The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-04-09

beauty of our business as well as resi-
Dental sections depends.
Although born in France, de Sibour
owes his allegiance and half his parent
age to this country. His mother was an
American, and he was brought at a ten
der age to Richmond, Va, and a few
years later to Washington. When he
was sixteen years old he went to ST
"aul's School at Concord, N. H, and
| then to Yale, being graduated IN 1886.
! His educat ien had been purely academic,
and young de Sibour had little idea as
! to his future avocation. His skill at
! craftsmanship led him iEto the archi-
I tect offices, and he spent his apprentice
ship with Ernest Flagg. Later he spent
a year in the Office of Bruce Price, de-
! signer of the earliest of the modern steel
| Skyscrapers of Lower Broadway, and
! then spent year or so m Paris studying
the art. He returned to Prices Office
and in 1903 became his Junior partner.
| From 1904 on this firm had an Office in
! Washington. and when Price died, in
| 1903, de Sibour moved to this city to stay.
! In the three years he has been here
! and during the years in which is firm
conducted their branch office in Wash
| ington de Sibour has been the architect
in large number of important building
|
| signed are the new Freedmens Hospital
the new Science Hall for Howard Uni
versity, the Childrens Hospital, the Nc
! Lachlen Building, and the Home Life
| Building. He has also designed a num-
her of the finest residences in the city,
among which are Clarence Moore's house
| in Massachusetts, avenue and that of
John Wilkins. He has also designed the
Riggs realty building, to be erected on
h. -ft 90 he feoru nd kfph
will contain a new theater seating 1000
persons to be controlled by P. B. Chase.
De Sibour is one of the men actively
aiding by their works in a fulfillment of
| the Beautiful Washington idea. He be-
lieves Washington's architectural style
! Is getting better all the time and hopes
to see the 'ay when we can justly claim
the title, worlds most beautiful city.
Must Be Business Man.
According to Mr. de Sibour, the modern
architect has to have a knowledge Of
banking and real estate.
Half the things an architect of to-day
has to put through" he says, require
marked business ability. 1t combines
banking and real estate. The architect
must create a necessity for new build
ings. In the old days he would sit in his
Office and wait for sine one to come in
and order a house. Now he looks up
likely piece of property, studies the re-
atty values of the neighborhood. decides
what sort of building ought to be erected
on the site, designs one, takes the draw
ipgs to the owner of the property. and
says: That's what you should put on
that property An architect who doesn't
know enough about business to do that
might as well close up shop
De Sibour is another great booster for
the Capital. He believes the building
height restriction fine thing and doesn't
want to see anything but substantial
business buildings and beautiful homes
erected in the city.
All About "Dave" Porter.
At the offices Of the Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Company is Dave"
Porter, division manager for the Bell
system and one of the live wires among
the Young Guard. Everybody calls him
Dave because that isn't his name at
all. His name Is Deruelle s. Porter. but
as no one ever thinks of learning to pro-
nounce the Deruelle part of 1t Porter re-
s:gnedly permits his intimates to call
him Dave"
Porter is another of-town product.
He came from Ohio to Washington
Twenty-Five years ago as a clerk in the
Pension Bureau. He became such an ex-
pert in pension matters that within a
few years he, was detailed to the Com
mittee on Pensions in the House of Rep
resentatives. He held this post until
seven years ago, when his talents as an
executive brought him the offer of his
present position as head of the Offices of
the telephone system in Washington.
Porter is also director IN the Board
Of Trade and Chamber of Commerce, one
of the organizers and former director of
the Commercial Club and Columbia
Country Club. and a prominent Mason.
Wants Convention Hall.
The particular hobby in a civic way in
which Dave" Porter is interested Just
now Is the Washington memorial move-
ment to establish great convention