Omaha daily bee., 1885-09-03
MENpELssoHN AND MYERS.

about the city hall plans emanatsd from
Mr.. Mendelssohn. Now we have no
longer any doubt. We know that Mr..
Mendelssohn and no other person could
have Inspired the uncsllsd for assault as
an architect, which has appeared In one
of our papers. Mr.. Mendelssohn came
to Omaha from Dstrolt and he has taken
II upon himself to show up Mr.. Myers
standing as an architect In that city.
His vaulting ambition to be regarded as
the peer Of any architect in America
leads him into an attempt to bellttle Mr..
Myers, by reciting what he has and
wn,t he has not done in De-
troit. Mi. Myers has only lived In
Detroit twelve years, and he has designed
only half q dozsn buildings In that city.
One of his designs, that Of q church, did
not give satisfaction. This wal a chspel
of Westminster Methodist church. 1t
Is true, says Mr.. Mendelssohn, that Mr..
Myers designed the Michigan state cspi-
tol at Lansing, but t hat was the FIRST and
almost the last that he was permitted to
do for the state Of Michigan. He was
given the plans fer the construction Of
the capitol, but was not permitted to
have the supsrlntsndence of the asylum,
This, indeed, Is q terrible a%rraIgnment!
But Mr. Myers will probably survive.
The slate of Michigan has had no occa.
sion to build more than one capitol, and
1t Is barely possible that just such
spiteful home talent as Mendelssohn
may hsve brought pressure to bear upon
the board which had charge of the erec-
ton of the Poniisc asylum. There Is
nothing dlscreditsble In the fact that Mr..
Myers has built only q dozen buildings In
Dotroit in twelve years. Myers is a
specialist On public buildings, and does
not pretend to compete with the second-
rate architects, who are simply engaged
In erectipg and designing private resi-
dencss and ordinary business houses. 1t
would not pay him to compete with that
class when he has a broader field
In public buildings. His standing in
Michigan Ia a great deal better than
that of Mendelssohn will be In Nebraska
If he keeps up this controversy. Mr..
Myers Is now building the city hall of
Grand Rapids. which Is the second city
of Michigan. He Is building the Texas
capitol, which Is to cost So. 600, 900, and
has jast been awarded the contract for
planning the capitol of Colorado to beerect-
ed In Denver. We Imagine that there Is
just as compstsnt architects In Den
yer as there is In Omaha. The Den
yer buildings are superior to any In
Omahs, but the state board of public
buildings In Colorado gave Mr.. Myers
the preference over home talent, because
they have confidence In HIS ability, which
has been proven in the erection of the
Denver court house. If Mr.. Mendelu-
sohn had lived In Denver he would prob
ably have sought to prevent the selection
of Meyers.
Now it is extremely unhiud and IN
professional in Mr.. Mendelssohn to assail
Mr.. Myers In such a back.handed way.
Mr.. Myers did not force himself upon
Omaha. BIS plans for the court house
were given preferences over the ginger
bread picture drawn by MI. Mendelssohn
and the decision Of the commissioners
has the approval of all dlsinterested tax
payers. His admirable work on the
court house justified Councilman Good.
rich, chairman OF the committee required
to select the plans, In inviting Mr..
Myers to submit outline plans for the
city hall providing he took the risk of
their adoption. Mr. Myers has ample
patronage outside of Omaha, but TIL,
city will be fortunate In securing the SER
vlcss of q man Of his ability.
OF all the architects In Omaha Men
dels.ohn should have been the last to at
tempt to bellttle Mr.. Myers. MI. Men
delssohn came here from o Detroit arohi-
teot's off, e, and II Mr.. Myers was spite
full he might ask of what great and costly
buildings In Detroit was Mendelssohn
the architect. Certainly no archltec. In
Omaha has received more generous treat
ment than Mr.. Mendelssohn. While he
was only reputei to bsa skilled drauehts-
before he cane here, he has almost
at one bound forced himself to the front
a frst-clsss architect. He has Jared
very fortunately In his rivalry with other
Omaha architects. Through his a%ssocia-
tion with Mr.. Dufrene he csme into
prominence, and was given prefer
ence over competitors. He has now
more business than he can properly at
tend to, sni should have been content to
let we'll enough slone. He was only re-
awarded the contract for the beard
OF trade building over others who claim
to have pres ,nted batter plans, and to.
day the board is hsmpsrsd In Its tffor:s to
raise the money for the chamber Of oom.
merce on account Of the alleged favorite.
Ism shown to him. With all this Mr.,