The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-24


possibility because, unless they do, the
contractor who NAV subsequently, do
the work cannot be taken to task for
iaulty performance If ne can truth
1ulfy claim the specifications do not
say So. 1t follows therefore that this
is an exceedingly important duty of
the architect. Read one of our volu-
nilhouS specifications and see what
| time and thought their preparation re-
quires.
Architect'sI Expenses Enormous.
The architect must also, for his own
protection-tha his plans may not be
ruined in the execution and
pay a competent superintendent Of
construction, Who is constantly on the
work, watching the quality of all ma
terlal and labor that goes into it. The
law requires ours board to employ a
man on behalf of the state, but the
architect, for reasons above given,
must nave another. need hardly add
that the architect is in constant touch
with the work, personally if present,
ana by daily report If absent He is
at all times the sole referee as to quail
lty OF material or workmanship and
must reject everything improper in
either. 1t is easy to see what an
| amount of cheating a dishonest archi-
tect might connive at Go up to the
new capitol and see if you can find
any or 1t. Now compute all these ex-
penses to which 1 have referred and
which the architect is subject to each
year and multiply by ten years, and
you will see that the larger portion
or what is paid to him is paid out by
him again for expenses.
rake another point Of view. Sup
pose you could hire the services of an
afcmtect possessing the brains to plan
OUT such large and complex building
as this and to stand by and oversee it
TO perfect completed whole, but the
owner to pay for making all drawings
and other expenses mean paying
the architect for his own brains and
skill alone-would $4,000 a year be
exhorbitant compensation for that
| class of talent? Now extend this over
period of ten years and while the
sum looks large in the aggregate, it is
not so When divided up into ten an
nual payments. The average man of
business would feel that the enormous
responsibilities thus assumed were
alone worth that compensation 1t is
my firm belief, however, that Mr.. Gill
pert will close his books on this I'M
| dertaking two or three years hence
with a much0 less total for himself.
after ten years of his best effort, than
IS ABOVE outlined, even though the to-
TAI so SHOWN will have been scattered
through many years.
Hindrances in Original Bill.
When the original bill for new.
capitol was passed in 1898 it was cum
bered up with a mass of limitations
and instructions to the board which
afterwards proved to be only a him
ofance and preventive Of good results
Among other things, the sizes of the
drawings in the competition for a. de-
! sign for the new building were fixed.
Ihe perspective drawing must be on a
scale OF one-quarter of an inch to the
foot. This, for building 400 feet long,
made a drawing 100 inches, or eight
ana one third feet long, to say nothing
! of border and frame! There were
other equally absurd provisions. The
architects compensation was limited
to IL per cent, which was then, as
1t is now, one-halfr Of the usual Gus
tomary fee. The schedule of the Amer
lean Institute Of Architects) which is
merely an association of all or nearly
all practlcing architects in the United
States, but not a trade union, and
hence does not bind its members other
than ethically) provided then, as it
does now, the following:
5s schedule of minimum charges and
professional practice of architects as
usual and proper. For full professional
services Gncluding supervisory 5 per
cent on the cost Of the work. Where,
heating, ventilating, mechanical, cleo
trlcal and sanitary problems in build
ing are of such a complicated nature
as to require the assistance Of an en-
g1neer the owner is to pay for such
assistance as the architect may re-
Quire.'
AS in duty bound our board pro,
ceeded to hold competition for de-
signs, and we received a great many
some perspective drawings ten feet and
some four feet long, with others be-
tween these two. The leading archi-
tectS Of the country did not compete
and told us they could not do so and
be honest on such a basis of compen-
satlon. We got no design that we we're
advised to, or could, accept, and so
we reported the facts to the legisla-
ture of 1895, which amended the law,
STRIKING out the unWiSe provisions and
leaving all such details to the Judgment
OF the board. This is now somewhat
ancient history.
Increased the Compensation.
I'VE then held a second competition
and selected the present design and
architect. When we came to make q
contract with him the old provision of
IL per cent being still in the minds
OF some members of the board a COM
promise of per cent was made with
him, and he has ever since furnished all
engineering services He was new to
was new to all Of us. Mr.. Gilbert pro-
tested, but was anxious to construct
the building and met the views then
held by majority Of the board. Two
years ago, however, when it became
necessary to make a new contract with
him because of an increased appro-
priation, the board, having now learned
what the services of an honest, fear
less and capable architect are worth.
unanimously voted to make his new
contract at the usual and customary
rate throughout the United States.
namely, per cent. He has no warm
er friends on our board today than
the members who opposed him at the
outset
After carefully Weighing the in
formation herein conveyed, can any
reasonable man say that Minnesota
has paid, or is to pay, too much for
the services rendered?
Since we awarded this work to Mr.
Gilbert our accepted designs have been
published in the architectural Journals
throughout the land and thew have
met with unstinted praise everywhere.
Success has followed his every effort.
AS one of six selected to compete for
1t, his design was chosen for the Unit
ed States custom house in New York,
although he was resident of Min
nesOta and was opposed by the most
noted architects of the East The new
structure is now up to. the second story.
Other honors have followed him, many
Of them unsought, and he stands to-
day in the front rank of his profess
sion. Minnesota's new capitol was
his first great achievement and
quite naturally holds first place in his
affections, but it will not be his last
success. We are fortunate to have
such man in charge of our enter
prise.
He is not in st. Paul at present,