Evening star., 1894-04-12

the constant changes in the heads of the
| departments, all combine to form cumber-
| some and uneconomical method of doing
| business. The frequent changes in the ad-
| ministration Of the office cause delay Cd by
| the time necessary for the new chief to
familiarize himself with the official routine
and C2) by the new incumbent's remodeling
| buildings and plans; frequently new plans,
| not always conducive to improved arrange
| ment or design, are made. Such changes are
| always the cause OF considerable delay and
! Increase in the cost OF construction ard
architects service, the new architect wish
ing. naturally. to put his impress on the
| work. All the large buildings have been
changed in this way as they progressed.
Some have been completely redrawn several
times. and in other instances, large por-
/ tions, IL not whole Stories have been pulled
| down to please the fancy of a new in
| cumbent"
Lack Of a Unity.
| 1.-The division of labor in the supervising
architects office does not tend to produce
the best outcome. The head Of the Office
has his time occupied principally in routine
work, signing documents interviewing and
being interviewed by the Secretary and
members of Congress and their constituents
The designing and construction of govern
ment buildings is practically done by subor-
dipates because the supervising architect
himself has no time to give to these, the
most important duties pertaining to his Of
fee.
1.-The designer does not have precedence Of
the chief constructor, but, vice versa. the
constructor is in charge of the draughting
room where the designing is done, while the
chief clerk, the acting supervising architect
In the absence of that officer, has been for
years neither an architect nor an engineer,
but an accountant or a lawyer. The divis-
| ions work independently of each other and
the supervising architect has no time to SUI
pervise them. Finally, the local superinten-
dent is in no way interested IN carrying out
the design or construction; he is TO all prac-
| tical purposes responsible only to his Con-
gresham and interested only In having the
work last as long as possible. The men
who actually design the building and devise
| the construction nave no direct control or
influence over the man who is supposed to
be carrying out their ideas. How different
is this case from that OF the private architect
who designs the building, devising, working
into ana harmonizing with the design the
principal constructive and utilitarian fea-
lures, and at the same lime acting per-
sonaly the principal superintendent
The designer in the latter case acts as the
chief constructor and supervisor.
Stock Designs.
| There has been quite a tendency to du-
plicate drawings. using those which have
been prepared for one location for buildings
which are situated in some other section Of
the country. This is unfortunate alike for
good design, construction and comfort, as
all these points are and should be more or
less influenced by the character Of the site
One of the committee on public buildings
and grounds told of building where an ex-
cavation was made twenty feet into solid
rock only to be filled UP with rubble mason
ry, because the plan Of a building was used
which was originally prepared for a foun-
dation on made ground
| "One of the supervising architects intro
| duced q nf ion for Il
tails, very suggestive of stock galvanized
iron ornaments. Although the supervising
architect has a notice of a year or more III
each case which II could give to the prepa-
ration and careful consideration of the de-
sign for his buildings, still under the sSs-
/ TEN of doing work the design is usually left
until the last moment and this the most
| important part for the general public, is
/ finished in a few days, very much TO the
| detriment of the building and its effect as
an educative example for the people"
Private and Public Designs.
| BY a series Of illustrations of important
buildings throughout the country, designed
10th by government and private architects,
the writer seeks to show the difference in
the attractiveness and dignity of the de-
signs. Mr.. Brown states that the designs
| chosen for illustration ''have not been Sc
lected for their poverty, but simply because
they Were of the number of which i lad
!
pared with the private buildings in the list
AS a matter of fact, think several of the
! buildings were designed during the most
successful period Of the supervising archi-
| tect's Office, and in looking at the views in
connection with the private buildings one
may consider that they are comparing a
few of the good private buildings with the
best era in the supervising architects Of
fee After 1885, designs show a decided de-
terioration, as will be seen by the views
shown of designs made in the supervising
architects Office during the years 1856. lSSS,
1890. 1891, 1892 Some Of these designs
would properly find place among your list
of alterations: there is not one of them
which has points that would commend il to
any one of good taste.
II feel constrained TO call attention to
some excellent work which has been done
| in Washington by private architects. First
the Capitol. than which there are few, IL
any, more imposing buildings in the world.
The dome i3 a thing of beauty. of which
you are constantly catching glimpses, and
which, no matter when or where seen,
never fails to send a thrill of pleasure
through one. The dgnified proportions and
refined detail Of the whole never pail upon
you; while the War. State and Navy De-
partment, designed in the supervising archi-
tect's office (by special act of Congress), is
distressing in its small masses apparently
jumbled together, small columns, small win
dows awkward mansard roof, and coarse
meaningless details. Compare this with the
Treasury Department building, designed by
a private architect py speciai act OF Con-
gress.
| Crude and Awkward.
"Take the Post Office Department build
ing, designed years ago, a good example Of
classical building. simple. yet refined. 1t
has been suggested that this building be
ruined by the addition of several incon-
gruous stories and a monstrous roof. Com
pare this with the new post office which
has a decided western aggressiveness in its
whole appearance that Is intensified by its
prominent central tower. The treatment Of
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