Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-09-14

must yet be erected. The selection OF
sites for them should not be left to the
shuttle cock imbecility of congressional
committees and corrupt lobbies.
For six years money has been avail
able in the treasury for the erection of
new government printing office.
Every year congressional committees
have considered the selection of site,
but lobbyists employed by real estate
owners have fought and scrambled
over the matter, and no site has been
selected. 1t never occurs to the states
men that a great public building should
be located with a view of its artistic
relation with other buildings of like
character in the realization of the true
artlstlc magniticence of the national
capital. One of these committees
passed resolution to place the govern
ment printing Office in Judiciary
square, adjacent to the city hall and
police court. There ought to be some
power in the land to control such mat
ters.
The capitol building stands upon the
brow of splendid eminence, and it's
situation gives much of its charm to
the exquisitely studied proportions of
the magnificent Legislative palace. The
artist from whose brain grew that Won
derful edifice undoubtedly appreciated
the advantages of the site, and consid-
cred the location as part of his de-
sign. The landscape gardener but full
filed the functions of his office in add
ing to the beauty of the building, just
as the stone masons fulfilled their func-
tions in making visible the thoughts of
the creator of the structure.
The artistic beauty and proportions
of the city can be marred, as stated be-
fore, by the incapacity and careless
ness of the future. AS an example,
an illustration of this assertion, the
editor of the American Architect called
attention to the fact that in the treas
ury, at the other end of Pennsylvania
avenue, we have a building little in
ferior to the capitol in simplicity and
beautiful proportion, and at least equal
to anything else of the kind in the
world. Somerset house, in London,
with which the treasury compares in
size. is far inferior in design, being
squat and broken; while the colonnade
of the Louvre, although longer than
the east side of the treasury and much
higher, is hardly more dignifed and
not so well proportioned. The white
house, next to the treasury, agrees
with it in scale and style, and is build
ing of which we have at least no reason
to feel ashamed; but here the architec-
ture of the first reservation ends; and
rs pendant to the treasury, of nearly
,he same size and occupying position
exactly similar on the other side of the
white house we find huge, fussy,
bulging carpenters creation of little
straddling porches, pavilions, dormers,
domes, roofs, pediments, chimneys and
trimmings of all shapes and sizes. Such
a building would be offensive enough
anywhere, but as balance to the
beautiful and quiet treasury it is re-
voting. The building itself is evidence
enough that its designer had no archi-
tectural feeling or training whatever;
but it is amazing that so wanton an in
suit to the symmetry and stateliness of
the front of the reservation should
have been carried out under the eyes Of
the principal officials of the govern
ment without objection.
There is an example of artistic care
lessness or ignorance. The man who
located the state, war and navy build.
ing, and designed it, paid no respect
whatever to the work OF the preceding