Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-15
BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.

Alexander 3. Trowbridge. supervising
architect Of the Folger Shakespeare
Library, recently completed in East
Capitol street, adjacent to the Library
of Congress, yesterday told how the
beautiful new building which critics
have called "the finest structure Of its
kind in the world" was planned and
The donor, the late Henry Clay Fol-
ger. originally intended that the library
should be Of Elizabethan design, Mr..
Trowbridge said But when site in
the neighborhood Of the Renaissance
style Library Of Congress and the pro-
posed classical style Supreme Court
building was purchased, he realized that
an Eiizahetlian model would be too
strikingly ct variance with It's environ
ment.
Given Dual Problems.
Mr.. Trowbridge was summoned to aid
in solving the problem constituted by
the limitations Of the site, on the one
hand, and the purpose OF the library
as q Shakespeare shrine, on the otner.
what sort of building should 1t be?
It was exceedingly difiicult to answer
this question" he said. I'VE decided
in the end that we did not want to re-
peat any ancient model, however fine;
we wanted something new but not radi-
cal; we wanted to get away from mere
copying but not away from the spirit
of the best Of the past"
Mr.. Trowbridge explained how In his
first conferences with Mr.. Folger they
faced together the whole problem OF
twentieth century architecture and how
point by point, they moved toward their
eventual decision.
IT had known in France in 1902 q
man Of whom thought again as ]
talked with Mr.. Folger," Mr.. Trow-
bridge said. "This was Paul Philippe
Cret. He had been mentioned to me
| first by Warren Powers Laird, profess
sor Of architecture at the University
Of Pennsylvania. Prof. Laird had asked
me to help him to persuade Mr.. Cret to
come to America, and had sought him
out with that end in view. We were
| successful, and Mr.. Cret became pro-
fessor Of design at the University OF
Pennsylvania in 1908.
"Since that time he had done some
very notable work, including the design
for the Pan-American Union Building
and the indianapolis Library. had
been in touch with him from year ia
year, and felt that wanted to dis
cuss the Folger project with him. II
had occurred to me that by the skillful
use of sculpture as decorative feature
Mr.. Cret could give us . design at once
simple and noble, neither old nor new
but very satisfying. recommended
him to Mr.. Folger.
| self. explained to him what MT
| Folger desired and what had sug-
gested. We discussed the idea OF sculp-
tural decorations illustrative OF Shake
speare's greater plays. And Mr.. Cret
set to work. We agreed upon q floor
plan, and then Mr.. Cret produced q
series of some IL or is sketches for
the exterior.
Gives Men Free Rein.
'When they were completed, these
drawings were irresistible In one
| after another he had arranged and re-
arranged his different concepts OF the
proposed bas-reliefs. In effect he hac
improvised again and again on tn
same beautiful theme. We had sew.
eral conferences with Mr.. and Mrs
Folger to study the sketches. At last
| the present design was chosen.
THE next problem was that Of find
ing o sculptor to create the bas-reliefs
Mr.. Cret and recommended JohI
Gregory. with whose fine work we boil
/ y
subject The idea of representing thu
great scenes from the Shakeepearear
dramas appealed to him immensely
He worked out o great number O.
sketches or models, some large ant
some small. When these were ready
Mr.. and Mrs. Folger went to see them
The next day Mr.. Folger told me tina
he would leave 1t to us to decide. Tn,
responsibility was ours, he said, an,
We should know what we wanted. Tina
was characteristic of his way Of doinI
things. He never attempted to dictate
he trusted US without reservation, ant
We did our best to justify his conn
dence.
Praises All Concerned.
mfr Foiger was such q client as q
architect does not ind more than one
, In q lifetime. Generous, liberal, yer
kind, he gave Of himself a. well a. q
his wealth that the project conceive
In his heart might be successful 4
J every way. From first to last there wa
beautiful spirit Of Cooperation IN III