The Washington herald., 1913-09-01
lo0pynsht, lsl,. sy A. D. I.cObson., i,

| "Hen hlnS LudWlg OF Bavaria gave
instructions for the building of the palace
at Munich. he said: Build me a palace
in which nothing within or without shall
be OF transient fashion or interest; a
palace for my posterity and my people
as well as myself; of which the decora-
tions shall be durable as well as spIen-
did, and shall appear one or two CEN
turies hence as pleasing to the eve and
taste as they do now" IL George " had
been in a position to give similar in
structions TO the builders when he trans
formed Buckingham House into a palace
the present building OF a new facade to
the royal British residence would not
have been necessary. The palace at
Munich remains a thing of beauty for ali
time, but Buckingham Palace has had the
fates against IL. Repeated attempts have
been made TO improve II, but still it Is
| not DeauIlGul.
Those who expect to find il grand and
| romantic looking, with towers and tur-
rets, pillars and carvings. wonder why
Queen Victoria did not pull it down and
build real palace. But there 1t is, a
| pile of gray, bare ugliness.
Now the British government plans to
| give some real beauty to the bare cas-,
front. II Is TO De rebuilt or portland
| stone, and there will be twenty-four
| Corinthian columns, 10 give a classic and
| imposing effect. The laying out Of the
| ground by the Victoria Memorial Com
| Elittee and the erection Of the memorial
itself has already given a sense OF spa
| ciousness to the surroundings OF the
ralsce, and with a new front it will be a
worthier home for a king.
When first built by the Duke Of Buck
ingham, the palace was the talk of the
town Is fOT
private residence, and its situation
beautiful. The grounds then practically
Joined the canal Of ST. James Park. 1t
was a town house in the country" and
its owner inscribed Rus in Urbe"
across the garden front The duke prided
himself on being able, from his sylvan
abode, to contemplate a vast town,
palace, and a magnificent cathedral
Buckingham House first became a
royal house in 1853, George III having
purchased il for E2O,OCO as a more Sc
cluded abode than St James Palace for
Queen Charlotte and the increasing fam
lily. He settled it upon his young wife
and named II Queens House. The first
incident which marks the royal occupa-
ton of Buckingham House is character
istic of the domestic life which for a
long time was associated with it. Queen
Charlotte had planned a surprise for
her husbands birthday, which occurred
immediately after they had taken up
their residence in their new abode, and
she requested him on some pretext to go
back TO St James Palace for a couple |
of days while she prepared her surprise. |
When she summoned him back on birth
day night the Queen took her husband -
one of the upper rooms and, drawing
back the shutters revealed a scene of
fairyland. The grounds were illuminated
with Colored lights and decorated with |
devices suitable for the Kings birthday. |
while an orchestra of fifty, concealed |
among the trees, played his fayorite airs |
Small wonder that the plain MeCklen-
burg princess bound the King to her |
with strong ties of domestic affection. |
She understood the womanly arts which |
appeal to men.
But George " was the real founder OF
the Buckingham Palace of the present
day. He saw great possibilities in the
old home OF his parents, then standing
neglected. The situation was convenient
and the grounds beautiful. London has
no palace in keeping with the style OF
The First Gentleman OF Europe" ami |
he proposed to make such a palace OF
old Buckingham House and intrusted
Beau" Nash with the planning OF the
edihCe. The nation was murmuring over /
the vast sums which had been spent IT,
restoring Windsor Castle and building
the pavilion at Brighton. and the King /
lad 10 be cautious He instructed Nash
TO repair Buckingham House and i'm
pressed upon him that he must keep
to the original elevation, much lowe
than the present structure. Nevertheless
he had dreams of a palatial residence.
magnificent marble arch, copied from
the monument of Constantine at Rome.
and surmounted by a equestrian statue
OF the King, was designed for the court
yard. Columns of Carrara marble
adorned the interior of the palace. The
repairs continued until the origincl
house was lost in web of new buildings
Tor which the nation ultimately paid a
half million sterling. For seven years
Palace remained an object
Of derision.
The accession Of Queen Victoria in
1887 brought a new era for the derided
palace. The young sovereign decided to
make it her town abode.
She took up her residence there on
July Is, 1857. driving in state from Ken
sington Palace and entering the court
yard under the marble arch, from
which, for the first time, fioated the d
royal standard. Henceforth the abused I
structure became associated with the
chief events of her long reign. From it
she went TO her coronation, her mar
rage, and for her jubilee, and diamond
Jubilee. And its portals opened for her
again when the royal standard was at '
lalf-mast and her body, after its arrival !
rom Osborne, was borne from the palace
n funeral procession through London on :
is last journey to Windsor. I
The front. which is to be replaced now, :