The record-union., 1893-01-31
HE COULD DRAW.
How Church Committees are Often
Led to Choose an Architect.

low Church Committees are Often
Led to Choose an Architect.
In an interesting article in the current
number of the EAgHeeriHq lIq0uzj1e.
Bernard McEvoy writes as follows:
Building committees are too often at the
mercy of tricky schemers and ''fakers >
There are so-called architects who Law
themselves out to delUde this cllss OF
clients. The writer well remembers an
instance of this kind. In the course of n
visit to friend living in city that NAV
be called Boardville, his host happened
to mention that he was member Of a
church building committee, and one
evening he begged to be excused in order
to attend a committee meeting A great
New ork architect was coming to sub
init plans for the new church. NV host
returned home delighted with the New
Yorker.
He's a fine fellow" said NV host.
you should hear him talk. He has the
building at his finger-ends, and speaks of
the smallest details as though he loved il.
Such undoubted ability! Such mastery
He has planned church that will be the
gem OF the city, and after looking at his
drawings one can understand one very
striking remark he made"
''What was that?''
"Oh, he said it had been the dream of his
life to build church like that-the dream
OF his life. L like to see man so ear
nest and enthusiastic. | am going to vote
for him, and so are more than half of the
rest of the committee"
So the enthusiastic architect was chosen.
1t was only when it was found that the
lowest builders estimate that could be
obtained for the building of the church
was 30 per cent. more than the architects
estimate, and also that after the work had
been begun very important changes in
construction had to be resorted to in or
der to make ;he building safe. that this
genius began 10 be worShiped with a less
adoring homage. Moreover, the church
was found to look very much less impos-
ing in reality than 1t had in the drawings.
in which advantage had been taken OF
every trick of dranghtsmanship and
shading to produce an effective tout en-
| semble.
Two years later the writer was invited
| to pay a visit to relative at. we will say.
Grandeioue. Strangely enough his host
upon this occasion was also a member of
church building committee. He. too.
was absent one evening at a committee
meeting, and on his return the writer
was surprised to find that the identical
New York architect before mentioned
had been Interviewing the committee.
well, does the architect meet your
views?" said the visitor.
EXACTLY. He is a very fine fellow;
Iedlly IL IGtndIhdUle Hldlly sdlu Inc most
impressively.
Indeed? ?"
Yes. Such mastery of his subject.
You should hear him! He is thorough
genius. He says it has been the dream of
his life to build a church like the one he
proposes, but he has never had the op-
portunity until now"
He had quite taken the committee cap
tive by his pretty drawings and his elo-
quent talk. He was, in fact, clever
drummer who could draw. He under
/ stood next to nothing of scientific con-
! struction. rarely made a calculation as to
strains and stresses, put in deep shadows
in his drawings where there was no
varied outline in the profile Of the build
| ing itself to justify ii, and drew attractive
| figures in the foreground, which, by their
ridiculously small comparative size, ele-
! waited the fictitious edifce on paper into
grand proportions. When he got hold of
a building committee he conquered them
! by his clever readiness and tiattered them
in a way that his exquisite perception of
! character rendered possible. He was a
swindler of the deepest dye, and ii must
/ be confessed with regret that he was but
| the representative of a class