The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-24
STATE HOUSE MATERIAL.

We are amazed at the introduction of
a resolution to build the new State
House OF granite and amused at the
sickness that it passed the Senate.
The material to be used in the mag
niiicent new Capitol is not, and should
not, be a snap judgment selection, and
to any one possessed of sense of humor
| the proposition TO make State govern
ment decide off-hand, after the question
of the Senate resolution, without dis
cussion, debate, or hearing, that granite,
or marble, or wood, or brick, or tin, or
anything else, is as absurd as for His
Excellenoy the Governor TO ask the
Supreme Court to rule that potatoes
shall grow six in the hill
And, while this resolution, rushed in
this way through the Assembly, is alb
surd, we think also that there are very
good reasons for not building the new
State House Of granite, or, indeed, OF
anything else but marble. The subject
has been thoroughly considered by the
State House commission, with the re-
suit OF arriving at this opinion, and we
guess, if the whole people of the State of
Rhode Island were to give the matter
attention, majority of them would
vote for marble.
In word, the design for the new
State House would, according to compe-
tent judges, look in nowise well in any
thing else but marble. The preference for
marble above granite is by no means
due to its lower cost, although that is a
consideration, too But the character of
the design seems to demand mar
ble for its expression and to
the exclusion of everything else.
Ii the General Assembly should
command the commission to build of
granite it is not only probable that
new set OF plans would have to be made
to bring the cost within the estimate
allowed, but, what is Of vastly more con-
sequence, new set of plans ought to
be made that should be suited to granite
construction, and the severe treatment
which that material suggests for the ac-
cepted design would never look well in
granite.
Indeed, we are inclined to the opinion
that a structure like State Capitol |
ought not to be designed for granite.
anyway. OF course, that is a matter
only of opinion, but the opinion is based |
on existing examples of this character of |
buildings. At all events, we guess the
architects Of the new State Capitol had |
marble very firmly fixed in their minds
before they made their plans, although
they were required to present estimates
for construction in Indiana lime
stone and Westerly granite, as
well as marble. We cannot
conceive, however that they could have
designed set of plans that would have
been successful if they had undertaken
to get up something that would have
looked just as we'll in one kind of build.
ing substance as another.
In this connection, we are informed of
from contractors who claim
that, because the new State House is
to be built of marble, a number
of them will be practically shut out from
because there are said TO be
only two or three firms in the country
who control enough marble to build such
a big structure. This really amounts to
limiting the competitors toa few FORUM
ate contractors as il would not be
limited IL granite were TO be used. We
guess this may be so, though we don't
think it can really be proved that the ar
chitects are in the deal with these favored
marble controlling contractors, as some
Of the other contractors are disposed TO
charge, If we are informed right. But il
doesn't strike us that this affects the
discussion at all. The State House de-
sign, 1t seems TO us, obviously calls for
marble, and we have no doubt that our
friends, the contractors, who complain
are correct in believing that the archi-
tects had marble in view when
they designed il. The plan
being acceptable, and marble
being suitable, as we'll as cheap. il an
pears to us that there is no other uues-
lion involved, much as we would like 10
see all our friends, the contractors. given
a chance to compete.