Evening star., 1886-07-17
THE CAPITOL TERRACE.
Mr. Fred. Law Olmsled Protests Against
Putting Windows i'm the Wall.

AS stated in THE STAR, members Of the
Senate committee on appropriations nave
| stricken from the sundry civil bill the proposed
appropriation for carrying the work on the
| Capitol terrace, because they desired to have
| the existing plan changed so to provide tor
windows in the west front TO afford light and
ventilation to the rooms which it is proposed
| to place inside the terrace walls. The Senators
objecting to the existing plan do not think that
the windows opening upon the interior court
| will be sufficient.
Mr.. Fred. Law Olmsted, of New York, the
landscape architect who made the original
plans, has written a letter to Senator Allison.
chairman of the Senate committee on appro-
pria,1ons, in which, after referring to the
original design OF the Capitol building, MIR.
Olmsted says:
"Now, as to the construction that is being
| ADDED to it, called the terrace it must not be
| supposed that this has been designed with the
slightest idea of amending or re-organizing or
over-rulng the original design OF the building.
| Ii has not been intended to make a more inn
portant feature of the cellar part of the build
ing to bring tout OF ground or TO light it. Had
| there been any such purpose; had Congress
asked 1or plan tor any such purpose very
different plan would have been devised for it
| from that OF the terrace. Nothing whatever OF
what has thus tar been built OF the terrace
would have been proposed.
what, then, was the object of the terrace?
The answer may be given in this way. Here is
great and costly building, the greater part of
the cost OF which has been directed TO the pur-
pose of producing a certain impression on the
nllnuS OF tnOSe looking towards Ii, and i'm
preston that should be associated with ideas of
the strength and majesty OF a great nation.
There is nothing more necessary to a successful
realization of such purpose I'm a building, than
that II should seem to stand rn,iy. that its base
should seem to be immovable. There is IA
difficulty in making as strong an impression in
this respect as is desirable, when an eXtraordi-
nar1ly massive structure is placed, as in the
case OF the Capitol. hanging upon the
brow OF hill. The object of the terrace
was to more effectually overcome this diff
Guilty. How was it TO be accomplished?
1t was proposed TO be accomplished by setting
strong wall into the face the hill i'm front of
the foundations of the building; that is to say,
In front OF its cellar walls. Such outer wall,
| 1t was calculated, would have the effect upon
upper side looked liable to settle toward the
down hill side. Every dollar thus far spent on
with 1T, has been spent on the supposition that
this calculation was soundly made. Ii it was
soundly made, then it will appear that the
opening OF holes in this wall would leave the
same effect as the opening of holes III a dam.
| 1t would make the building behind it look less
secure in it's foundations: less firmly based on
the down-hill side. Another way OF stating the
intended effect of the wall is that it would seem
| to overcome all tendency of the upper part OF
the hill to be squeezed out by the weight of the
great mass OF masonry above it.
Now, such wall being seen a short distance
in front of the cellar wall OF the Capitol, it is
OF no consequence with reference to the pur-
pose stated, whether the space between the
two is occupied by solid earth, or whether the
| earth is eXcavated, and in its place cross walls
1
walls to slip out would be resisted. The result
must be the samoa firmly reinforced base.
In this case the arrangement of cross walls has
been adopted, and it has been thought that an
advantage would be gained by making the
spaces between these cross walls available for
storage vaults, and in those parts where, under
| the old arrangement a sunken area had been
provided for the lighting of the cellar of the
main building, that the spaces SO gained should
be prepared IN a manner making them equally
suitable with the best OF the present cellar
rooms in respect to The requirements of liz 1t
and air. But the advantages to be gained in
this way have always during the ten years in
which the scheme has been under discussion
been presented as incidental advantages
simply, not as the main purpose.
With reference to this incidental purpose,
and more specially 10 the requirement OF addi-
tional committee rooms, the committee on put
lie buildings and grounds was asked to say how
many additional well-lighted and ventilated
| rooms were desirable. The answer was that
twenty would be enough. AS the plan stands
now twenty-elght rooms are provided for. Their
average is twenty-five by fifteen feet. Each
has at least one window opening upon the area
and the smallest of these windows measures
eight by eleven feet. There is a large door OPP
posite the window OF each room opening from
a spacious corridor, through which a thorough n
draft can be carried. The rooms would be
large, lofty, airy and well lighted