Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-04

A Glass Of Workers Having Great
Fame in England endLes Here.

From the New York Sun. : ,aee-5 ~ .-s,4. tfel
Specialization has made great strides in
the profession of architecture. Time was
when single architect with skilled assist
ants planned and designed buildings from
cellar to roof, consulting an architectural
engineer. perhaps If the work was of such
size and form as to involve serious en-
cheering problems. Then came the era of
architectural firms. One member of such a
firm would be specially skilled as design
er the artist of the combination: another
acquainted with materials and methods of
construction, so that he was able to SUI
perintend the work Of the contractors; a
third good at specifications or perhaps
specially rich in friends and able to deal
with clients.
Gus gifts participate are still numerous but
specialization has developed independent
architects who are consulted by many firms
upon special problems. There are men who
do little or nothing but write specifications
and others who are employed by many of
their fellow architects in preparing the
colored drawings intended to make unim-
ag1native clients see how a building will
look when completed. Architectural en-
cheering Is more than ever profession in
itself. Meanwhile the architectural
draughtsman has also had his DEVELOPMENT,
English architects are surprised to find how
offices of New York architects is left in the
hands of so-called draughtsmen These are
often carefully educated young architects
who hope sooner later to set up indie
pendently or get into some established firm
as junior partners In some cases a
draughtsman develops into a sort Of man.
aging clerk. just some law clerks become
the executive officers of important law
firms
Other draughtsmen are prized for tho
taste and skill In decorative design. Such
men are sometimes employed to do a large
part of a competitive design submitted for
important buildings. public or private.
However little the employing architect may
nave ADVISED IN TINS work, he and not the
designer gets the credit, and the prixe AZ
It is successful. New York has few such
architects as have attracted special aften-
ton in England by methods Unusual i'm
this country The English architects In
question are men who work largely alone
draughtsmen. They do not seek to create a
great business, but are contekt to brild
comparatively few houses They do. how
ever. place their individual mark not onIy
upon the general design Of the houses they
build. but upon every detail This method
of work makes 1t impossible that they
should entrust to hired drauehtsmen a
great variety of details such as In this
country Is done by dranghtsmen.
This architect works almost nureIv M an
artist, with Jealous care that nothing abaIl
go out from his office that he Is NOT ready
to father In all its important details Such
architects do not earn great incomes FOR
the comparatively small volume of the
business makes that Impossible: but their
fees for individual houses are relatively
large. and only the well-to-do can emnloy
them. Their work is known ali over the
British Isles and even In this country. The
lew AHieIIcah afchitects who work In this
fashion attract less attention than like men
In England. :. TT 1890