New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-03
ARCHITECTURE IN NEW- YORK.

"A marked characteristic Of the moro important
buildings IN New-York OF late years" said an arch
| itect to TRIBUNE reporter, is their sOiidlty.
| Look at the Produce Exchange Building now IN
construction what massIveness there ~ in It's ex-
preston the Mills building, the Tribune Build
ing and hers scat cred all over the city at Intervals
you will find new structures built with an atten-
ton to detail, and with tho purpose OF permanence.
The centre BUSH ess portion OF the city rs becOm
| ing more thoroughly es a0llshed now each year.
here will To changes. and 1t Will extend IT'S area,
but 1t will be mark by better class Of buildings.
axe such az have mentioned, there is no reason
why they should not las. for centuries Built Of
brick til massive stoao trimmings, they are cal
culateu 10 stand the climatic changes; they are 40
nearly frcproOf II Is possible 10 max building
no material more fireproOf than BRICK and ten
story structure built in this manner may be inr
proved to suit the convenience ana interests OF
changing generations, but they will not be torn
down; they are too costly. You observe the best
work now is manly OF brick with stone trimmings
and terra Gotta ornament"
-" IL there as much iron work nov in new build
mgsi"
ly buildings, but compared with those / have re-
feIred TO they are short lived. The Tribune Build
ing under the rational order of things will survive
cen unes without showing Its age, but iron
structure under the best care, VIII begin, / think
To show the weight of years by the close OF iii st
century. The lion age has gone By IN kew-York
en- years ago 1t was at It's height, as witness the
blocks of iron buildings Mercer and Greene-sts
and below CanaI-St. IL was all iron then. IL
would an interesting history 10 trace the varI-
Gus periods of architecture in New-lOrk from tho
tins OF the log nuts butt by the first Dutch settlers
history is being repeated nowi We arc going back
To irst principles"
No to log hulsin asked the reporter.
NO. not exactly that The iirst buildings of any
imp france that were cons ruCted Manhattan
weto Of UIicn, brought from Holland for the pur
pose You know what they, made, by the Old
Washington Hotel aud the Old Dutch Church, 80
lately demo .lshed when they were well into their
second century. the brick in them like flint,
growing harder with age and the mortar was ce-
constructed in n w-iOrk ana indeed think. those
built until nearly fifty sixty years ago. were of
brick Look down the side streets of the Battery,
the centre OF the city dunng the revolution and
later, anu the portion reOulit after the great fire
Of iify years ago 60 up town now, through the
res deulcs of Nifty years, and you ali are brick
piaIu and often cheaply 6ult, but ~tl substantial,
aud holding their aye vel. About FOurieenth-st
you begin to strike brown stones at intervals fur
ther down. Earlier than this In prominent build
lngs you find marble. as IN stewards Wholesale
house. the National Government set the earliest
examples IN It's public buildings OF the city, OF
strength and permauencc. They are largely Greek
in style. very PLAIN aud expensive but wall last
long the city. They were too pl in and expen-
sive To suit the taste VI the PERIOD ana don't seem TO
have been COPIED Largely. though the Astur House Is
a ref lection OF them For twenty live years and dur
ing the war; marble aud brown stone had lull sway,
and nave lett rich aud handsome specimens monu-
meuts. Then came tine period of IRON that
were speaking about aud towards it's decline q
new era was foreshadowedby the INTRODUCTION of
granite. The Equitable Building and the Post Of
ice relic, OF tins, that with all defects OF style
urged against them, are imposing aud equal TO any
tang that preceded them, IN my opluOn. They
part II he present PERIOD the fOrerunners OF
IT. his period has already in short time done
more To Ueautify New-York and To leave lasting
expressions Of ITS architecture TO the future than
any equal number of years IN the past lt Is not
through set. and II will require the next twenty
five years TO show what u has Effected IL may be
SAID To have begun with The Tribune building
and the Western Union. and now 10 would take
columns Of your paper TO describe them all. They
are not all modcls IN style-RuskIn. suppose.
would show "A good many flaws and much bad taste
but tho general merit viii cover u good deal If
error"
What Is the principal stone being used nowi"
asked tho reporter.
Pretty nearly all kinds; limestone sandstone,
marble and granite Brown stone has fallen into
disrepute somewhat, because 1t scales so. but
think that il because IL has not been laid properly
as a rule, and has not had far test. Inc new
Vanderbilt homes have understood have made
| use OF an Indiana limestone. Various sandstones
have been used, but the most popular Just now
Scotch sandstone fried near Carlisle, scotland.
IL has tine grain. does not scale and IS easy TO
work. This climate IN very severe on many stones.
You have seen tho brick used in the new Opera
House and hat In the Casino There ~ also
imported BRICK being used in the city, brought from
England. Il Is buff color, glazed, and costs
about / cents per brick. IL is TO be manufactured
by firm up the Hudson have heard, next year,
aud Will come cheaper"