The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-03-24
GRANITE FOR BUILDING PURPOSES

Why should granite be urged for the
facing of the new State House wings?
If the question of material is Iept in
air much longer the architects might
compromise on red Longmeadow free.
stone or the more convenient Somerville
blue slate; either could be used as adj
vantageously as granite. Rudy wings
with center OF Imprinted red brick
would unity the front facade; incident
ally, they would symbolic that actual
glow that westerners aver they miss in
the heart of Massachusetts,. Wings of
blue slate with center of yellow brick
would recall the continental colors: in
cidentally, they would delight the pa
triotic societies.
But granite, whether from Milford,
Rockport or from farther down the
coast, would be a sorry choice. 1t black
ems as fast as marble. A little obserya-
ton down town shows the granite fronts
weathered even darker than the marble.
Massachusetts marble was good enough
for the New York city halls it has but
mellowed its color there. And granite
better suits a massive style intended to
hint security and strength. Appropriate
enough in the State street block, or in
the heavy Romanesque of Trinity church,
or in the broad, strong treasure house
for the city's books, granite would i'll
become the rather delicately planned ex-
tensions of the Bulfineh front. In its
notified texture and in what NAV be
called its economic effect, it would be
out of keeping with the brickwork and
the marble trim of the State House as
it now stands.
No wonder the leading advocates of
granite for the wings advises granite
mask for the BuIfinch frontl-Boston
Herald
While there may be some objection to
the use of granite in the new State
House wings in Boston because granite
would not make a harmonious effect
when brought into juxtaposition with
the materials used in the present main
structure, there really is no ground for
objection to granite along the lines sug-
gested by the contemporary, provided
the light variety of stone is used. Dark
granite does not present nearly as fine
an appearance as light stock, especially
when it has been subjected to years Of
contact with smoke, CRIME and other
darkening agencies in the huddled hive
of lower Boston. But dark granite
should not be used in such building
as the proposed addition to the Massa.
chusetts State House; light granite
should be the choice, even if Massachu-
setts quarries were unable to furnish
the stock. And light granite, let it be
stated, does not turn dark and show
"mottled texture" For proof, see the
Vermont State House at Montpelier, as
clean-looking and attractive as the day
it was hewn out of the Barre quarries
over half-century ago and the whole
presenting a very pleasing appearance,
while at the same time lending to the
impression of security and strength
The Vermont State House stands out in
white relief, handsome building. For
further proof, see the Barre postoffice,
which, although built less than two
years ago, has been subjected to the
swirling of locomotive smoke and soft
coal deposits and which still retains the
immaculate appearance of The day it was
built. Granite-that is, the right kind
of granite-should not be condemned as
a building material on the ground that
it loses its beauty, for it doesn't.