Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-18
Fine Arts Body Requested to
Pass on School Buildings.
WILL TAKE UP MATTER
Barry Memorial Also to Be Consid-
cred at Meeting Tomorrow.
CONTROVERSY HAS BEEN KEEN
Reports That Commission Might Re-
Emphatically Denied.

A request by the District Commissioners
that the fine arts commission created by
Congress at its last session to act as an
advisory board for all public buildings
and statues which are to be erected in
Washington shall hereafter pass upon all
the designs for public school buildings in
the District as well as other municipal
buildings, will be considered by the COM
mission at it's meeting tomorrow In the
Lemon building. The members are: Dan
lei III. Burnham Of Chicago, chairman:
F. D. Millet of this city, vice chairman;
Frederick Law Olmsted of Brookline,
Mass, landscape architect; Daniel c..
French OF New York. sculptor; Cass Gill
bert OF New York, architect, and Charles
Moore of Detroit, formerly secretary of
| the Senate park commission. Col. Spen-
Ger Cosby, L. S. A., in charge Of public
buildings and grounds, is secretary.
This commission was organized last
summer and has already held several
meetings, but. because of the absence of
several Of its members. matters Of special
Importance were deferred until the pres
ent time. For this reason the meeting to-
morrow is Of special significance.
Among the matters to be brought before
the commission for consideration and de-
cision is the Barry memorial, for which
Congress some years ago made an appro-
priation Of $4,000, and concerning which
there has been much controversy Con-
troversy over q monument erected by the
government Is no new thing, but the bit
terness which has been manifested in this
instance has been rather remarkable The
4 pt1rve tAs,~y -
After the appropriation was made by
Congress competition was held, which
was limited to Irish-American sculptors.
Seven or eight entered the competition
and submitted models, which were set
up in the upper hall OF the Navy Depart
ment
Experts Pass on Designs.
An expert jury, composed Of Herbert
Adams. president of. the National Sculp-
ture Society: Thomas Hastings, archi-
tect Of the House and Senate Office build
ings, and F. d. Millet, secretary Of the
American Academy In Rome, viewed
these models and selected the three most
meritorious. rating them as follows:
First, the model submitted by Andrew
OConnor; second, the model submitted
by Jerome Connor; third, the model SUBJ
mitted by John Flanagan. According to
sculptor rated first was supposed to re-
ceive the commission. and those rated
second and third, cash prizes. Stipula-
ton was made. however, that II this de-
sign of the one rated first was not &C
cepted he should receive prize Of 1900.
The model submitted by Andrew O'Con-
nor was for q fountain in combination
with the Statue, and showed an exedra
on which. in high relief, a fragment of
Irish history was depicted a legorically.
It was novel and peculiarly suited to the
site then selected, on the west side Of
Franklin Square. No sooner, however.
was the award announced than certain
Irish citizens who had taken an active
from Congress entered protest against it,
Directing to the nudity Of the figures
represented in the relief and to the en-
phasis placed upon Irish history.
the Irish who had shown SO lively an
interest, the commission appointed by
Congress to conduct the competition and
select a sculptor, without consulting the
expert jury. wrote to Andrew O'Conn. r,
who was residing In Paris. and told him
they would like him to modify his de-
sign to conform with the wishes of those
who had entered protest. suggesting that
the statues sracing the corners Of La
fayette square be taken as models, and
tacitly promising that II he would do this
he should have the commission.
Su6matS 0ec000 Wooel.
Mr.. OConnor agreed, and a few months
later submitted second model, which
consisted Of the STATUE OF Commodore
Barry on q pedestal, Stimulating the quar-
ter deck. at the base Of which were al
legortcal figures.
For six months this model was under
consideration. pleasing neither the Irish
contingent nor the artists. Meanwhile
protest was made to the commission by
the National Sculpture Society, the Amer
lean Institute Of Architects, the Ameri-
can Federation Of Arts, the washington
Society Of the Fine Arts, the National
Institute of Arts and Letters, and scores
of individuals against the rejection Of the
first model, and the discrediting thereby
Of expert opinion, this model being adj
judged by these organizations and in
dividuals Of great artistic merit.
Finally, to prupitiate all, the commits
sion declared the competition OF. paid
Andrew O'Connor the thousand dollars
visionaily to John j. Boyle OF New York.
the understanding being that he was to
submit q model which, II satisfactory,
would be accepted but would be open to
model which was not found acceptable
and he has now prepared for submission
q second model. It is this which il to
be passed on tomorrow by the fine arts
commission, at the request of the Barry
monument commission. II this model is
not found satisfactory there is apparently
no reason why he should not submit
third and fourth. but it is scarcely
thought probable that he will do SO.
The feeling now. which is being ex-
pressed. is not unfavo able to Mr.. Boyle,
but opposed to the ultimate selection Of
any model inferior artistically to. the
first submitted by Mr.. O'Connor:. It Is
thought by those interested in art q d
IN the National Capital that 1t would be
unfortunate to erect in this city q mon
ument inferior to the best that may be
had.
The fact is. however, that the federal
art commission is not legally authorized
to take the initiative In such matters.
It will. in all probability. be merely
asked to pass on the merit OF the model
submitted by Mr.. Boyle without regard
to anything which has previously tran
spired, though 1t may, IL it see fit. make
Recommendations. There is no reason to
suppose. however. that the protests OF
those who were unfavorably impressed
by Mr.. O'Connor's. first model or the ap-
prevail Of it given by art societies. critics
and those next Of kin to Commodore
Barry, will be laid before 1t. It is not