New Britain herald., 1922-09-08


 fee will have that interest to every beholaer which attaches to all mon- umental buildings, public and pri- yate, in the Nations Capital city, In a communication to the National Geographical society J, Bernard Walker says:
 "Conspicuous from any point In Washington, the 5on-feet stretch or nave and choir. crowned by the lotty towers of the western front and the crossing, will be visible also through out a far-fung radius of the sur rounding country,
 "The site, comprising so acres of beautifully wooded land, lies on the crest of a hill at an elevation Of nearly 400 feet above the Potomac river. In every direction the ground falls away from the Cathedral close, with the result that, from whatever side 1t is viewed this superb struc- ture will be revealed against the skylight In all its unobstructed maj esty It will rank with the largest ex- isting cathedrals in size.
 Tn respect of it's proportions, the Washington nave escapes the exag- gerated length of the English and the disproportionate height of the French cathedrals. As a rule. the English cathedrals are too long for their height. the French too high for their length. Proportions Majestic.
 Majestic will be the long 5oo-foot sweep of the nave, choir and apse, lifting the ridge of their roofs to a uniform height of 134 feet above grade, and relieved by the bold pro- | lection of the transept and by the suitably proportioned masses of the two western towers and the great cen- i tral tower at the intersection of nave and transept.
 Tn an exterior view of the cathe- i dral it's crowning glory will be found l in the great central tower. which rises 262 feet above grade, or 33 feet 1 higher than the lovely Angel Tover at Canterbury which Gin all justice be it said) may be surpassed in height, but in beauty never.
 The Washington tower, in spite of it's greater mass. possesses the charm which is inherent in good architec- tural proportioning. AS at Canter- bury, the vertical lines are empha- sized at the expense of the horizontal -an effect which is due chiefly to the absolutely plain, square masses which form the corners of the tower and extend without a break from roof to parapet The same motif reveals it. self, with even greater emphasis, in the towers which flank the southerly front of the transept.
 Turrets Add Variety.
 Additional variety is given to the southwest view of the cathedral by two octagonal structures-a turret stairway built against the wall of the nave at the fourth bay from the transept, and the finely proportional haptistery access to which from the church is had through a groined cor ridor
 The lofty central porch, go feet in height, and the two side porches, so feet high. not only correspond in strict poroportion to the nave and side aisles to which they. severally, form the entrance, but by their great height and width, and the fact that they are recessed fully 40 feet beyond the face of the facade. they challenge comparison with Peterborough, the finest of the English examples. and with the justly famous porches of Rheims and Amiens.
 The treatment of the western towers is marked by the fine restraint and balanced sense of propor- tion, which characterizes the whole fabric of the cathedral. The embel- lishment, in the form of statuary and decorative carving, is rich without being excessive.
 The Undressing is strong, simple, and so drawn as to emphasize the height of the towers. Moreover (and this marks always the true artist in monumental building), there is an ample and satisfying area of plain, undecorated wall surface"