New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-01-21
ARCHITECTURE IN NETWORK

WHAT OUR HOUSES ARE MADE OWL TIE
CRY HAVE TO BE REBUILTf-ORNAMENTAL
.vcurrrCrIJRR-FOLLIES AND ERRORS OF
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. STRUCTURES-BRICK
VERSUS BRowN-sTONE-TIE BUILDING ACT
What il the unbiased, impartial opinion of
oa Who have made architecture their study as to that
Of this cityi That it is TO great extent unsubstantal,
unreal in artistic and wanting in peranence Ii this
the w,y to build up great cyi Is 1t WISE is 1t foresee
inc IN construct the buildings OF this great metropolis of
tho western World in such fashion that they cannot pos
bv hone TO Withstand the ordinary ryages of time; to
have long before ought TO be necessary to do the
whole thing again We embrace the present oppor-
tunity while last OF the builders incompeency
ia still fresh In the public mind to lay the following facts
md su ggesons before readers:
Next deserving Of reprobation to the folly OF erecting
unsubstanal buildings or buildings constructed OF I'M
enduring materials "a trashy and inartistic style Of
architecture. The great majority of houses in NewYork
sonbef heavy and without agreeable architectural
effect; and this unpleasng appearance IL greatly In
creased by the prevailing use OF dingy-hued brown
stone In tho of business stores the building gen
orally includes iron limitations of stone columns and cap
als often with marvellous conglomeration Of the Co
rinhan the Ionic tho Dorc many other styles OF
architecture the same edihce When these two beaten
tracks Of iron and brOwnstonc are departed from, we
generally break out In something ridiculous, fantastic
and totally ignoring artistic rule. "Whateyer i false
wrong ia Of the leading rules OF art But this false
of material this buesque of art is not tho only I'M
posture Of the iron buildings generally erected n Ne"
York They pretend to be hreproof; they pretend to
be sodly constructed They neither the one nor the
other Except when occupying Sites they arc as
general thing constructed Of brick and timber with
simply the msest Of iron fronts, frequently OF inferior
material TO carry out appearances In block the roht
does little to support the building, ana therefore
a thin iron shell, which has the meretricious
gfat c+v
support ITSELF and more Is considered ali that is
requisite 1t would that the monuments of classic
Greece, the more recent structures OF hchaei An
eeo Wren and lingo Jones' forgotten by degenerate
art In this boastu nineteenth century, NOT tbat INC
architects Of the present day are wanting in classical
study and knowledge but that their hands arc tea by
the ignorance the nggard parsimony and the want OF
foresight of those who prefer employ their wits rather
their talents When brownsOne and iron are rejected
what do we gee in their placesl Castelated granite
houses with conservaOrcs inclosing the drawing
windows; richly ornamented stone poricoes supporting
colossal NEUROLOGICAL figures and dishgured with long
and deepy-cut letters announcing that the Hide and
Seek Bank or the Codwater Fire Insurance Company,
or Messrs Brown Jones Robinson, occupy the ground
floor And then there are noDdescrpt churches beggng
Dr. Bellowss pardOn) like that Of The "Holy Zebra"
Boswell tells that johnson expressed his disapFoba
ton of ornamental architecture, such as magnificent
columns supporting portioo, or expensive plas'efs
supporting merely their own capitals, because 1t con
sumes labor disproportonae 70 its utility. For the same
reason he satrzed statuay" Had he lived in this day
and in NewYor City there would have been some ceca-
sion his heretical opinions to architecture and we
should probably have been treated to an Incompatible
satire on the subject Of NewYork buildings.
This rage for shallow display in bdlng originated in
two First the Tapdity with which large 10Y
tunes were made during the war by persons who, WITH
ont taste or edueaon content that long as they
fbntr
unsound as the shoddy which had enriched Themselves
Others with less means but occupying poSonsn
fashionable society, followed this evil example from
sheer necessity They could not afford to be surpa sed
and could only keep up in the race with the no"redur
riches by doing they dd-buildng snowy palaces for
half the money that substantial structures would have
cost The second the gigantic speculation IN
Improved property" which sprung up about the same
time As real estate in value the loss OF letting
lie idle increased year by but month by month
To avoid this loss, owners compelled to build
and insufficient capital compelled them to build fmsy
houses. Plain soidity out OF the marSet
strongly built houses Of good, but simple style Of aren't
lecture would neither let SELL houses were built
accordingly. The children of these owners viii have
good cause to lament result II they themselves
do live to do In OF the finest looking houses
in the aristocrauc parts of the city party and partition
walls arc cracking, ceilings are bugng, balconies are
splitting, carved ornamentation ia falling. and tho
brOWn-StOne facing Is rapuly Scaling lHc
of the law not being stringent enough, have been shaved
to a nicely, and frequently avoided by the comfy
ance of dishonest inspectors; and, Ike the ltln-
Grant vendors the houses have been made 10 sell
These evils inadequate construction may be every
day in new streets and settlements, where whole
blocks of houses up in weeks instead Of months,
and have their roofs put before the wretced mortar
in the walls has had time harden the floors, which
help considerably TO support the walls have been put in
And yet the inspectors say that the provisions OF the
Building Law complied with. II such be the case,
the public will be apt to think, with the elder Mr. Weller,
that the the law changes its condition the better
OUR BUILDING MATERIALS.
The houses and stores OF NewYoFk constructed Of
granite marble, iron, brownstone brick. Fully TO
appreciate, therefore, the needs and mperfectons OF
New-York building and architecture II is necessary to
compare the relative and durability Of these five
materials. The superficial Of granite building
would cost from s. to 81 superficial FOOT marble from
s. TO s. co. from So 70 to So; brown-stOne from
81 TO s. 5O and brick, with stone trimmings about ST.
These estimates are OF course regulated by the amount
Of ornamentaton and include all openings such win
dows and doorways which In iron structures occupy
very large space of the superficial There is not
much difference in the relative cost Of OF
marble and brown-stOne The cost of iron ornamental
ton depends much the quantity to he cast from tho
same patterns Old patterns are seldom used a second
time. Granite will last for ages. 1t has but enemy
This element III III w
pieces Marble rapidly disntegraes, and has more
durability than brown-stone. The Court House OF
New-YOrk is built Of white WestcheSter marble. This
marble contains fine grains of carbonate of the prooxde
OF iron. Such element quickly absorbs oxygen and
presents the surface yellOwish spots which gradually
turn brown or black. In a few years the Courthouse
will be entirely dishgured by discooration. Tho COM
paratve durability of Westchester marble (and
quently OF the Court-House) and brswn-stone
ne arrived at by studying some Of the tombstOnes
in Trinity churchyard The loss by disintegration is
apparently about equal The preservation of the brown
stone Of Trinity Church is, however criterion Of the
durability Of the bTownstone now used for building pur