The AMERICAN
Volume CXXXVI OCTOBER
—— ARCHITECT 79
y Founpep 1876 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Betts, A.I.A. Editor | ERNEST EBERHARD Managing Editor t | In This Issue | s ae Ponte Vecchio, Florence Pe Ins Shue Suiak «eee cb ae Au aw Siew eee Cover | The “Stock Plan’ House Has No Soul ¢ I I, oh rte At ing Vike ie Chiara ns Kew he 19 The Bremen Advances the Cause of the Modernists ee ie OF 5 I a 6 oo wink exc kook wehbe vice ns sesowaniy 20 Ernest Born Architects Must Study Building Economics i i Se. o2. 5b eed aguenavee ees ecrden dane 28 a ‘ : An Architect’s Own House lilustration on 1e cover 1S a ‘ , . ° : : ; ‘ Charles W. Oliver, Architect ............... 30 reproduction of a drawing by Ernest ae = Se eel Mean Ct Ln area eee oe ; Born. This unusual view of the Designing Garages for Service and Income — acto he peer ne —_ es | Pe 0s ON i nd ct ae abe de dcbvenscuactadecae 34 ture rom a oat anchore in the ° ° . c- Arno during the late Spring season Impressions of Provincetown and Cape Cod when the river was low. The original Dy Pr eh TF. SCRMOMOIE oo ioc cc ako écav a civ ncceessa 36 + ee me Perylpmagli Hovapbionen: = xd Packard Motor Car Co. Service Building, New York ae we ‘onde anal Tilia ink Albert Kahn, Inc., Architect; Frank S. Parker, Associate was used to make the drawing, over FO A tpat etar ae ong ier ee a, ee, 40 — aoc of —_ Liquide pour A Country Club in the Dutch Colonial of Northern New Jersey Se ee Clifford C. Wendehack, Architect ......... ccc ccc ccc cece 4? _Mr. Born, a native of San Fran- Are Architects so Very “Queer” ? cisco, studied and worked with John FE “TPN oi no Sd 6 se ve ween ves ts 46 Galen Howard. Several years — — Chootshen eR ie 48 in Atliers libre in France permitte ~ a ) St DOM ------ TEER ca eee eee eee eee eee him to develop an individual style of St. Nicholas du Chardonett, Paris, Notre Dame, Dijon drawing and conn Re — - Pek TR Tre Ss Be I ong is nn os bs 5x do Rewwaceccokasauns 50 at present connected with the office 0 NE 8650 5s hay Awe hab Wdds Gherenncuoenen oxeus 52 en ae Sen, Now Tom Cay. The Underwater Lighting of Swimming Pools Ee Es, SE i dis 5 6a pe ieee + bo dE wamwie & eke seam 60 What Architects Are Talking About.......................05. 62 | “No, No, I Can’t Do That,” Said the Lawyer................ 64 Next Month | A SNR Ace HAT Cs is MMi NT aia 70 How Much Is $100,000 OORWAYS of old Tunis By George RR ee ae eee 72 are seen by an artist who New Materials and Equipment.............. 7 likes the far away places of the seed Catalogs sii tear ie det lech aed eaninic i world. Pictures and an in- i Eh SSeS ANE e eR S Ae PSOE SEO Ae 6 Ok OO BORED Ea teresting story. scaffokdemm Goes Modern <<... 2. ssc ecsccccccccscccccccsccncs 76 | Be ET on a ca ak as sk Spee wy GW + Wks RAS eae ake 80 The Better Handling of Orna- ment with illustrations of the H. J. LEFFINGWELL, work of sculptors. Advertising Manager Terra Cotta Details. A section Pace A. Ropinson, Western Manager of selected photographs. 333 North Michigan Ave., Chicago THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT, Published monthly by INTERNATIONAL PuBLicaTions, INc. Fifty-seventh Street at Eighth Avenue, New York, N. Y.
William Randolph Hearst, President; Ray Long, Vice-President; Thomas J. White, Vice-President; Arthur S. Moore, Secretary; Austin W.
Clark, Treasurer. Copyright, 1929, by International Publications, Inc. Trade-mark registered. Single copies, 50 cents. Subscription price:
United States and Possessions, $5.00 per year; $7.00 for two years; Canada, $1.00 extra; foreign countries, $2.00 extra. Entered as second-
class matter, April 5, 1926, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Tue American Arcuirtect is fully protected by copyright and nothing that appears in it may be reproduced either wholly or in part without permission.
FOR OCTOBER 1929 17
Wo Smoke Passes
his Whirlpool!
Like dry tinder — the soot laden gases of soft coal ignite the in- stant they strike this tur- bulent whirling mass of incandescent flame! They burn and their usable heat units are utilized— because in this new Heggie-Simplex Smokeless Boiler there is always the right amount of oxygen to effect complete combustion. The additional oxygen necessary to burn bituminous coal smoke- lessly, but which can not be drawn through the fuel bed alone, is introduced through a special “‘carbureting cham- ber’’ over the fire. Built of refractories, this chamber not only intro- duces the necessary
additional oxygen but thoroughly heats it before passing it down onto the fire. A refractory bridge wall to the rear of this cham- ber baffles the fire, creating a whirlpool of flame which consumes all of the smoke
and combustibles.
For complete facts, write Heggie-Simplex Boiler Com-
pany, Joliet, [ll.; representatives in principal cities—telephone and address listed under “‘Heggie-Simplex Boilers.”
The “Carbureting Chamber” of the Heggie-Simplex Smokeless Boiler
Air is drawn in through intake doors (A) on both sides of the boiler. Volatiles arising from the fresh fuel are admitted through ports (B) in the forward wall. This inflammable mixture is thoroughly heated by the hot refractory walls of the chamber. It is ready for instant combustion when it passes through the jets (C) to mix with the gas stream flow - ing under the chamber. Note there are no bot hersome ceiling pulleys, long chains.
ete. The operating device is **built in’’ the boiler.
HEGGIE-SIMPLEX
SEEEE HEATING BOILERS
THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
The “Stock Plan” House
CAN NEVER HAVE A SOUL
By Benjamin F. Betts
ECENT issues of several magazines contain an advertisement inserted by a well established manufacturer of materials used in buildings, It is stated that the plans and specfications of the house illustrated in the advertisement may be obtained for fifteen dollars. This manufacturer is not alone in the field for there are many magazines, newspapers, “plan factory” catalogs, building supply dealers and manufacturers who have en- tered into this movement to supply the public with plans and specifications. It is barely possible that they believe they are rendering a public service. 7 The purchasers of stock plans rarely obtain the house as designed, for changes are usually made by the owner. Relatives, well meaning friends and even the carpenter and mason offer many suggestions that are thoughtlessly accepted without realizing their effect on the design. Architectural supervi- sion that would safeguard the owner against the pitfalls of building, is not included in the price of stock plans, a fact overlooked by the purchaser.
XPERIENCE has shown that no two families require exactly the same type
of house. Individuals and personalities do not admit of standardization in a matter that affects their welfare and environment. Standardization can be carried to the point that all houses in a community are exactly alike with the well known result of a monotonous, uninteresting, soulless place in which no one would willingly want to live.
Architects perform a public service to the individual and the community that it is impossible for the sellers of mass production plans to give. It is fact and not theory that environment has an important bearing on individuals and their personalities. The house is the foundation of American home life, Amer- can independence, happiness and liberty. Environment conducive to this, must be kept intact for the individual and the community at large. The architectural profession can and is contributing to this public service.
NDER the direction of capable architects, houses are designed in correct relation to their place and importance in the community. Due consider- ation is given to the immediate surroundings of the neighborhood and site. Rooms are so placed that they receive adequate sunlight and pleasant views are preserved for the most important rooms. The house designed to express the owner’s personality, often arouses within him through the right environ- ment, the desire for the better things in life. Children are reared in an atmos- phere, in which the house plays no small part, to become good citizens and to prize the integrity of honest living. The architect, after studying the owner’s family, designs a house in which it is convenient to live and one that furthers American ideals. It is only through personal contact and study of the individual family that a house suited to its needs can be built to serve it. This is a function of the architect. Its importance cannot be disputed. It can never be sold as a part of a “stock plan.”
FOR OCTOBER 1929
| | |
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pe sdiarentet
The BREMEN
a
PHOTO BY HEINRICH ENGELKE PHOTOS COURTESY CONTEMPORA, INC
Advances the Cause
HEN seventy-tive thousand people voluntarily
suffer all the inconveniences of summer heat,
metropolitan crowds and long subway trips hack and forth, to go aboard and inspect an ocean liner during four short days, one may reasonably ask the question: What is the big attraction?
Some will answer that Americans will crowd to see anything or anybody that sets a new record. Others will claim it is not every day that the average non- travelling citizen is afforded an opportunity of stroll- ing majestically from one deck to another unmolested on a giant liner that has just completed her maiden crossing. I think, however, that by far the majority of these seventy-five thousand curious New Yorkers aboard the Bremen because of their interest in movement in architectural and decorative
went the modern
, BOWLING ALLEY
ei
PROMENADE
S SHOOTING GALLERY
a <a a ore | =a —————~ © Hy
Rational Though Radical, -Its Effect Speculation. 75,000 People Went
art which now has so firmly grasped the entire world.
For the Bremen is a modern ship. She is modern outside and inside. Her bulbous bow—a feature which has never before been embodied in a passenger ship —the semi-circular plan of her forward structure, and her low funnels, shaped in plan like a falling rain drop, all bear evidence to the fact that German naval archi- tects, along with their confreres whose architectural problems have their roots in dry land, have “gone modern,” though in a sane and practical manner.
And yet there is nothing incongruous about the Bremen. She is just modern, that is all, and the modern-
Plan of upper promenade deck
ARCHITECT
AMERICAN
THE
PHOTO BY WORSINGER
The smoking room, which was designed by Dr. Rudolph Schroeder follows the semi-circular lines of the forward part of the ship
of the Modernists
on Architecture is An Interesting to Look and Were Impressed
ists throughout the world will point to her with pride. It is easy to believe that many of those who have looked at the modern movement with a skeptical eye, after viewing this latest product of modern German creation, will become modern enthusiasts. Undoubtedly the 3remen has boosted the cause of the modernists in the world tremendously.
Here is a boat in the plan and design of which every thing has been done to make the passengers feel at home. By “at home,” I mean that their customary routine may still be adhered to, although they may be on board ship. The staterooms are not merely “bunks”
———
~ 2 ida IFT Di: | Fett Eta: (|
fsieaeaie’
By R. W. SEXTON
sleep in; they are more like living rooms than the conventional stateroom. Then there is a lounge, and a comfortable lounge it is, too; a ballroom, a library, a cafe, all of modern design, offering their peculiar services to a vast array of passengers whose tastes and interests are as diversified as are the languages which they speak. Yet these rooms have all been so designed that one never forgets one is on board ship. The character of a ship has been ever adhered to without the customary use of ship’s rope and electrified ship’s lanterns.
To my mind a great deal of the credit for the suc- cess of the architectural and decorative treatment of the various rooms is due to the fact that tradition and prece- dent have been put aside, the periods have been forgotten, and the architects have been allowed to give expression to their (Continued on page 128)
SOCIAL HALL
Bete yee) i
Se ae Ss ROOM i ae
Plan of main promenade deck
FOR OCTOBER 1929
Oe ee
a
EA FISH and plants,
fanciful in their concep- tion and brilliant in color, against a _ background of silver, decorate the foyer walls between the library and ballroom. The panels are executed in glass mosaic and were designed by a Berlin artist, Maria May, and executed by Ravenna Vosaics, Inc. Tapestry of modern design covers the furniture, which was de- signed by Prof. Frits August Breuhaus of Duesseldorf
HE Ballroom can be seen at the left of the foyer. The fantastic marine wall panels are appropriate for use on a modern liner. The modern school is reflected in the mechanical character of the ceiling, as shown below
THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
MODERN night club fur-
nished the inspiration for the ballroom, which has a bar and bro- cade lined boxes. Mauve, gold and silver have been effectively used. The mosaic parquetry floor is inlaid with
]
woods. Columns are of bronze
ABLES around columns
feature the westibule to the ballroom, designed by Prof. Breuhaus. On cither side of the ballroom itself, between windows, is the pic- turisation of women’s sports, designed by Tommy Par- singer, in porcelain niches. The central feature of the ballroom is an illuminated fountain with a glass mosaic bottom. Ornaments of gold and silver in the center area
are by Prof. Karl Knappe
FOR OCTOBER 1929
PHOTOS BY WORSINGER COURTESY CON TEMPORA INC
23
IRCASSIAN WALNUT PANELS not only give richness to the cabins de luxe but also conceal beds that fold into recesses when not in use. In the daytime the state- room becomes a living room, with attrac- tiveness added through furniture, suitable but simple in design and good in propor- tion. These cabins are designed with such flexibility as to use as to make them suit- able either as single rooms or as suites with private baths. A typical plan of the de luxe cabins ts shown below. Prof. Bruno Paul of Berlin was the designer
THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
PHOTOS BY WORSINGER COURTESY CONTEMPORA, INC.
WEDISH CRYSTAL
vases set im onyx niches, shown above, are surrounded by hothouse plants and constitute a feature of the promenade deck hall. A_ standing lamp, at the right above, is made of wood and bronze. Rosewood and macassar lend decorative interest to the salon walls
LISHED LACQUER
and bronze was se- lected as a finish for the flower and cigar vending stand, which is located between the front main staircase and the smoking salon. Prof. Frits August Breuhaus was the designer
FOR OCTOBER 1929
£0
THE
ACASSAR and rose-
wood panel the walls of the main salon. The ceil- ing is partly of rosewood and sparingly applied gilt decoration. Rosewood and bronse incase the structural columns. The “modern” de- sign of the main salon sets the keynote of the interior of the ship. This salon was designed by Prof. Breuhaus
UBINGA WOOD and
Intarsia decorated panels, containing poems and quota- tions in many languages, line the walls of the writing room. This room, finished in the same style and imaterials as the library, was designed by Prof. Breuhaus of Duesseldorf
AMERICAN ARCHITECT
ian Pare PHOTO BY WORSINGER COURTESY ( NTEMPORA, INC.
T oBacco LEAVES 1 intarsia design of prec- tous woods, depicting the evolution of tobac co, are used as appropriate and ef- fective decoration for the walls of the smoking room. Doors, window frames, and passages are of wood, red- glazed, varnished, and carved. Designed by Dr. Ru- dolph Alexander Schroeder
\AEXICAN ONYX, rich m grain and color, frames two fireplaces in the smoking room. Cast bronse ornaments have been used as weents. This room, which is located toward the bow of the ship, is as unusual in shape as tm architectural treatment
Fifty Years Ago...Architects and Owners Built Well but they did not Foresee the Needs of the Industrial and Commercial Era...
rchitects
Must
STUDY BUILDING ECONOMICS
By Arthur T. North, A.I.A.
IFTY years ago architects and owners were unpre-
pared for the coming industrial and commercial era
and did not realize its nature or foresee its needs. They built well, intending their buildings to endure in- definitely and with no realization of such a thing as building obsolescence which in fact was inexistent up to the beginning of the present century.
As the volume and profits of business increased, stores, hotels, office buildings, and factories increased to great and unfamiliar sizes and architects were obsessed with the idea that large buildings should be monumental in design regardless of their use. The result was that they incorporated the features of European monumental buildings which were intended to impress the ignorant people with the magnificence and dominion of the auto- cratic ruler, the aristocrat and the church. Our older buildings are distinguished by the excessive elaboration of ornamental features both exterior and interior, vast rotundas, spacious corridors and imposing stairways— all of which are now recognized as utterly unadapted to the requirements of commercial usage.
Within the last decade it has become increasingly evident that owners and architects are realizing that the primary purpose of commercial buildings is maximum usableness and financial income. This new, unavoidable and rational conception of commercial buildings gives rise to the emergence of a new science which might well be termed building economics.
28
Building economics includes several elements that re- quire the services of several professions, in which the architect should participate from the inception of the project until the building begins to operate. For the architect to be qualified to participate in the application of building economics, it is necessary for him to have a certain specific knowledge and a wide range of general knowledge pertaining to the subject.
HE evolution of unanticipated, almost incredible, de- mands for buildings to serve the new economic and social state causes existing buildings to become obsolete rapidly, necessitating their extensive remodeling or re- placement with more suitable buildings. We are con- fronted today with the necessity of providing buildings that are adequate not only for current but also for prob- able future demands. The objective is to prevent un- necessary obsolescence and avoid its economic waste. The elements of building economics are recognized as:
1. Demand and site.
2. Plan arrangement and construction.
3. Financing.
4. Renting
5. Operation and maintenance.
An existing or prospective immediate demand for space is the only justifiable economic basis for a new building project. Demand is measured by a survey of the rental conditions of existing buildings. The per-
THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
4
BUILDING ECONOMICS’
What kind of building will fit the site 2 What should be its plan and construction 2 How should its financing be handled 2 What revenue will it bring 2
How shall it be operated and maintained ?
Five Main” POoINts:
centage of vacant space in the type of buildings under consideration indicates the demand. Consideration should be given to a possible or actual desire of tenants in old, well occupied buildings to secure more modern, conve- nient, better managed and located space.
In many cities rentalsurveys are made periodically of office, hotel and apartment buildings by local organiza- tions of owners, managers or realtors. If such surveys are not available they must be made. General appear- ances or opinions are not dependable and are apt to be mere assumptions or opinions biased by personal inter- ests. The unbiased survey is the only valid indication of the actual condition.
Consideration must be given to the drawing power of the new and better building and its location. Well rented old buildings will not readily lose their tenants if they are well managed and maintained. The prestige of an old established location is often a valuable asset in many kinds of business and it must be measured in determin- ing the prospective drawing power of a new building.
ITE is a function of demand. A city-wide survey may
or many not indicate a large demand for space. A special survey of the neighborhood of the proposed project may indicate a large local demand. This should be made in all events before the final location of the site. The indication of the shifting of a business center has a direct relation to a prospective demand.
The substantialness of a movement to locate a new business center must be appraised and the influence of the factors that constitute a prosperous business center measured. These factors are numerous and varied in their character and consideration must be given to all of them in order to safeguard the selection of site. The determination of demand and selection of site is the function primarily of realtors and business organizations.
The plan arrangement of a building determines its usefulness and to some extent the cost of construction and operation. In commercial buildings, office, hotel and apartment buildings, the principal objective is to secure
FOR OCTOBER 1929
the maximum of rentable area. Analyses of a large number of profitable buildings has resulted in finding the percentage of the floor areas and cubical con- tents used for various purposes. Any radical departure from these percentages should be the subject of the closest scrutiny and analysis.
LAN efficiency in office buildings is measured in terms
of rentable floor area and the ratio of one square foot of such area to the total cubical contents. Plan ef- ficiency of hotels and apartments is measured in terms of the number of rentable rooms and the ratio of this number to the total cubical contents. Proper analysis also allocates the correct percentages or ratios to the spaces used for corridors, elevators, stairways, utility ducts and service rooms.
Economical planning also comprehends a definite re- lation between the floor area and cubical contents and the girth and area of the exterior walls. It has been demonstrated frequently that a reduction in exterior wall area has resulted in an increased rental floor area and income. Every feature of the structure including the number, location and arrangement of the elevators, type of heating apparatus, plumbing and electrical equipment has a bearing on the most effective plan arrangement.
A® long as the materials of construction are of a suit- able kind and properly installed the durability of the structure and the minimum cost of maintenance is secured. Consideration must be given to the probability of future alterations, the possibility of and the cost being determined by the structural materials used. Plan and construction are necessarily the work of the architect in collaboration with structural and mechanical engineers, building managers and operators, and realtors. The financial set-up must be entirely adequate to avoid the necessity of refinancing. with all of the entailed heavy losses, delays and loss of prestige. The investment banker must be selected for his integrity and experience and the capability of his staff (Continued on page 92)
29
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ROULANDE
30 THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
no
Tue TILES of the fireplace in the master bed room of the house of Mrs. Charles Olive at River Oaks, Houston, Texas, recall the salmon pink and weathered brown antique mission tile of the roof. The design of the fireplace is reminiscent of Mexico, and presents an un usual solution of the corner fireplace problem. The wall plaster, slightly rough in texture, recalls the milk-white, hand-worked stucco of the exterior. Interiors treated in complei harmony with the exterior, one supplementing the other, distinguish the well-designed hous
OR OCTOBER 19729
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OPE, STONE, TILE, WOOD AND WROUGHT IRON have been combined logically and to good purpose in the living room of the house of Mrs. Charles Oliver at Houston, Texas. The floor
tiles are 8’x8", chestnut brown in color. The walls are of caen stone. The picture mold is of 1%” hemp rope. Houses of Spanish or Mexican precedent are well adapted to the climate and traditions of Texas
THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
OINING
13-4 X 17-0
GUEST ROOM ees itt 12-10 X 13-4 | |
TTTT
The plans indicate that careful attention has been given to orien- tation, outlook, and adequate cross-ventilation. The stair- way has been located for convenience and economy in space
Mission tile, wiought iron, stucco of undulating surface, and colorful pots make the entrance to the patio the focal point of the exterior. And through informality of composition, the wall and gateway has an inviting and hospitable quality
> %
fee
RES iA ET is ¢ - —
IDSON
This hand wrought lighting fixture is in harmony with its surroundings in the living room. The design is such that it serves not only a practical pur- pose but a decorative one as well. Hand wrought iron, rough stucco, and burned clay enjoy a_ natural relationship
ROULANDE
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FOR OCTOBER 1929
At right, plan and section of proposed underground garage for Paris, France. L. Plousey, architect **** Below, use of Rota-floor type garage per- mitting storage of the same number of cars in approximately the same volume as required for the central shaft, eliminating tunnels under the streets outside of the central shaft
-—-—-—— - aie aT mbteee
DESIGN MUST PROVIDE
1 Maximum number of spaces for cars
2 Attractive appearance of the garage itself
3 Provisions against over- crowding
4 High speed vertical trans- portation
5 Against the chances of early depreciation
6 For possible conversion to other uses
7 Low cost of construction per car stored
GOOD
THE ARCHITECT MUST FIRST KNOW 1 Potential number of car owners in operating zone | 2 Transient parking demand 3 Present garage facilities 4 Point of concentration 5 Accessibility for tenants 6 Cost of land 7 Hours of peak loads 8 Rates of storage
9 Type of storage
10 Zone area to be served 11 Nature of community 12 Type of cars prevailing 13 Future of locality
Poste duncer de
MALESHERBES
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SIGNING
For Service By Harry E.
ITH the advent of the automobile a huge industry within a large industry came into being, whose interest is the housing of large numbers of passenger motor cars. Statistics given in the Na- tional Automobile Chamber of Commerce 1929 Year Book indicate that there are at the present time 51,600 separate properties, represent- ing a capital investment of approximately $3,00C,000,000, devoted to garage purposes. This necessary adjunct to the automobile business has not, from the viewpoint of improvement, kept pace with the rest of the automotive industry.
Throughout the country are to be seen examples of what were once deemed the “last word” in garage design, but which within a short time were proven unsatisfactory for the purpose for which they were constructed. The unfortunate side of the picture is that most of the mistakes made in the planning of such structures could have been prevented by able architectural and engineering talent. The causes of early obsolescence, inadequate facilities for service, lack of revenue. or profit sufficient to justify their existence, are numerous and varied and should provide a fair index for the guidance of those contem plating such developments in the future.
Most failures in this field can be traced to three factors of in- efficiency. First: Unfortunate designing of the structures themselves causing undue loss of storage areas or net rentable areas, unattractive-
THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
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Lulp<rors
(SARAGES
and Income Warren, A. |. A.
ness of the buildings themselves and their early depreciation in values.
Second: The effort of the operator or owner to remedy this con- dition by overcrowding and warehousing methods in an attempt to increase the storage capacity to the number necessary to derive a profit on his investment, at the expense of the tenant convenience resulting in protracted periods of vacancies that more than offset in the long run any advantage thus gained.
Third: The inefficient vertical transportation mediums employed, which in the majority of cases were intended to save the operating cost of proper mechanical equipment, but which proved a boomerang, as their encroachment upon rentable areas so reduced tenant capacity that proper vertical transportation facilities would have proved by far the most economical means to employ, the increased tenancy more than paving for the improvement, not to mention the greater popular- ity of the garage in the public mind. (Continued on page 156)
At right, four floor plans of a 275-car garage, plot 100 ft. square straight ramp, 258 sq. ft., 2580 cu. ft. per car—7 stories — staggered ramp, 239 sq. ft., 2390 cu. ft. per car—6% stories rota-floor, 182 sq. ft., 1911 cu. ft. per car—5 stories
. rota-floor type garage, housing six hundred to seven hundred cars, on a plot 120 ft. square. 171 sq. ft., 1793 cu. ft. per car
& Who
FOR OCTOBER 1929
At left, aisle una elevator method, 1500-
car_garage, plot 100 x 120 ft., 272 ft., 2856 cu. st. per car. Seventeei
stories required. **** Rota-floor method for same size garage. 193 sq. ft., 2028 cu.
ft. per car. Twelve storics are required ee — name = \ s i . . \ cown fi . 1 nt eB 2 '
Pasaincet RLEMATOR
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CIRO SUADURA DE OREL
IMPRESSIONS OF
Orp PrRoviINCETOWN
AND CAPE COD
By William H. Schuchardt, F. A.
O, I don’t mean to glorify Provincetown for the benefit of the lusty barkers on Commercial
Street who megaphonically inform the world
about marvelous shore dinners, unsurpassed on this side of the Atlantic. Heaven knows, there are enough tour- ists now coming in with every boat from Boston and in countless autos with license plates from every State. Rather, I would whisper to that tired architect, who would escape from sophisticated exemplars of his art in his travels and who yet desires contact with archi- tectural charm in its simplest elements, that in this elongated fishing village at the end of Massachusetts’ hooked finger there is an astounding wealth of sketch- able material—delightful vistas in every direction, crooked and narrow streets, great elms and willows and simple white cottages of pleasing proportion upon which the blue shadows of the trees lay fascinating designs as of ancient lace. Here and there a tone of quality marks a house unmistakably as the background of an eighteenth century gentleman. A nice attention to the setting of dormers, an interesting bit of door detail that a fisherman is not likely to have demanded, a satisfying relation of voids and solids, often attract one’s attention but never sufficiently so as to prompt the hasty bring- ing forth of the sketch book. The beauty of Province- town is all more elemental. It appeals to the sense of
A loved old man was the town crier
* ee” i. Pe le
“The village houses lie like herds asleep, the tide, black-burnished, spreads out, flat and deep”
36 THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
mae en SE
Fences .that start and end as they will, the happy inspiration of a_ friendly thought wherein lies no need of excluding the world
mass and of contrasts, and is compounded of sea and sky, tall trees and low houses, of glorious rambler roses and privet hedges, sand dunes and beach and wharves and swarthy faced, Portugese speaking fisher folks, and their dark eyed kin. It is atmosphere, that indefinable something that grips the imagination and that has made this part of the world so favored a camping ground for artists these many years.
OR some ten or more years, Provincetown has had
a line in history’s Who’s Who. For the log of the Mayflower, found not many more years ago, has taken glory and fame from the rock at Plymouth as the land- ing place of the Pilgrim fathers and placed it on the sand-bar known as Cape Cod. To the architect it is of no great moment whether the Pilgrims landed on rock or sand and he would give this disclosure of Governor Bradford’s record no second thought were it not that, because of the happy find, two architectural perform- ances arrest his attention.
To fittingly commemorate the great adventure of these stout hearted Englishmen in 1620, there was erected in 1910, on the top of one of the sand heaps, a tower two hundred and fifty-two feet high. A Chicagoan might think it the Provincetown water tower for it has a certain family resemblance, perhaps distant, to the water tower on Michigan Boulevard. Certainly no stranger would for a moment associate this copy of the
FOR OCTOBER 1929
Straight, perhaps, from
some master’s sturdy bridge
37
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a i ; Leal phe
HARVES jut out on every
hand, for Provincetown drew its life blood from the sea. Each marked the start of a tortuous high- way crooked as the path of an ocean schooner. The tranquility of a sea at rest extended itself to the simple doorway of the mariner’s home, where he found a haven that, though sturdy against storms, yet carried into its very being much of the home- like beauty of a simple people more concerned with the active problems of life than with the artificial charm
of cultured art
rs a. a " " - aie wae! ,f :
.
THE AMERICAN ARCHITECT
Perhaps the one-time home of an old whal- er’s captain, perhaps even of an ancient banker with the sea brine in his veins
Sienna campanili executed in cold gray granite with the doings of the early English settlers. But let us say no more. The thing was designed or rather drawn up by U. S. army engineers. And, perhaps you remember that during the war many an amateur explained pre- cisely how battles might have been won with half the loss. Should not the army also be allowed an amateur’s Hing in fields it is not altogether familiar with? The foundation, it is said, is admirably designed.
| sens then there is that poor old rock in Plymouth now reduced to ranks, completely demoted by the new found log. Over it still guards the pompous canopy of granite—great Roman Doric columns and entablature in McKim, Mead and White’s best manner. It is all very impressive, save for the rock itself. As though chagrined by its loss of prestige it seems to dig deeper and deeper into the sand below and to pray to the Heavens above for a decent bit of oblivion—‘Sic transit gloria mundi.”
3ut to come back to Provincetown—the Bay of Cape Cod prevents expansion of the village in one direction and the sand dunes, a quarter of a mile inland, have put a crimp in the real estate business in the opposite direction. But for a stretch of three miles along two more or less parallel streets and in cross streets irregu- larly spaced and of varying widths and casual direction, there have been no restrictions whatsoever imposed on self expression in brick and (Continued on page 66)
FOR OCTOBER 1929
While picturesque
bling