Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-04
N. HAWLEY MeLANAhAN
On American Architecture

THAT the ideals and the spirit Of Amer
i lea are beginning to find Il representa-.
tive expression in the development Of dis'
tinctive style Of architecture is the opinion
Of NJ. Hawley McIanahan. one Of Phila'
delphia's leading architects.
'The general public influence Of good
architecture" said Mr.. % MfLanahan' man rs IS
the case in the other arts. But how long
shall we continue to write our architec.
tural history In the dead language of another
age and design Greek temples to house our
power plants! The American people are re.
both for good and evil by their surroundings.
II we, therefore, develop an architecture
which shall express the spirit of our own
lives, 1t would be at once recognized by the
people, who would thus have the spirit of
national pride aroused In them.
Most Of our architecture now speaks in
a foreign, not to say dead language. We
American architecture must be judged BY the
standards OF recognized styles Of European
countries, and In pursuance OF that idea we
have given q cordial welcome to those for.
sign architects who have come here. just
al w have welcomed the foreign born In
any other art.
Initiative Work Bad
Much Of the work done thus far by
American architects has been initiative. but
Initiative work which Is thong htlessly done
Is destructive to the imagination through
which design Is conceived. 1t is also in
furious to the craftsmen engaged on such
work, as they are thus denied the oppor-
tunity for individual expression through
creased crease skill Is acquired. Initiative work
ultimately makes them simply wage e-earners.
Architecture Is the one art in which
plagiarism is permitted. a musician who
took a Beethoven sonata, for example. and
added few notes Of his own would be
taken severely to task, but this condition
we must get away from this before we can
have a real architecture of our own. And
there IL every reason why we should do this
/" No nation has ever had 20 much to say
architecturally as ours, nor has any other
country had better means of saying 1t. The
fury in mechanical and other material
achievement afford a wonderful field for our
architectural development as well as our
other arts, but We remain practically silent.
Our Material Development
"It has been frequently pleaded that we
nre a young country, still fully occupied with
the necessary material development, and for
this reason must be excused for our failure
thus far to express ourselves In the arts.
IL
ing the 15Oth anniversary OF our independ-
ence and shall not much longer be able to
offer this excuse for our lack of proper
efforts intelligently to solve the architec-
tural and other art problems.
'"rhe Sesqui. Centennial exhibition will
give us another opportunity to develop
something, but I fear that We shall ap-
proach this In the old familiar fashion Of
going abroad for our inspiration; II we do
so, the result can only be another hodge
podge of extinct styles, which will further
be little use In the eyes Of the foreign
| nations.
Nevertheless, the vogue for foreign ar
chitccture is rapidly waning, and there are
| decided evidences Of q revolt by the more
| thoughtful and serious American architects.
| This sentiment has developed within the last
| fifteen or twenty years and Is gaining
| strength with each year.
"This tendency toward a national express
| sion Ia chiefly exhibited in the work of men
| who have descended from generations Of
residents Uf the United States, who orc
| therefore firmly rooted here and who bnvc
only the traditions Of their own country m
inspire design. 1t Is n healthy sign and onc
| which should be encouraged by the Deonio
at large. for II these architects were thus
encouraged tn express the traditions of their
own people In design the movement womi'I
rapidly grow md develop. "''
"Ouy architectural problems are d,fs,ent
J froa tAoss Of any former age They have
I III IA 81 a Na y