, 1921-05-06
NEW
BUILDERS
Original Ideas as Presented by
keene Sumner in the Amer
lean Magazine
continasd from P.s. -


The 10 psr cent OF cutomers who
chose from the remaining designs
probably did 30 only because the pic
lures were there in the catalogue.
These designs varied only slightly
from some OF the other ones which
we're selected BY nine out of ten buy
ers- So IL was evident that three
fourths OF their stock numberE-
were literally 'd>ed wood"
Here n another point which direct
~ concerns you: Although all these
hundreds OF designs were called stock
patterns. they were not all kept In
stock. ready for shipment Most of
them were made after an order came
In. That meant thai machines hal
TO be adjusted to turn out a porticu-
lar design, which is almost he same
as making a thing to order.
Everybody knows that 1t Is cheap
or TO make things in quantities than
to make ore thing At a time and then
turn to something else. The Curtis
people found. for example. hat Il
often took as long TO make one door
OF an odd size as 10 make four or
Ave doors, at once, OF n standardized
size OF course hat m~ade~to-order
door will cost more thar the others.
Just apply this TO all the woodwork
In a house. and you will understand
the possibilities Of economy in thH
direction.
In the case OF one of the items
which the curtis people have stand
nrdized, the factory cost was 1910
when n single one was made Later.
n quantity run Of rs was put through.
and tho factory cost was only S5.as
apiece. In b case OF another article
the factory cost was t3e.ss whom a
single one was made: but When 20
OF them were produced at one time.
the cost was only se3.1s each.
There is another very Interesting
point in bis connection. Wien one
table was made alone. the cost OF
material In IL was Slz.S6. But when
20 were made at one time. this part
OF the cost was reduced to ss.ss per
table.
It was plain that the cost of the
woodwork would be reduced II there
were fewer stock sizes and patterns.
md II these could be manufactured
in quantities. The next thing, there
fore. was to ecide what patterns
should be carried: and TO have them
so attractive that they could b made
up In advance. knowing that they
would please. The firm might simply
have weeded tho less popular de-
signs. keeping only those which people
seemed to prefer. Blu by this time
they wero thinking not ony in terms
of cost. but also In terms OF beauty
and harmony.
why shouldn't the man of moder.
ate ean get a chance TO have beau
tiful and harmonious details in his
house7" they asked themselves. "one
Individual OF limited neal cannot ar
ford to 90 &c a big architect. But
why shouldn't the manufacturer. who
ultimately serves thousands Of these
people. employ n first-cl1ss architect
and have him. make really artistic de.
signs? Then the stock patterns. which
the average person must buy in any
case, will be as good in design as the
richest man can get. And they won't
cost him a sent more than ugly ones
would"
with thai purpose IN view. . well
known firm Of architects. Trovbridge
ana Ackerman. OF New York City. was
called in. Mr.. Ackerman WAS chief
of the design section Of b housing
bureau Of the emergency fleet cor
poration during the In 1877. he
was sent to England m an official
capacity to study housing. His firm
has designed some OF the most eiabo-
rate n beautiful houses IN h conn
try. But they are also regarded as
experts in community planning n
the designing Of small houses.
Like other architects Of their class.
they knew that the average MAJ was
hopelessly handicapped IN his desire
TO have a really attractive home Here
was an opportunity.-such as eve had
been offered o architects OF high
standing. to d. something which would
benefit thousands. II may be stated
hero that 4. is precisely the archi-
tects OF highest standing that have
shown the most enthusiastic approval
OF this new Development
Mr.. Alderman worked for o thar
two years on tho problem put up to
him by the Curtis people. He did not
stop with making designs for the vari-
Gus details. Although the woodwork
can be use in any building. he went
further and designed houses, into which
those details would fit tremendously
; and economically. When his work
vas completed, he had produced 1ol
designs for QUE OF three, four. and
five rooms. los designs for houses
Of six, seven, and eight rooms. and
20 designs for farmhouses.
cTo BE Continuede
conceal her rn1d hrf