Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-28

should represent the highest advance made
in architecture The remarkable edueatin
infiuer ce which the high-ciass architecture
OF the worlds fair had upon public taste
is shown in part by the popular indorse-
ment which this movement in favor of i'm
proved architecture for public buildings has
received. Washington, with its attractions
OF art and beauty, ought to be further
adorned with the finest creations of the
architects skill.
The style of architecture for private resi-
dences in t!is city will be improved in the
presence of notable examples erected by
the government from the designs of the
best architects. While domestic architsc-
ture in this city can claim as a distinctive
feature a great variety of de sign. so that
there is a remarkable absence of the mo-
notcny which results from the erection of
rows of houses, one house being exactly
like the other, still there is no question but
that there is room for a great deal of i'm
provement. 1t is thought that there is too
great tendency at present toward the
erection of houses which have the appear
ance of costing a great deal more money
than is actually expended in their construc-
ton. This is accomplished by cheap imita-
lions of expensive building material, by
tawdry and excessive characterization, and
by sacrificing substantial construction to
outside show.
Adapted to the Climate.
This class Of house builders very much
resemble the man who has fifteen dollars
to spend for clothes and aims to purchase
garments that have the appearance of a
suit that is worth twice much. In order
to accomplish this economical result some
thing has to be. sacrificed, and in nine cases
out of ten IL is the material which suffers
that house that does not aim to appear to
be anything more than IL really is in the
end is more satisfactory to the owner than
one in which the opposite effect is produced
domestic
in this city can be improved, and that is in
the interior arrangement. adapted for
the climate of this locality. A house
that is not built with a view OF making
the occupants as comfortable as possible
in the warm weather is a failure. II NAV
lco ok pretty on the outside. People perhaps
may speak of 1t as handsome house, but
that is hardly a compensation to the I'M
fortunates who are subjected to the roast
ing process in summer and the freezing
process in winter.
The Height of Buildingn.
In this column few weeks ago attention
was called to the fact that there was no
building regulation which limited the height
of buildings. 1t was pointed out at the
time that the danger from high structures,
as we'll as the depreciation of adjoining
property, had resulted in Chicago; for ex-
ample. in the enactment of a regulation
prohibiting the erection of building
higher than $50 feet The Commissioners
have taken the matter up, and during the
past week they adopted an amendment to
the building regulations which is to the
effect that no building erected on a resi-
dence street shall exceed in height the
width of that street. and in no case should
IL be higher than ninety feet. On business
streets all structures are limited to no feet
in height. This latter elevation represents,
with few exceptions, the height of the tall
est building at present in this city. 1t
seems that this regulation is in line with
the policy Of making this city the hand
soonest in, the world. 1t has already OBJ
tanned that enviable distinction, and 1t is
believed that the tendency toward the erec-
ton OF sky-scrapsrs, II left unchecked.