ENTRANCE TO THE CITY HALL, COLOGNE. TTbe VOL. III. OCTOBER-DECEMBER, 1893. NO. 2. THE PROBLEM OF NATIONAL AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE. I. THE QUESTION STATED. HAT is to be the must in due time be developed, in the character of the peculiar circumstances of American style of artistic progress, a particular variety of that architectural de- artistic treatment of building which is sign which sooner one of the instincts of mankind, is a or later is to be- proposition that is scarcely open to come established debate. The question before us there- in the United fore is simply this: Considering what States as a national style ? Of course these peculiar circumstances are, and this is a to to those natural speculative question ; but, having regard laws, American architects and connoisseurs, how far can we foresee the outcome? it is not merely an extremely interest- Is this American originality likely to be ing one, it is a highly important one, great or small; essential or not; good, and indeed a practical problem for bad, or indifferent; of speedy achieve- daily consideration. ment or slow; permanent or evanescent? Americans may ask whether it is not for themselves to solve this problem, II. A PECULIAR CONTROVERSY IN without any help from friends, however ENGLAND. friendly, in the Old World a world, moreover, which to many persons in It may be well to premise that there these days seems somewhat effete in is at the present moment a very pecul- many ways, and confessedly, amongst iar and somewhat acrimonious contro- the rest, not up to the mark in archi- versy agitating the architectural profes- tecture. Nor is it at all unreasonable sion in England, or at any rate in to take up such a position. The present London, the vital merits of which if writer, therefore, professing straight- they be vital may not be very clearly forwardly a respect for American enter- understood by Americans. Apart from prise which enables him in all sincerity those personal considerations and minor to regard it with the utmost confidence, local issues for which we always have as perhaps the most vigorous force of to make allowance in such conflicts, it its kind at present moving the human would appear that certain classes of the race, must ask leave to offer to Ameri- more artistically-minded or romantic can readers a few observations upon architects mostly young men, of this topic with a considerable amount course, but not all are very seriously of unaffected hesitation and even diffi- disposed to think that the time has dence. come when the artistic designers of That, by the mere everyday operation building ought to cut themselves adrift of business. of the natural' laws of intellect, there from the commonplace men reserved Copyright, 1893, by CLINTON W. SWBKT. All rights Vol. Ill 2. 1. 122 NATIONAL AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE. In other words, the working partnership If this revolt should eventually result hitherto existing between the archi- in any practical modification of the " " tecture of art and the architecture existing system of practice, the effect of "practice" ought, they say, to be upon Architectural Art in England may It is to discover be and it indeed extend dissolved. not easy important ; may how over the whole world they propose to accomplish this, Anglo-Saxon ; especially in the face of a decidedly but it must not be forgotten that the Philistine public like the English; but rapid advance of artistic education in we are bound to suppose at any rate the English profession may before long that the leaders of the movement, honest change the whole aspect of the case, enthusiasts of the studio as we know and we cannot say in what direction. them to be, see their way to make them- selves more useful in the capacity of III. THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLIC. specialistic artists attached to the building-work of the community than as merely expert administrators of that It cannot be doubted, however, that " building-work in a To the man of affairs" thus complained general way. " put the case in another form, they of is precisely the kind of "architect would apparently prefer to be them- whose professional services the English selves occupied exclusively with the public generally desire to have at their graces of building, or at least with the command. If he knows enough of the direction of such kinds of building only commonplace graces of design to make as are demonstratively aesthetic, leav- a building presentable and it cannct ing the merely utilitarian and unaes- be disputed that he generally does so thetic work to be conducted inart- much the better if he to by ; prefers rely " istic surveyors." The "architect," they upon a qualified assistant, nobody is an artist cares but the foremost of all :- consequently affirm, pure ; conside " " and simple, and architecture is art ations with the typical Englishman s alone. that the building transaction, as a who e To emphasize the distinction here in- matter of business, shall be conducted volved, our remonstrants point to the in a proper way commercially, th; t existence of a state of things which is, with all the satisfaction attach- be to may acknowledged to be unsatisfac- ing good plan, economy of outla /, tory in theory, namely, that a large substantial building, and smooth sail- proportion of the most prominent prac- ing, with the addition, as regards tl e titioners as "architects" by name graces of appearance of just such a throughout the country make their liv- moderate amount of elegance as shj 11 ing out of such transactions chiefly as be palpably unostentatious and inde< d the valuation of house property for pur- a little reticent, and thus creditable o chase, rental, or compensation, the the good sense of the owner and tl e assessment of repairs or dilapidations, public. In a word, business is to l>e the settlement of builders' accounts, the business throughout, and the artistic business of all litigation, the official work dressing, like other kinds of dressin y, of public inspectorships, and so on, must be kept within bounds. Of course transactions in relation to which, not there are certain classes of the coi i- only has the romantic element no place munity who interfere a little more wi h at all, but the artistic use of the pencil artistic considerations, but the genei il has presumably been lost if it was ever feeling is as we have here described t; " " possessed, the architect having de- and indeed is it not very much the sar \e generated into nothing better than a every where else even in France, whi h general agent, the very respectable is the happy hunting ground of t ic (and very prosperous) ally of the auc- Arts ? At all events, it cannot be hop :d tioneer and the lawyer.* that in England this romantic quar el will have the benefit of any lar^e * We it is amount of and t n- suppose hardly necessary to inform even our public sympathy, lay readers that there is nothing in American profes- it will be left to the sional at questionably arc ii- practice all answering to this description of what prevails in England. EDITOR. tects to settle amongst themselves. NATIONAL AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE. 123 IV. THE ORIGIN OF THE QUARREL. results for future evolution. It is not to be regarded as only whimsical Queen- Any one will easily understand that Annism kicking up its heels; fashions the dreams of youth in matters artistic come and fashions go, while Art runs have always taken the form of an ur- on forever. Neither is it a mere assault gent demand for immediate and radical by impatient youth upon indolent age; reform, and in estimating the value of or by the outs upon the ins; or by the the movement this consideration is not have-nots upon the haves. Such out- difficult to discount : but, after making bursts as these are commonplace and all due allowances of such a nature, it easily gauged; but there seems to be certainly seems as if the force of the something much deeper in this, and, if remonstrance remains. Norman-Shaw the theory we have hinted at will hold R A., Bodley A. R. A., Jackson now A. water, it behooves America as well as R. A., and several other prominent lead- England to see to it. Are we to under- ers, are not young men, nor are such stand, and if so, in what sense are we allies as William Morris and Walter to take it, that Architectural Art has Crane. The history of Art has always declared war against business? progressed slowly, and the student of The Socialist question appears to be architectural history will certainly feel getting mixed up with this, but that we no surprise if we suggest that the appa- need not discuss here. The doctrine rently sudden revolt of the artistic men that the working of natural law has under such direction is found to have gone hopelessly away in all human been simmering in London for about society is no novelty; nor is the sug- " half a century. The so-called Queen gestion at all to be wondered at that if Anne movement" (which is very close- Tom, Dick, and Harry had but been in in its ly identified with it, even more the way at the beginning, things would frivolous forms) can be distinctly have gone very much more to their traced back to a date anterior to mind. the International Exhibition of 1851; and there can be no question that one V.