The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-14
Fine Buildings Stand
as Monu ents to|
Artists Genius, but
Decorative Work Isl
What He F ound d
Most Congenial

his return the inspiration he had received
at once began to bear fruit. His most prom
inent buildings Of this period are the Century
Club House and the Madison Square Garden.
Both are designed in the exuberant style of
the Renaissance with profuse ornamentation.
Later and purer and more restrained de-
signs are the Washington Arch (for which
White devoted his services for the design,
the Judson Memorial Church in Washington
square the Metropolitan Club and the New
York Herald Building
In 1896 he designed the main group or
buildings for New York University, from
which his father had graduated and he him
self had received an honorary degree of NJ. A.
in 1881. A movement is now under way to
place bronze doors in memory of Stanford
White at the entrance to the library, the
central building of this group.
1t was, however, states the author of this
book in his design of private houses, both
city and country, that he found his most
congenial task He was fortunate in having
clients who gave him free rein for lavish
decoration. In order to furnish their houses
he made frequent trips to Europe and re-
turned with carved doorways, mantels. rugs
and tapestries.
This brings back to the starting point
which Is the enormous influence he exerted
in educating public taste to appreciate the
decorative arts of the Old World.
When reproached for thus despoilng the
Old World to embelish the New, White de-
Tended his actions by saying that in the past
dominant nations had always plundered
works of art from their predecessors, and as
America was taking leading place among
nations she had the right to acquire ART
wherever she could.
In the latter part of his life Stanford
White designed three buildings which had
a distinct influence upon American arch!tec-
ture-the Columbia Trust Company bank
the Gorham Company's building and the
Madison Square Pre- ;byterian Church. The
recent demolition of the last named is felt
by architects generally real loss to the
city.
Stanford Whites own house, at Twenty
first street and Lexington avenue, was
known as gallery of beauty. The unusual
depth of the lot permitted a series of rooms
to open on each other. The drawing room
was hung with red Genoese velvet other
rooms on the same floor were the stair hall,
the dining room, with rich carved wooden
ceilings and Renaissance tapestries, and the
music room. containing his fathers collec-
ton of musical instruments.
Many Treasures Lost in Fire.
On the floor above was the picture gallery,
with open timber roof and great stone
mantelpece. The pictures in his collection
were mainly decorative, few of them being
by painters of great renown. The mousse III
fact contained a surplus accumulation OF
objects of art that the fruit of many
years of patient collecting. The best Of his
pictures and many of the tapestries were
, burned in a disastrous fire in 1905. The re-
mainder was sold at auction shortly after his
DEATH
without undue emphasis the son of Stan
ford White fixes the artistic reputation LEI
by Stanford White in the following words:
1.-The widespread influence which he eX-
ercised was threefod. His buildings were
seen and admired by all classes, from the
man in the street to the millionaire; thu
artistic and literary public he reached
through his designs for picture frames
magazine covers and bindings, and by thu
importation Of original works of art of al
Y kinds and their sklful use in the embellish
S ment of splendid houses he brought HI
d clients and their friends into personal con
tact with the best obtainable examples o
the decorative arts of the Renaissance