Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-03
Plans for Providing More Room at
the Executive Mansion.
PLASTER MODEL ON EXHIBITION
Criticism Of Design Approved by
Former Presidents Wife.
VIEWS OF ARCH ECT S

1t is evident that the plan for providing
more house room for the President of the
United States and also for the executive
office, which contemplates the enlargement
of the present White House, is arousing
considerable opposition AS is well known
one of the proposed permanent memorials
of the celebration Of the centennial ami
versary of the District of Columbia is an
enlargement of this structure. At the last
session an appropriation of $1,000 was made.
to be expended under the direction of Col.
T. A. Bingham, commissioner of public
buildings and grounds, for plans for the
enlargement of the Executive Mansion to
be submitted to Congress at. it's present
session. Such design has been prepared
and a plaster model is to be exhibited at
the White House on the day of the CEN
tennial exercises, and Col. Bingham is to
deliver an address on the history of the
Executive Mansion.
Several weeks ago, in an article publish
ed in weekly journal, Col. Bingham gave
a description of these plans, illustrated by
design of the exterior of the White
House with its proposed wings and plan
of the interior arrangement. The plans
Col. Bingham stated, carried out the pro-
ject which originated with the wife of Mr.
Harrison when the latter. was President.
A criticism based upon this description by
rying out the act Of Congress appeared in
an issue of the American Architect and
Building News of Boston, November 3,
which is looked upon as the representative
OF the views of the architectural profession
of this country. In this article protest is
made in vigorous words in the name OF
American architecture, and a call is made
uE on all citizens who care for American art
to join in protesting before it is too late
against the execution OF the present scheme
for the alteration Of the White House.
Grounds of Objection.
plans for a public building" it is as
serted, appearing in the public prints, are
certainly subjects for legitimate criticism,
and it may be said at once that the Harri-
son design, as might be expected of one
produced by person with no proper train
ing, is artstically ridiculous. Mrs. Harrison
is said to have had the assistance of Mr..
Owens, a man of artistic temperament and
large exp ,rience,' in laying out her scheme;
but the artistic temperament and large ex-
Perience' were either not largely awaited of,
or had been acquired in other fields than
that of architectural designing on a great
scale for the plan brStleS all over with the
marks of the ignorant amateur. In general,
the scheme is to build two wings, at right
angles with the present structure, connect
ed with 1t by what are called curved CORR
DORIS All architects know that to round
the corners is the most effective of all
means for spelling an architectural group;
but, in the present case, the corridors on
each side are not merely curved, but
splayed and bent in the most extraordinary
manner.
Each corridor is furnished with a colon
made, corresponding, to a certain extent
with the colonnade of the present por lico,
and the professional architect, who knows
what it is to lay out details of classical
corn1ces, Will best appreciate the circum-
stance that the entablature of each of the
Harrison colonnades comprises, in plan,
four straight lines, one circular arc, of
about $50 degrees, and four angles, not one
of which is a right angle 1t is hardly nee
essary to say that the spacing of the col
umns to support such an entablature is
necessarily SO irregular as to be tie reverse
OF monumental and the plan and elevation,
as published, are very far from agreeing in
regard to the spacing, the draughtsman
having, apparently, solved in this simple
way the difficulty of reconcilng them so as
to be presentable in his drawing. This ditti-
Guilty, 1t may be remarked, is not likely
to have disappeared when the time comes
for carrying the scheme into execution. and
the public should be permitted to form its
Judgment from accurate drawings rather
than Judged show pictures.
The Porches Condemned,
"In plan. these scuryed corr;dor., ~,