New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-21
ENTRANCE PORTCO DE LEON ST AUGUSTINE FLA
Hastings

cairns country seat In Pennsylvania. In all
these the full powers Of the architects are re-
veaied and one desiring to know what the new
library is to be like, the new building Tor the
Academy OF Design, may be directed to any OK
thcm. He will not find an exact indication OK
what the two buildings viii be ike IN
point OF style. in the narrow sense the style
or Mr Sloane's house differs from that OF the
Cenedict house. and the library and academy
will undoubtedly differ from both. But all the
work OF these architects has style In the ap-
stract sense and those who have been trying 10
settle the particular school TO which CarreTe q
Hastings have belonged have been brought 10
SEQ that they have made a school Of their own.
creating their work from within and thus giving
it the mark OF true art recognizable as beauti-
ful without any reference to the labels which
We are fond Of attaching TO works OF architect
ure sculpture and painting
American architecture suffers to-day from
anamia and ignorance Many Of the older
men in the profession have exhausted their in
spiration and are trying to exc it out with
learning Young men come back from Europe
with thick sketch books filled with picturesque
bits" and being without intellectual force,
without the power 20 feel as well as to see,
the yproduce work as artificial and as bloodless
as that of their elders. 1t is the fashion to ex-
claim with admiration over every other Work
that is offered to the American public as
work of art" Masses of this work are WORTH
less because ii comes from an Impulse neither
spontaneous nor deep it Is work done from the
outside and nourished by none OF that interplay
OF a mans genius with the life around MIN
which goes to broaden his powers, to form ana
enrich his style. The Importance OF the Work
done by Carrere & Hastings lies in its freshness
and genuineness in its close connection with
the wide-awake emotions and thoughts Oh t"o
men who have youth and enthusiasm ana are
putting themselves and their time into their
work Any one of the buildings favoraby men,
toned above will enforce this If comparisons
are helpful compare the Life building IN
West Thirty first st with any one of a score OF
more pretentious buildings of a similar class In
Broadway Compare the Sloane house with
dwellings in its neighborhood. Good qualities
are discoverable elsewhere, and there are one or
two firms that in their way are doing work
on the same level with that of the subjects OF
this article But In the main they issue from
commissions with striking advantages.
This has been noticed for some time past. but
II ia noticed now with peculiar satisfaction be-
car,se the public Is deeply concerned In the TWO
great buildings which have just been put into
the hands Of Carrere & Hastings and must feel
treasured by their record II is record which
ia none the less ingratiating because II Is IN
complete Study OF the style OF these architects
has been az we have denoted. study or style
I'm the making There Is something very at
tractive about work that is not uniformly good'
but that grows persstenty better and better.
More than one artist and architect mas proved
that uniform merit can also mean inert SELF
| satisfaction: criticism knows In advance JUST
what a forthcoming production from their hands
will be. and hung'rs for growth Tor initiative
Only In the rarest cases Is such commence
source OF lasting contentment. for only In the
rarest cases does 1t mean that the artist In
,,estion "a progressing We confess that the
Ava, character of the new library and new
academy Is only partially to be prophesied az
nresent. We know they will both be beautiful