and becomes a moderate size house or at what point a dwelling may be referred to as pretentious, it is very difficult to say, but certainly the average architect approaches the two problems in an entirely different spirit and perhaps that is the reason why so many of the more pretentious houses seem to lack the quaint, picturesque quality so often found in the moderate size house, and become stilted and formal. A study of the larger houses published during the past year reveals a certain formality or stiffness in the designing of the exterior which gives one the feeling that they were done with a heavier hand than were the many charming smaller houses published during the same period, and in this connection it is interesting and encouraging to note the very marked improvement that has been made in the designing of houses in all sections of the country. Undoubtedly, the modern country houses of America are superior in design to those being erected in England and France today, which fact has brought forth considerable comment from the editors of architectural publications abroad.
Any architect who has had reasonably long experience in the building of homes for human beings, knows that to regard the project purely as a problem in design, leads to disaster. To the owner, the house is not a problem in design, but together with the usual conveniences and comfort each hopes to secure also that very illusive atmosphere, or proportion or whatever it is, that expresses well being and logical thinking, that vague something which attracts the favorable opinion of the passerby; but, of course, each individual has a different idea as to how this result may be obtained, and therein lies the architect’s problem.
The writer has heard a great deal of comment about the desire of so many owners to have their homes appear pretentious and luxurious, but in a practice covering quite a period of years, he has not found that this demand has been mandatory in very many cases. On the contrary, most prospective home builders insist that their houses shall be kept unpretentious in design, even though the buildings must of necessity be large in order to
HOUSE OF MRS. FRANK HASTINGS, ALTOONA, PA.
CARL A. ZIEGLER, ARCHITECT