New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-01
DIGNITY IN BUILDINGS.
The Ideal Of Uncle Sans S"per0is-
ing architect.
tFrom The Tribune bureau

Washington, Sept. 30.-Progress is the keynote
Of all the scientific and professional bureaus Oh
the government, and in no one has there peen
greater progress or more tangible results than IN
that Of the supervising architect OF the Uhlteu
States. Under the direction of James Knox
Taylor, supervising architect. that office is con-
Etantly working to an ideal most admirable
IDEAL and this is the case, apparently, Tor ule
first time in the history of the United States.
TT is our aim to clothe every public building
with a dignity and simplicity which shall at
ence impress the observer and appeal to him as
appropriate to the seat of small portion
Of the authority of the nation said Mr. Taylor,
discussing the ideals of his office. I'm other
words we are seeking to express in every pub
dc building something of the majesty of the
great nation which it represents. and we hope
that in time even the humblest and least costly
of the government buildings will impress the
most casual observer with the greatness, the So
ndity and the dignity of the government which
owns it"
How well Mr. Taylor has succeeded in achiev-
ing his ideal may be judged from the iliustra-
tons here presented In former days the super
vising architect prone to adopt each lad
and fancy which swayed private architects, and
the general result was that there was nothing
characteristic, nothing individual, in the public
buildings scattered throughout the country
nothing which served to distinguish them from
the more pretentious tabernacle market or
railway station. There are standing to-day
many government buildings which fall far snort
Of iInPressing the stranger with the fact that
thew contain a constituent part Of the federal
government and which would never be recognized
SIS government buildings were it not for the
signs over their doors or the flags flying from
the stats on their roofs. That this Is not true
Gin Mr.
Taylor has been working to his ideal, is ap-
parent.
When the supervising architect conceived the
idea which now dominates his work he sur
veyed the field in Washington and determined
that those buildings which invariably most i'm
pressed the visitor whether native foreigner,
were the Capitol the White House and the
Treasury. Further observation developed the
fact that these were the types which the visitor
to the national capital carried home with him
tndelibly impressed his memory, and years
after an unlabelled picture Of any of these build
tngs would be instantly recognized. They were
typical Of Washington, of the nation, even, to
him who knew the national capital only through
views and pictures
Study of these buildings clearly demonstrated
to Mr. Taylor that their satisfying qualities,
their quiet dignity and impressveness were due
to the fact that they in each instance types
of pure classic architecture, and arguing from
these conclusions he determined that hereafter
every public building erected throughout this
broad land should be constructed along some
what similar lines. should constitute a type of
pure classic architecture; that no longer fads
changeabIe as fashions fancies should control
the national architecture and the results of this
determination have proved satisfactory that
rarely does the supervising architects office