Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-09-09

eonsidsrations which influence the present moyems -
iron architsutue. This movement IL not the Ssss ~
caprice accdont, sst = bssed upon sAs sxigsnois1
modern civilization. -
One of the principal recommendations of the iron bum
ng to the people Of the United States az already stated
is the great facility and rapdity Of construction 10
people like ours whose mission is the settlement and del
veopment to its highest physical condition of the who'll
North American continent, who desire to build Who'll
cities lin other countries the work Of centures in year
time is every thing Yet building still continues TO b
with us slow and difficult process In every other de
paftment Oh Industrial effort the wonderful agencies
steam and machinery annihating space and Del
YET IN architecture which arrived perfection in half
Giviilzed communities have made no improvement
az 'ne ratent Office and Capitol extension, and you
sec the Work conducted by the manual appl.
ances ana ~ the same snake pace as with the ancient
Egyptians and Greeks The last remnant Of old fogyism
IN our industrial pursuits sin architecture.
Another Recommendation Of the iron building s its in
combushbility Every city Of our Union has been de-
sroyed by FIRE and rebuilt since the 81 the
Federal Government Now the destruction Of cities bv
nre IN the United states rs double loss the aggregate
national wealth, compared with that by Ere in the old
countries already developed to their utmost capacity
because the effort and money devoted to the work Of
peraton would be expended upon improvements The
immense capital invested in the insurance business
in case Of the general introduction Of iron builnrs
properly considered would be employed in the eyelop
ment of our material resources
Another advantage of the iron building is its economy
Although the present cost Of iron building {upon Mr.
Colwels pan at the present high price Of iron would
probably be equal to that of plain brick building vet
the exterior ornament which important an item in
the expense Of building of any pretensons does not,
exceptin slight degree, affect the question of economy
building with the architectural ornament Of the Smith
sonian Institution General Post Office could be erected
with but little more expense than plain brick building Of
equal dimensions, and ph part of the expense OF
the buildings in quest.
But it is chiefly in its val advantages that the
great economy Of building in iro consists There is no
loss Of building material ct least upon the Colwe PLAN
in it is required to tear down and rebuild the house
The skeleton blocks and exterior plates can be ap
piled to any new building and at the can be sold
for old iron This peculiarly important here in no
other country sso much building performed by the
persons in different conditions of fortune and nowhere
the same ambition for architectural display.
An invention, therefore, which gives practical and
universal application to iron in building which renders
cities ncombusbe and makes the richest ornament COM
pable with strict economy will not only mark an era in
architecture but will connect itself with the great mate
rial interests of the country intimately any Of those
more brilliant discoveries which have given character to
the age The perfect iron building is in fact natural
adjunct to the steamengne railroad and electric tee
graph for in all those countries which have been deve
loped by these great agents mark corresponding
towards the introduction of iron architecture
1t is striking coincidence that all the great invention
of modern times involve some new application Of ira,
thus verifying the remark that "iron is the basis of 10
worlds material prosperity and its production and en-
sumption measure Of the civilization Of nations" III