Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18
COMMENTS UPON SOME OF THE
MOST NOTABLE EXHIBITS.
Inc Architectural Improvements at
the National Capital
Ignored.


little difficult to understand why tbts
should pc Tor though it is true that the
architectural League exhibition, which
Us now in progress in New York has car..
Red off much good work. II has NOT or,
ilfuSted the supply. and IL must be rr1nem-
ofreo mat the confiict~0T dares vas not
Iihls Is an age OF progress. and in no line
WORK is II more plainly evInced than in
the~Seld of architecture. The dav when
houses were manufactured by the block
pitSneS, when every man was his own
archltect, and most dwellings were erect
ed entirely through the good offices OF a
carpenter and builder is past The trained
architect is no longer luxury, but a ne
ceSSi'y. lie has come to stay Nor are
.he people today Indifferent to his art
demand has come for better buildnEs-so-
cletles nave been formed for the improve
inent or civic conditions, and individuals
have come to a knowledge of more tasteful
and better things. 1t is a big movement
ana welShtier than many suppose. 1t deals
not only with the plans and walls of a
pulidlng, but embraces its decoration, it's
garden and its approach: It deals with the
building OF bridges, the making of high
ways, the laying out of our cities and the
adOfnment OF our streets.
Some Notable Examples.
CHANGING over the country for specific
examples, we note some of the great uni
versity buildings, the new Naval Academy
and the new West Point: we see the beau
tiful and impressive Soldiers and Sailors
monument on Riverside drive and the
plans for our own park system. Nor are
the noteworthy examples confined to out
of-town places. There are at present a
number of important architectural works
in progress in Washington. and the last
year has witnessed the completion of mere
than few. Take. for instance the new
union station. now in process of erection,
which. when completed. will. ii is said, be
not only one of the largest but handSomest
depots in the world, or the new National
Nm rrrhf Gold hon,
completed, outrival all our other public
buildings. Witness the increased individ-
uality of our new moderate priced dwell
ings and the improved style the build
ings erected under municipal control, and
no testimony will be needed to the effect
that in the march Of architectural improve
ment Washington is not a laggard. This
the architectural exhibition might set
forth, but, perversely, it gives it but feeble
expression.
The Most Important Exhibits.
In the center of the fat wall in the po-
sition of prominence is n perspective
drawing of the new Department of Agri-
culture designed by Rankin. Kellogg &
Crane of Philadelphia and revised to ac-
cord with the new site. Strangely enough,
the original drawing was given similar
prominence in the upper atrium last win
ter In the Architectural Clubs previous
exhibition. 1t is, however. well worthy Of
the double honor and easily the most i'm
p0rtant exhibit Near TINS, Sharing
the advantage of the fiat wall. is Wood.
Dom & Demings drawing and plans for
the proposed Senate office building
simple, substantial structure, solidly
massed and good in line. which in style
will be found to accord with the Capitol.
One whole section is given up to draw
ings and plans entered in competition for
the Freedmen's Hospital. none of which
proved entirely satisfactory. OF these
the one contributed by Marsh & Peter is
outwardly the most dignified and appar-
emily appropriate. Some of the drawings
entered in the first unfortunate COMPETE
ton for the new Police Court are there.
as well the later successful design
submitted by Mr. b. S. Simmons. The gov
eminent buildings. post offices, court
houses and the like. emanating from the
supervising architects office, make a.
smaller and poorer show this year than
formerly, though conspicuous in the
group is a drawing of the government
building for the Lewis. and Clark ami
versary exposition, to be held in Port
land Oregon, next summer, and a series
of photographs of the recent government
building at ST. Louis. There is from out
of town a good design. admirably pre-
scented of the Aetna insurance building of
Hartford, Conn., made by Il. w. Morris,
jr. and also interesting presentation
of Lord & Hewlett's plan for the Brook
Ign municipal building.
Domestic Architecture.
OF domestic architecture, but few ex-
amples are given. Wyeth &c Cresson of
this city show photographs of the facades
of Dr. organs and Miss !. c. Wells resi-
dences and Owens & Sisco exhibit photo
graphic reproductions of two colonial
homes erected in Baltimore. Some excel
lent architectural coloring is shown, not
ably an elevation by Henry Bacon. pic
turing alterations made to the famous
old Garter Hall" at Wildwood. Va. and
Hughson Hawleys perspective of the
Bellevue Hotel, Philadelphia. horrible
presentation in color of formal garden
is given and some fiagrantly colorful in
artistic renderings of architecture have
found their way into the catalogue.
Wilson Eyre, who can usually be depend
ed upon for attractive exhibits, sends. II
not the identically same color drawing
which last year represented him, a least
one so similar that il has no new Interest.
Nicola DAscenZo, however. goes step
up this year. and shows ecclesiastical de-
signs in stained glass which far surpas3
his previous exhibits. one of his contr,-
buttons, window representing the adora-
tons of the shepherds, is peculiarly good
in composition and color. and VIII he
found a distinct departure from any work
previously done in this country.
The Pictorial Section.
The purely pictorial section is small this
year and relatively unimpOrtant. It should
have a place in such an exhibition as this,
but at present. while admirable in itself,
it seems out of harmony. To it Mr.. James
Henry Moser has contributed six or eight
of his fresh vigorous water colors. made
in the quaint little German town of Boil
kenhein; Mr. A. B. Heaton has sent Sc
ries of sketches made in Europe. among
which are tiny studies of Worcester Ches-
ter and Lincoln cathedrals, and Mr.. r. 4.
Tissington, a local architect and Cornell
man, has contributed two clever little
foreign sketches, one of which gives a spir-
tied Interpretation OF the famous Colleoni
statue.
This. with a huge plaster cast Of an cleo
troer, designed for the federal building.
Admission, Ala. and wholly out of keeping
with it's surroundings in the hemicycia,
constitutes the exhibition-or. perhaps more
properly speaking. interprets its character.
No emphasis is laid on any special feature:
1t is strong in no one particular. There
are some good. even notable exhibits, but
the mass Is commonplace, and the COM
position Is only to be properly designated
By the word conglomerate.
Some architects hold that public exhibit
tons are detrimental to the profession;
that in order to make them popular they
cease to be learned. And yet 1t need not
follow The public is not q child, to be
fooled into pleasure. and IL standards are
TO be raised 1t must be by straightforward
methods.
Architecture is the backbone Of art, and
its field while distinctive. Is not restricted.
1t would be entirely possible to get to-
a-eh exhibition which