Evening star., 1939-01-07
Architect Predids
Record Building
Upswing inU. 5.
.MoN Modern Homes
Poorly Conceived,
Says Evons

TooaIJ >oHSSiVSos
Soys Evons
A>thousand new cities and town.
will rise on the plains and prairie,
of America during the next 10 year,
to replace the outworn, outdated fire
and disease traps that now house
more than go per cent OF our urban
population.
= Only such a building upsurge-
the biggest that this country has
ever experienced-will reverse onl
backSliding standard of shelter.
That is the opinion Of Randolph
Evans, well-known New York archi-
tect and designer of many small
houses, after survey of rundown
cities and wornout homes.
The chief fault of the American
home today" said Mr.. Evans, lis the
fact that it wears out too fast and
costs too much to operate. As a
result, our cities are deteriorating
faster than we are replacing them.
Actually" said Mr.. Evans, most
OF our present homes were poorly
conceived from functional as well
as an esthetic point of view. OBJ
solescence started in before the
house was even finished.
$4,000 Houses Unfit
I'm spite of our much vaunted
standard of living, the recent real
property inventory conducted by the
Department of Commerce in 64 rep
resentative American cities showed
that almost 60 per cent of all urban
dwellings in the country are in need
of repairs and that $4,000 houses
are reported unfit for use.
"Of the 2,428907 buildings ex-
amined, only 946,553, or less than
80 per cent, were found to be in
good condition. About 100000, or
Is per cent, were found to need
major repairs and 1,081 ,385 units, or
a per cent, required minor repairs. J"
Archaic street layouts. improper
~<oning and inadequate transporta-
ton facilities are combining with the
physical deterioration and obsoles-
cence of most urban dwellings to
make the average city an unnat-
urally costly and unhealthy machine.
Mr.. Evans believes that the only
solution is re-birth. Americas lead
ing cities must set building pace
for the rest of the country, he said.
Fortunately" he continued, this
process has already started. The
tsst few years have seen many inn
provements made to the modern
nome and urban residential neigh
norhood that have added years to
their lives. We are building better
than we ever did, and the physical
Heterloration that marks the aver
;ee American dwelling which is
more than IS years old, will not so
quickly overtake the homes that are
now being built"
Six Suggestions Made.
But there is still room for vast
improvement to make our homes
tetter and more ivable.
Mr.. Evans lists six typical i'm
orovements that make the modern
house better built house than its
P'INSeCSoolS IllCy arc
l. An intelligent analysis of the
functions of house.
2. Development of more durable
and f1re-resistant exterior finishes.
3. Development of safety devices
such as fire-checks and asphalt
papers which keep out wind and
rain.
-. Use of longer lived. more ef-
hcient mechanical equipment.
5. Development of outside space
for gardens to promote outdoor
living and to provide vistas from
the eyes of the house.
6. Development of insulation and
It's effectiveness as a heat-stop,
bringing both winter and summer
comfort
OF the many materials that are
adding new safety and convenience
to the modern house." said Evans,
Few have equaled the money-saving
contribution of insulation. This
group of materials in less than
decade has been approved and
recommended by every responsible
CUMMING h6CAlNy ollN lVo uoC 10
stantly increasing.
A Common Costly Weakness.
In the recent Better Homes and
Gardens magazine contest IS per
cent of all the homes submitted
we're inSulated-many of them with
the maximum protection afforded
by mineral wool bats in side walls
and second floor ceilings, indicating
q trend towards the thicker and
more efficient forms of insulation.
The use of more lasting roofing
materials also strikes at a common
costly weakness in many older
houses-leaky roofs. The rapid de-
velopment of the asphalt shingIe
has enabled every home owner in
every income group to roof with
q f1re-resistant, long-lived shingle.
"NQn-ferrous piping. termite pro-
lection for wood structural members
and weather. tight walls are addi-
tional features that tend to prolong
the useful life of the modern
dwelling.
The amortizing mortgage places
q further premium on good con-
xtruction, for it favors the we'll
constructed house with higher
valuation. The Federal Housing
Administration reports that such
house not only will last longer
but that it will have a much higher
resale value than the house con-
xtructed according to minimum
standards.