The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-28
TIE s7,SOO COUNTRY HOUSE.
An Architect's Eniisftened Views OF the
Competition and IT'S Erect.


To THE EpiroR or the suN-Str: I
dsy's Sun the announcement Of your
Country Home Competition" for I feel
certain that a great deal OF good will be
accomplished as result OF your enort.
Beyond the purpose Of stimulating a
greater interest In this field Of work az
outlined In your announcement OF the
programme and the reward OF fame
which would come TO the winner, as sue-
9estsd In the Introductory article. stands
the thought that you are thus making
use In a most practical way Of latent
force which finds few opportunities for
personal expression and direct contact
with the many problems Of the day.
Many Of our draushtsmen In and about
New York, and I dare say a large ma
Jority. come to the city as strangers with
few social connections. and almost no
can reach out and broaden their field
OF work. 1t IL a long. hard and Oft
times discouraging struggle, pushing
ones way UP from the bottom. and little
wonder Is II that their interest and en-
thusiasm Outlines lag. There are in
deed very few opportunities open for per-
sonal expression other than through the
problems IN the ateliers and the compe-
tions conducted by our own technical
journals. Such competitions are very sim
liar to the school problems and they DO
not bring the drauGhtsman into contact
with the broader held Of his endeavor.
nor do they possess that quality of real.
ity 80 important In stimulating the imag-
ination. With such a competition the
reward seldom goes beyond recogni-
ton by the members OF the architectural
profession. With your competition. how
ever. the student or the draughtsman
cannot but feel that he has before him
a real and vital problem. a client. as 1t
were; and I am very certain that such
feeling will not only stimulate him but
1t will also suggest to MIN that he Is a
part OF the everyday world and that In
his endeavor ne II attempting TO solve
one OF Its many problems.
Your announcement of this competi-
ton Is oiled with suggestions to me
There are many similar problems OF hous-
Ing and those OF civic development and
the Ike which might be brought home
to these men In this manner. You are
In q position to DO much TO broaden the
scope of their interests. You can stimu-
late them TO take q greater interest In
the city's problems and at the same time
TO open the door which might not only
show them more Intimately the relation
between beauty and utility but also In
30 doing reveal the intricate processes
OF government, which must be coordinated
with their effort toward the development
Of n inner city. In other words. you could
IN this way suggest the responsibilities
which they as architects should shoulder
in their community
You state In your Introductory article
that the architects OF the city have in
dorsed this competition. ! feel very GER
tain that they appreciate this EFFORT on
your part and that they will In the fu-
ture stand ready TO cooperate, for they
realize we'll the value Of stimulating a
greater interest In this work.
One word more: DO not for a mo-
ment forget the cost limit you have set
In the programme. Remind the COM
petitors OF this cost limit now and then
and do no, publish anything that exceeds
the limit OF the programme. I wish to
emphasize this limit In tho programme
for the simple reason that II has 20 often
been lost sight OF. We have had an end
less number OF suggestions concerning
the fve thousand dollar cottage which
II would be impossible To build for ten,
and the public has grown a little scepti-
cal and Is somewhat disposed to take
such suggestions with q grain OF salt.
FREDERICK l.. AcKERMAN.
New YORK, January rs.