Evening star., 1902-08-05
The Municipal Building Plan.

The selection of Messrs. Burnham, Nc
Kim and Olmstead to serve on the jury OF
award in the case of the District municipal
building ensures a careful scrutiny Of the
submitted designs and the adoption of
high standard of architecture. But II Is
Furthermore a guarantee that the accepted
design will have a proper relationship to
the general scheme Of the park commits
sion. composed Of these three men. 1t is
gratifying to find such a close unity be-
tween this first important building enter
prise projected since the commissions plan
was presented and the project itself Here
tofore one of the chief causes of the hit-and-
miss results which have retarded the harmo-
Eious development of Washington has been
the lack of system of agreements. Each
building was considered individually, with
out reference to any general arrangement.
Thus public buildings were scattered out Of
the lines of the LEnfant plans and
much money was wasted in consequence.
Furthermore, the public business was ham
pered in a measure to be realized only in
the course of many years structures
were placed without regard for convenience
of access.
But the location of these structures was
0; secondary consequence compared with
the character of their designs. some OF
them being incongruOus departures even
from conventions. while others were afro
cious innovations along old lines. Thus
the presence of these three upon the jury
Of awards signifies that the chances of de-
plorable violations of suitable conventions
will be reduced to a minimum. Just how
far the capital will gain affirmatively from
the changed conditions remains to be judg-
ed from the list OF architects who are to
be invited to compete for the honor
Of planning the Districts official home
and later from the designs they submit.
There need be little apprehension that
the coUntrys most eminent architects
will not be included in this list or that
they Will fail to submit designs of charac-
teristic excellence. The prize is not so
great financially as it Is sentimentaly. A
wholesome change has come over the archi-
tects of the country with regard to public
works. They no longer shrink from COM
petiug- They are more fully assured of
generous consideration and there is a better
chance Of the prompt and workmanlike ex-
ecution of their plans. Their cooperation
with the government is to a certain extent
public spirited. although. of course, always
professional, for they realize that the coun-
try needs instruction in the line Of the
erection of public buildings of a classic
type in the place Of the shacks and barns
which have in the past been constructed
here and there in the large cities in the
name of government architecture.
Washington awaits the submission of
plans in this competition, therefore, with
greater confidence than it was warranted
in feeling IN the past whenever public
building was TO be constructed. It feels
that it will have the benefit of the best
advice in the prelimfnaries and of the most
artistic tastes in the preparation and later
the selection of designs. The site chosen
for the municipal building is excellent in all
respects. and it deserves and will undoubt-
ediy receive a creation in masonry of a
character to enrich the capital and to graft
fy the tastes of It's people.