Evening star., 1935-06-01
BETTER HOUSING
CAMPAIGN HAILED
Architects See Benefits to
Communities in Fed
eraI Drive.

great movement toward better hous-
ing which will bring thousands OF
communities out Of the slump and
result in a "brightening of Main
street." it Is declared in a statement
made public by the American InSti-
tute OF Architects, which held its sixty
seventh convention in Milwaukee this
week
It's little sad to see how our COM
munities have slumped in the last
years." says the statement prepared
by James B. Dusenberry, director of
the Underwriting and Realty Division,
Federal Housing Administration. ITS
even sadder to know that our eyes
have become gradually accustomed to
it all. But the time has come and the
Federal Housing Administration is
showing the way to change this trend.
Once more we can brighten up Main
street. We can return business and
even industrial properties to condi-
ton where they are entitled to earn
the difference between loss and profit"
Main street is lined with potential
projects, according to DuSenberry.
Public participation in the work OF
properly housing our people is rapidly
becoming of major Importance in this
country and bids fair to remain OF
major importance for the next 10 years
or more" he says. Solution of the
housing problem in the United States
Is only now beginning to be accom-
plished. Struggle with similar prob
lem has ragged in foreign lands for
decades. if not for a century. 1t is
a matter of intense public interest not
only nationally but in the village. the
township, the city, the county and the
State.
Criticism Necessary.
"As is usual in this great country of
ours. we may expect much discussion,
much criticism, some miSconceived or
misintended effort. but out of this
welter of words is arising much that is
good and necessary for our people.
The result will be better housing and
better homes.
When the national housing act laid
the sound foundation for its share in
home betterment it conceived new
basis of real estate appraisal. AS part
of this contribution it lifted the archi-
tectural profession up bodily and pro-
jected it into this picture. 1t was
without doubt the greatest single pro-
motion ever given to this group.
1T was only incidental that imme-
diate work was provided for many
architects whose principal collection
of recent years had consisted of dust
on their drawing boards 1t opened
new fields which had only been ex-
plored by the more hardy and venture
some members of that profession. 1t
set the precedent in mortgage lending
for the inclusion of the architect in
that group of financial analysiSts who
file silently into the banking room
marked board of directors, leaving
outside the hopeful and at the same
time fearful mortgagor.. folding and
unfolding his moist hands as he tee
ters on the edge Of his chair and Won
ders whether his fate will be to mort
gage or not to mortgage.
The Federal Housing Administra-
tion. in its understanding of mortgage
underwriting, has developed science
IN which the architect is an essential
element. Now the architect can, of
his own initiative, carry this one step
further and sell his services to the
local lending institutions so that he
may become an integral adviser in
their lending service.
Business Scattered.
Tt is granted that there has been
little that the casual architect could
do in the home modernization pro-
gram With loans averaging not quite
S400 each, the business NAV have
been too scattered to warrant indi-
vidual search for it. l, is true. now
ever, that in some cities more aggres-
sive and perhaps more co.,genial
groups of architects banded Them
selves together end foImed clinics for
solving all of the physical ills of the
house
Individual lees were not large but
in the aggregate they were worth
while and much better than nrthing.
Then. too, those consulted feel that
they have created good will from
which they will hear later when nor
NAL times are established ard new
homes are being cult by these same
people or their friends.
Many properties can be taken from
the red and returned to a position of
adequate earning by rearrangement
and modernization The problem is
half professional and half dollars and
cents An architect who has kept
abreast of his times is we'll Etted to
undertake the ana iytical selling that
must accompany this campaign.
1T is an unlimited field. II can
benefit the comm unity. the building
industry. material supply hOuses,
banks which either neeo an outlet for
surplus funds or wish to salvage bad
investments and the owner whose
business or properties do not pay 1t
can also benefit the architects At they
do not miss this opportunity"