Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-12
The Designers of Apartment
Houses Shun TaWMineSs in
Seeking Novel Effects.
QUIET HARMONY is OBJECT
New Buildings Show Influence OF
Endeavor to Please Desirable
Glass Of Occupants.

IL you ask an architect TO denne
architecture, he will tell you that it
is the art Of building; that it concerns
itself with every detail. from prelimi-
nary plan scheme through the minut-
est detail of construction and practical
equipment down to the very wall
paper The average individual. how
ever, thinks Of architecture as essen
TALLY concerning itself with the "frills'.
OF a building-those elements in the
design which are purely matter of
proportion or ornament, and about
which he says he knows very little"
but. nevertheless. generally "knaws
what he likes" Although the archi-
tect claims that the "frills' are only
small part of his work, says Harvey
w. Corbett, in the Brooklyn Eagle,
still, no less an authority than Prof.
Ware OF Columbia University defined
architecture as the beautifying or
buildings" With this point of view.
let us consider the identifying of
apartment houses-why it is done:
how it should be done. and what, if
any, is the purely commercial value OF
such "beautifying."
Desire to Please.
We can cite many reasons why build
ings are beautiled. We can cite still
more why in the attempt to beautify
them they are made ugly: but of all
the reasons, from the simple desire to
differentiate the apartment house from
the factory to that more potent reason,
the overzealous architect, certainly
the most evident reason of all is the
desire on the part of the owner to
make his apartments attractive to ten
ants. Tenants of some sort are a first
essential: good paying tenants are sttll
more desirable; high-class tenants.
who demand the best and pay veil, are
the most desirable. but the Latter are.
unfortunately, few and far between,
and owners must meet the demands of
all classes. according to the location of
their property and the character of
the neighborhood.
What. then, are the elements that
make for good appearance? What
proportion of the cost of the building
should go for this purpose? And how
can the desired result be obtained?
We are not here discussing a question
Of plan arrangement or types of
construction" There are almost as
many good plan arrangements as there
are people to live in them, and types
of construction vary from the sixteen
story, all fireproof, steel frame apart
ment palace of Mania titan to the two
family house at Bath Beach.
Principles Always Same.
But the principles which should
guide us in the study of appearance
are the same through all the category
of apartment buildings. They seem
simple enough when simply expressed.
and yet the average apartment house
seems to have been built not only
without regard for them. but with an
apparent desire to avoid any sem
blance of regard for them.
A "Collective" home.
In the first place the apartment
house is, after all. only a collection
under one roof of several homes" The
home is the place to live; therefore the
a partment should look like a place to
live in 1t should look like it from
the outside. through the entrance
hall, up the stairway and into the very
apartment itself. and here at last is
where it should look most like place
to live in. But what In reality is the
appearance of many Of our most re-
cent apartment buildings? Externally
they look like combination of French
chateau and Palais de Justice boiled
into one on the front, and a brick fac
tory on the other three sides (unless
neighboring monstrosities have al
ready closed in these unadorned party
walls). \ great entrance, fianked by
pillars of flame Especially at night
gaps forth under the sheltering shade
of a f1aring "Marquise," all of which
resembles n highly magniiied model in
iron and stone of the hycatching or
ci,id awaiting It's innocent victim.
When a victim finally enters. he is led
on through an entrance hall Ranked
with marble panels, giided ceilings and
crystal chandeliers If not entirely
overcome by this venture into unre-
strained splendor, he will reach the
stairway, of which the first few steps
are marble and the rest are slate The
start of the handrail is imitation
bronze, and the rest iron. 1t is such
relief to him to find something that is
familiar that he rushes forward
through a narrow hall in the hopes of
attaining the tier door with his num-
Der on it before the splendor from be-
low overtakes him, and he is finally
glad to squeeze into the narrowest of
passages past long series of closets
used as bedrooms. into the salon at