Evening star., 1937-09-25
TOTTEN'S DESIGNS
STILL LURE TURKS
Choice of Embassy Con-
firms Appreciation of
Decades Ago.
BY EDMUND G. MONK.

Up on the heights of Mount Pleas
ant, kindly artist gazes down through
the mullioned windows of his study
upon the ever-expanding architec-
tural glory of Washington.
He is Maj. George Oakley Totten,
jr., internationally known architect,
whose creations in stone, steel and
wood through three decades have
added garnishment of beauty and
dignity to the structural splendor of
the Nations Capital.
A firm believer in the carrying out
of modernistic themes in most Amer
lean cities, Maj. Totten tenaciously
defends the classic motif as that most
suited to Washington.
Although his career is closely knit
with Washington. Maj. Totten-ex-
ponent at times of modernism in ar
chitecture-waS once offered the post
of private architect to Sultan Abdul
Hamid of the old Ottoman empire.
And so, Maj. Totten, who cottons
to both classic and modernistic stylism
in architecture; who prefers a modi-
fed Italian renaissance theme in most
of the great structures he has de-
signed, and who the last of the
medieval kings" as he calls Abdul
Hamid, wanted for his imperial archi-
tect, found several years ago that the
attraction his work held for the Turk
ish eye had followed him to WASH
tngton.
Path Led to Constantinople.
In 1908 Maj. Totten stopped in Con-
stantinople for a short visit. He had
represented the United States at the
International Congress of Architects
In Vienna and had trekked to the Otto
man capital for a brief eye feast of
the Byzantine and Constantinian city
on the BoSporus.
But the visit heightened into months.
Prime Minister Issez Pasha and Maj
Totten became friends. The Ameri-
can drew the plans for pretentious
dwelling for that dignitary. The edi-
flee excited wide favorable comment in
Constantinople.
Sultan Abdul Hamid then sent
emiSsaries to Maj. Totten, asking him
TO stay in Constantinople and design
number of structures for the imperial
Turkish government.
Maj. Totten relates that one of the
buildings he was besought to plan was
what the Turks enviSaged as the ne
plus ultra in commercial structures.
An outstanding feature was to be
great courtyard laid out as depot
for camel trains vending their way
from the fastnesses and outposts of
the Empire
Refusal Brings Better Offer.
When the young architect decided
to demur, the Sultan put on the heat"
to employ modern slang, and sent his
prime minister with a most glowing
offer. With princely remuneration in
cluded, the Sultan sent the message:
will you be private architect to
the Sultan of Turkey?"
This proved too much of tempta-
ton for the American and he accepted.
He stipulated, however, that he must
first go to London, where he had
previously arranged to meet friends.
This was agreed to, and Totten took
ship for England.
History then began to register a
series of changes. A major result was
the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid's
government, thus writing fms before
it began to what promised to be a
glamorous chapter in the career of
a young American.
And so, the political demise of old
Turkey had a direct effect on the
architectural history of Washington,
IS Maj. Totten came back to his home
land later to draw the plans for