New Britain herald., 1930-02-04
SYMBOLIC DESIGNS
 AT H. s. BUILDING
Purpose Of Ornamentation Ex- plained in Department Statement


 ing is explained in a statement ,s-
 sued today from the school boai1
 office. The designers aim. it is
 said was ito get away from the | unnecessarily prosaic use of unil-
 teresting tracery and leafage.'
 The statement, in full. follows: Much of our interest in old bull l.
 lnss is due to their human cIcmc.t
 to stories wrought in them by the masons in word, 10 the symbolism
 Of their ornament. To this end we l have given considerable study. 1 Wherever possible, meaning has | been introduced in decoration. win the result that our buildings become
 interesting in detail, as well as m | mass.
 "Thc New Britain High school 1 auditorium is a fine example of this symbolism or say, humanizirg 1 Of ornament. Ornament is primar- | fly dressing up process. An at i tempt to break up an otherwise 1 plain prosaic mass or surface inlo | shades and shadows which at once enhances it's beauty and better still gives to the building an atmos- phere-a feeling which at once brings to the mind of an observer the use to which that particular building is intended, at the same time giving that restful satisfaction Of having seen a thing of beauty.
 ITO describe the symbols used hv the designer in the New Britain High school, let us first start with the general feeling sought for. First. 1 it is an educational building. EdI- cational institutions in the mass are as a whole monotonously similar, and it is obvious then that in the mass of the building the impression of a school is a simple thing ;o create. Yet in this particular build-s ing We have other things to show - not alone class rooms. We must en- deavor to show that the life behind those walls is not all reading. wr!t- ing and arithmetic, but also athletic, dramatic, scientific, and any num- Der of other things that makes the modern school building different from a cross between a factory building and a prison
 "Directly over the three main en- frances we have the voissoirs of the arches carved with symbols to de- pict these activities. The center arch has four carved figures sur rounded by conventionally carved ivy leavcs--ivy q symbol of tenacity of purpose and a holding of ideals. The number four even has it's sym bolic meaning and when known adds much to the meaning of the ornament. The number four is sym bolic of the four rivers of Paradise: Pison (prudencc), Gehon (tcmper- ance), Hiddekel (fortitude), and Euphrates (justice). The figures carved in these stones are first the athlete, as shown by the head of football player; second, the jester symbolizing the dramatic; third, the monk engrossed in his book gives the impression of wholehearted concentration of knowledge as can be gleaned from books, and fourth, the artist with his palette and paints, the esthctic and the beauti- full, not only in art but In the ma terial things a symbol of good taste.
 Let LIS now take the side entrance in which we still hold the general scheme as told in the center arch, yet now we branch out to the more specific. We again have four in each, but taking the two and one unit apart from the central symbols We have eight symbol of complc- ton. in other words the we'll round cd education is secured by industry and work as shown by the bees and their hive. The lion is a symbol Of vigilance, a virtue to be cultivated by all as opportunity is never la belcd. The owl has always been symbol of wisdom, while the cross IS an ever present reminder of the religious. These four make up the left hand entrance carvings.
 Tn the right arch we have the palette again, symbolic of the arts, the bar of music which needs no eN- planation, the world on it's axis, and dlvidcrs, symbolic of the sciences winch have made that same world so easy to live in, and the fourth shield a book-rcading, pens and Underwriting, and the four lamps Of learning. All these symbols are raised on q shield-integrity sur mounted by the lamps of learning.
 "The carved grotesque inserts above the entrances only carry out this same general educational scheme. These grotesques are sym boic in themselves. The rugged carving, the Exaggerated hands fea- lures, etc, are symbolic of the un- selfish efforts of often unskilled ar tiSans who helped to found an architecture that has held appeal 10 the prcsent-namely the Gothic. | This form of art though homely and | grotcsque. holds for all the pictur- esque charm which is forever sought | in architectural design. Its appeal is symbolic in that no matter what | the limitations or how crude the | tools a thing of worth and often I, beauty can result from faithful en- deavor.
 "The pelican insert in an emblem l of fidelity. Where this idea came | from is doubtful but 18th century | craftsmen were quite prone to use this ugly specimen in this connec- ton. Long ears and an extra tail | or two not necessarily a prercqui- site to the perfect fowl were merely | added in a humorous way by these old craftsmen. One can readily see that the use of such interesting bits of architectural ornament become more appealing with the knowledge of their origin.