The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-03-03
The Capitol Competition.
Editor Statesman:

Editor STATESMAN:
With no intention 10 forestall the
Judgment Of the Commissioner Tor
the building Of the State Capitol, il
may be stated that the varied char
actcr OF the drawings and designs
now in The Supreme Court room
must cause qualification and salts
faction to those who have, with such
small means at command, called
forth such an array and variety OF
talent
A mistake may be made in the
selection of the most suitable plan,
but certainly out of four or five de-
signs mistake can not possibly be
made in the selection of beautiful
one. Various are the ideas sug-
gested. and various the forms or
styles of architectural treatment.
There is strong evidence that this
competition has come eagerly upon
the heels of others that the COM
petltors have once and again
passed through the severe ordeal
of competition. These de-
signs present the same shrewd
character of mind equal to the emer-
gency. Drawings here are found;
some TO produce instantaneous and
1lashy Eect, others the silent mOni-
tors, abiding their time, when they
shall be considered analysed and
desecated by the slashing knife of
the expert; other old stagers, moth
ing scared; seriously and grimlv
contemplating; the bright array and
sparkling frivolities of their neigh
bors. They that, alike with the
Greek and Roman, have fought the
fight for beauty's sake; the effects of
which ages have maryelled at and
time never destroyed. Time and
again has fashion, that "fickle jade"
endeavored to re-habilitate these
beauties, but only to distort their
fine figure MAIN their members, and
overload their fair forms with garish
ornament.
We do not contemplate in this
short epistle to deecate or destroy
the value of this competition. We
do not consider these preliminaries
other than a forecast of our future
proud Capitol.
We all know that a vast amount
of careful thought, special study and
| arduous work and draughtsmanship
must yet be done 10 place any sin
gle.-set of the drawings in a practi-
cable and workable form. We will
suggest, however, few hints by
which others, not so well acquainted
as ourselves with these matters,
may, peradventure, consider inter-
esting to know. Those who know ii
all need not read any further. The
building of a state capitol in this
age and knowledge of the art of
building, is a work of considerable
magnitude. The older Capitol
buildings in the United States do
not date back further than, say fifty
years, and the type of those build
ings is by no means to be taken as
useful or beautiful. The most eX-
pensive of these must be that of the
state of Tennessee. 1t is variously
estimated to have cost from five to
seven millions of dollars. 1t is
severely treated classic, ecclesiasti-
cal or temple form, and prese nts
but little beauty, except that it is
massive and bold, and its site being
upon an extremely isolated emil
nence gives its massive form singu-
lar prominence. Other state CAPT
tol buildings, not SO generally
quoted, have been erected, but they
are of more recent date and mod
ern form. 1t is only within the past
twelve years and more recently
within the past six or seven years
up to the present time, that the
type of the modern state capitol
structure has been studied, strongly
marked and improved. The very
expensive Capitol at Albany, New
York, with varied architecture of
freely-treated classic and Roman
esque; the gothic form of the Hart
ford State Capitol; the Springfield
Capitol, with its freely treated clas-
sic renaissance the capitols of
Iowa, Michigan and Indiana are all
recent and partly finished buildings.
These modern buildings now form
the prototype of all designs in all
competitions. The floor plans are
arranged as necessary to provide ac-
commodation for the special re-
quirements of each state; and for
the disposition of the rooms, especl-
ally to facilitate and expedite with
ease and comfort the business of
each department of state.
| The architecture of these struc-
lures is somewhat varied, but par
takes in nearly every instance freely
of classic treatment.