Evening star., 1932-05-14
PERFECTION IS AIM
IN COURT BUILDING.
Architectural Forms 1000.
Years Old to Be Adopted
in Structure.
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q feeling of spaciousness and be in
restful contrast to the stone. The spa
cious terraces and handicapped areas,
wide steps, balusters, fountains and
shrubbery will provide fitting setting
for the structure, the exterior Of which
will be of white marble.
Dignified Court Chamber.
The court chamber and the main
hall set high note of dignity for the
building. The ceilings of these halls
will be high, with rows Of great col
umns supporting classic frieze and
sturdy cornice. These interior col
umns will be of Doric and Ionic orders.
The regularly-spaced columns about
the sides of the court chamber give
definite atmosphere of an ancient
Greek temple. The court chamber.
however, is not to be of huge size. 1t
will have a floor area about go per
cent larger than that of the present
chamber in the Capitol. The new court
chamber will be 64 feet square. 1t
will have natural light from windows
on either side, from the courtyards.
The general dimensions Of the build
ing will be 385 feet from east to west
and 304 from north to south.
Sculpture was provided for at the
start of consideration of details of the
classic plan. There is to be sculp-
tured work on the pediments on the two
main faces Of the building, on the out
side at the main entrances and sculp-
tured frieze above the bench of the JUS
ticeS.
Reviewing Federal development plans
here, Mr.. MoQre declares in reference
~ Of l1n ola order for
the buildings that no other style al
fords so much variety within the gen.
eral limits of a prevailing architectural
motif.
Sees Virtue in "MonOtOny."
Some critics have expressed their be-
lief that adherence to the classic motif
Is leading to a monotonouS effect, but
Mr.. Moore wonders sometimes if GER
tain sort of 'monotony' might not
prove to be a virtue. He points to the
old Post Office Department Building
and the State, War, Navy Building as
two outstanding departures from this
"monotony' Of a homogeneous archi-
tectural style.
The Post Office Building is destined
to be removed under the new Federal
building program. and Mr.. Moore be-
lieves the day Will come when plans for
the refacing of the State, War, Navy
Building, to make it an architectural
balance with the Treasury Building,
will be carried out.
Completion of the court building will
give the highest court-after a long
period of waiting-the first home it
could call its own. As long ago as 1896
q committee Of the House of Repre-
sentatives reported that building for
the judiciary was among the objec-
tives yet to be accomplished.
The first meeting place of the court
was in the Royal Exchange Building at
the foot of Broad street in New York
City, in 1870. Later it moved to Phila-
delphia in the City Hall Building, next
to Independence Hall The court fol-
lowed other branches of the Govern
ment to Washington. meeting here first
in 1901 Temporary accommodations
were provided in the Capitol, in a room
known as the Senate clerks Office.
The site for the Supreme Court
Building was chosen by the late Chief
Justice Taft 1t was he who is cred
tied with doing most to break down
opposition to moving the high court
from under the dome of the Capitol
into home of its own. He was the
first chairman Of the United States
Supreme Court Building Commission.
a post since given to Charles Evans
Hughes, his successor as Chief JUS
tice
Other members of the commission
are Willis Van Devanter, Henry w.
Keyes, James A. Reed, Richard N. FL
lott, Fritz Lanham and David Lynn,
architect of the Capitol