Evening star., 1940-02-10
Architectural Desiqn
Inspection Service
Urged for District
PeusIee Unfolds
Details of How Board
Would Aid BuiIdina
By RUDOLPH KAUFFMANN II.

BY RUDOLPH KAUFMAN II.
The Government provides a va
riety of inspection services, why not
a service to inspect and certify de-
signs for privately owned buildings,
particularly in the Nations Capital?
1t is this thought that has re-
suited in the recommendation of the
Committee of One Hundred on the
Federal City that I'VE should extend
the supervision of architecture and
design of private buildings by means
of an architectural board, with more
facilities than the old advisory
council ever had, to make construc-
tive changes in poor plans. We
should put teeth in the architects
registration law"
Yesterday Horace w. Peaslee,
chairman of the subcommittee on
architecture of the Committee of
One Hundred unfolded in more de-
tail what this could mean to the Ma
tional Capital. However, he said it
was only suggestion and that such
a board would have to be set up and
Its powers outlined by groups other
than the architects Service un-
sought is service unwanted," he said.
Would Serve as Guide.
The plan foremost among several
In the minds of his subcommittee is
to have a board of architects with
a membership which is flexible
enough and changed often enough
to insure more than one point of
view, which would review architec-
tural drawings and specifications,
grading them accordingly. In this
way, Mr.. Peaslee said yesterday,
home purchasers or those about to
embark on buildings for commercial,
industrial or tenant use would have
at their disposal the guidepost of
certificates issued by a group of men
competent to judge. Under such a
plan, Mr.. Peaselee went on, a pros
pective purchaser of building
could know whether he is getting a
certified house, adequate from both
the practical and aesthetic stand
point, in the same way housewife
can know what grade of meat she
gets by looking for the Government
certifcation stamp.
The old Architectural Advisory
Council broke down after 10 years,
following the first recommendation
Of the Committee of One Hundred
that such a group would be advan-
tageous. The architects serving on it
found that the criticisms of plans
which they gave voluntarily and
without pay we're guiding unframed
non-registered architects in making
better plans.
"The architects serving on the
board found they were cutting their
own throats," Mr. Peaslee said.
Under the certification system, as
now contemplated, the Architectural
Board would be paid for their serv-
ices and would probably not be so
free as before with constructive crit
icisrns of plans, thereby forcing
builders desirous of gaining a GER
tificate approving their plans to en-
gage more competent help in their
preparation.
Motive of the Committee of One
Hundred in recommending such a
board Is that it feels that the de-
sign of private building in the Ma
tons Capital has grown like Topsy"
and is not in keeping with the ap-
pearance of the city. 1t also feels
that purchasers of buildings now
have no real way of knowing, unless
they have some training, whether
specifications for given house will
produce something "up to snuff"
from a practical standpoint
Is the house insulated? Is it 60
ing to settle? Will it have a tasteful
appearance? Will it fit into the
neighborhood? These and many
more are questions which a certifi-
cate from the board would answer
automatically for the prospective
buyer.
Builders might find such a GER
tificate a good talking point when
1t came to sale, just as do butchers
dealing in Government inspected
meat.
Safe, well-designed, contributing