Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-23
Comments on Balcony Plan

comments on I
Here are some comments from
prominent architects on .PreSi-
dent Trun1an's plan to add
balcony to the South portico OF
the White House. They are re-
printed from, the journal OF the
American Institute OF Archi-
tects.
Turpin c. Bannister, chairman of
the American Institute of Archi-
tects, committee on the preserva-
ton of historic building:
Our committee strongly opposes
addition of balcony to South Portico
of White House. Balcony would
mar portico's fine scale, destroy
view of wall and create ugly heavy
shadows
Eric Gugler, New York, fellow of
the Ala, who was in charge of
White House changes made during
President Roosevelt's tenancy in
the White House:
eff 1 had it in my power as I
leave Office, 1 would like to leave
as a legacy to =. the American
Institute of Architect the duty of
preserving a perpetual eye of
guardianship over the White House
to see that it Is kept unchanged
and unnamed from this time on"
Theodore Roosevelt, December IL,
1908.
TT seems to me that to avoid
recurrent embarrassments which
spring from this honored obliga-
ton, the building at some time in
the near future should come under
protection that it would get by
being declared a National Monu-
ment.
This designation of National
Monument should provide for the
exception of part of the upper
floors, and it is to be hoped that
such a step would be instituted with
the help and suggestion of the then
president. The idea would be that
the upper floors would be freely
used and rooms changed at will by
each incumbent. These rooms would
be returned to their original state
upon the retirement of each Presi-
dent, funds being provided to pay
for this restoration.
1.-THE Presidents living quarters
Ell n1,ll hn Cf thu hast T.1a
many ways in which generous con-
veniences could be achieved-for in
stance, a commodious roof garden
arrangement which would not be
seen excepting from the sky and
would not in any sense hurt those
elements of the building which are
cherished by all Americans,
THE White House should even
tually be restored TO the state in
which it was when Theodore Roose-
welt left it in his will to the Ala
to cherish.
1.-THE State, War and Navy Build
ing should be used from here on
out as the Executive Offices for the
President. with the convenience of
connecting tunnel"
Albert Simons. Charleston, S. c.,
fellow of the Ala and a member
of the Institutes Committee on the
Preservation of Historic Buildings:
Believe that opinion handed down
by National Fine Arts Commission
! should be sustained and no bal
cony added to White House. Since
the rise and fall of Mussolifi, bal
comics have not acquired felicitious
association with official residences"
Thomas Harlan Elicit, New York,
fellow of the Ala:
White visiting Washington I
have become much concerned over
the proposed construction of So
called balcony under the south
portico of the White House and
have been walking around the south
front and studying it with care
I'm the noontime sun / was first
struck by the play of light and
shade on the central feature-the
sheer beauty of the thing; the
shadows of the handsome columns
on the curved bay of the Blue
Room, the bay itself with its fine
fenestration, trim and sparkling
consoles; the reflected light in the
upper part of the portico. AL this
would be lost in the cavernous
shadows OF platform at the Sec
ond-floor level.
THE Commission of Fine Arts
has called the proposed bacony a
porch and rightly so. We are
informed that it will be 10 feet wide,
not the light and airy thing gener-
ally associated with a balcony, but
an affair of steel and concrete
extending from wall to columns.
such a construction, on an exist
ing building, would necessarily be
attached to the columns and be sup
ported on its outside perimeter by
them-a practice that architects try
to avoid. On the wall side the at
tachment OF the platform would
require the destruction of five fine
pediments over the lower windows.
Further inquiry indicates
these pediments need not be cut,
since the balcony will clear them
| by eight incheso
LAS for doing away with the ugly
summer awnings they in all prob
ability would still be required-not
only on the first floor but on the
second as we'll, thereby doubling the
objection to the porch on that score.
Finally, we would then have two
low and stuffy porches instead OF
one fine one.
THE majestic portico' would be
no more"
C. C. Zantzinger, Philadelphia,
fellow the Ala:
THE only information I have con-
corning the second-story porch for
the White House is that which has
become available to me through the