The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-06

hitch q n be three stories high exclusive Of attic
and basement, will be cornice OF the original CON.
position Of the architect, having trusses swelled
fIejye and richly carved architrave. But the most
Attractive part OF the front Fifth will he
large circular headed window in the centre of the
first story The srcbitrave with an 0rnamented key
stone, will rest on the entaoatore OF coupled Ionic
projecting Cor,nthian columns standing GA pc.
destals, with the entabature breaking out ana
around. The front on Twenty first street .iill..
be divided into three parts, ~. :ae centre being
uniform y with the front on Fifth 4 avenue.
and the sides having large Venetian windows, with
stone muiops, architrayes. trusses, &C., like the
others Altogether, from the design Of the work. and
the professional reputation Of the architects have
little doubt that the Union Club House. when finished,
will be one ofthe first attractions in New York.
Among the improvements in the business part OF
the city, factory for the manufacture of sheet lead
and tin and lead pipe Ia Beekman street now near
y completed, and made entirely of iron is especially
worthy Of notice. This Is, we believe the only fire.
proof building In the city. II has handsome front,
five stories high in the Corinthian stye-each story
being somewhat oftier than is usual. Another very
substantial structure, with an iron front, Is NO. 1913
Broadway. Its style il peculiar but not inelegant-
resembling the Moorish or Saracenic-the distinc-
tive features being the horseshoe arch Of the win
il rather moDotoDous. similar building stands on
No. 10 Barclay street, but displays little TASTE IEhas
been painted deep vermilli0n. Each of these will
only cost from $780, 900 to $25 O0 and this cannot DO
especially when as at the present moment, the price
Of iron ID 40 high. We have, indeed, ample grounds
to hope that one day we shall have an entirely new
architecture, arising from the employment OF this
new material.
The advantages to be derived from using iron in
domestic architecture are numerous. Insurance liz
Decessary-space Is saved the great difficulty Of
covering large buildings intellectually ia
the walls, if hollow and filed with sand, viii pre-
vent the ransmssiono Of sound and their power of
tanning heat and the facilities they offer for artificial
warming are great and o house of this material
would always be worth so much per pound. wide
field for decoration il likewise open, for iron requires
painting.
II has been truly said that the principal archi.
lectures of the world have been indebted for their
fundamental expressions to particular referencesto
tie laws OF gravitation. Every legitimate kind Of
reference which is capable Of being made in stone or
brick appears to have been exhausted; but iron 10
capable of affording ( 10 new references of which
stone snd brick are incapable, namely, suspension
and impension of weight. These principles have
already been frequently and splendidly employed In
the mechanical arts, but no distinctly architectural
development of them has ever been attempted. The
constructive ideas Of Gothic and Arabian architec.
lures are such that they Only be fully realized In
iron Tue fancy is scarcely able to pursue the reality
which has become possible for Gothic architecture
through the present abundance ofron aud glass, and
the skill We have attained in working them"
Brick is, generally speaking, the material of which
the mass OF New York houses is composed, and for
this reason it apt to be despsed by those who seek
for something less common. But this is mistake.
The material, common as it is, possesses many ad
vantages-t is cheap-it has inherent color, and is
more enduring than most kinds OF stone Bricks an
moreover, be moulded into any form or shape; and
with them, architectural decoration might be de-
veloped in manner which could only be done at an
immense cost with st0ne. Many Of our best and
most substantial buildings are composed ofbrick, aud
when properly trimmed with granite or brown stone
the effect is by no means dspeasing. Some very fine
stores of this description are now being built. Those
At the corners Of Broadway and Fulton, Fulton and
William, Church and Vesey, and Nos. s, and 0 in
Whitehall streets. are fair examples. When CON-
plete1 they will cost some $25 900 each.
Brown stone, 20 " very much used among US, Is
splendid material for architectural purposes. The
something fabulous. We cannot pretend to give
the number Of new stores commenced within the
last few months but will only allude to the most
prominent. On Nos. Is and Is PARK place an ex.
teDsive wholesale dry goods store is being raised,
with Two fronts In the composite style, on Park
place, and the other Murray street. at estimat
ed cost OF $l25 900. In Murray street there four
Ia Barclay street there are likewise four, and in War.
rem street there are some sixteen new stores being
built Ut the same material, which to cost from
600 to 600 each. In these streets ALSO there
is about the same number Of white marble e3ifces
springing up This is becoming quite common ma
teral. The Corinthian columns Of the basement Of
store at the corner of Warren street and Broad
way have just been raised. This building is threat
ems to rival Stewarts 1t is to cost $l50,000 Along
Broadway the pedestrian Ia interrupted at every
block OF houses he passes by masons and stone.
cutters. Marble and stone are vying with each
other for the mastery. Nos. 90, 10l, 104 404, 406
materials further up town Nos $751; 833, 635 and 637
perfect palaces with magnificent marble fronts,
five stories high the first story being Of cast iron and
hansomely ornamented.
specifically the buildings which have contributed 80
much to the Improvement of city within the Last
few months. Whole streets are being swept away,
and being rebuilt with marvellous rapidly. We
hQv m hooifo In nj hat horo ha
least from eighty to hundred first class stores now
in the course OF erection In the city, each of which
will cost from $4,000 to $50 600. None Of these,
perhaps, can yet be said to equal Stewards, but we
ing CONDITION of our trade-o the wealth of our
merchants, and Of an undated spirit Of energy and
enterprise.
In hotels New York stands obviously first among
the capitals of the world In Broadway alone there
Dozen, each far exceeding anything of the kind
that has ever been attempted In Europe. The Aston
has long since fallen into the shade in an archtec
tura Joint of view. Cold granite has now given place
to white marble, and heavy style of architecture
to tasteful and or aamental. But consider
ing the pretensons aud costly magnifcence Of such
DO think that art might have been displayed in
their erection. As rule, they do not present 8
sufficient display of enrichment on their facades.
Some ornament is required, in buildings Of this mate
and relieve their general appearance from the charge
of sameDess While on the subject OF decorations
We might mention, by the way, that q little colorng
Oh the ceiling of Taylors saloon would not have been
amiss The richness oil the decorations Is meretri
eious, and the ncessant glare of white and gold uu-
relieved by color, is fatiguing to the eye, and an
instance Of decidedly bad taste Independent OF
these faults it 49, par ercece the restaurant Of tho
age-unequalled.
Regularity sps uniformity of facade in street ar
chitecure is Of course impossible, where one build.
ing is o store and the next hotel This, however,
can be altar ed in streets especially devoted to private
o1.A xun hnv opla
of the practice up town, in parts Of Fourteenth
street, Fifth avenue, and the surrounding localities
These houses are in fact all that could be desired
even by the weathiest Of our citizens. An air of
comfort is the leading feature. Their architecture
is modest and unpretending, though lacking neither
in taste n or ornament. This is the true standard
of beauty. Ultrasm in one building would Ger.
row. We do not question the right Of any man to
erect any description of house that he pleases-he
may paint it vermon II he likes and have all sorts