Evening star., 1948-01-20

The Fine Arts Commission was not created
by accident. 1t did not simply happen. Rather,
it grew out of natural demand that some
authorized and responsible body should be "the
artistic conscience of the Nation" Specifically.
it developed out of a series of i1-conceived
attempts to alter the Executive Mansion. The
story is told in the Memories" of Glenn Brown,
published in 1881 and just as good reading now
as it was when it first appeared.
His narrative opens with the words: "The
chaste and simple White House caused the first
battle for the right. When its beauty was
threatened by crude additions which would
have destroyed its identity, an artistic group
was hastily organized to prevent this sacrilege
and to preserve the classic design selected by
Washington. This was the first battle In a
long and successful campaign to revive our first
Presidents ideal of Nations Capital"
Mr.. Brown then explains how Washington
and LEnfant placed the White House where
1t could be seen from the contemplated Capitol
and where 1t would have charming view south,
down the Potomac River" but both these ideal
visions OF the city planners failed to material
lze" because Andrew Jackson, automatically,
against the protests of the architect, Robert
Mills, placed the Treasury in its present loca-
ton" and great steel bridges" were permitted
TO be built across the river.
James Hoban, who devoted himself to the
White House from 1892 to $780," is praised by
Mr.. Brown for having left the country "a resi-
dence for its Chief Executive, refined renais-
sance building simple and chaste." "The gar
den front was particularly attractive with its
semicircular portico on the main building and
the one-story colonnades of the wings erected
during Jefferson's administration. This COM
position has great charm. There were few
changes until after the Civil War" Then "alter-
ations were made during the dark period Of
our art history The balance of the exterior
was marred by the removal of the east wing
about 1869. This want of architectural balance
was further emphasized by glass greenhouse,
erected on the west wing. The colonnade OF this
wing on the garden front had been obliterated
by glass propagating Sheds The original digni-
hed horizontal line on the north and the pleas
ing colonnade on the south were lost.
Salons Like Saloons.
'The interior Of the mansion met with even
q worse fate. The basement opening on the
garden with many dignifed rooms and vaulted
corridor had become central heating plant.
boiler and coal bins filled the central oval
room. From this plant through the corridor,
ran steam pipes, mixed with plumbing pipes
and air ducts. Its usefulness except for the
most utilitarian purposes was destroyed.
curious condition existed on the main floor.
The simple decorations of the East Room were
changed during Grants administration
into an over-ornamented salon, loaded down
with crude decorations. It resembled the main
salon of that time, seen on the Long Island
Sound steamers. Later, under Arthur, the re-
fined simplicity of the entrance hall was de-
stroyed by an over-elaborated stained glass
screen, possibly beautiful in ITSELF for 1t was
made by Tiffany. but totally out of place in
this hall and not suitable for the residence of
a cultured gentleman"
This highly colored glass screen" Mr.. Brown
declares, combined with "crude arabesque wall
treatment and many -colored tile floor to
give the impression of "a fashionable bar in
q large hotel" To be in keeping with the
general downward tendency the Red Room was
transformed during Cleveland's administra-
ton into a good example, in mahogany, of
the modern Romanesque. It was totally out
Of sympathy with the refined Georgian Man
sion and it reminded one of Pullman palace