Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-10-13
HOUSES
OF GLASS
FORECAST

NEW YORK-Peopie who live in
glass houses viii be no more X
ceptional than those whose dwellings
are brick, stone or wood 10 or ID
years from now, according TO Mar
garet ". Van Pelt, young Sew
architect.
They will not throw stones, but
neither Will they find their glass
homes insecure.
Miss Van Pelt. 26. and free to
limit II, has Just become a MEM
pcr of a long established New YORK
firm OF architects. A graduate oil
Vassar, Massachusetts, Institute OF
Technology and prize winner IN a
competition conducted by the Ameri-
can Institute Of Architects she has
returned to work in her New Yori.
office after a year studying trends
In architecture in Europe.
The Germans are building glass
houses already" she explained. u
saw several OF them. OF course the
glass has to be Of the strongest sort.
They are using glass also to decorate
interiors. Sometimes IL is trans
parent and sometimes black.
"Glass, metal and strong color
contrasts in decorating exteriorS arc
the newest notes in building design
in Germany. The tendency towari
geometric effects is even more marx
ed than in our American skyScrap-
ers. City blocks in which pink, blue,
beige and mauve colored houses
stand side by side are being erected.
All these novelties. Miss Van Pelt
believes, will find their way across
the ocean 10 the United States. That
Is one Of the reasons she finds
architecture such an exciting,
thoroughly absorbing profession.
A descendant of Dutch pioneers
who came TO America in 1860, Miss
Van Pelt has done some pioneering
en- her own.
Proved Worth As Architect
She turned her back on a life of
social frivolity, enrolled for classes
In mathematics and engineering
while her friends were attending tea
dances at the Ritz, and proceeded 10
prove to her father that she could
become an architect.
. my first job" she says, was de-
signing q park bench. II really
wasn't SO simple as 1t sounds. The
bench was 10 be a memorial to An
drew Hasewell Green. founder OF
Create New York. and IL stands
now in Central Park near 92nd St.
It Is marble and is 10 feet long, back
ed by a group Of five symbolic trees"
Miss Van Pelt, whose naive youth
fulneSS entirely bellies her p-ofeS-
sior, began taking prizes almost as
soon as she decided to become an
architect. She was a PA Beta Kap-
pa at VasSar. At Massachusetts, in
stitute of Technology she won the
Warren prize OF the Beaux Arts In
stitute OF Design. Partly on a prize
of the American Institute Of Archi-
tects she went abroad and studied al
the American Srnool OF Classical
Studies in Athens.
Member Of Fathers Firm
Now she is associated with he
father. John v. Van Pelt. and Is a
member Of the firm he heads. She
Is drawing plans for a new poStoffice
at Patachogue. l.. l..
NJ don't believe there Is such a
III Ia as a woman's point of view
in architecture," Miss Van Pelt says
s~rhere is architecture that is good
and that is bad. And / have no
particular desire TO erect homes. Al
most any architect, I suppose, would
prefer to design churches. ~cathedrals
and skyscrapers where there is an
opportunity to be original and ones
ideas are not hampered by practical
concerns"
Visitors Are Surprised.
Occasionally she meets difficulties
IN convincing visitors TO the Office
that she Is the man on the job"
These misunderstanding, however,
are som ironed out.
She has superintendent the actual
construction OF a building. watching
the men erect the Scaffolding.
"The:e vas n plumber VINO
Thought ! didn't know what ! was
talking about" she said, but he
wasn't troublesome for long
All In all, Miss Van Pelt considers
architecture an ideal profession f1r
women. There are not many work
inc a. It and nv friends do con-
slider IL a title freakiSh. but I can't
see why. I'm Going to make my pro-
fession a life job. lust as q man
would. II I marry I'll go right on
being an architect"