The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-01

cellent proportions, are at opposite
ends OF the building, and on the same
floor with the reception room and Of
fees, though the auditorium Is few
feet higher to allow of the necessary
stores under It, The arrangement of
the lobby and the stairs to the audi
torium, and to the reception room; the
arrangements of the secretary's offices,
of the parlor and lecture room up stairs
the excellent control of all movement
on the main floor from the secretary's
desk, the planning of the John Ray
mond Institute, and OF the lodging
rooms, are all worthy of high commen-
dation
The exterior has charm and interest
without ostentation, and has no eX-
travagantly costly features. The light
ing OF all parts OF this design Is ex-
ceptionally good, and 1t displays more
complete mastery of all the require
ments of such a building. a more
thorough comprehension of the details
of Y. NJ. c. A. work and the limitations
of the problem, than any other design
among the forty-four.
SECOND IN MERIT.
The design No. is seems to me to
come second in merit to the above. In
this the auditorium is next to the gym
nasium on the same floor, though sep
arated by double walls: the reception
room and the secretary's offices are
also on this floor, but the levels are go
arranged that the three stories appear
in the same place with the above divi-
sions. The arrangement is wei hand
led. The reception room is the most
imposing architecturally. of all those in
the prize designs; IL has mezZannc
or gallery floor. as has also that of No.
27; but while this one is more impos-
ing IL Is also more costly and uses up
more space on the floor with no com
mensurate gain
The same defect runs through the
whole design. While, as a whole, 1t is
full of good points. yet it is inferior TO
No. p in most of the details of its de-
sign. Its general scheme is certainly
not superior to that of %. and 1t Will
cost more to erect, yet because of its
practicability and because changes
which would become its greatest OBJ
jections either as to cost of arrange
ment. could be made without altering
in any degree the fundamental scheme,
recommend it for one of the prizes
of $3.50
/ make the same recommendation for
Nos. IL and 80. These both display a
very credtable amount of architectural
skill, both in plans and exterior. But
No. IL suffers from a mistaken scheme
at the outset. in placing the auditorium
over the gymnasium. 1t has been
proved by experience that such a com.
bination greatly Injuries, If it does not
destroy, the renting value of the audi
torium No device has been found
capable of preventing the transmits
sion OF noise and vibration from the
gymnasium to the hall. But as this ar
rangement was not forbidden in terms
by the instructions, and as the design
displays conspicuous merit in many of
Its details, and moreover shows an ex-
terror on the whole most appropriate
and pleasing, it appears to me to be
eminently deserving of a prize.
MOST ORIGINAL DESIGN.
No. 80 is in some respects the most
original design of the four. 1t shows
practically three buildings under one
roof, separated or connected-as one
pleases-by two staircase halls. The
westernmost (or N. W. wing contains
the gymnasium: the east Cor S. E.) the
auditorium and stores, the main or CEN
trail wing of the Y. NJ. G. A. rooms
proper. To this eminently logical
scheme, admirable as II is treated in
most respects, the lodging rooms ap-
pear to have been in large part sacri-
feed, and the junior department has
been placed on the ground floor with
the reception room above it, invisible
from the street, and reached only from
it by a flight of two runs of stairs.
This arrangement does not commend
itself to your adviser, at least for
Scranton conditions, and the building
would certainly cost far more than
the design recommended for erection.
The exterior is, if anything, too orna-
mental; but in spite of these defects
the design, as a whole, and in many
of its details, displays such Conspicu-
Gus merit as to entitle II to one OF the
three prizes of $3.50.
No other plans appeared to me to
equal any of these four, either in ar
| chitectural merit or in practical con-
venience. This does not mean that the
| rest were all destitute of merit; for
| many of them are notably meritorious
| in certain respects, but these that were
eXcellently conceived were poorly
worked out in detail, and marred by
| conspicuous and irremediable faults
while others which displayed evidences
of considerable skill in the handling
| of their details suffered from munda-
| mentally mistaken scheme. There were
| others in which some one portion of the
design had been worked out in an ad-
| mirable manner, while other parts
| equally important, were wofully mis-
| handled
A COMPLEX PROBLEM.
| The problem was one of extreme
| compleXity. the requirements very ex-
acting, the limits of space and cost
very trying. Considering these circum-
stances the average merit of the solu-
| tions was higher than was to be ex-
pected in an open competition.
The final result seems to your advis-
| er eminently satisfactory, and if ac-
cepted and carried out by your body,
will give your association and the city
of Scranton a building which will not
| only be an ornament to the city, but
| will also serve as a model for other edi-
fees of it's class in other cities.
Respectfully submitted,
| A. d. F. HAMLIN,
| Advisor to the Trustees.
Columbia University, Oct 23, 1899.