The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-04-23
THE BUILDERS.
A Few Observations upon Modern Ar
ohitecture, Etc.

BrNGHAMPToN, N. Y, April IS.
We have been studying architecture
this afternoon and feel almost in as
much Of a maze as an ordinary mortal
does who attempts by observation to
post himself upon modern millinery.
Ours has varied from u Gieco-Rom-
an to a catch-as-catch.can wrestling
with the subject as we have wandered
about the streets Of this really fine city
of Binghampton, a city which from its
cleanliness and fine buildings is worthy
to be dubbed as it has been, the Parlor
City of the Empire State. We v
kept our eyes open as we passed them
by these buildings newly erected dur
Ing the past three years and the old
one worked over into a more modern
line Of architectural thought, and in
the midst of a vague vision and fill
grees and spirals and diagonals aud
bidses one notes the rapid disap-
pearauce of old New England ~plaInness
and the popular SINCE Of mental color
ing.
The day Of the plain whites and
browns and greens and yeIlows and
dark reds has gone by. The good old
fashioned house, square and abrupt
aLaInst the sky, economical in its al
lUwauce of Don rs compared to mate
rial and possessing all the symmetry
Of an empty dry goods bCx, is out of
date. The Grecian pillar and COrinthi-
an columns remain only for peniteuti-
aries and court houses, and it will not
b long, from present indications, be
fore even these heretofore stately edi
ices will be erected all IN the lrgnt and
tiry style of the Alhambra. The rec
Cangular columns almost entitled to the
simpler name post, elegant and grace
full aud inviting AS IL New England
spinIter, are yielding precedence to
Zig ter and less substantially turned
affairs.
PAN things are done away; old
things have become new. And with
tn 3 change have come Increased de-
mands upon the skill and ingenuity of
the painter. The plain painter who
spIead paint as a gardener would spade
a garden by the square yard or rod, and
with about as much exhibition of skill.
has resigned. He can't quite grasp the
modern dilution Of aesthetic decoration.
He Doesn't quite understand how to
stripe of the front of n dwelling like a
quite comprehended the latest 10, 10,
Ia puzzle Of combining gold, white,
Ereen, blue, Indian red, and yellow, all
on one front in a beautiful and harmo-
NOUS whole. He has gone back into
he country to plant a ten acre lot of
potatoes on shares and study the stripes
IN the back Of the Colorado beetle.
The house builder and contractor
who learned his trade at odd spells on
the farm making hen coops and corn
ribs and graduated or n large farm
house of ample size and startling pro-
portions, is out of u job.
This modern weakness for hooks and
c%rannies, turned columns with unex-
'lained bulges where one would least
Q <pect them, cornices and caps of any
de Ign but the old standard SCALE.
sthiued glass windows and u%ncounted
t"wers; plain woods on bias; rows of
harp pointed pickets across the gables;
lating where it isn't needed just for
'icety of design, you know; these and
! hunderd other little things have he
Nildered this hot house artisan and he
'as become discouraged. lie is build
ng barbed wire fence along the rail
"ad, and the city tn At once knew him
IS a builder, shall know him no more,
forever.
Yet one can but admit that this in
ricate display of color and lacquer
work, these combinations of line and
orm are exceedingly pleasing to the
ye II depicting TO the bank account, |
nd be the building bricks and hard
woods in the style Of Q reen Anne
INES, its chimneys towering like the
immense hues OF an | ron mill, or be the
yelling wood painted more in tint
han in cOlOrs, with here and there a
fash Of maroan to brighten the effect.
nd here and there a bit of gliding.
'urrounded 10y a grassy lawn as there
view are, and its one clubhouse brok
here and there by shrubs and trees.
he effect is certainly pleasing and not so
AS one might expect. However
much Rstheticism may be open to rldi-
ule through an uuartistic following by
hose wholly unartistic, or by too much
'obbying by it's leaders, the results OF
IS following and leadership il bec0m
'ng more and more prominent in the
decorative branches of industr,
md after the e~xaggerations have been
veedrd out the result will he Il marked
Improvement upon the limited artistic
'ense which has been. CLARK.
Latest spring styles at Melander's.
marl5tf
SITUATION WANTED-By a cnmpe-