Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-29
AR T
John Cotton Dana Scores Present
Day Methods for Art Museums
Newark Library Head crtcse Ideas of Today to Build Them
Remote from City Centres Architectural Design of Ages
Ago and FIJI Them With Elk hbits of Fake Value

classic burden In these matters, one
may hope that all museums hereafter
built need not conform to the cid
ideas, and that some of the museums
already in existence can be so mod
fed as to be far more useful and In
fiuential than they are today.
should be in Centre of City.
"The museum building, located IN
the city's centre, should satisfy the
fundamental conditions of all good
architecture; 1t should be large
enough for its purpose; 1t should be
constructed of the materials, proper
In its day, which are best adapted to
It's form and size; 1t should be in
harmony with it's surroundings, and it
should be as beautiful as the highest
technic and the best taste Of the time
can make it.
"a building of steel and concrete,
In modern American city, is not
made an appropriate home of the fine
arts by placing on its front the
facade of one or the facades OF half
dozen Greek temples or of the If
teenth century Italian palaces. 1t Is
impossible to believe that the best
Greek architects, If they were the
masters in good taste we suppose
them to have been, would have con
as though they were built OF columns
of stone, with huge girders and cross
beams of the same material, long af-
| ter they had learned to use steel and
concrete in construction.
"In time we shall learn to insist
that great public buildings like IL
| braries and museums be erected as
such and not as limitations of struc-
lures developed for quite other pur-
| poses In other cities. in other times,
and under limitations as to material
| and method by which we are no
| longer bound
| "A modern museum building for an
American city is a distinct problem
in arrangement. and difficult one,
not to be solved by the adoption for
its exterior of type, however beau
| tiful, which In origin and develop
ment never bore the slightest rela-
| ton to the subject of museums
| ut may be said that the contents
of art museums are In part priceless,
cannot be replaced, must be SO housed
as TO make their destruction by frs
impossible, and that. therefore. the
| only safe location for ruuseum II
| In a park. far from all other build
ings. In reply 1t may be said that
the high value put on many of the
objects In art museums IS largely
| fictitious born of the rivalry of rich
collectors and even of rich museums,
In their search for objects of hon
critic uniqueness; that few stu
dents could truly feel their loss; but
that as instruments of human en-
lightenment and happiness they are
by no means priceless. Next. 1t may
be noted that Ii is doubtful IL any
art-museum authorities have vet
erected remote building on the con-
tents of which they can get fire in
surance rates as low as they could
get them In the same contents housed
In a fireproof building in the centre
of their city. There are risks in re-
moteness as well as safeguards. II
should also be said that il city
wants warehouse for storage of art
treasures. build it by all means: but
do not cucumber with 1t the fine, open
spaces of public park. But, liz It
wants an institution of the general
museum type, something from which
can be derived pleasure, surely. and
profit If the gods permit. then Ter
that be built where 1t can be easily
made use OF, In the city's centre.