New-York tribune., 1895-02-14
DECORATIONS AND BUILDINGS
EXHIBITION OF THE ARCHITECTURAL
LEAGUE.

oii .ac. ,,rof
gallery is the largest of the five filled by this Or
,a,iza,io, -, tho Fine Arts building. and thai IN
.tt. ,,os. snacious room the walls and numerous
scroors are we'll covered with designs ior oiii"sS'
d., afer one has ,raversed the hTSt lour gaieres
,,s ,tir cartoons of mural paintings and stained
r,ass and has glanced at the examples or sculpture
ord annled art which adorn these rooms ana seen
' "- ,.n more vitality is revealed in them than
In Tho architectural display proper he easily reaches
rho conclusion stated above. The impression IS or
= miscellaneous exhibition in which the decorative
interest predominates
Tho League did not begin IN this way. ]; was
,ounded for the Advancement OF architecture. ana
rbue all that contributes TO the enrichment of that
ar. should find a place in the League exhibitions
Il is nevertheless desirable that they should pr'-
marily illustrate the structural deveiopmeht oI
building In America Possibly the excuse oiiered
this year would be that the architects had fttie or
nothing 10 send. The proportion OF good interest,"
ING work IA the collection Of designs shown ior 'he
first time at the Fine Arts galleries Yes'eiua9 -
lamentably small There Is but one new ihpu'se
TO recognize. but one new Tre along Wh'o" ''e 49,.
nronoise Of much excellent work In addition 10 tia'
already accomplished or projected on pape' p,,a
is the revival Of the Academic architecture y"Ia
% ,oodern France the architecture or 'he f.00'o
des Beaux-Arts and of Paris. MI fiass nc ,,,,,o
effective things with II IN MS "a a,1
building for the Scribners. more ,, a'' ,,,av
marc elegant design than his too schoai', 49,. ~
. C.rooran gallery Of art. Mcssrs Carreie
a Hastings have employed 1t to admraoie pun
pose In No 276. their design FOR s'',' wy ,ha,
and its influence appears IN M'a' 10 ..ot ,,,
rather doubtful Life building anu IL III w
more doubtful City Hall for paterson. i"ese
latter buildings just fall short Of the ehee' 0. u,N
ord finish which is essential 10 the true uhioiu'"s
., sucb ideas as their designers have sought 10
exnress The treatment or the upper S'oi'o W
Tho roof in the Life building Is one OF 'ne "e"n
90. performances of firm which has before th's
cornice. and the larger windows III the ,''y nan
I'll. ,ho .,xvor to the same building. are lacking IN
,or,o,v IN charm in apposeness one can see'
however that Messrs Carrere n Hastings "e'e
irving for a very winning effect IN THESE pu''u"s'
one feels that from the disposition OF mucn q r'Ie
clever detail. and 1t is deploraoe ''a' ,"eS ,,a;r
h.ve moved as freely and successfully am" 'ne,'
a,ec,,,ies as they have done in the handsome pr
vate residence alluded TO just no"
The French influence which couhts I"' - ~ ~
tn their work is also at the bottom or 'le "V'
presented in No 2s0 by Messrs Howard 'u'u
VOL. hut these architects have tempered 'he lo''''
character of their design by impartins hsn'nesS
d oven ,ivacitv 10 the articulation of the Duiid-
ing 70 the arrangement Of its windows uoo's anu
caneral outlines. and If they are academic III '"''
,hev are also individual and elastic That boh 'eSe
,irtues belong 10 them they show even more point
edlv in their design for Hawthorne Rldse' d VIVA
in tennessee Here they suggest the French manor
and the colonial dwellings Of America in an eclectic
design which leaves on the whole. fresh anu en-
gaging impression. Intrinsicay. the element "h''"
in all the buildings just mentioned save th's oh''
seems to hint of a new development. a growing
movement, is dignifed. artistic ana hne IL IS aiso
of much relative interest. l. inspires surmise as
70 how far the example Of the Italian Renaissance
will recede before the more aggressive charac'erS
tics native to French schools. At present IL Is I'M
possible to answer the question with any deeree
Of fairness The new motive has not yet been gwen
al In TO NJ
done on the basis of decorative and picturesque
qualities spite of the fact that 1t can even DE
profitably invoked in the aid Of design otherwise
Italian as in the pretty little library proposed LOT
Troy by Messrs. Parrish Schroeder In NO. oos'
In snte of all this II may eventually give way TO the
simplicty and refinement of the styles we have been
grating on American architecture from Italy. But
this has still TO be decided At least the tfiai VIII
prove exhilarating to the student
To turn 10 familiar problems in this eNhoiton'
settled by reference to familiar styles, is not IN
the least to be exkilarated On the contrary II Is
10 be depressed. The good work of an important
nature. after that which has already peen touch"I
upon. is concentrated in the two monumental
structures shown by Messrs. Mchlm Mead
White their agricultural building from the Fair ana
the new State House for Rhode Island in the rail-
road building designed by c. T. II. Gilbert: in the
Carnegie Music Hall and Library erected IN PITTS
burg by Messrs Alden q Harlow Inc hrst
OF these buildings has often been admired IN this
nal WAS
great raised at Chicago one OF when te
disappearance Is most TO be regretted, ior IL had
grace and picuresaueness. 1t appears now beauti-
fully sketched in color The Rhode Island bulidlne
is less interesting perhaps less charming; but II Is
majestic in its massive erect and is impressive by
virtue OF its great purity OF style IN r nod 6ecamse
1t Is simple. 1t comes perlously near De being com
monplace also. and would not under all circum-
stances attract attention but in the present dreary
gathering its refinement shines BY contrast SIN
liar judgment is provoked by the Pittsburg Music
lacking
at any rate In good taste. T. H. RandaiIs musc
ity. IL Grows upon acquaintance and is even more
plausible than upon its first appearance under
though tho % eonsiderabie further might be found TO
in praise of the architectural wing Of this eXhDi-
ton. and. indeed, there must always be applause
for the work that is being done IN the count rgb by
sturgis & Cabot. Robertson & Manning, A;
Page Brown, and one or two others But WORD OF
the obligation remaining to reviewer of the mass
Of work @ under pos For the huge T
on paper, by Messrs. Hardenbergh. Bruce Price.
fsss cies 6 ana ass.
Harder. there can only be the most discouraged
5Rsks ps tnf an SSs
Mr. Hardenbergh Is agreeable enough when he Is
in the English style; Mr., Price is prepossessing IN
his small building for the New-Hayen1 Historical
colonial spirit. But when these architects attack
few Of the dessneTs in the galleries
who do not join them in their dlscomil,ure ni,a
All tnlnBS consluereu, tne League idiiS peio" itS
own standard this year. in SO far as it's archi-
tectural exhibit In concerned II has gathered to-
gether better collections Of working drawings and
perspectives in the past and it ought not to have
been diverted from It's accustomed rule by en-
thusiasm for decorative effect. That effect. as
realized in the three galleries not devoted to archi-
tectural drawings may be discussed in detail at
another time For the present 1t may be said
that the rooms well arranged and yield much
pleasure on minute examination of their con-
tents There is great deal OF sculpture. Philip
siaruny. Karl Bitter. Frederick Macmonies. r. r.
Smith and several others are represented. Messrs
vneauer, Cox. Bashfeld Reid. Maynard Clarke
Wilson ana Curran have sent mural decorations
ana ana there are designs for stained glass by Malt
and the Tiffany Company There are The usual
groups OF book-covers and minor decorative pro-
1ects; there Is an occasional example OF purely
pictorial art and furniture, with iron work and
other objects OF II dustral and applied art arc
sufficientIy Illustrated. In one room Mr. Plat
offers an eXceedinsly delightful haii-hour to the