The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-28
HOW ARCHITECTS GIT WORK
CHANCE SOMETIMES BRINGS nm
GINNERS GOOD JOBS.
One Nsn Who Picked Up . Btg Psece % wsrk
Because He Was susy On ere Next Lot
-MeWbess sf Architsrts' FIRMS Whsse
Dnly Duty 70 ID 20 Gsrt rustemers.

-MeupDess ef Architerts' Firms Whsse
Only Duty 70 10 20 Gsrt Customers.
How does the architect got his worhf
That In the question that interests not only
the army that yearly joins the professionals
but those already established. or course
there is some right way OF doing IL. else there
would not be men quickly accommodating for
tunes on one side. while on the other there
are many Of talent who FEVER seem to have
started in tho way that leads TO fortune.
Just got q new house to build out in Jer-
sey." said a young architect the other day.
1T In going to be a $500. 900 job. too. Got IL
through Smith, for whom l am building a
house next door"
Then that Is a great compliment for what
you did for Smith, answered his colleague.
who was e~nvious, but was trying not to
show il. If you satisfied him 30 well that
he recommended you. Must have liked his
job, all right"
well, II could scarcely have bean that
answered the successful architect with a
smile. Smith hasn't seen his own plans
yet. and doesn't know what viii do for him.
His friend who had bought the land next
door. however, told him he would begin
building right away IL he could find an archi-
Nrtt. bInltu NOlu IIIu - tahP NbO eAN WV
next day he was in the Office
That case was typical OF the way in
which much business comes to the men
who seem 10 glide for some unknown rea-
son into the way Of getting business. SINH
lar was the experience Of another young
man who appeared 10 nave found the
means OF always keeping his Office full OF
work. He was architect for n OF the
largest estates recently built about New
York. 1t cost more than g. 900 900, which
was a very large order for such a young
man. He had never met the owner, nor
had he any business or social connection
with him It happened that this wealthy
man knew a decorator acquainted with the
architect. One morning be came to sec
this decorator and spoke incidentally Of
the tract Of and he had just bought.
Il rave my OWE ideas az to the kind OF
an estate | want" he said. -and I would
very much like to get hold OF some young
man who would carry them out. " course,
though, I want a man Of good training and
experience 40 far as he has gone
II was perfectly natural for the deco
rator to suggest his friend and the result
of the negotiations between them was the
engagement OF the young architect. OF
course such n way OF acquiring business
was quite as accidental as that told OF
before. In neither case had the architect
done anything to get the work.
The many competitions in which archi-
tects take part bring in business, although
one must have reached a certain eminence
to be invited to compete In them. Some
times architects a a certain small
amount oct OF q competition whether they
win il or not since they are allowed q fixed
sum to pay their expenses. In such q case,
however. they must be invited. as In an
open competition only those who have
had this honor receive compenea ton.
recent composition was hsld with the
privilege OF rejecting. all the designs II
they were not satisfactory. and paying
each competitor the sum OF $3.50. That
was done n none OF the architects who
submitted plans was selected, although
each OF the six received his sum Tor their
labor. Then an architect who had not
taken part at all in the competition was
selected to do the work. In this case IL
happened that the men who built the
library bad not succeeded In attracting
by the terms of their competition the NOR
$3.50 rather than take any kind Of design
that was submitted TO them.
Now that there are several magazines
devoted TO showing the pictures OF all the
fine residences put up in the country, IL
would seem possible that the men who
had built beautiful places would find clients
through these examples OF their work.
There Ia not a new town or country palace
nowadays that ID not pictured ana de-
scribed in the periodicals.
I'm an experience OF twenty-five years..
one OF the best known architects told q
Sun reporter, Il a never got but one
order from a man who saw pictures OF my
work in q magazine. He wrote me after
wanted me to work for him.. But In tho
majority OF cases the experience 10 exactly
-When a picture Of some attractive coun-
try. house is printed, the man who sees IL
and wants TO build himself goes to his arch
itect or builder, as the case may be. and
ENow. / want something very much
like this, but i don't want to pay 90 much
for it. So want you TO 60 to work and
make me q design like that
well, Of course, with the other mans
plans 10 work on Il is not difficult for the
designs TO be arranged. think that the
average architect suffers rather than gains
by having his work exploited In this way.
At all events, | never got but one job through
that kind Of advertising"
There are architects who are no lees
prompt and active In the pursuit OF work
than the ambulance chasers used to be In
their most prosperous days. 80 :oon 40
residential district they are after him TO
offer to build Just the kind of q house he wants
and at a much smaller percentage than
the highest class work always costs. This
KIND oil Work ~ not Always n fatdi 70 nlEn
standing in the profession as II might APP
pear. A young man only a few years ago
was visiting with his roll OF plans and pho
tographs the Offices Of men whose names
he had read In the real estate columns Of
the newspapers. He succeeded 20 well
at this branch Of the business that he 10
now in possession OF a large and fiourishing
business and charges the full rate.
As a rule whatever lack Of business an
architect may grumble under he will never
consent to reduce his percentage. His
impression seems TO be that IL is better TO
have no business at all and keep up the
percentage than TO build for a smaller
sum. In order 70 humiliate q very prom
ineut firm OF architects who had built O
beautiful home for him on Fifth avenue q
man two years ago called In to make al
terations in their work an architect notori-
Gus as a cutter of commissions He went
10 work and changed their plans In accord
ance with the taste Of his employer, who
knew perfectly well that he could not do
anything more humiliating 20 them.
NC other business Is so much affected
by the force OF personality an architect
said TO The SUN reporter. "as architecture.
The demeanor. even the appearances Of the
man is immensely effective In getting busi-
meas for him. i know a Young man who