The evening times., 1898-11-04
BUILDINGS IN FAIR NICE
Pretty Villas That Are Far
Behind the Times.
AMERICAN TACT NEEDED
Rare Chances for the Artisans and
Architects of This Country to Com
pete With French House Con-
structOrs-DwelIing Devoid OF
Modern improvements.

The State Department las receiv, d from
Consul Harold S. Van Buren, report on
the building industry of Nive and mar
kets for American products, which is re-
garded as of much interest to architects
and those engaged in the bui ding trades
in this country
The report states in part:
From September !, 1897, 10 the Septem-
ber /, 1885, eighty new buildings lave
been erected in this city, at a cost of
about 3.650,000 francs (s7o4 455) Thes4
buildings consist of the usual medium
sized villas, the number of which is con-
stantly increasing in the newer quarters
OF the town, and the usual apartment
houses Of four or five stories. A J with
out exception, are built OF stone, the eX-
terIors finished in plaster or cement, or,
in u few cases, in stone.
The architectural eXteriors OF the
buildings are, as rule, though perhaps
monotonous pleasing To the eye. The IN
teriors, however, are thrown tOSethef
with an utter -srt gard Tor vafiety, utility
and artistic effect 1t may justly % SAID
that villa costing, say, from - ,eV To
IS 90 is a century behind The majority OF
our American suburban houses. 10 bear
out my assertion, l need oniy say that
several pI ointment native aichlt CTS "eTS
profoundly astonisheu upon De'la sho"h
tn,. printed plans of an American aIcni-
tect-aLl OF cheap houses. 10 see one or
binary medium-sized villa Is to see them
all In many cases, the entrance to the
kitchen is directly Opposite To the main
entrance and sometimes one IL co-"peiled
10 mass before the kitcncn door III gong
from the drawing-room TO the dlhihs
room Folding doors or arches Del" eel
rooms are quite unknown, Win the Fe
suft that one seldom finds a series oI
rooms capable OF being connected. III
many cases. stairways and halls are 80
| arranged as 10 preclude the poss Dd!'s VI
giving space or effect 10 rooms.
MY object in mentioning these lea
tures Is 10 lead up TO the question Oh
| modern improvements, whicu are a'Iho7N
| unLp,Un and To mention IN detail such
American manufactures as might uhueI
| favorable conditions come into vogue III
connection with the building lhuusu D
| For instance, apartments ana houses III
| Nice are as a rule, quite devoid OF amy
| thing like a bathroom. Oiten Fu"Ii u
| very generous dimensions Is Ieit 10 pe
| used As a bathroom, but 1t Is conspicu-
! know of an apartment or house haNlhe
hot and cold water throughout, the not
wafer 10 be furnished py d Kitchen range.
| This IS the more remarkable in cA-
| maie where even exterior water pipes
! never freeze, and where the htlIHS III Vi
such an appliance would De extremes
! simpie and inexpensive. HARDWARE usSu
| In building is. as rule, cuitloei solHe'
| primitive and unsightly. Locks and Keys
I..hi md -
rior doors are light, monotonous as TO
design and paneling, and often made ol
| unseasoued wood which causes them 10
| warn very soon Appliances for proper
| and economical heating are almost uh-
| known, though they would seem lhois
| uensable in a climate wnichr "hlle lot
| extremely cold in winter, Is very huIliu'
| owing TO the heavy dew which falls De
| tween and p. m, and where there Is Il
Iarpe amount of stone used In consruc-
ton. besides marble staircases ana terfd
Gotta floors.
| ..The cooking stoves and ranges (when
they are found in apartments) are OF such
! inferior quality and consume such ehor-
nous quantities OF coal (Whlch costs
| about 81 per ton) that gas Is greatly
preferred. Heating stoves are generallY
J considered unhealthy, an opinion whlch
| claim to be due 10 their inferior ana
| defective construction. Stoves OF all
| SORTS are unsightly, ana an uverage-slZed
| kitchen or heating stove costs from S3o
| TO SO For fitting up a bathroom Win
the cheapest type OF French enameied
iron bath, with gas heating apparatus
$50 Is asked. l have seen enameIed IRON
| haths imported from England for whlch
| $50 are asked a French bath OF ham
mered copper, nickel plated, costs Sl6O.
"During the past three years there mas
| haen a marked increase in the importa-
| tion of English goods, and in many lines
| T think our manufacturers might COM
| pete. 1t would perhaps be oil service
to send here American publications on
architecture and interior decoration.
| There appears to be an opening Tor
| stoves especially those adapted 10 purn
wood alone or wood and coal; for locks
and KEYS: for baths and bathroom appli-
auces and for building hardware in
general. Recently a shopkeeper here had
mis- ceiling done over at cost OF SIIo'
| which included a very insignificant cor
| nice | calculated that he might have
had a steel ceiling laid down here for
SO Mantels are of white or coiored
marble. and resemble those in vogue In
| New York between 1850 and 1865. There
is a tendency to discard the cold tiled
floor for wood. and the American ma
chine made and cut-wood floors ought to
4 compete. L all tL1b S'ho ~
ordinary door, l Ia inches thick, with
panels Gour) three-fourths of an inch
thick, costs about 81 Window frames
1 are calculated at s francs (sl.54D the
square meter u0.7642 square feeD; out
side blinds at 13 francs (s2.509) the square
meter, and inner blinds at at francs
Cs1730 the square meter. Estimates are
made by calculating the surface of the
window at IS francs (s5.40D the square
meter. A Turin manufacturer of enam
el paint. said to resist heat and acids
| has succeeded in establishing trade
here. Sanitary water closet appliances
are imported from England, and appear
to hold their ground successfully against
French articles. Pitch pine is used il
considerable quantities here, but seldom
for doors windows or wanscoting.
lit appears to me that manufacturer
of wainscoting holdings and trimming:
of wood, sawed and pressed, might, will
some chance of success send catalogue.
and prices to the principal lumber mer
chants and architects. United State:
houses should in all cases quote theil
| lowest export prices, and mention tn,
rates of freight to Marseilles and Genos
| by the German lines which have con
nections with Nice. This is simple mat
ter to ascertain, and is Indispensable il
calculating the total cost of goods lait
| down here"