Evening star., 1925-08-12
17ARCH|TECTSB BUSY
ON i. S. BUILDING
New House Office Wing to Be
Composite of Many
Designs.

When the proposed new addition to
the House Office Building is completed
it will represent not the creative ideal
of only one man but a structure
nodded from the best ideas suggest
ed by most of the leading architects
of Washington, it became known last
night at a dinner of the Allied Arch
itects of Washington.
Marking a distinct departure from
the old method of competitive bidding,
the contract for the plans of the new
structure has been given by the
House Office Building Commission, Of
which Speaker Longworth is chair
association, including among its mem
bership 35 of the National Capitals s
best known architects.
Immediately upon receiving the
contract the association requested its
members to submit three plans each
for the new building. One plan was
to suggest a structure covering two
whole blocks, another to cover a
block and a half and the third TO oc-
cupy but one block. Seventeen mem
bers agreed to draw plans accordingly.
ingly.
Designs Are Submitted.
Last night they were shown at a
private dinner of the Allied Architects,
at which David Lynn, architect of the
Capitol, was the guest of honor. The
nature of the plans was not divulged,
nor is an announcement of the type
of building, finally recommended to be
made until after the House Office
Building Commission formally acts on
the ultimate proposal.
From the II plans, however, a sin
gle composite plan is to be created,
embodying all of the best features of
the entire group. 1t has not been de-
cided whether the proposed building
should occupy one, one and half or
two blocks, but the board of directors
of the Allied Architects expects to
have the final design ready for sub
mission to the House commission
within a month.
This idea, it is confidently believed,
marks the beginning of a new method
of designing the big public buildings
of Washington for the future. AS ex-
pressed by Horace w. Peaslee, secre-
tary and treasurer of the Allied Ar
chitects, it substitutes collaboration for
pose of providing building projects
with the highest type of architecture.
Architects Explain Plan.
The Allied Architects of Washing
ton, d. c., as the organization Is
officially named, is a fully chartered
corporation. In their charter the or
ganizers state that it is not the in
tention of the corporation to enter the
field of private practice, but that ii
will concern itself only with the
larger public or semi-public undertak
ings.
1t Is such an arrangement as this
architects here believe, through which
the future big public buildings OF
Washington will evolve. Frank Up
tects, other directors, in addition to
Mr.. Peaslee. including: Appleton P
Clark, jr.; Louis Justement, Edward
w. Dom, jr.; George Oakley Totten
jr., and Delos Smith. The organizers
of the corporation include the fol
lowing:
Percy c.. Adams. Snowden Ashford
Robert F. Beresford, Ward Brown,
Norris Crandall, Harry F. Cunning
ham, William I. Deming, j. H
de Sibour. William 1Dowden. Charles
Gregg. w. H. j. Flemming, Arthur
B. Heaton, Benjamin c.. Flournoy,
Aryed l.. Leisenring, o. Harley Mil.
Ter, Frederick S. Pyle, w. B. Olmsted
Victor Mendeleff, Thomas A. Mullett
f. V. Murphy, Harry Peale, George
N. Roy, Frederick ]. Ritter, Gilbert L.
Rodier, Wilmer Smith, Alexander H
Sonneman, L. P. Wheat, jr.; George
C. Will, Nathan c. Wyrth and Joseph
P. Younger.
The charter of the Allied Architects
sets out that "the paramount purpose
of the corporation is to advance the
art of architecture. . In fur
therance Of that, the bylaws provide
that a fourth of the corporations pro
ceeds shall be devoted to that end and
to the education Of the public in archi
tectural appreciation.