The Washington herald., 1907-04-14
WOMAN PLANS HOUSE
Mrs. L. May Is WashingtOn's
Only Female Architect.
CHOOSES THE ENGLISH TYPE
Row on Ontario street Has Many At
trRetfFe Featurex-Designer Adds
Features Pleasing to Feminine
Tastes-BuiIder Praises Accuracy
of the Working Drawings.

( One Of the most attractive rows Of
houses in the city has just been COM
pleted on Ontario street near the corner
Of Euclid. and has been placed on the
market. These houses are Of artistic de
/ sign upon the exterior, planned after
1 the style of some Of the country houses
/ in England. They mark pleasing de-
/ parture from the set type Of solid masses
| of brick and mortar with which Washing
/ ton is filled which show little variety and
( less effort toward beauty in exterior
architecture.
Within, these houses are paragons Of
comfort, and "a surprise to those who are
acquainted only with the conventional ar
rangement Of rooms and accessories in
the average Washington house. Here are
not only pleasant rooms. beautiful stair
| cases. rlch mantels, with real hreplaces
( in them, but many things not before at
tempted in the way Of comfort and ele-
gance have been put into them by the
architect.
Probably the most interesting thing con-
nected with this row OF houses is the
architect. She is a woman. and the only
skilled architect Of the sex which the
Capital boasts She IS Mrs. Edgar May,
who lives al a Quarry Road, in hand
some pebble-dash home, which she de-
signed a few years ago.
Makes working Drawings.
Mrs. May. unlike some other women
who pose as architects. does not make
few sketch designs and then call in the
services OF a professional architect TO
make the drawings and specifications. She
performs all the work herself, making
even the working drawings. from which
the contracts are let and the houses con-
structed Builders who have worked after
her plans say she is one Of the most ac-
curate craftsmen with whom they are
acquainted. and that never get have they
been called upon 90 have any plan Of
hers revised because tire specifications
would not fillmore. it is said. than can be
affirmed Of the working drawings Of
many famous architects.
Mrs May yesterday m0destly declined
10 say aught of herself IN connection with
her professional work. She said the row
OF houses to which reference is made j.
her first "big job and she declared that
she wished 10 wait until she had ac-
compished something worth while before
talking for publication
From a good friend OF Mrs May, how
ever il was learned that she had an in
born talent for architecture. Some years
ago. 10 was said she took it upon her.
self 20 build some houses where she wish
ed % invest money in ground and build
iugs She employed am architect 10 pre-
pare the plans These she studied care
fully and thought she saw some ways
in which they could be improved. At a
later time she made some experiments
in planning one or two modest houses,
one of them the home in which she lives
Learns IA BY Experiment..
Sine found she could draw that she
could calculate dimensions and design
parts Of the construction. She kept on
with her experiments, studying works on
architecture, and mastering the detail Of
the art. Last year she designed the Eng
lish style houses. which she built on On
tarlo street, doing all the work usually
done by an architect and according TO
w B. Holtzclaw, the builder with great
success. He declared that the working
plans were models of clearuess and ac-
curacy. and in constructing the houses
he never had TO make any deviations from
the plain markings aAd specifications Of
the designs. That was true, he said,
while no two of the houses were exactly
alike According 10 the testimony OF all.
this is an instance where d WUmau's ar
tstic instinct, practical brain, energy
and ability have done things. and done
them SO well that the result is d matter
of pride and qualification 70 herself and
! friends.
These houses VIII prove special de
light To women as they are fitted
throughout With handy closets. quiet rest
I ing hooks cOZy corners, odd designs IN
the windows, pleasant little landings upon
the stairways. and bright spots arranged
in artistic manner. as only woman
used 10 home life could think of or design.
The builder said ne had never seen houses
where all the space was so well taken
up with view 10 something useful and
pretty as in these. Tie declared that
they were q marvel TO him as he was
building them. and an increasing source
of admiration since they were completed.
Lots Differ in Width.
The lots range from 20 to 80 feet in
width. so that the interiors are very diff
ferent in construction and arrangement
Of rooms While all the houses have
parlor. diniug-room. and pantry on the
first floor there are i've different ar
rangements of these rooms. Moreover,
the wide lots give considerable space
back of the houses. and the interior
rooms are much better lighted than is
possible in the usual plan of making adj
joining houses of the same width ana
on the same set plans.
One feature is of special interest, that
It is not possible to look from the win
doWs of one house into those of another,
The designer has paid attention 10 these
and hundred other details which mark
these houses as peculiar in Washington,
as well I'm point of comfort elegance. and
homeIikeness. as in economy of space
and making the most out of the ground
piats
These houses are offered for sale by c.
]. Ubhom. with offices at rooms AIS and Il9