The sun., 1895-03-03
WHAT THE ARCHITECTS DO.
THE WORK or PLANNING COSTtY
AND ARTISTIC BUILDINGS.
The Profession q. Its ArtIstio md In ~.
Ru.iuers Aspect-C'ost and Labor In.
yoived In some Elaborate Plans.

volvcd IN some Elnboratc t-lnus.
Architecture as prnctsed in this town ia A.
once an art n trade and a buNness. II IA IN
some offices less an art than n trade. white IA
many II Ia more q business than either. Unly
few conspicuous firms rank high as artist ar.hi.
| tects. while several firms altogether unknown a.
artist architects conduct n business that Is last
enriching the partners. Some small architect.
content themselves with contracts for simp.s
dwellings, cheap flats, and the like With snrh
men architecture Is n trade Work Of this kind
was done less than fifty years ngo by tho build.
ers. and some of II Is still In their hands.
Architecture. like every other profession, 10
greatly crowded, but, as elsewhere, there is room
nt the top. Perhaps the most serious trial, IN
the profession come to him that respects his
work us an nrt, yet lacks the commercial in.
stinct and fails to find as partner the man thNs
can supply such lack. such M artist ha, prs.
sented to him the alternative of sinking 1T,
identity in tho crowd OF suboranates found IN
the Office ofevery architect or Of making n small
place for himself the architect Of dwelling
houses when his soul yearrs for cathedrnls
When business Is brisk the Office OF every large
architect has a crowd Of draughtsmcn, npprcn-
tices, stenogra phers and what not else, together
with the higher skilled men. the latter good
salaries. When times are dull all these hut
few vanish, no one Knows whittier. An ofce that
may have score of drnuRhtsmen in the busy
season may have only two or three In dull times,
AS soon business improves such an office fills
up, the vanished draughtsmen having come back
on call. These men found now In Office,
now in another. Some are hopeful apprentices
on nothing year; others on salaries vary
ing from $40 to $40 per week. The mere
draughtsman can sea rcey hope TO earn more
than the latter sum. But such q man 10
likely to hold his place In all but the duilest
times. One sees. however, men that have
grown gray in the business. earning less and
losing their places either when work slackened
in the face of youthful competition. Tho
schools are constantly turning out educated
architects eager for q start, and the mechanical
draughtsmen without thorough technical train
ing sometimes have TO compete with these
young men. There are special places for
men of special gifts. and the specialization
of the business increases year by year.
At least one firm OF architects has an
employee whose business 1t is to prepare
specifications for buildings and to do nothing
else. The more familiar n man is with this
branch OF the business the more he can be de-
pended upon to cover a multitude OF details
and omit nothing. He must state clearly and
fully in the technical Language Of the trade all
the materials that are to so into building. and
his statement should be eet down in the order
that the materials shall follow one another in
the progress OF the work. He may have to do
scend even to door knobs and window cords.
Conscientious architects produce a multitude
Of drawings in preparing the plans of even
simple and small buildings So true Is this that
such architects hardly permit themselves to
undertake an inexpensive structure at the cur
rent percentage. II is not profitable to tho
artist architect to build $4,000 house unless
the owner is willing to pay disproportionately
high price for the services of the architect.
Indeed, large architects that do not usually rank
as artists in the profession esteem small con-
tracts as Improbable unless many can be OBJ
tained in the same neigh borhood. Much of the
detail in such cases Is left to the mill that
turns out the wood work. and there are other
tect shall save himself whole. 1t is plain that
the architect. loving his art and sensitive to
his own fame. cannot descend to such business.
Firms that content themselves with skmping
details, and in other ways economzinG. to tho
often charge something less than the regular
hve per cent. fee, and thus build up large and
the seemingly cheapest architect is dear enough
In the end.
money In preparing plans iii compettions that
others win. 4 reputable firm may thus produce
seIhaps aa nSE 9a
on each plan. Luckily for the profession most
work is doRs without special and direct com
structure shall be designed by a firm. perhaps
rough charcoal sketch is made. much for tho
client as for the architects. After that perhapsa
further development of the scheme is drawn out
before the whole plan IL put down drawn TO
plan develops Sometimes the plan drawn to
scale is abandoned in part, and then 1t may be
thing, copy those parts that are retained, leave
out those not needed. and draw in the sub
stituted features A design made in competition
for one of the most notable structures on the
island OF Manhattan is preserved by ono of the
architects engaged in the drawing. and 1t shows
half dozen thicknesses OF paper superimposed,
one after another as the work grew from rough
sketch TO completed plan.
1t becomes necessary in the designing of every
large structure to consult an engineer. Some
regular employees. Often he is called in as an
expert. Then comes the struggle between tho
Tor making al stable. The new cable power
house OF the Lexington avenue line involved tho
since the building begins at great depth be-
S low W. the Sidewalk and rises to dizzy height.
ful mac hinery and SO laid that the latter should
not ,endanger the stability OF tho structure
The modern iron skeleton structures have to
be designed with the utmost care and the beams
must be made in strict accordance with tho
detail might endanger the building or necessi-
tan,si tate great re- delays and many changes in tho
matter OF elaborate Reconsideration. and tho
ssTehltect sis has every feature OF the shecton ia
structure may perhaps be still in the ore.
Plans once made and thoroughly decided upon
sary for the proper expedition OF the work, and
then the superintendence OF the structure 10
kNeH 10 some OUTSIDE man. rs tHOse employees
that superintend such work on The ground arc
called. IL is the duty OF that man to see that
the plan Is followed strictly TO tho minutest
detail He is the captain OF the work, and tho
contractor must obey his commands. The out
side man may have to visit the work daily
from start to finish, and may pass
whole days on the ground. He notes
warily al that goes on. demands that
Incompetent or careless woTkmen be dismissed,
defective material and in all things
acts rs tho representative OF the owner. The
best known builders of New York understand
their business 50 well that they may be trusted
10 follow architectural specifications, and the
presence of such II builder relieves an architect
)f much wearlsOne duty, Such builders ire
luently reCeivca contract without competition.
and exact as pay ucrCentRge of the cost OF cone
'tructiOn. II Il sad the contractors PERCENT
,Re Is often almost equal to that Of the arChi-
ect, some ~ the best buildings are erected on
his plan. Only builders Of high rcputs receive
such contracts.
so yolmmnouS are the drawings for an impor;