The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-09
LET THE ARTISTS DECIDE.
The Most Artistic Building
in Town.
WHICH ONE OF ALL is IT?
Twenty Experts Will Mans Their Choice and
the Majority Of the Votes Cast Will
Show What Is What.

In order to fac some standard of architec-
tHrat beauty an San francisco, If any can be
found la ou, midst, "Ihe Coitv ,cRl ask BY
letter the opinions Of ttce,ity leading artists
on tc,ot they consider the most artistic busi-
ness building in this city. No reference to
government buildings of any sort is to be
made. The vote tciH be interesting, because
of ride range of discussion on the point
that has been going euer since the intro
duction here Of the ne,c style Of architecture
and Of the buildings knocn as "sky-
scrapers."
The handsomest business building in San
Francisco.
Which Is itP
Many new and handsome buildings have
been erected in this city in the past few
years.
The discussion as to which is the finest of
all has been going on for some time
II like the Smith building BEST" says one.
sine Jones building is my choice" says
another.
"FOr artistic beauty give mo the Brown
building" says third.
And so it goes.
Many are a unit in favor of the Croker
building.
Others can see no beauty in 1t and declare
for the First National Bank, the Mills, or
the Hibernia Bank.
Still others declare the artistic minds are
all off and that it is the Pacific Mutual or
the Academy of Sciences.
Do we of the barbaric West know fine
building when we see itp
Perhaps we don't.
If ms Hon'f haf ic ~ In
Schlegel says: Architecture is frozen
music"
How about thatP Are not some Of us
willing TO make CONCEALED quarter-notes of
brick smokestaeks and stone piles il they
happen to be filigreed over and strike us as
imposing?
We are-it is true.
There is no doubt that-still keeping in
mind the Schegel view of it-some CT the
snowy architecture we see On our streets is
the Listen to the Mocking. Bird" in the
building line, played fortissimo.
1t is certainly trashy enough and loud
enough.
Like William Dean Howells' ''Silas Lap
ham," some of our new rich, with their no.
tions of what building should be. make a
good architect shudder.
IueIe is altogether LOO iEucI sualu III Gan
Francisco architecture.
Why, people put cornces on their houses
that take up as much room as the top
stories. And they actually build towers
without windows. As if a tower were
good for anythng unless it could be looked
out OF from the inside. The "Eastlake"
ab0mination was responsible for that. but
| thank heaven that craze is nearly over.
Now the millwork craze is on.
| IF there is anything in the world that i
unartistlc," said an artist yesterday, sit is
| the flagree that is put on the front Of new
| San Francisco houses"
! He might also have added the fancy
arches, the finals and the crestng.
We certainly are going it rather wildly In
| architecture.
| Let us have somebody establish some
| standard IDEAS for rs.
simplicity and harmony" you ask
Possibly, out do we know what simplicity
and harmony are?
let the artists tell that
What Is the tlands0mest business building
In San Francisco, independent Of public
edifcesp
This question will be put by THE CALL
to twenty leading artists.
Their answers on the subject ought to
settle the whole discussion. At least the
majority Will, and then we, who do not
know, will be made to know what artistic
architecture really is.
For obvious reasons the architects will
not be asked 10 vote on the question.
1t would be like the election of Sheriff at
Yankton-3O0 candidates, and single vote
for each man.
The artists-they are the ones to decide
the question as to whether red brick and