The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-02
APPEAL FROM ARCHITECTS.
PRESIDENT ASKED TO SET ASIDE
CUSTOM.HOUSE AWARD.

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Competitor. Say That Two OF the Three
| Judges of tho Plans Were n Former
Partner and n Former Employee OF Cnss
| Gilbert, the Successful Competitor-Platt
and Depcw See tho President and Gage.
| This letter to President Mckinley from
| number OF the architects who submitted de-
| signs for the new Custom House In the recent
| competition was made public last night
| To he Pr,ud,n,.
SIR: The undersRne ed. architects who have
| submitted designs for the Custom House
| building to he erected at New York city, ask
| you to consider tho proceedings by which the
| designs Of Mr. Cass Gilbert hpve been selected
by commission. and to cause the award OF
the commission to be set aside.
| On May IL. 1890, tho Secretary OF the Treas
| ury issued invitations to twenty architects. In
| Guiding the undersigned. to submit designs
| in honorable competition" stating that a
commission consisting OF the Supervising
| Architect and two prominent aud disinterested
architects would be appointed to pass upon the
| merits Of the plans submitted.
| Each OF us entered into the competition and
prepared plans with great labor and expense.
| relying upon the promise contained In the in
| vitation. and believing that the Government
| would in good faith choose prominent archi-
| tects. above suspicion OF interest or partiaty.
| who would conduct their proceedings properly
and render their decision only on merit.
| In July the Supervising Architect asked each
| competitor to suggest the names OF two archi-
| tects satisfactory to him to act az commission
crs. Some suggested Mr.. Frank Miles Day OF
| Philadelphia who was afterward selected as a
commissioner But inquiry has elected that
| no competitor suggested Mr. Thomas II. Kim
| ball OF Omaha. who was selected as the other
| commissioner. unless he was suggested BY tho
| successful competitor. Mr.. Cass Gilbert. who
| has failed to answer tho inquiry addressed to
him on the subject. lie may possibly have
been suggested by Mr. Hardenberg. who liz too
! III now to answer the inquiry though at his
| Office It il not believed that Mr.. Harden berg
made such suggestion.
| II was commonly predicted during the sum
mer. before plans were submitted, that the
award would 60 to MIR. Gilbert, but the rumor
then ssemed to be founded only on the facts
the Supervising Architect and had removed
| when lie was chosen as ono OF tho competitors.
1t now further appears that tho Supervising
Architect who not only himself acted as one OF
the three Judges OF award. but who also par
ticipated actively in tho selection OF the other
two Judges. vac for many years tn. partner
judges was formerly an employee Of the suc.
Mr. KimbaiI is not a prominent architect such
ns the invitation to the competitors promssd.
m me n s Of the american Institute OF Krch.
iectr He il without great experience and his
his former rsiations to the he's supSrSsins srchi.
tect and the successful eompetltor, c-
nsns ali ,ostRs the
from consideration ALI but a small number OF
the plans In deciding between the remain.
Mir Gilbert, the Supervising Architect declinsd
70 act, because o. his former relation to Mr..
ct @ S
S'0fT hs ne
in Withdrawing from the final decision between
M nSSFs to ana an ad n HS whcS SS.s ii.
decision 10 the previous SInnH9n 81 s1 hn
Sa.s on ss Ts msr ." each
under consideration with the plan of Mr. Gil
rsrt har'hs in mSelng The Tn as1so1 eS
to a. d sss;.6o BY srrs ns5 al
| MI the terms OF the competition. These irrsg-
ularitcs are such rs would vitiate any award
We have also been informed that before
making their decision. the Commissioners, or
some O them; met in NSw York in the ofllce OF
formed that the Commissioners elm mated
from their const'leraiion all Of the plans OF tho
two others. within about two, days after thu
plans were opened, and that they made their
we're opened. proving. in our Judgment. that
no proper consideration could have been
given to the twenty plans submitted. go
be made on Nov l. We aak you TO Investigate
these matters before the making OF the award.
have not been entirely regular. that you will
cause the appointment Of new committee.
upon whose judgment. on merit only. the
competitors and all other Persons may rely.
II is with tho greatest reluctance that we
bring this matter TO your attention. and we
only DO 40 believing that We are Justly dissat-
isfed aud that your intcrPositon is necessary.
lsEAELs HARDER,
BRCCE PEiCE,
tkDY. BERG < SEE,
GEORGE MAgIiS HISS.
FRNSCIS H. kIMBALL.
JAMES b BAKEn,
TRowRRIpGE 4 LIVINGSTON
CLINTON X RUSSELL.
NEW YORK. Oct. 9i.
There was meeting OF the New York Chap
tor of the American Institute OF Architects al
, the Fine Arts building on West Fifty-seventh
H" H% auS di not ' sdauan
until half-paSt II O'Clock. Walter Cook
the President OF the chapter, said after the ad-
I'VE do not feel that 1t Ia good policy or
good manners for Us to make public what We
have done be fore our action 10 known TO those
to whom We have addressed ourselves"
! l." James Barnes Baker. was asked whether
the meeting had discussed the letter printed
| above
THAT letter" he said, is the gist OF the
whole matter It amounts to this: Tor once in
, his life senator rlatt has been jumped upon
| unIustly.'
known @S' T to the rspop,sts. said that the
members OF the chapter had pledged Them
selves to secrecy as to the proceedings OF the
Among tho thirty or more architects prs1cnt,
stanford White. John NJ Carrhre. Thoma,
G pnas wbn .Srs Ma
! Constable Albert Iirockway, j. Wolf, w. II