Evening star., 1945-11-11
Silver Star Committee
On Home Standards
To Renew Campaign

aAtC SnyGia QUAR- SVHlIliitbCc. N11lGl
played an important part In rais-
ing the standards for home con-
struction in washington and the
metropolitan area. until wartime
restrictions ended all but emer-
gency housing, has been reconsti-
tuted and will be ready soon to
resume its campaign.
The new committee will be COM
posed of Irwin s. Porter, a member
Of the original committee, who has
served since the start of the pro-
gram. Erwin n. Rosengarten of
the Davis, Wick and Rosengarten
Construction Co.: s. Dolan Dono-
hoe, president or the Washington
Real Estate Board; Clarence E.
Kefauver, executive vice president
of the Columbia Federal Savings g.
Loan Association. and Carey Win
ston, member of the Washington
Real Estate Commission.
s This committee, working in CO.
operation with The Star, will re-
ceive applications for Silver Star
ratings on homes which are to be
built within convenient distance of
downtown Washington. II ap-
proval is given, the. house will be
awarded the Silver Star and will
be furnished and placed on public
exhibition for 80 days.
The plan works as follows:
When plans and specifications
are received from a builder, they
will be studied by the committee,
which will select those of superior
nature in various price ranges. After
construction work has proceeded
sufficiently for examination, the
committee will inspect the work.
Finally, after the construction has
been completed, the committee will
once more visit the house and de-
eide II 1t comes up to the rigid
standards of the committee.
High Standards Prevail.
The standards which will guide
the committee include high quality
of material, architectural excellence,
first-class workmanship, fair price,
proper-sized lot for the house. with
ample opportunity for appropriate
1andscaping, and conformity to the
surroundings.
The last-named standard applies
to q situation in which a $4,000
house might be located in $10,-
dollhouse development or low
priced house might be erected in a
subdivision of higher-p priced homes.
It would apply also to a style OF
architecture completely foreign to
that generally prevailing in the de-
velopment.
The committee would award the
Silver Star only to those houses
which may be considered model
homes for sale at price which
the quality of the house warrants.
Once the Silver Star has been
awarded, the builder will under
take to furnish the house appro-
priately and place it on public in
speetion for a period of 80 days,
during which it may be sold but
may not be closed to the public.
Plans Reviewed Monthly.
In the past, leading furniture and
department stores have provided
the furniture for the exhibition and
installed suitable draperies. These
also may be sold but must remain
in the house until the exhibit Pc
iriod Is concluded.
The SilSer Star Committee will
receive applications each month up
to the 18th, and will meet on the
last Tuesday of each month to pass
on the plans. Plans and specifica-
tions received after the 18th will
lie over until the following month.
After the committee has passed on
the plans, the builder will be noti-
fed if they are approved by the
committee and arrangements made
for the progress and final inspec-
tions.
Builders desiring to submit homes
should apply to the Real Estate Edi-
tor of The Star for application
blanks, which will be ready for dis
trihution shortly.
With the many innovations homes
of the postwar period, the Silver
Star program offers prospects of
the great interest to the home pur-
chaser. During the active period
of the campaign before the war,
attendance at the Silver Star Home
exhibits often ran as high as 10000
to 10000 persons and all drew sub
stantia1 numbers