The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-06-03

streets OF the world. and, with all Its ARCHITECT
tural failings. II the principal cause OF the
good impression which our city usually
first makes upon strangers. The certainty
with which one turns into II and ret'!rns to 1t.
no matter where else he may have to go: Its
magnificent longth. Its hustle. and the snowy
appearance Of the majority Of the buildings on
1t. make It very imposing thoroughfare. In
other streets OF equal fame most Of the houses
arc very plain or tame and vary little from one
another. On Broadway. carvings and castings.
pillars and cornices are tho rule. not tho
exception. and the eye does not at
once perceive that they arc mainly OF
iron or zinc. and OF paltry design.
Though the styles OF stono-building moro or
less loosely copied in these materials are many
the newcomer Is pleased to find that the
simple pillar or pier and round arch character
istic Of northern Italy predominant. because
while pleasant and easily understood. this style
seems as suitable to our clear and dry atmos-
phere US 1t is to that Of the country in which it
originated. But when one becomes tired of the
sham architecture OF our shop fronts. and looks
about him for some building really worth rest
ing his eye upon. he finds little to compare with
evcn the lesser architectural gories OF Euro
pean cities. We have a large number of big
buildings. most of them so situated that one
can hardly miss seeing them but. for anything
in their appearance. few are worthy Of Sec
ond glance Those that can be looked upon
with pleasure are either quite old or quite new;
and very many are atrocious specimens Of
bungling and bad taste.
OF our older public buildings the United
States Treasury In Wall street which Is not n
bad model OF Doric temple. and the little
Ionic building beside it. which serves as the
Assay ONCE. can safely be commended. not for
originality. but for good architectural feeling.
The somewhat anky huted columns of the
Custom House are not devoid Of grace. and the
Gothic spirs OF Trinity which closes the vista
up this rather decent street. Is not incongruous
with these classic matters. Tho old City Hail.
too. strikes ono as u reasonable piece Of work.
and the front OF st. Peters old Catholic church.
on Barclay street. is another example OF tho
determination Of our forefathers to build In
severe and we-understood styles.
All this was completely changed when. ten or
u dozen years ago. 1t became necessary to
put up many great buildings for Offices
down town. a barbarous architectural fashion
sprang up with them Of decorating the piers
and intels and doorposts with sharp project
ing mouldings and horrible carvings. nppar-
emily copied from the war clubs Of South Sea
Island savagcs. or this. which may be called
tho Tall Tower style of architecture. the IriJ-
Wte building. the United Bank building on the
corner OF Broadway and Wall street. and the
Coal and Iron Exchange in Cortnndt street
are the most frghtful examples. The latter
building has its entrance decorated with heavy
stone brackets supporting polished granite
pillars which In turn uphold a ponderous arch
which. for Its part has nothing to support bu,
its own ugliness and seems on tho point of
breaking down under the weight of that. Our
new Post Office is the type of another monstrous
of huSf
column upon column. and pedimcnt over ped-
ment.and TO open window above window, without
regard to proportion. convenience. or effect. eN-
cept such rs is gained by mere size and multi
plicty OF parts The Equitable Assurance
building and the stock Exchange, in Broad
street. are OF this class and. though not over
loaded with ornament the Babylonian pile of
tho Mills building the Post building in the rear
OF the Custom House. and Mr.. Cyrus Fields now
Office building ut the junction Of the Bowling
Green and tho Battery might be referred to as
belonging TO 1t. 1t would be better however. to
class them with the great new partment houses
on Seventh and Fifth and Madison avenues
which are Of similar architectural pretcnsions.
The lines of most Of these are the same in the
main. They are built with solid stone base
ment and first story: good. strong brick piers
running up the entire remaining height. or
carrying u low attic story by way Of cornicc;
string courses disposed 80 rs to break the great
height OF the building: and windows grouped
or separated to avoid monotony. Sometimes
the piers are treated as pilasters and crowned
with squat capitals OF stone or terra GOTTA and
usually the dormer windows OF the Munsard
roof are more or less decorated; an opportunity
is taken To insert Il stone scutcheon or so in
tho wall. and the stone dressings are carved
passabiy well or badly as tho case may be.
good example of this kind of building is
the apartment house now being erected at
Fifth avonuo and Twenty-eighth street. On
Madison avnnuo and Thirticth street is an
other palmer building with elaborate dormers
ornamental with brickwork scrolls. The now
Union League building has this last feature
combined with several other suggestions Of
that fax end of the Renassanc known as the
Queen Anne style. On Madison avenue and
Twenty eighth street there is Il still palmer
building o! tho same class. and the new Wecs
building on Bowling Green though different.
and much better in feeling. may be said to be
OF 1t. This Is French rather than English
or Dutch in character. Its Mansard roof sits
we'll on 1t. and does not look iIcongruous or
absurd. In spite OF certain pettincss of de-
tail it has Il handsome general effect. duo to
good proportions 1t is modern in its generous
allowance of glass. but its granite piers and
lintes are evidently strong enough to allow of
even larger and more numerous openings.
The great apartment buildings on Fifty ninth
street and Seventh avenue. of which Hubert,
Pirr5on Co. are the architects. resemble Mr..
Posts gigantic construction on Broad street in
that they are built in separate masses connect
Ell by covered courts aud imposing gatoways.
Finally there have sprung up within
few years great number of Office and ware
house buildings which. though perfectly plain.
have many of the good constructive poculiar-
ties OF tho houses just described. and conse-
quently nave some share OF what Is admirable
in their appearance. A fair example OF these
Is the building from which our contemporary.
the World. is issued.
The new Produce Exchange. In Bowling
Green. is conceived in much noblcr spirit
than any of the new buildings that we have
sol far noticed. The clumsness OF its terra
Gotta mouldings and capitals and bulls
hoads and prows of vessels. all wofuly
out OF scale. hardly detracts from the fine
Impression produced by its three super
posed rows OF semcircular arches, dimin~
ishing in size toward tho top. The proper
Al