Evening star., 1938-06-11

grounds OF nnshttability OF design.
Added fllip to bitter fight Das
0ipen ,ohen it pas realized that
memorial design is almost exact
duplicate OF architectural plan for
center portion OF ne,p art gallery
being constructed here. Despite all
this, hotDerer. pending appropria-
tion bill carries sum to start tpork
on project.
An open architectural competition
to obtain . design for q Thomas
Jefferson memorial was demanded to-
day by DR.. Joseph Hudnut, dean of
the Graduate School of Design at
Harvard University and member Of the
National Competitions Committee, as
bitter fight against appropriating
$780, 900 to start work by the John
Russell Pope designs loomed in the
Senate.
The Competitions Committee, Bit
terIy critical Of the Pope design. also
planned to make q protest directly to
the White House, possibly late today
In support Of his suggestion for an
open competition, DR.. Hudnut de-
clared that such q solution, CON
Quoted in accordance with the estab-
lished and very practicable rules Of
the American Institute of Architects
in which the ideas of all American
architects might be competently re-
viewed by q jury of architects-would
almost surely arrive at just decision.
Protest In Senate.
1t seems to me quite prepOSterous
to suppose that the wide interest Ger
tain to be evoked by such a competi-
tion would defeat the proposal. and as
for delay, that cannot be a serious
matter In a building which is to endure
1000, years"
Meanwhile, the appropriation item
to enable 4 start on the project was
running into = storm of protest from
Senator's King of Utah, Guffey of
Pennsylvania and Duffy of Wisconsin
as the Senate Appropriations Subcom-
mittee attempted to whip the final de-
ficiency bill into shape for passage
Senator Duffy is = member of the SUBJ
committee in charge of the bill while
the other two appeared before the
group in executive session yesterday
to oppose the appropriation.
In addition to DR.. Hudnut, other
members Of the Competitions Commit
tee yesterday released bitter blasts at
present plans for the memorial.
Wright Voices Criticism.
=. DIR, !. T. Frary of the Cleveland
Museum Of Art not only criticised the
idea of spending vast sums for mere
architectural shells" but added the
hope that Thomas Jefferson NAV be
immortalized in the Capital by some
thing that will express his passion
for benefiting mankind instead of by
= splendid architectural masterpiece
that will glorify the genius of the
Goth century,"
Frank Lloyd Wright, architect. of
Spring Green, Wis, described the
Pope design as "eclecticism's funeral
wreath placed by himself upon its own
brow" while Frederic Allen Whiting.
editor Of the Magazine Art, described
1t completely alien to the American
temper and tradition"
Representative Keller, Democrat. of
Illinois, chairman of the House Lii
brary Committee, continued criticism
which he has made clear and adhered
to consistently in the past.
Urges Different Treatment.
Warning that time should not be
the essence in consideration of such
. project, DR.. Gilmore Clarke, chair
man Of the Commission of Fine Arts,
reminded those interested in the me-
mortal that his group has concluded
unanimously that it is inadvisaplc to
place q structure of this type of design
on the south cross axis of the Mall"
A former chairman of the commits
sion, DR.. Charles Moore, urged an en-
tirely different treatment of the CEN
tral feature and the surrounding lands
as . means Of escaping conflict with
the Lincoln Memorial.