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
(Made by the Pooley Furniture Co.)
WHY THE FRAME OF THE ST. REGIS IS " RIGHT.'
T is not often that a firm attains the very highest
prominence in its line of work in so short a space
of time as five years. That has been the case
with the Thompson-Starrett Company. In fact,
the company took its place in the first rank
among builders immediately on its organization
in 1899. This was because the Starrett Brothers,
who were the practical members of the company, had already be-
hind them years of experience in building, and because as their
business grew they surrounded themselves with a corps of thor-
oughly competent and intelligent workers.
The result of this high-class organization shows itself in the num-
ber and quality of the building contracts the Thompson-Starrett
Company has secured and executed in the less than five years of
its existence. The company has built, or has now under contract,
fifty large buildings, of which twenty-one arc in New York City,
four in Brooklyn, five in Boston, three in Pittsburgh, two in Phil-
adelphia, eight in Princeton, N. J., one in Newark, N. J., two in
Washington, D .C., two in Chicago, one in St. Louis, one in Cleve-
land and one in Winnipeg.
The Thompson-Starrett Company has an enviable reputation for
the speed with which all their work is done. They realize the im-
portance to the owner of a property of having his building com-
pleted without delay and the consequent loss of interest on the
capital represented. With this idea in mind, and aided by their
comprehensive experience in such matters, they exercise much care
and forethought in the making of arrangements before starting to
build. Everything is planned in advance, dates for delivering of
materials fixed, and the work goes on smoothly and rapidly.
The Thompson-Starrett Company were the designing engineers,
as well as the erectors, of the constructional steel frame and foun-
dation work of the St. Regis Hotel. They were also the contrac-
tors for the foundations and masonry work.
The office of the Thompson-Starrett Company is at 51 Wall
Street, New York City.
REFRIGERATORS IN THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
One of the most essential problems in a hotel is not only to cook
and serve the food properly, but to keep it properly. If the public
could see some of the Refrigerators in which their food is kept they
would change their order of strawberries and cream to a soft-
boiled egg.
There is no department in the St. Regis that has received more
attention than the kitchen. If one were to dine in one of the large
SERVICE REFRIGERATORS, HOTEL ST. REGIS.
Installed by Jewett Refrigerator Co.
Refrigerators instead of in the cafe, the only possible objection would
be the difference in temperature. You would be surrounded by pure
white glass one inch thick, resembling the finest polished Carrara
marble, the corners being finished with liquid glass, making practi-
cally a glass room all in one piece. You could use for a table one of
the shelves which are made of polished aluminum ; in fact, you
would be in one of the most perfectly sanitary places that could
possibly be made. Each department in the kitchen has refrigerators
especially designed for it. The baker has a refrigerator for the
storage of his stock. The pastry cook has service-refrigerators
6 14
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
VARIOUS TYPES OF REFRIGERATORS. HOTEL ST. REGIS.
Installed by Jewett Refrigerator Co.
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
615
made for the storage of fancy cakes. The ice cream is kept in Ger-
man silver covered refrigerators in which are porcelain jars for the
storage of some thirty different kinds of ice creams.
The garde-manger and salad departments have several refriger-
ators, each compartment arranged for some specific purpose.
All departments, where cold dishes are served are equipped with
cold plate refrigerators. The fish and sea-food have special re-
frigerators, the fish being stored in cracked ice in large porcelain
crocks, the sea-food in drawers faced with German silver to avoid
corrosion.
In all, throughout the kitchen and pantries there are fifty-two
(52) refrigerators, and in each case the same care in designing and
WINE BINS IN HOTEL, ST. REGIS.
Installed by Jewett Refrigerator Co.
construction has been followed ; and, while the first cost is consid-
erably more, there is no doubt but what they are enduring fixtures,
and the saving in the cost of replacing and repairing, to say noth-
ing of the better facilities for handling the food, will in the end
justify such an installation.
Mr. Allston Sargent, Manager of the Jewett Refrigerator Com-
pany, office in the St. James Building, New York, states that in the
fifty-five years that this company have been manufacturing refrig-
erators they have never provided a more complete installation with
the exception, perhaps, of two or three of the most expensive pri-
vate houses.
THE ELLIS AUTOMATIC EJECTOR OR SEWER LIET.
One of the most important features in connection with the Hotel
St. Regis, and this applies equally to large buildings of any de-
scription, are the Ellis Automatic Ejectors or Sewer Lifts, for the
removal of sewage and all liquid wastes as rapidly as created, and
the absolute prevention of any kind of back flow of sewage or
sewer gas from the public sewers. In the construction of the Hotel
St. Regis only the best material and the most modern and com-
plete machinery are used.
The problem of the disposal of sewage is simply solved when
there is a good fall from the basement level to the public sewer by
properly laid and properly trapped gravitation sewers. Where
gravitation cannot be obtained, artificial means of raising and dis-
charging the liquid waste and ground water must be employed.
By means of the Ellis ejector system, a new and up-to-date device,
all the liquid refuse of a building can be discharged in a simple,
sanitary, and economical manner, without coming in contact with
the air of the building; and making the entry of sewage or sewer
gas from the public sewers an impossibility. The motive power in
the Ellis ejector system is compressed air, steam, electricity, or
water. It is applied in the following manner:
In a chamber built of brick or iron, either in the basement floor
or outside of the building, an air-tight iron vessel, called a receiv-
ing tank, is placed at such a level that all the sewers and drains of
the building can have a good fall into it. From the receiving tank
a discharge pipe is laid to the point of outfall, which is generally the
public sewer in the street. The sewage flows from the drains
through the inlet pipe into the receiving tank, and gradually rises
therein until it reaches the under side of the float. The air inside
of this float, being at atmospheric pressure, causes the float to rise
with the sewage, and this opens an operating valve, when the air,
thus automatically admitted into the receiving tank on the surface
of the sewage, drives the entire contents before it through the open-
ing at the bottom, and through the outlet pipe into the iron sewage
discharge pipe. The instant the pressure is admitted upon the
surface of the/ sewage the Ellis Positive Check valve in the inlet
pipe closes and prevents the fluid from escaping in that direction.
The system can be cross connected with air, steam, or water, and
arranged with by-pass valves operated by hand if desired. A book-
let describing this system may be obtained by writing to The Ellis
Company, of 216 West 23d Street, New York.
THE LIMESTONE WALLS.
JAMES GILLIES AND SONS PART IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF THE ST. REGIS.
THE exterior stone work of the Hotel St. Regis measures up to
the same standard of substantial elegance which obtains in
every detail of the construction and equipment of the building.
This work has been done by James Gillies and Sons. The material
used in the stone work of the foundation is granite. The four walls
of the hotel, from
ground to top, are
of blue Indiana
limestone, carefully
selected especially
for the St. Regis.
Builders will be
interested to learn
that Gillies and Sons
were awarded the
contract a few
weeks before the
actual setting of the
stone began.
Twenty-three weeks
only were taken up
in the setting of the
eighteen stories.
They were enabled
to do this by the
resources of equip-
ment and material
afforded by their
stone yards and works in Long Island City. The capacity of the
Gillies works is equal to even a greater test than that made by
the quick work done on the St. Regis.
The firm of James Gillies and Sons is an old one, having been
founded in 1852 by the late James Gillies. The business is now
being conducted by his son, John Gillies.
James Gillies and Sons have set up the walls of very many
of New York's fine buildings. The St. Regis is representative
of the sort of work they are accustomed to.
IN MARBLE HALLS.
In all the world there is probably not another building, covering
an equal ground space, that contains such an assemblage of rich
and expensive marbles obtained from foreign and domestic quarries.
Five hundred thousand dollars is a close estimate of the cost of the
interior marble and mosaic.
John H. Shipway & Brother were the contractors for the greater
part of this work, including the marble dallage and mosaic floors
throughout the building, the paneled wainscot and moulded door
architraves in corridors, the moulded and carved paneled enclosures
of elevators, the stair wainscot and elaborate work in the bath-
rooms.
A careful selection of marble was made at the various quarries.
The photograph on page f>oi shows a view of one of the corridors
on the upper floors, but it does not convey the impression of repose
and grandeur one gets by a walk down one of them. No expense
has been spared to make them superb and the finest. Lined as they
are from floor to ceiling with carefully chosen slabs, which in their
arrangement and selection do credit to the firm of John H. Shipway
& Brother and the expert inspectors acting for them at the several
quarries, nothing surpasses the treatment of these corridors the
world over.
Particular care has been exercised not only with regard to the
more pretentious or ornate pieces, but even to the most out-of-the-
way nook and the most simply utilitarian place where marble is
made use of at all. This was in accord with the policy of the
owners of the hotel, and with the custom of Messrs. Shipway, who
"have the habit" of thoroughness in all their contracts.
All the interior sills of windows are made of Verde Antique
marble, quarried on the French side of the Alps.
The Caen stone and the Istrian marble work in the Palm Court
add much to the attractiveness of the place. An illustration of
the Caen stone is shown on page 584. In the elevator halls and at
many points throughout the building may be seen some very skilful
and artistic carving.
One of the most interesting features of the marble work in the
St. Regis, both on account of its beauty and style, and because it
cannot be found in any other hotel in the United States, is the
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT. 619
pleasing effect of the dallage floors, with borders of colored im-
ported marble worked into many artistic designs and patterns.
Only experts in the execution of such floors can appreciate the care
necessary to produce such results. An imperfect impression of the
lobby floor mav be obtained by referring to illustration on page 577.
It is no simple matter to do so conspicuous a work as this in a
building _where such exacting standards of art and scientific con-
struction obtain, and have the result pass the keen inspection of the
architect. The work of the Shipway firm has not only done so, it
has brought forth admiring comment from those who know the
difficulties attendant upon so large a task.
John H. Shipway & Brother furnished the marble work in hun-
dreds of large buildings on Manhattan Island. Among these are
many hotels. We mention a few whose reputation for style and ele-
gance testify to the high standard of work done by them : The Man-
hattan Hotel, Hotel Vendome, Hoffman House, Buckingham,
Marlborough, Sherry's, The Ansonia, Marie Antoinette, the
Lorraine, Hotel Navarre, the Algonquin and the Imperial Hotel.
The Shipway works are at the foot of East n6r.li Street.
Whenever a fine building is erected and the best of everything is
wanted, they are in demand by architects and builders, and
rightly so.
ORNAMENTAL METAL WORK [IN THE HOTEL ST. REGIS.
The ornamental metal-work for this hostelry is of the most elab-
rate character, the details embodied in it being as difficult to han-
dle as the manufacture has ever undertaken. No matter where
the eye turns, the intricate designs of the metal worker are apparent,
BRONZE-FINISHED IRON STAIR RAILING AND ELEVATOR ENCLOSURES.
Executed by the Hecla Iron Works.
whether viewing the unique elevator enclosure work, the stair-
railings, which are enriched with scroll work, the treatment of the
front entrances with rich bronze grilles, the ornate character of the
solid bronze marquise, or the balcony railings on the exterior of
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
621
BRONZE WINDOW SASH IN THE HOTEL, ST. REGIS.
Executed by the Hecla Iron Works.
6-2
THE ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
BRONZE MARQUISE, HOTEL ST. REGIS.
Executed by the Hecla Iron Works.
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT. 623
the building. The most striking of the above mentioned features
is the bronze and glass marquise, extending nearly the entire
length of the 55th street side of the building. This piece of work
is one of the finest, if not the finest, marquise in the world, and
will bear the closest scrutiny. It is a study for the lover of the
beautiful in art metal work, it being almost inconceivable how the
wealth of foliage adorning the various scroll members could be
produced in solid metal. It may be interesting to some of our
readers to know that considerable over twenty tons of bronze alone
were used in the construction of this canopy. The massive brackets
alone weighing a ton each.
An important point in the construction of the elevator enclosure
grilles is the use of electro-glazed glass behind the door and sta-
tionary panels.
This glass is cut in small squares and glazed electrically in light
brass frames, a method of arrangement which has been proven to
be a perfect barrier against fire.
Although the intense heat has the effect of "crazing" and crack-
ing the glass, the four-inch square brass frames securely hold the
glass in position, even resisting the action of water when thrown
against the hot glass. The picture of an elevator enclosure shown
on a preceding page is from a photograph taken before the electro-
glazed glass was in its place. It will serve, however, to illustrate
the handsome design of the metal-work.
Another unique example of the metal worker's skill is the bronze
cab stand to be seen between the two entrances on 55th street.
While not being especially ornamental, the bronze window frames
and sashes throughout the structure afford a topic for special con-
sideration, from the fact that in this building has been produced a
window frame and sash which shows details in mouldings never
successfully executed before, and while having all the effectiveness
of solid bronze castings, are much less costly than the latter.
This saving in expense is accomplished by the use of heavy
bronze mouldings drawn over dies of various forms, the resulting
hollow framing being filled with a fireproof material, which not
only gives more stability to the frames, but affords a core which is
absolutely fireproof. It may not be generally known that the usual
"kalameined" or metal-covered window frame is drawn over
wood which, if the frame be exposed to a high temperature, be-
comes charred, and hence weakens the frame.
There are 600 of these bronze windows and sashes in the build-
ing, some of which are of quite an elaborate design, and all of
which, together with the ornamental metal-work mentioned above,
were executed by the Hecla Iron Works, whose offices and works
are at North nth and Berry streets, Brooklyn.
10
HIGH ART IN DECORATIVE MARBLE.
The marble and Caen stone work in the main portions of this
beautiful hotel was clone by the well-known firm of Batterson &
Eisele, 431 Eleventh Avenue, under the personal supervision of Mr.
Eisele, the senior member of the firm.
In the first story, the office, lobbies and adjoining- corridors have
a heavy Istrian marble dado, and highly ornamented pilasters of
Caen stone, the latter material being used also for all the work
above the dado. The Main Restaurant, fronting on Fifth Avenue,
and the Ladies' Restaurant adjoining it, are finished in the most
decorative manner, a combination of Rubio, Rreche Violette and
Pavonazzo marble, beautifully moulded and inlaid, being used. A
view of the restaurant is shown in the illustration on page 580.
All the door and window openings of the large oak room, in the
southeasterly corner of the building, are finished with heavily
moulded Italian marble. The Banquet Room, facing Fifth Avenue,
on the second storv, has all the walls, from floor to cornice line,
finished in pure white Vermont statuarv marble, the same material
being employed for the finish of all doors and windows in this
room.
( )ne of the finest pieces of marble work is in the large corridor
running east and west on the second story, and including the main
staircase. For this Blanco P., with Pavonazzo for the paneling,
has been used. The arched doorway, illustrated on page 583, is
an imposing yet graceful example of the marble-workers' art. The
mantel picture on page 590, to any lover of the beautiful, is worth
going far to see.
The firm of Batterson & Eisele have done the marble and mosaic
work in the \Yaldorf-Astoria, the Holland House, the Manhattan,
Savoy and other hotels in Xew York and other cities.
The marble and mosaic decorations of a great number of public
and private buildings bear testimony to the skillful workmanship
of this firm. Below we mention a few of these buildings :
Equitable Life Assurance Society Building, Xew York.
New York Stock Exchange.
Reading Room of the Congressional Library, Washington, D. C.
Prudential Insurance Company Building, Newark, N. J.
Union Trust Company, New York City.
United States Trust Company, New York City.
Home Life Insurance Company, New York City.
Washington Life Insurance Company, New York City.
Corn Exchange Bank, New York City.
American Exchange Bank, New York City.
Building for Blair &* Co., New York City.
The town residences of Wm. D. Sloane, J. H. Hammond,
George W. Vanderbilt, the town and Newport residences of the
late Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Newport residence of E. . J. Ber-
wind, the residences of Mr. Widener and Mr. Elkins near Phila-
delphia, H. M. Flagler's residence, Whitehall, at Palm Beach,
Fla., as well as hundreds of others.
NA
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