The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-14
ARCHITECTS AND CITY.

The corporation OF the city OF Provi-
dence is large owner OF real estate and
is constantly investing money in improve
ments. II owns great number OF build
ings in great variety and is frequently
putting up new structures. Its present
possessions in real estate and improve
ments are healthful assets against goodly
proportion OF the city debt.
No private corporation in the city or
State can begin TO approach the munich
pality in the magnitude of its annual
dealings with the architect, builder and
contractor. And that our public buildings
are so quite generally pleasing to look at
and well adapted TO their respective pur-
poses is a matter OF public pride and
creditable to the committees OF the City
Council-especially we take il, the COM
mittee on city property, that have from
time to time had the inception and prose
cution OF these public works under their
supervision.
1t would appear, however, that he
methods adopted at the outset Of prepara-
tions for the proposed East Side High
School are not commendable, and are not
likely to prove OF benefit to the city in
the long run. We refer TO the conditions
governing the competition for the sub
mitting OF the plans.
without prejudice to the firm OF archi-
tects whose plans are considered so favor
ably by the committee on city property,
that 1t has already been more than inti-
mated that they will be adopted, it may
yet be said that the methods taken to
secure plans for our fine new schoolhouse
are not such as commend themselves to
anybody who is at all acquainted with APP
proved methods OF dealing with architec-
tural enterprises of any magnitude. We
have no doubt that the bright fellows
who are likely to secure this choice con-
tract, Will, from professional standpoint,
agree that the city property committee
might better have gone about their task
in better way.
The fact is that of 10 architects who
asked for copy OF the conditions govern
ing the East Side High School competi-
tion, only two saw fit to compete. The
members OF the profession identified with
the American Institute Of Architects went
so far as to seek an opportunity to openly
protest against the terms. The fact that
the great majority Of architects objected
to the conditions the city property com
mittee made - of public Importance, be-
cause II the city is dealing with architects,
or any other class, or trade, or profession,
it ought to be quite sure 1t Is dealing
fairly. But what is of more import,
the objections made by the architects are
really Of more consequence to the public
than TO the architects who protest. In a
word, the method Of the city property
committee was not alone unfair to the
architects, but It was not method CAL
culated to secure the best results to the
city of Providence.
The city property committee might
have justified itself II 1t had selected any
firm OF reputable architects to build the
East Side High Schoolhouse, exercising
its judgment as to the selection and CIV
ing the firm an order to go ahead with
the job. But to open competition under
conditions that secured only two plans
was evidently farce, and il the result is
satisfactory that is to be credited to good
luck and will be always subject to the
suspicion that it might have been good
deal more satisfactory.
--A-
My! what glorious corn crop we have