Evening star., 1934-05-12
''The Grandeur That Is Washington"

recent Washington buildings? The
indictment is a little vague, judged
by architectural standards. Criticism
of the Commerce Building, for in
stance, is on the mathematical basis
Of its having 20 columns and having
a balustrade above the cornice.
In the same spirit it criticizes the
Supreme Court Building aesthetically
as being faced with $4,000 cubic feet
Of marble. 1t worked this around
into avoirdupois. asserting for the
convenience Of the layman that $4,000
cubic feet Of marble weighs $4,000 600
pounds, appearing to feel for some
reason or other that this rather neatly
depriveS the building OF any claim
to architectural merit.
1t Is all quite confusing. as II the
whole thing were the result of some
one deliberately setting out to find
things to criticize.
For instance. the author gets him.
self considerably agog because the Ar
chives Building Is not designed as
warehouse" That's what it Is, he
says. We wonder!
Can any building be more deserv-
ing of a monumental exterior than
one which shelters the Declaration Of
independence, the Oath Of Allegiance
sworn at Valley Forge, the Treaty of
Peace that made the United States
Nation, Louisiana Purchase Agree
ment, the Emancipation Proclama-
tion, the Treaty Of Versailles, and all
those other documents that are tam
gible evidence of the emotional life
Of the Nation? Warehouse! Well. we
agree 1t would be cheaper to criticize
it as such.
We agree that the whole triangle,
for that matter, could have been done
more cheaply and in the manner the
author suggests by filling between
the steel with areas of glass to form
series Of Sunshine Biscuit buildings
the length Of Pennsylvania avenue.
But we feel that Government build
ings in the Nations Capital are de-
Gerving of q better architectural ex-
preston.
It Is certain that in a city which
Is the Capital of the Nation as great
as this one-tO which thousands of
people flock annually-school chill
dren, brides and grooms, cherry bios
som viewers, conventionists, those bid
den to the various official-social oc-
casions-there will always be a de-
mand for things to see. If monu-
mental buildings are not in place,
there will be erected monuments hav-
ing no purpose other than to crystal
lie patriotic or historical ideas.
1t seems a sensible idea, therefore.
to have erected monuments which
have a useful purpose rather than to
have built, in focal points, a series
of structures of factory and ware
house character, and thereafter at
tempt to make up for this lack by
erecting just monuments.
On the whole 1t seems a pity that
in a case where an effort has been
made to create a cultural beauty in
great city-not by one mind, but
by the foremost architectural minds
of the Nation, and not hastily, but
over a long period Of years-there
should at once arise a preacher who
cries, Il should not have done things
that way" condemning all the others
to error by that one pronoun. 1t
seems a pity that by reason Of the
fact he offers demOlitional criticism
he should therefore. obtain a printing
In a thoughtful magazine.
There has been an abundance of
criticism Of our cities because they are
unstudied. ugly and full Of mere utili-
tartan buildings, but here is the first
example Of criticism of q city because
it is studied, beautiful, and not full
Of mere utilitarian buildings.