The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-08-30
ARCHITECTS SEE
DARK FUTURE
x FOR WORK HERE
Say There Is No Chance for
Immediate Improvement
In Building Conditions
Only High Priced and
Public Work Is Being
Considered.

Bridgeport architects seen by a
Times man and questioned concern
ing building conditions agree that
they are very bad at the present time
with no prospect of their being i'm
proved in the near future. Specula-
tive building has stopped entirely and
the little work that is going on is of
g. nature that cannot abe postponed.
Walter John Skinner at his office in
the Newfieh building asked about
building conditions replied, ST could
almost say there were no such things
in town. No, there is practically no
building going on in the city today
and there will be none until spring at
the earliest. I have got quite a lot
of work which 1 am just commencing
the plans for but by the time they are
done and the contracts let it will be
spring at the least. But this work is
none of it in the city It is all scat
tered around. A hospital for Milford
and lot of residences of the more
expensive class. You see there are a
lot of people who have recently made
their pile and they want to put up
mansions and the cost makes no diff
ference. This sort of work and works
of public necessity are all that will be
done for some time. This is not the
sort of work that requires a large
force of men either
being done and no prospect of any
for at least a year. 1t can readily be
seen why. The house which used to
cost eight or ten thousand dollars now
costs twenty-five or twenty eight. I
advise people who come to me about
this class of work to wait and save
their money. Speculative building is
at a standsti1l and will be until condi-
tons change and I can see no pros
pect of any business or commercial
work"
Mr.. Skinner is this due to the cost
of materials?" the Times man asked
"Only partly. You can not be GER
tain of getting materials even if you
are willing to pay big prices. The
day has gone past when you could
set down and specify such and such
a thing which you would use and that
be the end of it. You can specify
them now and perhaps you will get
them and perhaps you will not for
there is much in underproduction in
building materials.
Another thing which holds build
ing back is the fact that you can not
get a, full days work from mechanics
The average pay for them is ten dol
lars a day but you can not figure on
more than about four days produc-
ton. What with the soldering which
not go to the jobs on their own time
we do not get more accomplished in
a whole week than the same number
of men would do in four days if they
really worked. But I shall be very
much surprised if before spring the
tables are not turned and men in the
building trades be looking for work
and willing to do it.
81 think the housing situation is a
nF-tf,
long something will have to be done
about it not only here but in other
places, for as things are specula ton
will not invest in houses and a large
per cent OF those who need them can
not build them for themselves
Frederick A Cooper said that he
knew of no building going on except
work which people were forced into
doing at this time and could see no
prospect of a revival of the building
business in less than year and
half. Regarding the costs of build
ing Mr.. Cooper said: 81 do not think
the cost of materials and labor are
coming down. OF course they may
drop little but 1 anticipate that the
present high prices will hold for some
time to come and possibly go even
higher.
You see that everything which en-
tiers into the cost of producing build
ing materials has advanced very
much. Even the price of the beans
which the logger in the camps eats
has doubled. Therefore it is neces-
sary to get more. Then during the
war ten years supply of materials
was shot to pieces and we are suffer-
ing from that lack.
Another thing which enters into
the problem is the fact that it re-
quires larger margins to carry on
work than it used to. The building
which used to cost $4,000 now costs
$4,000 and it takes that much more
money to swing the job. This money
has to be hired, and the rates for
that are higher. There was a time
when there was plenty of money to
be had at four and five per cent now
it is almost impossible to get it for
seven or eight People prefer to put
1t into bonds that pay ten. :.
Another thing which I think has
had a great deal to do with our pres
ent condition is the wave of reckless
extravaganza and spending which we
have had which has shown itself in
diamond rings and three hundred
dollar furs for shop girls.
Then of course he-1abor elem ent
enters into the matter. Mechanics
will not do a real full days work
although they are getting fifty a
week, besides common labor is scarce
and no prospect that it will be any
more plenty. The class of men who
were doing 1aborer's work are now
doing a higher grade of work. 1 see
no way to overcome the lack except
by the introduction of more machin-
cry to take the place of the men. It
is fast becoming a serious matter.
"But to come back to your question
about building prospects. Many peo-
pie come to me and talk over build
ing schemes but that is as far as the
matter gets. There Is a certain amount
of building needs to go on ALL the
time to take care of housing de-
mands. This has been interrupted.
Sooner or later the situation will be-
| come SO acute that something will