The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-12
the architecturally malefcient Mr..
Mu1lett
The Conservatives.

The Conservatives.
The vandals who did not go to the
length of destroying, but only of hid
ing, an integral and the most grand
lose and palatial feature of the de-
sign, were the designers of the con-
servatories, Which successive ladies
Of the White house found desirable
should be added directly to the build
ing or to one another. without regard
to the architectural effect of the adj
dition. How much better it will be
hereafter may be judged from seeing
how much better it was before, as
shown in Mr.. Bartlett's steel engrav-
ing, showing the presidents house.
with the long stylobate of the terrace
ed wings, from the proper ARCHITECT
tural front, the garden front, in amer
lean Scenery" published in London in
1910. The lay of the land is such that
from the north, the avenue front, the
extension of the wings will be seen.
and can have been seen, only as a
wall or balustrade indicating a plan
form, while the slope to the SOUTH
ward will develop the wings from
that point of view into a full and
rather lofty story above ground.
The Importance of the addition may
be judged by the fact that the total
length of the basement, including the
wings, will be 500 feet, against about a
third of that length in the house prop
er.
Valuable as the architectural effect
of this restoration will be, the resto-
ration is demanded not less on practi-
cal that on architectural grounds. The
White house, as has been said, is by
the nature of the case the most pro-
miscuously hospitable residence in the
United States. The public receptions,
nd ,o7o1o M
mites for circulation than there is
need of in any private mansion. No
body can have attended one of the
evening receptions without feeling al
most ashamed at the lack Of conven-
Hence, which is also a lack of dignity.
and a lack of dignity in the presi-
dents house is also lack of decency.
In the restoration the quarters and
the Offices alike, so far as they are
provided in the basement. are confined
to the basement of the house proper
and to that of the west terrace, which
they do not so fully occupy as to pre-
clude a covered passage fronted with
the original colonnade, by which the
president can make his way to and
from the temporary executive office.
Ample Room for Guests.
The east terrace is given over to
the Offices required by the public
functions of the mansion, which have
heretofore had, not to be accommodate
ed" but to be huddled in a most I'M
comfortable and undignified way, on
the main floor. Heneeforth the general
guests, the line" will descend at the
porte cochere at the east end, oppo-
site the treasury, and make their I'M
crowded way along ample corridors,
to the ample waiting and dressing
rooms, and thence by an ample stone
staircase to the main floor, consisting
now of entirely unencumbered apart
ments, where they arrive properly
clothed and in their right minds For
the special guests, the guests behind
the line separate provision is made at
the center of the south front, where
their waiting room is provided in the
oval of the basement, and whence they
separately emerge and ascend
That it was the intention of the orig
inal architect to make some more
stately use of this basement than to
fill it with quarters seems to be suf-
| fciently proved by the wide and hand
some longitudinal corridor he has pro
vided, ceiled with solid grained arches
of much inpressiveness. The recent
use of these underground basement
rooms has been merely to lodge In
| them the systems of communication
and service of the house, which are