Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-12
WASHINGTONS RIDING CLUB
EXAMPLE OF BUILDERS ART

bles two stories beneath the street level, how
ever. the builder did not neglect to provide fol-
the very necessary features of light and air
The ground was cut away on the south, east
west and partially on the north sides of the
building. SO that practically all these frontage'
are open to sunlight and ventilation. The stable
is SO arranged that every horse in it may b.
saddIed and kept waiting, and one or a dozer
or fifty or a hundred horses may be sent uI
the IRE hose lined inclines leading to the riding
academy door at one time. There are also exits
from the carriage floor into street and int
the yards adjoining the building. In case Of
fire the entire building could be emptied Of an
imals and Of equipment generally in a very
few minutes.
One general result which obviously must bt
accomplished by the opening of such club IN
Washington will be very great stimulus tc
the sport Of horseback riding, and even though
the membership OF the new organization already
is quite large it is certain there will be a very
decided rush in applications for membership as
soon as other lovers Of horses realize the op-
portunities which are held out to them.
Examples Of MIR. COwsilPs Work.
Although the construction of the new home
Of the Riding Club of Washington is one OF
the finest examples Of Mr.. Cowsills work in
Washington, there are already hundreds Of struc.
lures in the District Of Columbia which bear
the impress Of the same builders energy. Mr..
Cowsill came to Washington in 1886. Only q
few years before, in Cleveland, he had been
engaged on a contract incident to the construc-
ton Of the Stillman Hotel, where he laid the terra
Gotta door arches and partitions. When he came to
Warrington hreproof construction was practi-
cally unknown. Work was just then beginning
on the new Sun building in F street between
18th and 14th streets, and the builders were in
the midst OF difficulties because they could find
one competent to lay the proposed terra
Gotta floors In the structure. They were about
to send to New York for assistance when Mr..
Cowsill appeared and offered to do the work at
what seemed to be remarkably reasonable
money on it, and the floors were the first fire.
proof floors between steel Orders ever laid in a
building in the National Capital.
Shortly after finishing this task on the Sun
building, which is now known as the American
National Bank, Mr.. Cowsill did the masonry
work for several residences on 18th street and
Massachusetts, avenue for the late CAPT. George
E. Lemon, and he also executed the masonry
work in hundreds Of houses in the residence Sec
ton Of the city. His experience in freproof
construction earned for him the contract for
placing the terra Gotta floors and freproof par
titions In the Washington Loan and Trust build
ing. Other structures on which he did the ma
sonry work were the Union station at Seth and
NJ streets. Georgetown; the Columbian Law
building and the Fulton building.
In 1898 Mr.. Cowsill secured one Of the largest
contracts Of its kind ever let In Washington,
when he engaged for a lump sum contract to
place all the brickwork in the Post once De-
partment building. At that time the available
testing machine for determining the strength of
the material, under pressure, ut the U. $. Navy
Yard, this city, was inadequate and MIR.
Cowsill. before proceeding with the 3OOfoot- high
Post Once tower, requested Of the late Ad-
miral Sampson permission to have a cube Of
his masonry tested at the L. S. Arsenal, Water
town, Mass. which was done, with the follow.
ing Official report:
Tests OF Construction Materials.
That Il 13-inch cube of brick masonry with
stood, before cracking, sustained load Of 1911
tons. l2inch cube of granite and cement
concrete in the added foundations to the Wash.
ington Monument withstood a load Of 1914 tons.
Mr.. Cowsill having the inclination and ability,
he determined to control his work (masonry
work. to better advantage by taking the con-
tracts in their entirety. and results speak for
themselves.
He Arst built i've fine residences 1.-TWO for him
self 1t the head Of Connecticut avenue and Coum-
bia road; erected the Armstrong Msnual Training
School, street between LIST and Sd streets
northwest; U. s. Courthouse, Post Once
building, Cumberland, Nd; Silk Mill, Cumber-
land, Md; the Adas Israel Synagogue 9Th and
I streets northwest, where on the large audito-
rum door. consisting Of reinforced concrete
slabs q feet between supports, the District en-
gineers in making their onacial test placed the
most severe test placed on any door OF this
character In the city-that is, a concentrated
load Of thirty thousand 100000 pounds-and on
top Of the test in addition there were twenty
Ave men, including the District engineers archi.
tcct building committee and workmen; remod-
eled the Riggs House Hotel: constructed Home Ice
Company's plant U. .. Isolation Hospital building,
Fort Myer; ssmodeled L. 8. General Hospital
building. Fort Myer; the Laboratories for testing
deuatursd alcohol. Internal Revenue, U. s.
Treasury: I'VE sets Of officers quarters, U. =.
Marine Barracks, Sth and G streets south.
east; Columbia Stables, Franoonia Apartment.
masonry Of the Southern X. n. o6nces; CON-
pleted the famous Boundary Sewer. this city,
wide enough and high enough for two locomo.
tives TO pass each other. and constructed com.
plete one OF the latest and most pretentiou,
residence in the fashionable Sheridan Circle.
The Riding Club Of Washington owns property
on the west side Of 21d street adjoining its new
building ana extending all the way to street
1t 10 the plan Of the club to use ito ring fol-
horse shows. and ultimately to extend the ring
snd the building about IT'S feet farther. with an
additional clubhouse at the south end Of the
structure. This will give the club show
ring ~ large ~ that at Madison Square Garden
| and 1t il expected washington may soon see
horse shows which are every bit ~ important
! in the world of society - are the great sveats