Evening star., 1932-10-07
FINE ARTS GROUPS
ADVICE IGNORED
ON SCHOOL CUPOLA
GotWaIs Orders Construction
of Taft Junior for
Economy.
LIKE CUTTING OFF LEG,
SAYS CHAIRMAN MOORE
Burroughs Citizens Receive Letter
Citing Essentially of Archi-
tectural Motif.

to the Burroughs Citizens Association
describing the elimination of the cupola
from the approved plans Tor the new
Taft Junior High School as like
cutting an arm or leg off a man, .
Engineer Commissioner John c. Got
walls today announced that the building
would be erected without cupola.
Mai. GotWals said it was his under
standing that there is no raw to compel
the Commissioners to follow the advice
of the commission.
The protest started last night at a
meeting of the Burroughs Association
with the presentation of the letter from
DR.. Moore to the association by Ray
mond L. Gilbert, chairman Of special
committee.
Central Motif Essential"
1.-The Commission of Fine Arts ap-
proved the design Of the William H.
Taft School which showed cupola, >
the commission deemed essential to the
building architectually. The elimina-
ton of the cupola for the sake of econ
onny has had an unfortunate result on
the appearance of the building. 1t Is
like cutting an arm or leg off a man,
and if the design had been presented
minus the cupola, the commission would
have tried to find some satisfactory way
out of the difficulty.
Since the Commission of Fine Arts
was created, the appearance CT public
school buildings of the District of Co.
lumbia has been vastly improved and
those buildings have been made pre-
eninently acceptable by adoption of a
uniform style in cognizance with the
style selected by Washington and JEFF
ferson for development of public build
ings in the District of Columbia. But
the future success of the efforts OF the
Commission of Fine Arts Will be condi-
toned on the carrying out OF the ap-
proved plans Dismemberment of those
plans after they have been approved
must necessarily result in the unfortu-
nate predicament in which you find
yourselves in connection with the VIII
liam Howard Taft School.
knowing as the commission does,
the intense interest which President
Taft took in the design of public build
iHgs, rot only in Washington, but also
il. New Haven and lifs fnsfstence on the
very best design and best workmanship,
1t is unfortunate that the omission OF
thc central figure, on which so much
depends, Of the proposed school building
should have occurred in connection with
the school that bears his name"
Mr. Gilbert told the association the
cupola was eliminated from the plans
by the Engineer Commissioner Of the
District solely for the purpose of econ
omy, although the bid for its construc-
ton called for but $4,000.
He said the Engineer Commissioner
deliberately fiouted the wishes of the
taxpayers and violated the advice OF the
Fine Arts Commission" Other men,
bers of the special committee were Rob-
ert NJ. Furniss and K. P Armstrong.
The Rhode Island Avenue Citizens As
sociation stands shoulder to shoulder
with the Burroughs citizens for reten-
ton of the cupola, Mr.. Gilbert declared.
Marvin M. Mclean. president of the
Brookland Citizens Association, was
present at the meeting and pledged the
cooperation Of his organization.
Plans Showed CupoIa.
The plans for the building, as signed
by Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle Of the
Board of Education, showed a cupola
in place. The accompanying Specifca-
tions, however, showed the building
both with the cupola on and with it
off and asked for alternate bids, one
based on the building with cupola and
one on the building unadorned by this
architectural establishment When the
bids came in it was found that the
cupola would cast $4,000 extra and Maj.
Gotwals decided to have the building
without the cupola The contract was
let to the Prescott White Corporation
of New York City and the work Is now
in progress.
The architecture will not be altered
to soften the lines of the building, ac-
cording to Harold F. Baker, director of
the District Department of Construction.
Maj Gotwals said that he regarded
himself as morally bound to see this
fight through since he had given a
promise to Representative Simmons OF
Nebraska, former chairman of the Dis
trict Subcommittee of the House Appro-
priations Committee, to eliminate un-
necessary expense in school construction
wherever practicable.
Rev. F. l. A. Bennett, member OF
the School Boards Buildings and
Grounds Committee, charged that the
elimination of the cupola from the TAFT
Building was another example" OF the
disregard with which District Building
authorities hold Board OF Education
opinion. DR.. Bennett revealed that the
cupola and certain limestone trim was
eliminated also from the recently erect
ed Browne Junior High School despite
the fact that the plans. as signed by
him in his official capacity, carried both
these embellishments. A protest filed
bv him, he said, was met with the as
sertion that economy dictated the re-
sultant cut in costs.
! 1t was pointed out at the Arts Com
mission today that while the commits
sion was functioning under an eXecu-
tive order from President Hardlng
which provided for its services In an
advisory capacity that all the executive
departments had followed the spirit OF
the order and accepted their advice:
The order, issued on July 70, 1871,
follows:
matters relating to the design OF
medals, insignias and coins produced
by the executive departments; also the
design of statues, fountains and monu-
ment and all important plans for parks
and all public buildings constructed py
executive departments or the Dlstrlct
of Columbia, which in any essential
way affect the appearance OF the Guy
of Washington or the District OF
Columbia shall be submitted to the
Commission of Fine Arts for advice as
to the merits of such design before the
executive officer having charge OF the
same shall approve thereof"
Bridge Case kecalled.
The case of the M Street Bridge
across Rock Greek was also recalled
today The Fine Arts Commission in
that instance desired the municipality
to erect rustic type bridge, in keeping
with the Rock Creek and Potomac
Parkway, which passes beneath 1t.
The District Commissioners. however,
constructed the present bridge at M
urNi Ayt~ cci
contends is wholly out of keeping with
the mark