Evening star., 1925-09-12
ARCHITECTURAL CHANGE
FORECAST In AMERICA
Corbett Believes New Type in Evidence
in France Will Be Adopted
Here

new and drastically different style
OF architecture will soon invade the
United States. In the opinion of
Harvey w. Corbett. member of the
American Institute of Architects and
past president of the Architectural
League of New York, and fellow of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
who recently returned from Paris,
where he studied the French exposi-
lion now in progress.
While in England. Mr.. Corbett and
ThomaS Hastings We're presented with
honorary degrees of master of ar
chitecture by the University of Liv.
erpool awarded on the basis of ac-
complished work and given for the
nrst time to American architects
Visiting the French exhibition is
IKE going into another world, Mr.
Corbett said. Everything Is so dras-
tically different, fresh and original
That one is struck with awe. If this
style of architecture We're adapted TO
New York buildings, there would be
1ew arched doorways and few struc-
lures over several hundred feet high.
Huge spires not unlike totem poles
would stick up from the four cor
ners of the buildings and similar
works would line our main thorough
rares, carrying on their top a brilliant
light. Such as these are introduced
In the Paris exposition and present
a riot of color.
Exhibits All New.
Everything that was accepted for
exhibition, said Mr.. Corbett, had to
be drastically new and fresh ANY
thing reminiscent was Immediately
rejected. The demand for modern de-
signs in buildings, gardens, clothes,
lewelry, IN fact everything, was so
well covered that it struck one as
being ugly. on first sight
The United States could not enter
any exhibits because our architects
were unable to produce anything new
We have worked for years on subjects
OF art, which are reminiscent. In al
most any of our buildings you, can
find elaborated and modernized forms
of old time architecture Mr. Corbett
SAYS.
The whole exhibition marked an
era of the mechanical age. One no.
tees very distinctive use of the
straight line and fiat surface with
has relief sculpture. The use of We
neers and marbles in brilliant colors
Is strikingly drastic and beautiful.
There is a great use of tiles and mo
saics in many of the buildings at the
Paris exposition.
Cling to Geometrical Forms.
Hundreds of the new designs in
olcate a tendency to cling to geomet-
rlcal forms. This is undoubt edly due
TO the modern machine-made mate
rails. which have been perfected to
work in straight lines rather than
curves and varied forms of nature
Geometrical forms of art are always
the expression of the age. From hand
wrought ornaments to the straight
line products of fast modern ma.
chlnery, one can trace the evolution of
art, in many of its phases. / regard
TINS exposition as an advance step in
the trend OF architecture. 1t cannot
help but have an influence on the
younger genera ton of architects. who
are al"'ays seeking new ideas
There were no two things alike in
the whole exhibition. An antiseptic
or sanitary architecture is revealed.
such as the elimination of unneces-
sary holdings, brackets and deco
ratlVe motifs that collect dust and
dirt. Straight line bases are to be