The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-13
ARTISTS IN BUILDING.
Points of Professional Ethics
Among Architects.
STANDARD OF THE ART RISING.
Two New Wholesale Blocks On Main
Street-Plans for New PfosbyteriAn
church -Collins' Block.

The West Seattle school competition has
for some time been tho principal topic of
conversation among architects, and no
little amount Of i'll feeling has been en-
gendered through the publication of opin-
ions as to the fairness Of that competition.
These opinions have all como from those
architects who submitted plans for the
schooihouse, and an expression from some
other source affords a measure of relief.
Architect w. 2. Skillings. in discussing
the question of competitive plans. spoke
as follows:
During the past two weeks there has been con-
siderable controversy In the newspapers about
the method of awarding the contract for draw
ing plans for the West Seattle school, and a. the
firm of which am . member did not enter Into
the competition, trust it will be considered
that enter the discussion at this time per.
fectly uuprejudiced and unbiased, and inter-
ested only in expressing my views from .
professional standpoint on architectural prac-
rice in general
1t Ia fact much deplored among architects
practicing in the West that they do not receive
the consideration for their services that 10 &C.
corded to their brothers in the East This may
be partly due TO the fact that in a new country.
where customs and habits are not settled. men
OF all trades and professions find it easier to
form connections and get business than In an
older community where q man must Do well
known to be worthy of trust before confidence
is placed In him. There is, therefore. more
temptation for men who are deficient in their
calling and unable to bring to . satisfactory
conclusion matters the responsibility Of which
they are eager to assume, to try their chances in
q new country. Such men have been the cause
of much undeserved criticism upon the whole
profession.
There 10 no class or profession which should
be more cherished or protected by . community
than its architects And especially il this true
as regards our new and rapidly growing Western
cities. Those OF IN who are confined BY our
business at homo for the greater part of the
time are apt to forget that the great centen Of
population in the East are growing rapidly
and improving wonderfully In their develop
ment We lose our standards of comparison,
but the people who come to visit us, to see for
themselves our great opportunities and re-
sources and to invest their money in our enter
prises, are those who were acquainted with the
fine buildings of the great cities Of the East,
and the first and greatest impression made on
them is by our streets. our business blocks and
our homes, for which the citizens and the archi-
tects are responsible. They have standard by
which they can measure our progress and
achievements and give US our due need Of ap-
probation or censure.
Never before in the history Of this country was
the standard of architecture set 90 high, ana
never were true artistic principles spreading
moro rapidly or terminating more fruitfully
than at present The government has already
recognized that its methods of erecting public
buildings are essentially wrong and the house
and senate committee appointed to investigate
the matter has reported that, while in Europe
public buildings rank higher In merit than
buildings erected for private uses, In America
the il true, and in the last decade it has
happened that the public buildings have been
steadily deteriOrating and the private buildings
steadily improving in beauty and excellence
Therefore bill has been drafted. which will
probably become a law, opening to competition
the public buildings throughout the country,
and this, with the impulse and incentive to cor.
rect taste in architecture which the magnificent
examples at the Columbian exposition will give.
bids fair to render the last years OF the century
q most notable period.
Our cities aud our citizens ought in every way
to foster the growth Of the right artistic spirit
among the local architects. They should b
careful in discriminating between trained men
of judgment aud capacity and the camp follow.
ers People should choose their architect a. they
do their doctor or their lawyer, with desire to
get the services of the most expert in his profess
sion, and not the man who will perform his
work at the cheapest price and in the cheapest
way.
The regular scale of charges adopted by all
reputable architects 10 per cent. upon the cost
of the work. divided up into portions of "a per
cent for plans, per cent for detailed drawings,
and IL per cent for superintendence This 10
the scale adopted by the American Institute of
Architects, 10 recognised In all professional
practice, and experience has demonstrated time
aud time again that careful, conscientious work
can not be obtained for less
In all cases where buildings are to be erected
of such i'm portance that IL Is deemed expodient
to throw them open TO competition in order to
obtain the best possible results. such COMPETE
ton should be arranged az to be perfectly
fair TO each competition, and in order to insure
this the terms and conditions of the competi-
ton should be explicitly determined and stated
and the award made by intelligent unbiased
Judges In cases where the work to be com.
peted for 10 of dif1cult nature or involving .
large expenditure OF money. the most fitting
and proper course for a committee having the
affair in charge would be to call in the services OF
some competent member OF the profession whose
Judgment it was felt could be relied on. and to
entrust him with the duties. first OF fixing upon
and formulating the conditions OF the COMPETE
ton, and then OF Judging which OF the competi-
tors had most successfully solved the problem
according to the conditions, and OF making a re-
port by which the committee might be fairly
and irtelligently guided
Com petitions not fairly conducted have Q
baneful effect which is widespreading in it, in
fuence. They lower the whole moral tone of
the community. Architects are taught that the
true standard of Judgment by merit is set aside,
since they are forced to submit their work to be
passed upon by men in whose capacity they
have no confidence, and strive to attain by in
fuence ana pull" that success which ought TO
be the reward OF hard study and WORK. The pub
lie ignorant of the true facts, accepts results at.
tanned by methods which would not be toler-
ated for an instant in any private transaction OF
business. and learns to class al practcing ar
chi,ects in the same category, and to consider
that their services should be remunerated ut the
lowest possible market price. as one would buy
q pound OF sugar or . ton of coal.
The Union Trust Company will this
week begin the erection OF one of the
handsomest brick blocks in the city on it's
property situated on the southwest corner
of South Second and Main stree,s The