The Washington herald., 1922-03-23
SCHOOL FLAWS
AROUSE SPROUL
Representative Sees Need
Of Special Architect
LFor Such Buildings.
FLAYS SANITATION
Builder and Legislator says
Httempt to Furnish Light
Is Pathetic.
FLAYS SANITATION

employment OF a school archi-
trct by the district for designing
public schools was characterized
yesterday as necessity by Repre-
sentative Elliott w. Sproul. OF the
firm OF Elliott w. Sproul and Sons,
contractors. builders of many Chi
ago public schools.
Good school buildings are an
essential to good education" said
the legislator
Representative SprouI criticised
the design of Washington schools,
which he said neglected SANTA
tatiOn and ventilation. No provi-
sions were made in the buildings,
for additions to the structures:
poor heating plants were installed
IN many instances and in many a
fre would be terrible to contem-
plate, he said. None of the build
ings were designed to provide suf-
fCient light by which to study and
the e~attempt to furnish artificial IL
Elimination is pathetic. he declared.
Need of Architect Plain.
The conditions as found by Rep
resentative SprOul can not reoccur
if the District has a school archi-
tect. he insisted.
To deprive the District of a
school architect, experienced in the
desGning of school buildings is
fdise economy of the worst kind"
STOul charged. Il have estimated
the cost of plans made by private
architects in the City of Washing
tos and find that for the same
amount of money a school special
i~t- could have been employed. The
amOdnt of money that would have
been saved had the District been
supplied with man of this CX-
perfhCe can hardly be estimated
hut|a visit to the schools here af>
ter seeing the school buildings in
other large cities would convince
anyone that the money spent for
the employment of a school archi-
t"tt' would have been economy.
Child Is Handicapped.
1t is no more reasonable to ex-
peCt that a child can do his best
work in poor surroundings than il
IS to expect the maximum produC-
tion from an empIoye laboring un-
der the same disadvantages. 1t is
sI-swell known fact that business
enterprises have increased their
output and perfected their product
10y Improving the conditions under
which the men were compelled to
work. This same idea carried be-
the school house has proved be-
yOna,a Goubt that the education of
a rhhd is directly affected by the
school building"
The school buildings OF Washing
ton we're criticised severely by Rep
resentativc Spruul from an archi-
t,ctlrral standpoint He explained
taat nothing the contractor could
10 would overcome the mistakes
uf the architect The entire sue
"eSS,,of a school building depends
r"0u the design and for this rea-
>gn the architect should he COM
Detett and experienced in designing
krho"l buildings. he argued.
Han Little Experience.
Representative Sproui stated that
ne had Investigated the local school
-FJuatiOn with respect to the build
NJ operations and had found that
IN many cases tn" designs for the
buildings had been made by private
architects who had little. IL anv eX-
EcTience. in the planning Of school
luittngs.
Washington. according to the
Representative. j. one of the few
titles in the United States that Is
at the mercy Of incompetent arChi-
J"cts IN private practice. Other
cities have seen the danger likcI!
To result from improper designs
and shave prescribed exam nations
which the architect must pass be-
fore he is permitted to practice.
Demands They he Licensed.
Following the i\n!ckerbocker dis.
a~ter i'm which the nephew of Rep
reseHtatIye SprOul lost his life. the
G"rmE- builder conducted a thor
DuGh examination which included
the District building code. The
cSde. he declared Yesterday. was
found to be one of the best in the
cpunIry but where the regulations
cafIed for a 12-inch wall the archi-
t-Ct had planned for only an S-incn
wall and owing to the small num-
her of building inspectors in the
l1strict the intractiOn had passed
GHnOticcd.
Should the law hc passed which
WOULD compel all architects prac.
Icing in the District to be ex-
mined and licensed few would take
JIe risk of losing their licenses
Ey designing a building that did
R4ts conform to the building code
IN HHItely. he believed.