Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-24
Making Post Offices Beautiful
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKrN.

The era of structural monstrosities In
the form of Federal buildings seems
definitely at an end. The modern policy
of the Office of supervising architect OF
The Treasury. which has charge of the
designing of post offices, courthouses
and other public buildings, promises to
change for the better the quality Of
such edifices. 1t will take years for
the old buildings, erected during the
dark days of American architecture, to
disappear from the land, but. at least,
no new eyesores are being constructed.
The responsibility for the hideous
buildings which were constructed up to
the beginning of and few years beyond
the beginning Of the twentieth century
cannot be singly laid. 1t belongs at
several doors. From the Civil War on
there was scarcely a building, public or
private, which followed happy design
The basic fault. therefore, must be at
tributed to that blind spot in archi-
tectural taste which affected not only
! the United States but the entire world.
But there was another reason. Public
buildings used to come out of the pork
barrel. Members of Congress, wishing
to dazzle their constituents and Incl
dentally erect monuments to them
selves, dubbed together to pass appro-
priation bills furnishing money to build
post offices. The needs of the COM
munity were secondary. Monumental
buildings. in the wedding cake style of
architecture, wholly ulfsuited to postal
needs, were erected at needless expense
The members sponsoring such measures
made deals. The member from the
l1eth district of New York would tell
the member from the seth district of
Mississippi that he would vote for his
post office IL the latter would return
the compliment. So 1t went. The
buildings were authorized and built:
contractors obtained fat contracts and,
withal, local citizens often were pleased
with the buildings. Too often the build
lngs were far larger and more expensive
than were required. It was like using
five-ton truck to haul pound of
butter. And If. by any chance. well
designed building was erected, some one
had made mistake.
With so many post offices and Fed
eral courthouses being authorized, the
supervising architect turned out q
rather standardized type of building.
Climate, historical associations and
such matters were paid no heed. The
thing was to get the building and as
expensive building as possible.
Setting and Design Considered.
But now two definite changes are
bearing fruit. They have been in
process for some years, but it takes
quite while to make so complete q
change In policy noticeable TO the
naked eye. In the first place, Federal
buildings are being designed In some
sort Of consonance and accord with
their surroundings. In the second, no
larger building Is constructed for q
post ONCE at town than is needed
allowing a reasonable additional CO.
efficient for expected expansion. In the
old pork-barrel days If Congress APP
propriated given amount for build
ing, it was carefully seen to that every
penny authorized was spent II the
design turned out did not quite use up
the funds, almost any dodge would be
resorted TO In order to have all Of that
money spent in the congressional dis
trict for which it was appropriated. If