The Washington herald., 1921-12-01

- may Dc an
fine architect of public buildings.
and yet an utter failure in the high
ly-specialized field of modern school
design. Today there are architects
who have gained national repu-
tation in this field and devote all
their time to school planning These
men have not only studied the needs
OF modern school system. but
they have given special investi-
CATION 10 school hygiencc and are
familiar with modern
standards of lighting. heating, VEN
tilation and fire prevention. For Il
of years certain standards
have been established for public
school equipment, such as the num-
bcr of lavatories, the number of
fountains. and toilets for
Of a certain type.
Architecture Reveals Age.
3hesc standards have been so
generally accepted that the age Of
a school building can usually be
ibiu dlNtI SnOII - :
while woman may be as old as she
looks and man as old as he feels,
the Washington school buildings
are as old as the type of architec-
ture and standard of equipment
they follow. After visiting school
that you would judge by it's general
design and equipment to be 20
years old. it is shoe kto be told
that il was built only five, six or
maybe ten years ago:
Twenty-Five years ago the nat
rooted unilaterai building, with
Grst- floor auditorium. was being
built in most cities of the United
states. but not in Washington. 4
few years late- the National Capt.
tai was occasionally catching up
to the procession. by adding an as
sembly hall, but for these the archi-
tect borrowed his ideas from the
cel-pot For in a school like the
II. u. Cooke on Seventeenth street
the assembly hall is of little use,
being d combination corridor and
hall of awkward entrance. with al
most no daylight and the stage a
tiny platform without side en-
trance or dressing room.
At that time. when most builders
had realized that the simplest de-
sign for a school building was the
most artistic. as well as the most
useful. the Washington buildings
were being planned with an elab-
crate front entrance. probably 10
impress the members of Congress
when they rode by. The entrance.
if not Eraced with elegance, was
frequently daubed with cost One
school vestibule is wainscotted in
marble, but the money for 1t was
evidently saved at the expense of
the seats for the assembly hall.
they bein ESQ cheap and badly con-
structed that many of them have
broken down and are stored in the
basement.
basement Inconvenience.
Speaking of Easements, il is an
interesting thing to be shown
through the basement of one of
Washington's school buildings bv a
janitor who has had to struggle
with the inconveniences of plan
ming and misuse of space. Some
times he has to wheel coal from
the vaults to the furnaces, fire.
quently there are no vaults for coal
or ashes and he has to pile the lat
ter in the Children's play room and
put the coal around the furnace
And almost always there is no de-
cent spot provided for the engi-
neer or janitOr who should have
comfortable basement room for
his own use.
Perhaps the reader thinks an
these things have been remedied
in the new school buildings. espe-
cially those additions. which were
erected during the past summer
Let us see. For more than a decade
most city, school buildings have
been planned with a toilet on each
floor as well as main toilet In
the basement. Bavatories with hot
and cold water have been consid-
cred essential and in many cases
shower baths have been installed.
For twelve or sixteen-room build
ings assembly halls were a matter
OF course and a small room or a
corridor alcove has been provided
4 library, or, better still, class
rooms has been so arranged that
a library table with chairs could
be installed in each room. DRINK
ing fountains are placed on each
floor and usually on the school
playground.
Limited Toilet Facilities.
But in the Capitol of our country
school buildings were finished dur
ing the past summer with very
limited toilet facilities. and these
he hn
ception of a small toilet for the
kindergarten room. A rest room
for teachers was provided with no
toilet room nearer than the base
ment. In mono of these schools are
there drinking fountains on every
floor, and on the playground and
in one. at least. there is hut one
basement drinking fountain for 500
boys. The entire recess period is
consumed standing in line for a
drink. and usually those near the
end of the line have to return TO
their rooms without reaching the
fountain. The supply of layatories
is very limited and there is no hot
water. But there was an encour-
aging indication that the architect
was going to catch up to the times
Tor there was a faucet labelled
hot" though there was no wav or
providing hot water
At the Takoma, the West and the
Petworth schools where eight-roon
additions were added the children
have to pass from one section of
the building through II0-foot
corridor and down a fight of stairs
in order to reach a toilet. In at
least one of these cases the prin-
cipal, realizing the difficuIties Of
such an arrangement for primary
children, urged that the plan be
changed. but 70 NO avail