Evening star., 1948-01-21
Architect in the White House

When an architect is not engaged tn ,tect'ns
And dratung things that others haze
proposed
He Is apt to use his leisure time prospecting
And think up things that pont go
unopposed.
(Apologies to Gilbert and sullivan)
What does an Architect of the White
House do?
That is, what does he do 365 days of the
vear-to earn his Government salary OF
50 s,s94-when he is not designing balconies
and things?
We have, of course, an Architect OF the
Capitol. His manifold duties are listed
at length in the Congressional Directory.
His is one of the big administrative JOBS
in Washington.
But the duties of the Architect OF the
White House are more obscure. They 40
not seem to be listed publicly. In tact,
there is something of mystery over the
origin of the position as well as the precise
title of the incumbent.
A little light is shed by the fact that
Lorenzo S. Winslow, formerly employed by
the National Park Service, was sent to the
White House to design some interior
changes during the mid -thirties. And
during the war, when decision was reacned
to build a bomb shelter and an offlce
building extension of the east wing, Mr.
WinsloW was loaned to the White House
by the Public Buildings Administrator.
His presence, during the construction
work, was noted by sign adjacent thereto:
Lorenzo S. Winslow, Architect" The sign
was not designed to escape public atten-
ton, nor did 1t.
At this or some later period Mr.. WlnsloW
acquired an Office in the bowels OF the
White House and there he seems to nave
remained ever since. Mr.. Truman inherited
him. Although he is retained on the pay
roll of the Public Buildings Administrator,
the money to pay his salary comes from
White House funds. Once again, two years
ago, he emerged from the relative obscurlty
of his White House Office when designs
were laid before startled public Tor
ST 800 900 west wing Office building, which
was to contain an auditorium, photog-
raphers' balcony, piano that could be
raised or lowered from sight with or with
out the piano player and facilities Tor
televised f1reside chats. At the bottom OF
one of the architectural drawings Tor this
projected improvement appears the now
familiar legend Lorenzo s. WlnsloWs
Architect"
At about the same time Mr.. WinsloW's
civil service classification was raised from
Pe ($7,1O2 to $4,000 to PS (S8,97o TO
100000. The P8 classification was, In
almost anybodys opinion, more appro-
pirate classification for the designer of the
west wing Office building than P6 classi-
flcation And while fate interviewed TO
halt the office building, the PS classifica-
ton stuck and Mr. Winslow's salary is now
only six dollars year less than that OF the
Architect of the Capitol, the Public Build
ings Commissioner himself or the Com
missioners of the District of Columbia.
Mr.. Winslows part in the original de-
sign of the White House balcony Is not
known This balcony project, it is said,
dates back to the Roosevelt administration
when it was being discussed because OF
its convenience to the President, who
could be rolled out to it from his bedroom
in a wheel chair. But it seems to have
been abandoned at that time, only to pop
up again recently almost simultaneously
with the information that it would be
built by President Truman in spite of the
unanimous opposition of the Commission
of Fine Arts.
All of which, of course, creates con-
lecture: First as to the duties of an
architect whose functions require his year.
round presence and an Office at the White
House at a cost of S., 1894 to the taxpayers;
second, as to whether the position is one
which tends to become liability instead