THE PUBLISHERS’ PAGE
INTRODUCTORY to a review of a series of lithographs by Vernon Howe Bailey, illustrating “skyscraper Manhattan, Mr. Kineton Parkes, in The Architects’ Journal of London, states as follows:
“Reality has again resulted in romance. In the ever-recurring cycle of the arts there is change and decay, evolution, revolution, and devolution. Architecture, since the eighteenth century, has been struggling with a problem which New York has at length solved. It has revolved round old styles and evolved itself into something new and strange. The world has been waiting for the American architect. He has arrived with a pyramid. The pyramid is not that of Egypt, a vast uninhabitable, and uninhabited verticism, but a populated beehive harboring thousands of workers; an upright city within a city reared above the outgrown horizontalism of the past and passing present. It has but one possible antithesis, the underground dwelling and workshop foretold by knowledgeable novelists. These are far away on the horizon of time; the New York skyscraper is here with the world today.”
Here in New York, where building is carried forward with a speed that fairly stuns the foreign visitor, we are, by reason of proximity, more or less apathetic. We only realize just what is being accomplished in the architectural development of this country when a competent architectural observer from abroad visits with us and sets forth his impression as, for example, in this present instance.
Tall building, as applied to the apartment house hotel, seemed to have reached the zenith of architectural possibilities, but down on lower Fifth Avenue, right at the very entrance to Greenwich Village, Helmle U Corbett have been erecting a structure some thirty-two stories in height. Naturally we were not pleased to learn that so tall a building was to throw out of scale that stately, fine row of red brick old houses that were the aristocratic homes of wealthy residents forty years ago. These houses are the culminating excellence of the Greek Revival of the early seventies. But as Helmle U Corbett’s building thrust its way to its unusual height, we began to realize that it was a beautiful addition to a locality marked by many of the best examples of architecture to be found in New York.
By arrangement with the architects, we shall illustrate the No. 1 Fifth Avenue building as soon as it is ready. We are glad it is where it is. It makes a splendid landmark, but we do not want to see further excessively tall buildings in that locality. The skyline looking Northeast from Washington Square is now superb. Any radical change in it by the addition of further high structures would be to destroy a silhouette as interesting as that seen when approaching the city from the lower bay.
Our next issue, September 5th, will present the prize winning designs in the West Coast Woods Architectural Competition. It is interesting to note that this competition closed on August 10th, was judged and the prize winning designs reached us by airplane mail August 15th. Contrasting these rapid methods with those of not more than a decade ago, is to marvel how fast and far we have gone in a practical use of what was not so long ago a scientific toy. As announced in an earlier issue, this nationwide competition was held to secure the best possible designs for a house and garage built of native West Coast woods. The competition was sponsored and conducted by the Washington State Chapter of The American Institute of Architects, and the prizes aggregating $3500 were offered jointly by the West Coast Lumber Bureau and C. W. Stimson, of Seattle.
** * * * *
It is amusing to learn from an item published in the Editor’s Forum of an architectural journal for August that “there has been opened a competition for designs for the new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon.”
This competition was announced in The American Architect, issue of March 20th, in an article fully illustrated. The first preliminary competition was closed some time ago, and the American prize winners’ names announced in our issue of August 5th. The final competition, participated in by the winners in the first preliminary will take place next November.
As our contemporary’s announcement is apt to convey the impression to those who may not have seen the earlier mention in this journal that this competition is yet open to entrants, it is thought advisable to state the facts as above.
There is a wealth of good material to be presented in forthcoming issues. The following is but a partial list:
The Neils Esperson Building at Houston, Texas, John Eberson, architect, an office building of unusual size and architectural treatment; will appear soon.
The Downtown Branch, St. Louis Y. M. C. A.. La Beaume 8 Klein, architects, will receive a most complete presentation.
The new Public Library, Philadelphia, Pa., Horace Trumbauer, architect.
The new house for the Timberpoint Golf Club, on Long Island, Charles M. Hart, architect.
Look for the insert, Topical Architecture, in
this issue.
INTRODUCTORY to a review of a series of lithographs by Vernon Howe Bailey, illustrating “skyscraper Manhattan, Mr. Kineton Parkes, in The Architects’ Journal of London, states as follows:
“Reality has again resulted in romance. In the ever-recurring cycle of the arts there is change and decay, evolution, revolution, and devolution. Architecture, since the eighteenth century, has been struggling with a problem which New York has at length solved. It has revolved round old styles and evolved itself into something new and strange. The world has been waiting for the American architect. He has arrived with a pyramid. The pyramid is not that of Egypt, a vast uninhabitable, and uninhabited verticism, but a populated beehive harboring thousands of workers; an upright city within a city reared above the outgrown horizontalism of the past and passing present. It has but one possible antithesis, the underground dwelling and workshop foretold by knowledgeable novelists. These are far away on the horizon of time; the New York skyscraper is here with the world today.”
Here in New York, where building is carried forward with a speed that fairly stuns the foreign visitor, we are, by reason of proximity, more or less apathetic. We only realize just what is being accomplished in the architectural development of this country when a competent architectural observer from abroad visits with us and sets forth his impression as, for example, in this present instance.
Tall building, as applied to the apartment house hotel, seemed to have reached the zenith of architectural possibilities, but down on lower Fifth Avenue, right at the very entrance to Greenwich Village, Helmle U Corbett have been erecting a structure some thirty-two stories in height. Naturally we were not pleased to learn that so tall a building was to throw out of scale that stately, fine row of red brick old houses that were the aristocratic homes of wealthy residents forty years ago. These houses are the culminating excellence of the Greek Revival of the early seventies. But as Helmle U Corbett’s building thrust its way to its unusual height, we began to realize that it was a beautiful addition to a locality marked by many of the best examples of architecture to be found in New York.
By arrangement with the architects, we shall illustrate the No. 1 Fifth Avenue building as soon as it is ready. We are glad it is where it is. It makes a splendid landmark, but we do not want to see further excessively tall buildings in that locality. The skyline looking Northeast from Washington Square is now superb. Any radical change in it by the addition of further high structures would be to destroy a silhouette as interesting as that seen when approaching the city from the lower bay.
Our next issue, September 5th, will present the prize winning designs in the West Coast Woods Architectural Competition. It is interesting to note that this competition closed on August 10th, was judged and the prize winning designs reached us by airplane mail August 15th. Contrasting these rapid methods with those of not more than a decade ago, is to marvel how fast and far we have gone in a practical use of what was not so long ago a scientific toy. As announced in an earlier issue, this nationwide competition was held to secure the best possible designs for a house and garage built of native West Coast woods. The competition was sponsored and conducted by the Washington State Chapter of The American Institute of Architects, and the prizes aggregating $3500 were offered jointly by the West Coast Lumber Bureau and C. W. Stimson, of Seattle.
** * * * *
It is amusing to learn from an item published in the Editor’s Forum of an architectural journal for August that “there has been opened a competition for designs for the new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon.”
This competition was announced in The American Architect, issue of March 20th, in an article fully illustrated. The first preliminary competition was closed some time ago, and the American prize winners’ names announced in our issue of August 5th. The final competition, participated in by the winners in the first preliminary will take place next November.
As our contemporary’s announcement is apt to convey the impression to those who may not have seen the earlier mention in this journal that this competition is yet open to entrants, it is thought advisable to state the facts as above.
There is a wealth of good material to be presented in forthcoming issues. The following is but a partial list:
The Neils Esperson Building at Houston, Texas, John Eberson, architect, an office building of unusual size and architectural treatment; will appear soon.
The Downtown Branch, St. Louis Y. M. C. A.. La Beaume 8 Klein, architects, will receive a most complete presentation.
The new Public Library, Philadelphia, Pa., Horace Trumbauer, architect.
The new house for the Timberpoint Golf Club, on Long Island, Charles M. Hart, architect.
Look for the insert, Topical Architecture, in
this issue.