Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-08
Designs for Business High
School.
School.
ALONG CLASSIC LINES
RED AS ARCHITECT, E
Chance to Show That Building Can Be
Constructed for Available
Money.


Commissioners arrived at the conclusion
| that no one OF the seven sets of plans sub
| mitted in the competition to secure an
architect for the new Business High School
| could be constructed within the amount Of
the appropriation available. $16S,OOO.
In order to give the authors Of the de-
signs that were favored by the jury of
award an opportunity to appear before the
Commissioners to present figures by which
they can bring the cost Of their structures
within the specified amount. the Commits
stoners opened the envelopes containg the
names OF the designers Of the three plans
favored by the architectural adviser, Mr..
William g. Noting of Baltimore.
Judged on the merits of the designs, the
order in which the plans are favored Is as
follows: First, plan No. 5, submitted by B.
Stanley Simmons; second, plan No. {, SUBJ
mltted by Julius Venig, and third. plan No
=, submitted by Frank H. Jackson.
These three architects will be invited to
appear before the Commissioners. Mr.
Summons will be given the first opportunity
or arguing that his design can be carried
out for s168,000. II he cannot convince the
author OF the design standing second in
the competition, will be heard and in turn
Mr. jackson, author of the third design.
The First Prize.
The first prize in the competition Is a
cash payment of s.. 500 and employment
| TO supervise the construction of the build
ing at 81 day for 500 days. The second
| prize Is 800 and the third prize $500.
All OF the competing architects were
Washingtonians. Seven plans were SUBJ
mltted. the architects competing in addition
20 those mentioned above being Robert
stead. F. g. Atkinson, w. F. Wagner &
Bro. and William J. Palmer No attempt
was made to fix the relative standing of
others than the first three
Plan No. 8, which Is most favored by the
commissioners and which was designed by
MT r. Stanley Simmons, is type of the
English renaissance. The elevation sug-
gests at once the design chosen for the new
District building, being In conformity with
the same school and giving the suggestion
or coiumnar structure. The structure is
Inree stories in height, with a basement
In his explanation Of the plan the archi
tect stated that he deemed a three-storv
building advisable for the reasons that it
gives an elevation needed in this class of
ouIioings. costs less to build proportion
ately than two-story building and ia
more economically heated and ventilated
me building has been planned to set on
the building line of Rhode Island avenue
ana recede from the building lines on 9th
street. sth street and r street the site of
the building being the triangular square
between the streets named. The situation
noted by the architect gives a uniform
80 AAiiS SPdSC VI lWcnty-HVo 1G6t on all
four sides of the structure, even after pro-
posed additions are made to the building
Such width of parking, he says should be
especially desirable on 9th street. it being
street occupied by electric cars and hav-
ing an existing parking of only five feet
The main front Is placed on Rhode Island
avenue. as that Is the widest thorough
fare and most important. The court Of r
street will not be closed by future addi-
tons, therefore giving better light and
ventilation.
~
estimate putting the total cost of the
building at $165, 1865. He declares this
amount can be verified by contracts let
for school buildings in the District Of
Columbia.
Elevations Are Simple.
The elevations are simple, along classic
lines, depending largely upon mass effect.
The materials of fronts on Rhode Island
avenue, 9Th and 9th streets, It is proposed.
shall be of standard shaped gray brick,
with limestone trimmings, or select red
brick with black headers and white joints
laid in Flemish bend with limestone trim
mlngs the latter. in the estimate of the
architect, being the most effective building.
The Commissioners acted formally in the
matter this afternoon by approving a
statement from Col John Bfddle, the En-
gineer Commissioner in which he said:
I'm accordance with the program of COM
petition Mr.. William G. Noting of the
Baltimore firm of Wyatt & Noting, archi-
tects, who have had large experience in
school buildings. was appointed architectu-
raj adviser to the Commissioners. The plans
were opened at o'clock Saturday, August
l. Mr.. Noting arrived in Washington on
Monday morning, August 3. and spent all
of Monday and Tuesday examining the
drawings. His opinion is given in the in
closed letter.
The Architectural Adviser.
ho ind Of tba
wiser. the building department and myself
none of the plans submitted can be built
within the amount of the appropriation, and
the plans which come closest to this figure
are not suitable for the purpose. The cost
of the buildings were carefully gone over
by Mr.. Noting and an estimate made by
him, and again gone over, independently, by
the building department The size of the
buildings are such as to allow only about
II cents per cubic foot on the plans SUBJ
mitted for the most suitable building, while
the simplest kind Of a school building costs
IA cents per cubic foot at present prices.
The amount appropriated would, there
FORE be about $4,000 to $4,000 too little
to construct the building on the plans sub
mitted. AS the program of competition
stated most specifically that an award
would not be made to any architect whose
plans, In the Judgment of the committee of
award. cannot be practically executed with
IN the sun available for the erection of the
building, recommend that the architects,
before receiving any award. be required to
establish to the satisfaction of the commit
tee, that the building can be built within
that sum.
IF none of the buildings which are in the
judgment OF the committee suitable lor
the purpose can be shown capable of be-
ing built within the sum available, recon-
mend that all be rejected, and in that case,
as new competition would probably not
produce any better results, that an archi-
tect be chosen by the Commissioners of
the District Of Columbia to prepare plans
under their direction.
THE three best designs are, In order of
merit. No. five. B. Stanley Simmons; No.
seven, Julius Wenig, A. c. Leach associat-
ed; No. two, Frank H. jackson"
Records for Twenty-Four Hours.
The following were the readings Of the
thermometer and barometer at the weather
bureau for the twenty-four hours beginning
at pm. yesterday: