The Evening critic., 1884-09-09
ARCHITECTURE IN CITIES.


Washington Compares with Other
cities.
In recent conversation with connoisieur
on art and architecture a CRITIC reporter
was informed that the architecture of
Washington was generally to be commended
from an artistic view. The reporter,
although not at all surprised at this declara.
tion, yet possessed curiosity enough to in
quire upon what in particular the merits of
Washington architecture were based
"As a general thing" returned the con-
noisseur, you will find that architectural
work in Washington is honest. That is a
great thing to say of any city. think
that most Of tho cities Of this country have
been actuated by mania for sham. The
present renaissance in art Is in turn sweep.
ing away much Of this sham In other cit.
les. In this city there is not much of this
work to be done. What is here is mostly
honest"
What do you mean by work not hon
est" inquired the reporter. Rotten tim
bers or short.size bricks?"
No, no." replied tho other; az mean
sham or imitation. Now come to the win
dow and perhaps 1 can show you what
mean. There, for instance, Is a tall brick
building, nothing particularly striking
about 1t. 1t might pass for an ordinary
honest structure, not exactly an ornament
to the street and not at all Disagreement.
But its builder foolishly determined to
cover tho front with plaster and mark 1t
Off in squares to initiate stone. l don't
know whether he was foolish enough to
suppose that no one would detect the fraud,
but certain IL Is that to make his building
look like stone house was his aim. Now
that call dishonest work. He has covered
up what might have been otherwise a
worthy piece Of workmanship. By petty
device, clear to the merest child, he has
tried to mako his building look like one
costing twice as much. That work is not
honest. Such building will not grow
beautiful and ripen with time as a good
honest building should. 1t will show in a
few years that it is a miserable deception.
Already you see the plaster falling OFF in
patches, disclosing the bricks underneath.
The corners arc beginning to crumble and
disgrace is rapidly overtaking it,"
You evidently don't believe in plaster
ing the front Of a house." remarked the re-
porter.
"No, decidedly not. II you are going to
build brick house, build an honest one.
i-tb thClC 10 hOItHy WOIhulhUSUlD III Z,
and let the merit OF the work be seen.
You will deserve and receive credit il your
house is well built. If you can build a
stone house, let that be well built, but
| don't for the sake of honesty build brick
| house and try and make your neighbors
think it is q stone one. You will miserably
fail. am glad to say that we don't find
many Of these sham stone buildings in
Washington
what other shams does Washington ar
| chiteCture avoid?'
well, haven't noticed that the per-
nicious custom of granting has attained to
much extent here. I've noticed new
store front on the Avenue, where few
painters have thought to improve their
work by granting II in a way to initiate
maple. 1t deceives no one, thowever. We
can see easily enough that IL is not maple,
that 1t is only sham. In the eyes of some
this is beautiful, but in eyes ola lover of
truth and honesty in workmanship nothing
is beautiful that is not true. Graining is
the same to wood that plaster is to brick.
It's sham that may hide good work."
ANY more?"
Eyes, there's veneering, and happily that
has gone out of style, which is the only
reason why it is not employed. 1t is to be
classed with the rest as a sham and pre-
tense. The buildings of other cities, where
they have not felt the revivifying influence
Of the present awakening to the beauty Of
the True, are overloaded with silly aud
meaningless ornaments. do not fiud that
this is the case in this city. The orna-
mentation Of the buildings is generally in
taste. The buildings generally have a
character, and this character is strength
ened, and not destroyed, by the ornaments
upon the structure. The buildings erected
by the early residents, Duddington Manor,
for instance, have given the example for
succeeding builders, an example of honest,
conscientious and worthy work"