Evening star., 1902-03-19
FUTURE BUILDINGS
ARCHITECF SUGGESTS STEEL
FRAMEssAND CoLoRED TILES.
Difference oof Opinion as to Whether
NewgYork is Handsome
-, or Ugly.
From the New York Tribune.


From the New York Tribune.
Sir Martin Conway. professor Of art in
Cambridge. University. who is now in this
city. does not share in the views Of the
president OF The American university In
Cambridge. Mass, regarding the architect
ural beauty-or lack Of beauty-of New
York. President Eliot said frankly the
other day that this city was about as ugly
as they make them. Sir Martin Conway
says. on the other hand, that Broadway.
from the Battery to Madison Square, and
then 9th avenue on, Is the most beautiful
street In the world. But he admits that
this beauty Ia found to no small extent in
the promises for the future that the build
ings along the street contain. He says that
the skycrapers Of New York are just now
of more interest than any other buildings
In the world, because better than any 9TH
ers they hint at the style of architecture
that Will be the style of tomorrow.
In developing this proposition Sir Martin
displays a freedom from traditional bias
that is refreshing and stimulating to the
imagination, and certain OF his prophecies,
at nrst thought rather ridiculous, grow on
the mind till the picture he calls up as
sumes a splendor and depth of possibility
almost astonishing
Styles in Architecture.
''The architecture Of the future will be
the architecture of STEEL he said last
week to group of callers. TT will be an
entirely new style, and 1t had its birth in
Chicago only a brief twenty years ago.
There have been three great styles in the
past the simple uprights and crossbeam
style OF the Egyptian and Greek temples,
the rounded arch style, which the Romans
from pre-Athenian Greece, and the pointed
style of the Gothic builders. All other
styles have been variants or combinations
OF these. The materials have been wood
or stone, and the problems to be met in the
past were the problems Of construction. An
entirely new style Is now being evolved,
and Is studied best in New York. Anything
can be done with steel, barrel vault or dome
or pointed arch can be thrown up at will.
and the structure can rise to height of
thirty stories. The problem Is much less
one OF construction, and much more one of
pure style. We can meet at will all the
structural problems that vexed the old
builders, and use at will the decorations
which time taught them were most in
keeping with the structural plan they
adopted. The field for the architects Of
globe.
Churches Of Middle Ages:
NOW. what will the style Of the future
be? No one can say, but that it will be
beautiful do not doubt. Already, in many
Of the skyscrapers you seem to think so
ugly l see hints of this beauty. To those
who had seen the buildings of Greece and
Rome, the churches Of the middle ages
must have seemed ugly. But in those very
churches .hperes being worked out and de-
veloped the structural principles which re-
suited In the Cathedral of Paris and the
perfect spfre Of Chartres. Now. such of
those churches as are left us we find beau
tiful by the light reflected back on them.
Mr.. Carnegie tells me that there is no rea-
son why 2the steel skyscrapers should not
stand the vibration for a thousand years.
so havea1io doubt that the day will come
when Americans will look back on many of
the buildings neW going up in lower Broad
way and find them beautiful. just as we
now see beauty In the early Gothic churches.
Let us today-fook forward and see in them
'structufary;, this Style will be the simple
square principlei Of the Greeks, the girder
style. for that=ls tthe cheapest. But as the
general nEeportions OF the skyscraper are
entirely different from the low buildings of
the Greeks, the e4styie Of ornamentation can
not be the 'sashes nor can 1t be the style Of
buildings,ne and moreover. ecclesiastical
Many attempts to use these styles are seen
on the towering structures in your city. and
too often the result is unhappy. These
with wall ,paper.Y If one desired. Neither
stone, nor brick. nor wood, is essential to
the structure How shall they be covered?
How shall the steel skeleton that is the real
puhullS De CoHcedIeo anu OEnaHenleQ ana
made beautiful to look upon? The proper
tions are like nothing before built In the
world. unless 1t be the tower Of Babel
They are reared for use. How make them
lovely? :4
Broadway skyscrapers.
."'They are the buildings Of the future so
our question is, What is the style of the
future to be?
well. your architects are working out
the answer. The University Club, in 9Th
avenue. is a beautiful building. fit to stand
in Venice or Florence. Many Of your archi-
tects have treated the stories, or groups of
stories the windows and cornices of the
tall buildings Of steel In entirely new and
beautiful ways l shall not be surprised
myself to come back to New York in thirty
years and see your tall buildings covered
with cOlored tiles, arranged in patterns. or
even in pictorial designs, If you wish. Why
not? Think Of that forest of skyscrapers on
lower Manhattan Island all standing I'D in
shining colors and sending back the sum-
Sir Martin paused to allow the conception
to come home to the men with whom he
was talking Spoken very quietly. his words
did not at once carry the wild, Babylonic
splendor Of the picture.
The theory OF level sky line on a city
street doesn't appeal to me-" he went on
II know of no more beautiful sight In the
world than lower Manhattan viewed from
Jersey City at sunset. That wilderness of
towers of Babel, each with fits rosy plume
Of smoke. is a sight so majestic. so gen
timely beautiful, that 1t can never be for
gotten. 1t is pity that the splendid idea
Of triumphal arch Of entrance on the Bat
terry was not carried out. The finest street
In the world should have the finest en-
trance There should be a fitting door to
the land that holds the future Of architec-
ture In its keeping"