The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-04

Device to Modify MOnOtOnOus
Surfnce-Future Art, He Says,
Depends Upon General Cultural
Development.
Mr.. Cass Gilbert, the st. Paul archi-
teet whose plans will be followed in the
construction of the custom house to be
erected at Bowling Green, while discuss
ing the proposed structure with Com
mercial Advertiser reporter last week,
was requested to say something with re-
gard TO the general condition of Amerl-
can architecture. He replied:
Architecture in this country, in COM
mon with the art Of all the more progress
sive nations of the earth, has been i'm
mensely influenced by the progressive
spirit of the last decade. This influence
IS felt not only in America, but is notice
able in France, Germany and Austria,
and, to some extent, in England. Speak
ing of the work in America only, 1 be-
lieve 1t has developed along unitarian
lines with greater rapidity than else
where, and in comparison with our own
work of twenty years ago, it has devel-
oped in artistic expression, although to
Europe is to find that we still have
great deal to learn on the artistic side.
! refer to the modern as well as to the
orld architecture of Europe. In The
growth of high buidlings-what are popu-
larly called slIy-scrapers-our country
stands quite alone. The problem was,
TO start with, essentially an economical
problem, and began to take form scarce
ly a dozen years ago, but within that
brief time American architects are al
ready finding an approximately sausfac-
tory solution of the artistic difficulties.
The high building, from an artistic stand
point, is an exceedingly difficult problem,
and one in which economic and prae-
teal considerations are controlling fac
tors. People do not build sky-scrapers
because they want to, but because they
have to. Land values fix the height.
Taxation, interest, insurance are impor-
tant elements The owner of property In
the congested district must build high
building, for a low building would not
bring rent enough to enable him to carry
the cost of his land"
Then you would not approve Of limit
ing by law the height of the buildings?"
Yes, I would, he replied, 'for once
such a law is established and known to
be permanent land values anl rents would
adjust themselves accordingly. Yet even
If such a law should never be made, I
am confident that the bodybuilding prob
lem can be satisfactorily solved. l find
the lower end of New York exceedingly
picturesque with it's high buildings,
whether viewed from the rivers, the har-
Dor or from the streets themselves, al
though of course individual buildings may
be justly criticized. In designing high
buildings one difficulty an architect meets
is that a great number of openings must
be put in the wall without having the
relief of a broad, uninterrupted wall sur
face. In fact, the whole wall must be
filled with openings, which must be prac-
tcally of uniform size Their function
is the same, and as form should follow
function in the words of Louis Sullivan.
their form should be similar. This gives
certain monotony, perhaps barrenness,
to the wall, and our architects have used
every device thinkable to overcome the
difficulty. Some have overlaid the wall
with an applied architecture of columns
and entablatures extending through the
several stories. Some have grouped a
number of openings within great arches
which rise through several stories. Others
have arranged these stories in alternating
groups of two, three, etc, and in some
OF the buildings all these features have
been combined In one facade 1t seems
TO me, however, that the rational thing
to do is to express the function of the
building in the simplest possible way,
giving the wall as much texture and color
as found agreeable, and recognizing
wherever possible the third dimension
thickness; then with several main divi-
sions, namely, basement, a shaft and a
GROWING feature, not to fear monotony.
The common sense of such solution
commends itself to me, and believe that
1t Is upon the basis of common sense that
the architecture of the past has been
founded, and that the architecture of the
future Will develop. OF course, common
sense does not mean stupidity There
must be with 1t that sentiment and quail
ity which We call art, but art is possible
within the realm of common sense Art
does not mean affectation
VI course, If 1t We're possible for our
streets TO have great series of buildings
of uniform height, as in Paris, l think the
effect would be unquestionably finer than
our present street architecture where
every owner builds to any height he
wants, regardless of unity 1 have been
much interested in the development of the
streets in Europe, especially in Paris
Berlin and Vienna. In all these cities I
be1eVe, careful censorship as to the ar
tistic qualities of the buildings Is exer-
cised and in Berlin, 1 understand, houses
are granted by 4 board of commissioners
to those owners who erect buildings of
high esthetc quality"
do you think. Mr.. Gilbert, that our
architects will ever solve the problem so
completely that great art monuments will
result?"
The architect replied that that depended
on innumerabfe conditions of culture
we'll being, ETC.. which might obtain in
the future. ut is early IN the history of
the country" he said, "to expect great
monumental architecture. That comes
only with the fullness Of the development
of people. We have made progress in
that direction, but are far from arriving
One great difficulty with our public build |
ings which might be made monumental is
that they are nearly all too high. A mon
umentaf structure should not be over
three or four stories at the highest
Boards Of commissioners, public officials
and others, who have control Of such
matters in their inception, not under
standing this rarely provide suffi-
cient ground to build upon, and almost
invariably ask that the building be of a
height entirely incompatible with this
best architectural effect. I would point
out that the capitol at Washington is
building of two stories with a basement;
the congressional library likewise has
only two stories; the public library in
Boston, in the main facade, is only two
stories high. These are all recognized as
fY1a examines. Int SIlOh