Evening star., 1901-02-20
"A PLEA FOR THE CAPITAL
ITS PUBLIC BUILDINGS SHOULD BE
MORE THOUGHTFULLY PLANNED.
No Other City Should Rival 1t I'm the
/ Character, Beauty and Meaning
of It's Structures.

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
It appears to have been decided by the
powers having control Of the subject that
several additional public buildings are soon
to be erected in Washington, and that the
construction of others in the near future
is In contemplation.
1t IS with great pleasure that l observe,
through The Star and other journals. mani
festations of public interest touching the
style of architecture which will control
their construction. 1t. has been misfor-
tune to Washington that this subject had
not. long ago. been thoughtfully consld-
cred by Congress and the public generally
of this city. The umcounted millions OF
dollars that have been expended in Wash
ington for public buildings have produced
only two that creditably represent the
progress and the presentasand seif-ev1dent
future status of this gre4t republic. OF
course, | refer to thesCongressional Libra
ry building and to the Capitol. The treas
ture. has an exterior of somber dignity, but
1t Is without originality and presents noth-
ing that indicates its uses or the life Of the
most modern of civilized nations.
The character, culture, genius refinement
and progressive tendencies of a nation and
Its people will, in the future as In the past
be measured by the architecture which Is
seen In their public and private structures
The End of Architecture.
The end Of building as such, alone, is, OF
course, convenience but the end of archi-
lecture as an art is to so arrange the
plan, masses and enrichment Of structure
as to impart to it interest, beauty, gran
deur, unity and power. And in public
buildings the plan should show the genius
of the artist in harmoniously Incorporating
into the facades and their surroundings
emblems, historical and otherwise, which
would at glance exhibit in pleasing form
the uses to which they are devoted. They
would then be an interesting study and a
lesson which would exercise an intellectual,
moral and refining influence over all OBJ
servers The greatest works., says an
eminent authority, "of the architect must
always be those in which the imagination
Of the artist is most plainly SEEN"
The Congressional Library building, Of
which the nation is justly proud. is an ex-
ample of the satisfying results achieved
where the imagination of the artist was not
hampered by the demand for utility alone.
If these principles had been the guiding
has been devoted to public buildings in
Washington, it would today be one of the
most beautiful and attractive cities in the
world, for its situation presents every reQui-
site for making 1t so.
The Aspect of the Streets.
The streets of city belong to the people.
and the facades of structures upon them
are objects for the public eye. On promi-
nent avenues when possible, such struc-
lures should be attractive and pleasing and,
like pictures in art gallery, differing in
subject and style, but all presenting fea-
lures which would interest the observer
Pennsylvania avenue is l believe, more
favorably located than the principal street
in any other Of the cities on this continent
for an exhibition of such architectural
characteristics. And yet it presents de-
gree of poverty of esthetics in architecture
not found in any other city with popu-
lation as large as that of Washington.
There is not finished business structure
upon it that would attract attention as a
pleasing specimen of artistic architecture,
with the rleritorious exception Of The Star
building. And that could have been made
more interesting and beautiful if the front
elevation had been planned to show,
in bas-rellef otherwise, the progress
made in the art of printing from the birth
of the republic to the present day.
1t is TO be hoped that Congress, when
providing means for the construction of the
proposed edifices, will not forget that they
are to stand for centuries and be objects
of study and criticism by the present and
coming generations. The status which the
republic has attained in the field Of art
and artistic architecture will be measured
by the standard which these structures will
present. 1t now leads the world in the pro-
duction of inventions of utility. Under lib
eral congressional encouragement it will
take equal rank in furnishing genius in
art and artistic architecture. which will
give the public structures in the national
capital a standing in elements of beauty.
grandeur and appropriateness for purposes
used not excelled by any sther nation.
Should Have UnIimited Range.
Architects, after being furnished with
general idea as to size and uses OF
proposed structures, should not be ham
pered by limitations as to cost of the pro-
duction of designs.
II Congress desires to bring to the capl-
| tai prosperity, wealth and increase of pop
ulation. parsimony in providing means to
make its public structures artisticaliy and
clasSicaliy beautiful and attractive would
be equivalent to fatal extravaganza. Tho
increased value Of the real property of the
District would be many times greater than
any liberal expenditures, which might be
considered by some in excess of practical
needs The pleasure which the people
would derive from such sources is also a
factor in the premises which should not
be forgotten by legislators
AS an example of the influence of artistic
architecture in promoting the prosperity of
a city and it's inhabitants may be men
| toned Cologne on the Rhine, which, thirty
years ago, was a dilapidated, neglected
and Stunned city. Since the great cdthe-
dral there located was finished, less than
| twenty-five years ago, it has attracted to
that city cultured people from all parts OF
| the world and under the allurlng influence
of this single and wonderful specimen of
artistic architecture Cologne has been re-
| built and the value Of It's realities more
| than doubled and 1t Is now one of the most
| beautiful cities in Europe.
The people who furnish the money for
| their renresentatives to eXpend in their in
| terest do not complain If little Of It Is
prudently used to crafty some of the hu-
man senses, among which is sight, which
| enables them to enjoy the refining ele-
ments of the beautiful. without which life
| is not worth living. They would not now
mart with their right to the enjoyment
which the Congressional Library building
| gives them for twice It's cost.
| Uncontributing Structures.
The new public buildings, with the ex-
| cen,ton of the Congressional Library, have
added nothing to the attractions OF Wash
inaton. The structure in which is located
the State. War and Navy departments and
the pension Office are mere awkward piles
of building material without containing a
| single idea or element that interests CT
p,eases any observer. That architectural
monstrosity, the new post Office. absolute
iv dIsgraces the beautiful avenue upon
| which it is located Every Intelligent OBJ
server who. when passing it, remembers
the millions that have been expended upon
I II feels like breaking some OF the Ten