The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-14
GOVERNMENTAL ARCHITECTURE.

government IN tne eIeCLlou OIL lu5 pup
lie buildings, series now in favor, has
adopted q style that is practically uni
form for the whole country, and for
every site upon which tho buildings
may be constructed, without reference
to suitability, perspective, or surround
ings. We have seen n good many IL
lustrations Of Federal buildings all sub
stantinlly alike, constructed within the
Inst few years. The type of building
constructed in Salt Lake is a good eX
ample of the type. 1t is also a good
illustration of the fact that the build
ings themselves are not striking and do
not impress one as in any way superior,
on the average site. In fact, these
buildings are usually, even more so than
in Salt Lake, overtopped by surround
ing structures; one can never see them
from a distance, and never knows they
are there until suddenly he comes up
against them.
New York S new custom house is un-
doubtedly one of the finest buildings
ever constructed in tho United States.
Az the same time, its inferiority in
architectural prominence is noted at
once in Il Wow which includes the
buildings on every side of it. When
one gets into tho historic site on which
this New York custom house is erected,
and looks at IL alone, without consid
ering the overtoppirg architectural sur
roundings, he admires the structure; but
when he gets away and looks at 1T
through the avenue formed by the high
buildings leading up to it, then its
comparative sQuattincss is manifest. To
be sure, the interior of this building is
very splendid, The illustrations show
ing portions of the interior in finish,
design, and artistic triumphs are ex
tremcly beautiful, and fully meet one s
idea Of what a great public building Of
"A free people should be. There is moth
ing to criticise in the building once one
gets inside of 1t and is conscious of
the beauties, utility, and artistic splen
dor of it all. Criticism is directed not
at the interior, but at the exterior; and
the objection is to the sameness of archi-
tectural plan and lines, without refer
cncc to surroundings or TO the site upon
which the building is to be put.
Every building should be planned ac-
cording to the situation 1t is TO occupy,
and with view TO the ground surface
and TO the buildings that arc to be on
every side OF it. Salt Lake s public
building viii be utterly dwarfed when
the Ncwhouse structures are put up. IL
is almost dwarfed now; one can hardly
see ii, even half block away; whereas,
it should be a conspicuous landmark,
that could be seen and known from a
distance. Gong out into this valley,
one can see some of the prominent
buildings here, and note them as land.
marks. The temple is such q structure.
The joint city and county building is
another. Other buildings some private
and some public, are also conspicuous
by their prominence, aud catch the eye
from any part of the valle' that is
within the natural vision. But not so
with the Federal building. 1t is utterly
obscured, and one has to get right up to
it before 1T can be seen at all, The
progress Of building thereabouts will
aceentuate the inferiority Of this
building as contrasted with those
round about it; and we submit that
this is precisely what should not be
the case The Government building
should be prominent; it should he a
landmark: it should be conspicuous to
as great an extent as any other struc-
ture in the city.
The Government certainly spends
money enough in these buildings in all
conscience, TO make them things of
beauty, both without and within. But
IL is impossible that any one style of
and every surrounding. The Treasury
officials who have the designing of the
buildings in charge either have forgot.
ten this important fact, or they have
never appreciated it at its full value,
No one, if he has the proper artistic
taste. builds structure, that is espe
cially fitted for hill down in the val
ley. And no one with any sense of
artistic proportion will dump costly
building down in the midst Of lot of
structures that completely obscure IT.,
There should be ingenuity enough, ar.
tistic taste enough, and common sense
enough about the planning and con-
struction of these public buildings to
make them meet every requirement,
both as TO beauty, usefulness, and com
! parative prominence wherever they are
constructed. If the Salt Lake public
| building, for instance, should have been
put up on the north bench. say OH the
old Eighteenth ward square. or on the
| comb of the bench, it would then, in
spite of its squatness, have some dignity
! Of appearance and could be located even
| before one stubbed his toe against it,.
| We are not aware Of course, that this
square was offered, aud probably it
would not have been accepted If il had
been offered, as it would be too remote