THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
vol. CXIII
Wednesday, May 8, 1918
Number 2211
The Fifty-First Convention of The American Institute of Architects
Held in Philadelphia April 24, 25 and 27, 1918 ANy eport of the fifty-first convention of the
Institute should, to be complete, be prefaced by reference to the important meetings held on the evening of Tuesday, April 23.
First of these was a dinner and conference, held at the University Club by the Board of Directors of the Institute. As guests to this conference there were present the president of the National Chamber of Commerce, the president of the National Builders’ Exchange. The topic under discussion was the desirability of calling a convention of delegates from the American Institute of Architects, the National Chamber of Commerce, the National Builders’ Exchange, and other associated interests related to structural materials, to complete the organization of a permanent committee, with headquarters at Washington, D. C., to conduct a survey of the structural resources of the country. Further, it was decided to ascertain if it would not be equally desirable to include among the duties of such a committee all problems of labor and materials allied to building operations. The purpose of this committee would be to make more readily available for Government use all obtainable data on labor and materials.
It was thought that the work of such a committee, properly co-ordinated, and available to the Government and others, would be a useful and important factor in the dissemination of accurate knowledge of conditions, not only in the building trades, but in high official quarters as well; and that it would thus have a very decided tendency to effect a speedy and sane revival of building operations, now lagging for the very reason that dependable information about labor, materials and the financial factors affecting construction is not accessible.
Another equally valuable matter discussed was the utilization of the large volume of labor now out of employment.
The final conclusions of the conference have not, at this writing, been made public. There is no doubt, however, but that the Institute will lend the most thorough co-operation in such an important movement; nor is there any doubt as to its widespread influence on present building conditions.
At the same time that the foregoing conference was in session an informal meeting was being held at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, to consider a means whereby there might be secured a closer affiliation between architectural societies and others allied to the building trades. This conference was composed of the following architects: D? Knickerbocker Boyd, chairman; Messrs. Holzman and Maher of Chicago, Coxhead and Slee of San Francisco, Bolles of Kansas City, Levy, Briggs and Quimby of New York, Warren H. Briggs of Bridgeport, and Borie of Philadelphia.
A report of the action taken by the Chicago Chapter along similar lines was presented at this meeting, and very fully discussed. It was the unanimous expression of the conference that all other Chapters should follow, as far as possible, the course outlined in the Chicago report.
This conference also discussed the question of an amendment to the code of ethics as affecting advertising, with particular reference to permitting members of the Institute to sign their buildings during construction. This question was not brought to an actual vote, but was tacitly postponed for action by the convention.
The First Day
When President Mauran called the convention to order on the morning of Wednesday, April 24, there was grouped in the banquet room of the Arts Club a much smaller number of delegates than on previous occasions. As a war measure the number of delegates from each Chapter had been greatly reduced, and the full attendance probably did not
Copyright, 1918, The Architectural & Building Press (Inc.)
vol. CXIII
Wednesday, May 8, 1918
Number 2211
The Fifty-First Convention of The American Institute of Architects
Held in Philadelphia April 24, 25 and 27, 1918 ANy eport of the fifty-first convention of the
Institute should, to be complete, be prefaced by reference to the important meetings held on the evening of Tuesday, April 23.
First of these was a dinner and conference, held at the University Club by the Board of Directors of the Institute. As guests to this conference there were present the president of the National Chamber of Commerce, the president of the National Builders’ Exchange. The topic under discussion was the desirability of calling a convention of delegates from the American Institute of Architects, the National Chamber of Commerce, the National Builders’ Exchange, and other associated interests related to structural materials, to complete the organization of a permanent committee, with headquarters at Washington, D. C., to conduct a survey of the structural resources of the country. Further, it was decided to ascertain if it would not be equally desirable to include among the duties of such a committee all problems of labor and materials allied to building operations. The purpose of this committee would be to make more readily available for Government use all obtainable data on labor and materials.
It was thought that the work of such a committee, properly co-ordinated, and available to the Government and others, would be a useful and important factor in the dissemination of accurate knowledge of conditions, not only in the building trades, but in high official quarters as well; and that it would thus have a very decided tendency to effect a speedy and sane revival of building operations, now lagging for the very reason that dependable information about labor, materials and the financial factors affecting construction is not accessible.
Another equally valuable matter discussed was the utilization of the large volume of labor now out of employment.
The final conclusions of the conference have not, at this writing, been made public. There is no doubt, however, but that the Institute will lend the most thorough co-operation in such an important movement; nor is there any doubt as to its widespread influence on present building conditions.
At the same time that the foregoing conference was in session an informal meeting was being held at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, to consider a means whereby there might be secured a closer affiliation between architectural societies and others allied to the building trades. This conference was composed of the following architects: D? Knickerbocker Boyd, chairman; Messrs. Holzman and Maher of Chicago, Coxhead and Slee of San Francisco, Bolles of Kansas City, Levy, Briggs and Quimby of New York, Warren H. Briggs of Bridgeport, and Borie of Philadelphia.
A report of the action taken by the Chicago Chapter along similar lines was presented at this meeting, and very fully discussed. It was the unanimous expression of the conference that all other Chapters should follow, as far as possible, the course outlined in the Chicago report.
This conference also discussed the question of an amendment to the code of ethics as affecting advertising, with particular reference to permitting members of the Institute to sign their buildings during construction. This question was not brought to an actual vote, but was tacitly postponed for action by the convention.
The First Day
When President Mauran called the convention to order on the morning of Wednesday, April 24, there was grouped in the banquet room of the Arts Club a much smaller number of delegates than on previous occasions. As a war measure the number of delegates from each Chapter had been greatly reduced, and the full attendance probably did not
Copyright, 1918, The Architectural & Building Press (Inc.)