Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-09-17
HOW THE GOVERNMENT BUILDS
By Frederic ]. Haskin

The United States Government has
decided to put up for it's own uses a
great structure Of the office building
kind of building, but having decided to
do so, it has gone all the way and the
new home of it's Interior Department
is destined to be one of the biggest
Office buildings in all the world.
The ground for it is already broken
and the work is going forward in
Washington. 1t will occupy a full
block and each side of that block is
400 feet long. So it happens that this
block is unusually large for few cities
have them with sides of more than
800 feet. 1t is therefore rarely pos
sible to put up so large an office build
ing even when an ambition to do so
is entertained. 1t is doubtful If there
is another Office building in the world
that covers so much ground. There
VIII be almost four acres of land under
it which is a pretty good sized farm.
There may be office buildings in
some of the cities that contain more
rooms and more floor space because
they are so much taller. The Interior
Department structure will be eight
stories in height. At that it will sur
pass in height the other departmental
buildings for these are mostly but
four stories.
The government has always held to
the classic types in the erection of
those buildings in which it took spe-
cial pride. 1t set a pace for itself
when 1t erected its capitol building.
The authorities all agree that divine
providence must have guided the
hands of those who were responsible
for the development of that building
which stands on a hill and toward
which nation looks. For a hundred
years architects have pointed to it as
the best structure in America and
have been unable to pick flaw in it.
Sir Aston Webb, who built the Vic
toria Memorial in London, and who is
recognized as the best British architec-
tural authority, not long ago visited
Washington and gave it as his opinion
that the American capitol is the great
est building in the world.
Classic Structure
It is a classic structure of pillars
and domes and great flights of steps.
The White House is high type OF that
American adaptation of the classic
which came to be known as colonial.
1t has likewise escaped criticism for
a century. The Treasury Building is
magnificent in it's array of huge pillars.
The Patent Office Building, one of the
ancient structures, is still regarded as
an architectural masterpiece.
But after it had built those the
government ran riot for many decades
and such structures as the State, War
and Navy Building, the Post Office De-
partment Building and others were
erected, ginger bread piles with Gothic
pretentions. and Uncle Sam as a build
eli came in for much condemnation.
Then the pendulum swung back and
for a decade or two all government
structures have been severely classic
and have mostly been admirable in
the opinion of the critics of architec-
ture.
But the classic structure is open TO
much criticism from the utilitarian.
Deep set windows, it is argued, let in
little light. Rows of classic columns
in front of these windows shut out
more of 1t. Architectural effects take
up much space and cost much money.