, 1873-03-30

architect is not Indispensable. It does
not dif1er from such documents generally, and,
Of course, varies with the amount Of work re-
quired. For four-story building, 100 feet
Bquare, for instance. stone front, the contractor
agreeing to supply all the brick needed, to make
the excavations, set all the cut-Btone, set all the
iron columns, al tho brick work, aud all other
work connected with the masonry Of a building,
Tue cost would be about $50, 600 on a corner and
$50, 600 in the middle OF i block. exclusive OF
cat-stone work. It not unfrequontly happens
that an individual or corporation about to build
appoints On n5ant or superintendent to inspect
| tho plans, 1naso tho contracts, and euporintend
the building Of tho new structure. In this case
tho architect merely furnishes designs for tho
building, and receives in payment thereof
Ills is found in the construction Of tie
Erenihg Journal Bnildng on Dearborn street. a
What amount was paid to the architect wo do
not pretend to say. The figures given above
represent the ordinary percentages:
! Architects, owners. nlasons carpenters, stone-
cutters, and every other industry employed in
the production Of buildings, prefer to have tho
contracts let out to special departments. BY
! this means the architect has no letting Of con-
| tracts, and can better decide who arc and who
! are not responsible. No sub-contracts arc made,
and there is loss margin for potty steals. It pre-
vails in this city, and generally throughout the
country, but before the fire the other system Was
| frequently made uhe or
| PUTTING FRosT ON IT.
I Tho most Important part Of the building, to
everybody except tho owner, is the front. Tho
public demands that, if he is going to put up a
building, it shall look we'll. Tho public thinks
[ that 3lr. Johnston'B wretched-1ookins Exchange
Building should not bo initiated, and, in defer
| ence to tho wlshes OF tho public our builder
concludes to have ttone-front erected. This
| he has long ago confded to his family he has
| loftily hinted it to his business acouaintances
he has told it to his architect aud now the arcti
tect has drawn out his specifications for the
atone~cutter. He has decided to front his etruc-
| tire with, We will say, Duena Vista stone, l.
material that has become q favorito here since
| the fire. The specification calls for 20 many
| columns, and 80 much stone. The con-
| tractor is Guided by these specifications,
fna heeess the for n'mgis ss Of buaS daSe
Ho purchases the material by the cubic foot and
sells it in the same manner, charging for tie
cutting. With superficial estimate to guide
him as to the amount, and the specifications to
tell him how much cutting is needed, he can
come near the cost.
THE aroSE-woRK
The thickness Of tho stone varies consider
ably. In some buildings With only 4-inch thick
ness, plain ashias grout, VIII trimmings round
foot; specimen OF such building is tho
Metropolitan Block, corner Of Randolph aud
LaSalle streets. Where the stone is thicker and
moro etabotetely cut the cost is greater. In the
N4aIlOtA W AOlAlutlEc3 Aux I4btAlC0, LILO HtuIlb
cost e225 foot. Where the cutting is yet
moro elaborate, the stone costs etill more;
as in Gallup & Htchcock's building, on the
northwest corner Of Madiscn and LaSa1le streets,
much as s. q foot, though thore is At present
no building in Chicago which is Of sufficient
elaborateness Of detail or sodity of stone-work
to cost this amount Of money. In fact, an OK
in the city one building Of the class known rs
"heavy buildings including the Chamber Of
Commerce and the building above mentioned, as
costing maximum sun: for this stone-work.
Calculating thus, the stone-cutter makes his
architect. These ''stono diagrams are full
size drawings Of every piece of stone-work that
passes through the cutter's hands. Each draw
Ing is u: "a model 10 ha for tho d eadtter' ns and
Your ordinary etone-cutter, though ho
earns his IS day, is not necessarily an artist.
He can model to order. but he cannot exquisitely
design. He resembles printer inaemuch rs he
itnmortalizen tho idsas Of another; and, like
printer, he must "follow copy" Thus, when he
goes to work upon a block Of stone he must
keep his attention fixed upon the drawing before
him. His block ia numbered and assigned to
him, and record kept Of his work. Surprising
he is employed in cutting from q cubic mass Of
stone the graceful acanthuB leaves that form tho
capital of 3 CorinthiAn column. There is the
architects model on paper; ono must conform to
aWatns i @ th IS
F'a~S ~''N.sAAP ~ 49, tNt@A A1~NoA "AtSH AZ
never put together; and the shapeless block has
It's place assigned to it before the cutter has
made mark upon it, It is suggestive thought
that the mark Of the cutter, corresponding to the
"slug !" of the composltor, will be found yeara
hence just whore he placed it, when the loftiest
building in Chicago is removed to make room
for q new improvement.
s1oSE~curT1sa.
Thia system Of sevish imitation has not al !
Ways prevailed In cutting stone. In carving the !
old English gothic, it was the custom to give the |
stone-cutter only general idea Of tho work !
that Waa expected OF him, leaving him to fill it ]
out from his own desi gns. Thus WAS infused !
into some Of those grim old pieces Of English !
architecture e. vigor and freshness that could in
10 other way be obtained. Each man Impress
ed his individuality bis stone,
and variety, not slavish monotony,
WAS obtained. This il sculpture, NOT machine |
moulding; and this the architecture that would
please Ruskin, not that which delights the
eye Of shoddy real estate owner. Tho block
costs, say, $40 in the rough. The cuttel gives
eight days OF regular work to the production Of
column, which brings tho cost to sos before
tue superintendent Of tho stone-yaEd thinks it
ready for use. This is the actual cost Of prepa-
rntion. But by the time that our capital sur
mounts the taper1ng column IN the building it
will have cost about s75. No wonder that stone
fronts are valuable Investments.
It has sometimes been the custom for the |