Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-25

Members of the Institute Advocate the
Competitive system.

Statements made by officials of the SUPER
vising architects Office indicate that under
the present administration of the office.
at least, II is hardly likely that the policy
recommended by the Institute of Architects
to allow local architects to enter into COM
petition for the plans of government build
ings will be carried out. At the last ses-
sion of Congress a law was passed author
izing the Secretary of the Treasury in his
discretion to allow such competition.
1t is likely a committee from the Ma
tional Institute of Architects will visit this
city soon to endeavor to have the law put
in force The law was passed mainly
through the efforts of the national insti-
tute and according to the declarations OF
the Institute, was designed to secure for
the government buildings of better and
more appropriate designs than result from
the system now in vogue. All designs OF
buildings erected by the government
throughout the country are prepared IN the
Office of the supervising architect of the
treasury. AS rule the persons selected
for this place are competent architects.
but such is the mass of administrative de-
| tails that must be attended to that 1t Is
claimed the supervising architect has prac-
ticaiiy no time to devote to designing and
so al this important work is necessarily
left to the employees under him. While
| the subordinates in the office have been and
are row many of them men of ability, yet
the position taken by the Institute of Archi-
| tects is that the best results cannot be OBJ
tanned under such system.
After the bill became a law a committee
| from the institute came to this city and
| had an interview with Secretary Carlisle
| and they say they understood from him
| that he was in favor Of putting the law
| into execution. Mr.. Burnham, who is the
| director of works of the Chicago exposition,
| is the president of the institute, and asso-
ciated with him are many well-known ar
| chiteets.
| They are anxious to see the law put into
| operation and have expressed their willing
ness. in order to give the law fair test, 10
enter any competition that they may be In
| vited to go in, although they ere aware
that under the law no compensation will be
paid except to the one whose design Is &C
cepted.
Members of the institute in this city say
that the supervising architect, Mr.
O'Rourke does not seem to be friendly to the
law. The terms of the law were made
general so that at the Treasury Department
the details of plan could be worked out
, Members of the institute, however, expires:
the opinion that ultimately the opposition
| to the law will be overcome by the popular
demand for the best type of architecture IL
the public buildings that the talent Of thi
| country produce. 1t is thought tina
there is no other way of bringing this abou
: than by giving the leading architects of tn
country an opportunity to make designs
1t is claimed that the public taste in sue
matters has been strongly influenced b.
I the types of architecture of the worlds fai
s buildings, and that the influence of world
y fair architecture will be seen in the publ
buildings to be erected all over the country
What is Said Mt the Treasury.
: Mr.. kemper, the acting supervising al
chitect, is quoted as saying:
1T does not seem to me likely that tn
Secretary will take advantage Of the di:
!. | erection allowed him by the law in callin
e in the services OF outside architects to
t designing work for the Treasury Depar
: ment. The only advantage that woul
arise from such a course would be a poss
bility of getting much better design
through competition. In the small post o
II fees and court houses which form the bul
h OF the work Of our drafting departmei
s. there would be but little advantage game
n The only possible benefit would arise
the case of big buildings. like the city po
Office in this city, costing millions. The II
creased cost to the department Of putin
out the small work would be just the a
n ditional cost for paying the local architec
is for designing work, as We would still ha'
- to keep up our drafting force here to
very large extent. No, l do not think tn
there is much likelihood of the Secretary
taking advantage of the law