St. Paul daily globe., 1895-10-06
THOSE NEW PLANS.
TALK WITH EXPERT ARCHI-
TECT WHEELWRIGHT ABOUT
ARCHITECTURE.
A HINT FOR THE PUBLIC.
THEY MUST NOT JUDGE EVERY
THING BY THE DRAW
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER.
Poorest Plan in This Series Ret
ter Than the Best in the
Former.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER.

turned to his home in Boston. Mr..
Wheelwright put in several days
carefully going over the forty-one
designs. He studied the plans less,
so far as their general appearance
was concerned, than he did in regard
to the detail of each and the possi-
bilities which each promised. Just
what his reports to the commission
were, as explained at the several
meetings which they held, is known
only to themselves. On his arrival
in Boston he will put his ideas on
paper, and, returning to st. Paul
after the time allowed for the pub
lie to view the plans, will submit
| his work to the commissioners. Mr..
| Wheelwright has been working en-
tirely in the dark as to the men
| whose work he has been studying.
He has simply had just so much be-
| fore him, and it has been his aim
to choose what will prove to be the
designs for the finest capitol build
ing in the United States. Con-
scientious to a degree, as Mr.. Sea-
bury said to a reporter for the
G | o b e some time ago, there is no
doubt but that his recommendation
will be those which he has become
thoroughly convinced are the best.
AS to his judgment, his national rep
utation vouches for that.
Before starting for the East, Mr..
Wheelwright discussed architecture
in general and the new plans in par
ticular with reporter for the
G O b e, being careful, however, to
draw sharp line as to just how
much he should say about them at
this time. He did say the plans are
much superior to the former series,
in fact the least meritoriouS in the
present series, he thinks, is the equal
of the most meritoriouS one in the
former series. He also gave the
G l O b a hint for the people who go
to look over the plans which will be
on exhibition in the Mannheimer
building for two weeks beginning
next Monday. This, in brief, is that
the design which is the most pleas
ing to the eye on paper, must not be
supposed to be the one which, If fol-
lowed in construction, would make
the finest building from an archi-
tectural point of view.
Speaking of American architects,
Mr.. Wheelwright said their capa-
bilities were shown in the compar-
ative merit of the designs presented
in this competition.
"It is not necessary" said Mr..
Wheelwright, that the designs
themselves should be made the basis
of comparison, but rather what ar
| chitect shows the greater
capabilities. 1t is very seldom that
any design, selected in competition
or not, is eventually carried out.
Certain necessities and changes in
programme arise, and it is neces-
sary to meet such altered conditions
of the problem as may be suggested
| on close confidential relation of ar
chitect and client. Any design will
probably be very much altered if
the author is given the opportunity
of personal contact with the COM
miSSionerS.
Zone very marked case comes to
my mind" continued Mr.. Wheel
wright; that of Trinity church,
Boston, one of the most noted works
of Richadrs. While the plans in the
main were carried out as originally
drawn, the external treatment gives
it place as one of the greatest works
of the century. The casual observ-
er, perhaps not even the profession
al, would notice the change except
in the general broad distribution of
the plan from that indicated in the.
drawing. 1t is hardly possible that
any design in this case will be fol-
lowed without some radical changes
which study may develop.
Judgment of the plans should be
based on the merits of the designs.
What is most important is the Sc
lection of an architect, not a design.
One point the people who go to look
over the plans should bear in mind,
and that is that originality in monu-
mental architecture is apt to be bad
architecture. The motives possible
in a combination of form of monu-
mental architecture, in building
capped by dome, is necessarily
restricted. Subtlety and refinement
in massing and refinement and
scholarly treatment in detail are
those that conform to the accepted
ideas of a massive whole.
'It would not be improper for me,
1 think, to mention that, in looking
at a set of plans, people should bear
in mind that in any sketch, started
without institutional competition,
the earliest efforts would be tenta-
tive, and that the ultimate plans
would be very different from those
originally presented by the archi-
tect for consideration. In general it
would be also proper for me to say
that this competition, as compared
with the last designs submitted.
show a much higher quality of work,
taking all into consideration, and
that the designs i'm this series which
l think have the last worth on the
whole have qualities which would
| meet the requirements of the state
building better than a building con-
structed after the best plans in the
former competition
Mr.. Wheelwright was asked if
there We're any capitol buildings in
| the United States in which the archi-
| lecture was particularly strong:
so far as 1 know" he replied.
there is no constructed capitol build
ing worthy of any slavish copy for any
building which may be built in the
future. The architecture of the future
promises to be much higher than that
Of the past This is due to the
| greater proficiency and skill of the
architects of this country. the more
subtle adjustment of their plans. and
the better training which they have re-
ceived. Many of the leading arcbi-