Evening star., 1940-06-16


Federal Architects, ON Dieau in /
logically, but we'll. and the outgoing
work is found to be suitable ane
simple.
The matter Of suitability to climate
is especially stressed, buildings ir
the South being very different ir
style and design from those for the
same purpose in the North. Nc
longer do Alaska and the Canal Zone
get Federal structures of identica
pattern. And this is well.
Realizing that this exhibition is
primarily for the information anc
delectation of the public, pains have
been taken to reduce technicalities
to minimum and make as wide use
as possible of perspective drawings
photographs and renderings in color
Among the last, some very attractive
! pictorial views are to be seen. There
are two of these in the section as
signed to the architects of the Office
of the Quarter Master General. both
by Carl Schlachter; one is of officers
mess in the Canal Zone and the
other of Air Corp Base, Wheeler
Field, Hawaii. Others. by j. E
Corey and Edward A. Smith, are to
be found in the alcove set apart for
the Office of Yards and Docks. Mr.
Schlachter's renderings are rather
stylized and have somewhat poster
like appearance, but the effect is
extremely good and the color de-
! lightful. Those by Mr.. Corey and
Mr.. Smith are more naturalistfc.
Purposed primarily to show the diff
ference in climatic conditions, and
Its effect upon design of man-made
structures, they may perhaps over
emphasize setting, but they carry
their point--ie.. that buildings in the
Far North must be erected on diff
ferent lines from those in the Far
South.
Sincerity Is Real Test.
The jury of award for this exhi-
bition expressed itself, and in no
uncertain terms, on the subject of
architectural renderings, stating
| that tricks in rendering only dis
tract from the main subject matter
which is the building rendered." and
insisting that "1ignly stylized skies,
foreground, etc, constitute decora-
tion which is inappropriate and dis
turbing." All of which is funda-
mentally true and meant to keep
architecture on the high plane on
which it belongs; but after all, the
real test of worth and propriety is
whether or not the work is sincere
and in expression veracious.
Two local buildings are featured
in this exhibition, contrasting in
terestingly in size and importance
but apparently handled with equal
care. One is that to serve as the
new War Department., for which
ground has been lately cleared and
on which building operations have
begun, and the other is for a res
taurant in Rock Greek Park. The
War Department accords in style
with the new Inferior Department
but is perhaps little less blunt in
expression and more refined-an
enormous pile of stone pierced by
rows upon rows of windows saved
from monotony by emphasis on
recurrent vertical units. Much
has been said in derision of
our "out-dated" buildings, class
ical in design, but the curious
thing is that this newest archi-
lecture is purely classical in its
simplicity and therefore fits in ad-
mirably-as, for example, do the
Academy of Science and the Federal
Reserve Buildings-With such struc-
lures as the Capitol. the Treasury
and the Lincoln Memorial. Whether
the Jefferson Memorial can be in
cluded in this category remains to
be seen. But OF this we are abso-
lutely certain-great works of art of
all times and of all lands have kin
ship, derived perhaps from a COM
mon sharing of that which is funda-
mental
WClHOIIdl CAHTCSSCS SplIlts
And, to make slight detour, why
should we not reflect in our Federal
architecture the spirit and ideals of
our times? When the Capitol and
the White House were built we, as a
Nation, were striving to upbuild on
this continent culture comparable
to that of Greece in its golden era.
1t was this, rather than material
conquest, that we had in mind. What
more logical, then than the adop-
! ton of the classical orders as an
expression of our ideals? jefferson
said, II adjure you to follow the ex-
amples which generations have
agreed to admire" 1t was also the
desire of this great Democrat that
we should, as Nation, stand well
in the eyes of the world" What we
built then in the classical was not
copied, but adapted therefrom-
some of our building since has been
merely in imitation To the ever
lasting honor, however, of Henry
Bacon, be it said that when design
ing the Lincoln Memorial, he en-
ployed the classical idiom with COM
plete freedom to express most per-
fectly not merely outward form, but
inward spirit.
There Is no reason why We should
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