Talbot hamlin architecture an art for all men pptx

Architecture Books will be issued only on presentation of library card.. TALBOT HAMLINARCHITECTURE Architecture is an art for all men to learn because allmenare concerned with it Ritskin

DEC 9

iOV 3 1981

Architecture

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AUG 26

an art for all men

Taliesin West, near Phoenix, Arizona:

main entrance. Frank

Lloyd Wright, architect

TALBOT HAMLIN

ARCHITECTURE

Architecture is an art for all men to learn

because allmenare concerned with it Ritskin

NewYork COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS

COPYRIGHT 1947

First

printing March, 1947 Secondprinting November, 1947

Third

printing 1955

PUBLISHED IN GREATBRITAIN, CANADA, INDIA, AND PAKISTAN

BY GEOFFREY CUMBERLEGE: OXFORD UNIVERSITYPRESS,LONDON, TORONTO, BOMBAY, AND KARACHI

MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO THE MATE OF THE

AQUARELLE

THIRTY

YEARShavepassed sincemy EnjoymentofArchitec

ture was first published These three decades have seen arevolutionary change in the architecture ofthe whole world

Theold eclecticismwhichthenstillreigned overlarge areashas faded

intoimpotence,thoughhereandthereitcontinuestolead a strangehalflifein real-estatespeculativebuildingandintheminds ofsenti

mental government or ecclesiastical authorities.The economic con

ditionswhich fed itand the ideals of culture in which itflourished

have passed away,asindustrialismhasfiredquestionsinourfacesand new complexities have forced us to attempt a severer and a more

disciplined thinking Architectural movements which thirty years

agoweremerelylittlepinpricks inan almostuniversalcomplacency have growninto well-nigh universal acceptance;nolonger revolution

ary, the basicprinciples which lie behind what is generally termed

"modern architecture" have established their validity. Now, most

of us realize that our era is in every waya different age from that

which existed before the First World War; it demands, and willinevitably achieve,a newkindof architectureasits expression

The Enjoymentof Architecture,whateveritsmerits orfaultswhen

itwaswritten, expressed that olderageandnot thepresent;itcould

nolongerservethe purposewhichengendereditswriting.Thatpur

pose,asthetitleimplies,wastoopento readerstherich storesoffeelingandunderstandingthata

sympatheticappreciation ofthe buildingartmightbring.Itwasabook onarchitectureingeneralandnot

on any oneparticular phase orstyle. Sinceits appearancetherehas

been no other work in the United States of similar scope, and the

increasing amountof architectural writing thathas been published

hasbeendevotedtoworks onvariousphases of architecturalhistory,

to propaganda books on behalf of "modern architecture" (thenecessarytools of a revolutionarystruggle), andtobooks onspecial

aspectsofarchitecturesuchashousing,cityplanning, orhomebuild

Yetthe need forthe more of approach still seems

Vlll FOREWORD

real. Architecturestillremains terra incognita tolargesections even

of the more sensitive among the population; in our cluttered and

stimulus-jaded existence the majority rush in and out of buildings

and hurry past them without a thought as to their quality or any

aestheticemotionwhatsoever,so thateventhemostthoughtful, the

most creative of our architects are forced to work in a kind ofintellectual vacuum, shut in and hampered by the wall of popular

ignorance It is only this nearly universal apathy an apathy nour

ished by ignorance and insensibility which permits our cities to

grow into incoherent ugliness and spawns sordid and stupid

real-estatesubdivisionsallover the countryside

Itthusseemedapropitioustimetoundertakeacompleterewriting

of The Enjoyment of Architecture, withthe doubleaim of preserv

ing its original character as an elementary guide to the under

standingand appreciation of architectureasa whole andof making

itanintroductiontothearchitectureoftoday.Weliveinaworldinwhich, despitewars andchange, the past hasleftus a

pricelessheritageofbuildings,anditwould beasstupidtolimitone'sarchitecturalappreciation to the buildings of the last few decades as it would

to limitone'smusicalknowledgetotheworksof Stravinskyor

Hinde-mith Architecture an art for all men is the result. So complete were the changes that were found necessary changes frequently

both in text and illustration, that a new title to indicate the new approach seemed desirable. Understanding and appreciating architecture is no longer a merematterof "enjoyment";it is amatter sodeeplyimplicatedinthetissueofourlivingthatitshouldbeasmuch

a part ofourlivesasisabasicunderstandingofpoliticsoreconomics.The majorpartoftheworkofthisrewritingwasperformed during

sabbatical leave from my regularworkat Columbia and carried on

duringaprotractedcruiseonasmallmotorcabinboat, the Aquarelle

As the pressures of my customary work receded, as cities were dropped behind, as we passed through bay and sound, river and

canaland marshcut,withlevelhorizons,withthe challengesofwind

and storm and the necessities of ordinary living architecture

seemedto takeits in life with and

FOREWORD ixsistence Its essential nobility of purpose and its enormous potentialities forthelifeofthefutureappeared withincreasedclarity,and

the pressingurgencies of itstasks today showedthemselves in truerand sounderproportion. This temporaryseparationfrom atoocloseattentionto

buildings, insteadof diminishingtheimportanceoftheartof building,seemedtoplace architectureina higherandstronger

position Itismy hopethatsomething of thisnew andstrengthened

sense of the high place architecture has held and must continue toholdinthelifeoftheworldhasenteredinto thenewwork

My indebtedness for assistance in the preparation of this bookiswide.First ofall, Iowe morethanIcansayto thecontinualinspiring

and perspicaciousassistanceofmywife, JessicaHamlin,as editor, aspreserver of standards, as long-suffering secretary Next I must

express my gratitude to the staff of the Columbia University Pressfor their co-operation in suggesting the continued need for thiswork andingivingitphysicaland concretereality.The staffsofthe

Avery and Warelibraries havebeen continuouslyhelpfulin searching for and lendingillustrative material

Ialsowishtothank Dean Leopold ArnaudoftheSchoolofArchi

tecture of Columbia Universityfor encouragement and forreading

the manuscript; Mrs Elizabeth Mock andthe staff ofthe architectural department of theMuseum of ModernArt for

help and sug

gestions in connection with illustrations and for the loan of manyphotographs; Mr. F L S. Mayer for

photographs of the Nebraska

State Capitol;Mrs.James Ford andtheArchitecturalBookPublish

ing Company for permission to use illustrations from Ford and

Ford'sThe Modern HouseinAmerica andthesameauthors'Design

of Modern Interiors; G. P Putnam's Sons for permissionto repro

duce figures i, 22, and 28 from the author's Architecture throughtheAges; theNew YorkDailyNewsforthephotograph oftheDailyNewsBuilding; BonwitTeller, Inc.,forthephotograph of theBon-

witTellerstore;andthe AustinCompanyforthephotograph oftheVickers plant in Detroit The complete credits for the illustrationsare giveninthelistofillustrations.

T F H.

Columbia

7. The Decorative Material of Architecture 144

LIST OF

FIGURES

1. Diagram of Typical Steel-Frame Fireproof Construction.

From Talbot Hamlin's Architecture through the Ages (NewYork, G P.Putnam's Sons, 1940, 1944).Drawn by G.

2. Freeman House, Los Angeles, California

(plan) Frank Lloyd Wright,architect Drawn by theauthor 43

3. Tugendhat House, Brno, Czechoslovakia (plans) L.

Mies Van der Rohe, architect From Hitchcock andJohnson's The International Style (New York, Museum

4. House in New Haven, Connecticut (plan). Murphy & Dana, architects Drawn bythe author 46

5. A House of Today (plans and elevation). The author 48

6. Nebraska StateCapitol, Lincoln, Nebraska (plan) B. G Goodhue, architect From the American Architect,

9. National Gallery, London Drawn by the author 69

10 Notre Dame, Paris Drawn by theauthor 75

11 Chartres Cathedral Drawn bythe author

14. A Hipped-Roof House, Newton Hall, near Cambridge,

15 Cathedral of St. Nazaire, Carcassonne, France. From France

20 Temple Gateway, Karnak, Egypt Drawn by Genevieve

Karr Hamlin.

151

21 A Typical Classical Cornice Drawn by the author 152

22 Development of the Greek Doric Entablature: woodenprototype and terra-cotta sheathing From Talbot Ham-lin's Architecture through the Ages (New York, G, P

Putnam's Sons, 1940, 1944); drawn bythe author 154

23 The Most Common Decorated Moldings. Drawn by thethe author

157

24 Cornice from the Wing of Francis I, Chateau of Blois

25. A Capital from Southwell Minster

174

26 French Gothic Capitals.

174

LIST OF FIGURES XV

28 Development of the Greek Ionic Capital From Talbot

Hamlin's Architecture through the Ages (New York,

G. P Putnam's Sons, 1940, 1944); drawn by the author 207

29 Plan of Marshall, Michigan Based on an old plan, sur

veyed by O. Wilder, circa 1831, courtesy of Harold C

LIST OF PLATES

Taliesin West, near Phoenix, Arizona: main

entrance Frank Lloyd Wright, architect From a

photograph by P Guerrero Frontispiece

I. International Building, Rockefeller Center: lobby.Reinhard & Hofmeister; Corbett, Harrison & Mac- Murray; and Hood & Fouilhoux, architects From a

photograph by F. S Lincoln 24

II. Colosseum, Rome From a photograph in the

Bonwit Teller Building, New York Warren &

Wetmore, architects From a photograph, courtesy

III Daily News Building, New York John Mead

Howells, Raymond Hood, and Andr< Fouilhoux,

architects From a photograph, courtesy Daily

IV. St Peter's,Rome: interior.Bramante, Michelangelo,

Bernini, and others, architects From a photograph

V Nebraska State Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska. B. G. Goodhue, architect Exterior and corridor, from

photographs by Gottscho-Schleisner; rotunda, from

a photograph by }. B Franco, courtesy F. L. S.

VI Op6ra, Paris: stairs. Charles Garnier, architect.

From a photographin theWare Library,Columbia

$

XVlil LIST OF PLATESVII House in Lincoln, Massachusetts: living-diningroom G Holmes Perkins, architect Froma

photograph by Cushing-Gellatly 56House in Miquon, Pennsylvania: bed-dressing

room Kenneth Day, architect From a photograph

by Robert M Damora Both photographs from Ford and Ford's Design of Modern Interiors (NewYork, Architectural Book Publishing Company,

VIII United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Thornton, Latrobe, Bulfmch, and Walter,

architects From a photograph in the Avery

Vendramini Palace, Venice Pietro Lombardi,

Both from photographs in the Ware Library,

Columbia University.

architect From a photograph in Wendingen

(Amsterdam, De Hooge Brag), No, 11, nth

Schocken Store, Chemnitz. Eric Mendelsohn,

architect From a photograph, courtesy Museumof

XL Public Library, Boston McKim, Mead & White,

architects From a photograph in A Monograph ofthe Work of McKim, Mead, & White, 1879-1915

(NewYork, Architectural Book Publishing

Pantheon,Paris

J J. Soufflot, architect From a

photograph in the Ware Library, Columbia

88

LIST OF PLATES xk

XII German Pavilion, Barcelona Exposition. L Mies Van derRohe, architect From aphotograph,

CountryHouse, Marin County, California

William W.Wurster, architect Froma

Both from photographs in the Ware Library,Columbia University.

XIV La Santisima, Mexico City: entrance From a

photograph inSylvesterBaxterandB G

Goodhue's Spanish-Colonial Architecture in

Mexico (Boston,J. B Millet, 1901) 120San}os de Aguayo, San Antonio,Texas: doorway.From a photograph by the author. 120

XV View in the Forum ofTrajan, Rome From a

Carlisle Cathedral: interior of north choir aisle.

From an engraving in R W. Billings's

Architectural Illustrations, History, and

Description of Carlisle Cathedral (London, T. &

XVII Westminster Hall, London: interior. From a

photograph in the WareLibrary, Columbia

X 3

XX LIST OF PLATES

Vickers, Inc., Factory, Detroit, Michigan The

Austin Company, architectsand engineers. From a

photograph, courtesy theAustin Company. 136

XVIII. Pantheon, Rome: interior. From a photograph in

XIX Market Hall, Rheims: interior. M. Maigrot,

architect From a photograph in Jean Badovici's

Grandes Constructions beton armef acier, verre

St. Antoninus Church, Basel, Switzerland: interior.

Karl Moser,architect Froma photograph in G A.

Platz's Die Baukunst der neuesten Zeit (zd ed.;

XX. Recreation Hall, Great LakesNavyTraining

Center, Chicago, Illinois: interior. Skidmore,

Owings & Merrill, architects From a photograph

by Hedrich-Blessing, courtesy Museum of Modern

Chickamauga Power House, TVA Roland Wank,

architect From aphotograph, courtesyTVA. 136

XXI. Santa Maria della Pace, Rome: cloister. Donato

Bramante,architect.From aphotograph byAlinari. 168

Riccardi-Medici Palace, Florence. Michelozzo

Michelozzi, architect From a photograph in the

XXII Tomb of Count Hugo, the Badia, near Florence.

Mino da Fiesole, architect. From a photograph by

Alinari, intheWareLibrary, Columbia University. 168

XXIII Amiens Cathedral: interior. 168

Both from photographsin theWareLibrary,

Columbia

.1ST OF

XXIV.

2oo 200

Chartres Cathedral:

transeptporch From a

photograph in the Ware Library, Columbia

University

XXV Ornament from the Erechtheum, Athens

PanelfromtheAraPacisAugustae

Both from photographs in theWareLibrary,

Columbia University.

Cantoria, from the Cathedral, Florence Luca dellaRobbia, architect From a photographin A L

Tuckerman's ASelection ofWorks . ofthe

Renaissance in Italy (New York, William T

XXVL II G6su, Rome: vault decoration by Pozzo. From

an engraving in Andrea Pozzo's Perspectiva

PictorumetArchitectorum (Rome, Komarek,

XXVII. St. Peter's, Rome: exterior Carlo Maderna,

architect From aphotograph by Alinari. 216 CMteau Maisons Francois Mansart, architect

Fromaphotographin Ernest de Ganay's Chdteaux

etmanoirs de France:liedeFrance, Vol.IV

(Paris,Vincent, Frealet Cie, 1939) 216

XXVIII Guaranty Building, Buffalo, New York Louis H.

Sullivan, architect.From aphotographintheWare

XXIX. Les Terraces, Garches, France Le Corbusier,

XXX.

Zehlendorf Housing, Berlin Bruno Taut, architect

Both from photographs, courtesy Museum of

CrowIsland School,Winnetka, Illinois.Saarinen&

LIST OF PLATES Swanson and Perkins & Will, architects From a

photograph by Hedrich-Blessing. 2-> 2Community Hall, Channel Heights, California.

Richard Ncutra, architect From a

XXXI Housing at Channel Heights, California. Richard

Ncutra, architect; Lewis Eugene Wilson,

consultant From a photograph by Julius Shulman.

232

Shopping Center, Linda Vista, California. Earl F.

Gibcrson and WhitneyR Smith, architects From

a photograph

Both

photographs, courtesy Museum of Modern

Art

XXXII Baldwin Hills

Village, California. Lewis EugeneWilson, Clarence Stein, and others, architects.

Froma

photograph by Margaret Lowe,courtesy

Museum of Modern Art

an art for all men

THE APPEAL OF

ARCHITECTURE

THE

DAYS areswiftlypassingwhen,to thenormalAmerican,

artwas valued as something distinctly secondarytothe practicalmatters oflife.Wehavegrownintotheprecious heritage

of appreciation,and music andpaintingandsculptureandliteraturebringus arealjoy. Butthereisone enormoussource ofartisticpleasure ofwhich too feware asyet aware; there is one artwhose worksconfront uswherevermanlives,which all toomanyofus dailypassblindly by That source is to be found in the buildings all around

us; that art is the artof architecture

Thisblindness is themorestrange since newavenues of pleasureare constantlyopening to one who has evena slight measure ofap

preciation of architecture. To him acity is no greyprison, shuttinghimin from God and nature; it is rather a great book on which iswritten large the history of the aspiration, the struggles, the socialideals,andthe constant striving forbeauty ofall mankind To him

a buildingmay no longer be merely stone andbrick and iron and wood; itmay become vitalwith beauty, a symphonythrilling in its

complex rhythms of window and door and column, enriching allwho arewillingtolookatitappreciativelywith its messageofpeace

or struggle.

Architectureis ofallthearts theone mostcontinuallybefore oureyes Tohear musicat its bestwe must go to concerts or operas of

onekind or another, orat leastturnontheradio; toenjoyliterature

we mustread, and readextensively;ourbest paintingand sculpture

are segregatedinmuseums and galleriestowhich we must make our

pilgrimages; but architecture is constantly beside us. We live inhouses and our houses may be works of architecture We work in

office stores or factories,and may beworksof

archi-4 THE APPEAL OF ARCHITECTURE

tecture Nine-tenths ofourlivesarespentamongbuildings, yet how manyof us feeladistinctwarmthof pleasure aswe passa beautifulbuilding? How many of us give one hour's thought a month to thebeautyor ugliness, thestructural perfection,thearchitectural value,

of thebuildings surrounding us?Wherever thereis the

slightest at

temptto make a buildingbeautiful, there is the touch of architecture, and ifwe pass bywith this touch unnoticed, we areby just so

much depriving ourselves of a

possible element of richness in ourlives.

Architecture, then,isanart,and anyartmustgive us pleasure, orelse it is bad art, or we are abnormallyblind. To architecture as an

artandthe joyit

bringswe are in general too callous It is the con

stantproximityof architectureduring ourentireconscious existence

that has blinded us in this way We forget thatit is an art of here

and now, because it is with us every day, and because we have to

havehousestoliveinwearetoo aptto thinkofthemsolelyas abid

ingplaces.Thereforewethinkofarchitectureassomevague, learnedthing dealing with French cathedrals or Italian palaces or Greek

temples, not withNew York orChicago streets or LosAngeles sub

urbs, and this fallacious doctrine has strengthened in us until our

eyes are dulledand ourmindsareatrophied to allthe beautythat is

beingcreatedaroundus today,and weloseall thefinedeep pleasurethatwe mightotherwise experiencefrom ourordinary surroundings.This pleasureis ofseveralkinds and comes from several differentsources.Manyof us havefelt its call and, unknowing, turned away,perhaps perplexed We feel it vaguely and accept it as something

vague;with strange lack of curiositywe have never triedto End outwhy wechoosesomestreetsto walkon and shun others We canbe

sure that this vague feeling, if it is real and worth while, will not

die on analysis,like a flower picked to pieces, but will rather, as we examineit, takeon definiteness andpoignancyand be reborn in all

sorts ofnewways.

First ofall among thepleasures that architecture can give is that

which anything beautiful brings to an

understanding heart, which

warms the whole

being and sends one about his work gladder and

THE APPEAL OF ARCHITECTURE 5therealizationthat a thingis

perfectlyfittedfortheworkit isto do,

asatisfactionakin to thatwhichtheengineerfeelsin hislocomotive,

or a sailor in his vessel. Related to this is the universal delight instrength,the sense that a buildingiswellbuilt,neatlyandexquisitely

put together, and constructed in a suitable way to last. There is,

besides,the pleasure thatcomes fromthefactthatgoodarchitecture

is always a perfectexpression of the timein which itwasbuilt, notonly ofthattime's artistic skillbutalso, ifthe period is interpretedcorrectly, of its religion, its government, even of its economic and

political theories. Still another pleasure arises from the perception

ofthespecificemotional tonewhich eachbuilding sounds, fromthe

austere power of an armory, the forthright efficiency of a good

factory, thewelcome serenity ofa well-designed house, to thelightplayfulnessofasmartcafe.And,lastandgreatest ofallthepleasures

tobe found here, the best architecture brings us real inspiration, afeelingofawe-struckpeace andreverence, a feeling of the immense

gloryandworth-whilenessof things,thatcomesonlyinthepresence

ofsomethingverygreat indeed.

All these different pleasures and moreare open to one who will

walkourstreetswithaseeing eyeandevenanelementaryknowledge

ofwhat architectureis, whatit is striving for, how and under what

laws it works And this knowledge we can possess at a trifling cost

of time and study, but to our great advantage. We must first gain

a clearer understanding of precisely what architecture is; then wecan obtainsuchaknowledge ofitas to enjoy ittotheutmost with

nolack of spontaneityin ourappreciation.

Thefirstkindof pleasurewe have mentionedisthatwhich comes

to one from anything beautiful It is one of the hardest of all toanalyze,forit isthedeepest,andit

goessofarintodifficult questions

ofpsychologythatwecan onlygiveexamples andanalogies. Forthepure beauty of architecture is in many ways similar to the purebeautyof music or painting or poetry It is a pleasure primarily of

thesenses,butintheeducatedmanittouches throughthis sensuousappealan immensecategoryof intellectualthoughts and emotions

It is a pleasure primarily exterior, but through exterior qualities it

touches the deepest in us. It is a of rhythm, of balance, of

6 THE APPEAL OF ARCHITECTUREform.Itcomes from theperceptionofanythingwhichfulfills certain

innate qualities of beauty that are well-nigh universal. It existsirrespectiveof styles, even of critical discriminations; a man feels it

in looking at the Greek Parthenon, at the medieval Cathedral of

Amiens, at the Classic Revival Capitol at Washington, or at themodern city hall at Hilversum He may feel it as thrillingly in a

Colonialfarmhouse orin afactoryas in a great cathedral.The con

firmed modernistin music, ifhe is at all candid with himself, feels

itin aBach fugue;the confirmed secessionist in paintingfeels it inthe glorious composition of a Tintoretto or the blazing color of a

Rubens. Similarly, the confirmedtraditionalist in architecture may

feel it in the quiet loveliness of Frank Lloyd Wright's own house,

Taliesin It is a universal pleasure, the capacity for which is inborn

in everynormalperson,andit isalways arousedbytheperception of

anything that fulfills certain requirements of form for which themindis constantlyathirst Itis the satisfaction of this thirst that is

attheverybaseofall artisticpleasure,anditwillthereforebenecessary to understand at least the fundamentals of theserequirements

of form in order to have any really intelligent appreciation ofarchitecture

The studyof the "why" of the sense ofbeauty is the domain ofaesthetics, a highly specialized body of knowledge, for, from Greek

times on to the present, philosophers and psychologists have been

striving for explanations of this universal emotion The most importantaesthetictheoriesmaybe divided into threemajorclassesformal,expressionist,andpsychological.Thefirstgroupisassociatedchieflywithclassicartandclassicthought; the second with romanticism and medievalism; the third with modernscience

According to aesthetic theorists ofthe first type, visual beauty is

entirely a matter of form, or form plus color Essentially, it is apleasureingeometricalrelationships,shapes,someofwhich innately

please Such aestheticians have frequently tried to seek in actual

mathematicalratios thesecretof beauty the "goldensection" and

thelike Ithas ledacademic designers to harp on the strictestpossiblefollowingof"exact"proportions in columns and windows and

the relation of breadth and length and height. To Plato,

THE APPEAL OF ARCHITECTURE

7resulted when an object approached the "ideal"

object the ideal

whichincluded within it allthe possible variations ofactuality. Atsightofsuch anapproach, the soulwas filledwith pain andbliss-painatthememoryofa lost"ideal" world,whereperfectionwasall-

pervasive;bliss attherecall ofit. Yet even to Plato the matter was

largely one of form, and the question of whether or not an objectapproached the ideal was beautiful was chiefly a matter of its

simple shaperelations

To the aesthetic critics of thesecond type, the shape or form isbeautiful not so much in itself as because of what it means or expresses Thus, to Hegel, that is most beautiful which expresses the

noblest

thoughts in the most perfect manner; to Schopenhauer it

isthatwhichbest incarnatestheeternalstrugglebetween desireand

actuality, between energy and matter; to Ruskin it is that which

most embodies aspiration toward the divine, or best represents orexpresses"nature" thethoughtsandcreations ofGod.This secondtype of aesthetictheory oftenslips over into religious speculation orsociologicalandethical

interpretation

The third, thepsychological,

type of aestheticthinking has itself

several different aspects, as the emphasis of psychology shifts from

the physiological to the psychical. Thus to one school of recent

criticsvisual

beautyisamerematterof easy,simple,rhythmicaleye

movements;to another itmay bethe result of early, well-nigh universal infant emotions, only recoverable through psychoanalyticprocedures; to stillanother agrowing schooltoday beautyisthe

pleasurableresult oftheobserver's identification ofhimselfwith theobserved object (what the Germanaestheticians call Einfuhlung),

so that, ina way,helives its life, rises with the towerorthe soaringvault, supports weights easilyand gracefully with the well-designedcolumn or arch, is serene and relaxed with the long horizontals ofroof eaves orterrace walls

These doctrines are manifestly not all mutually exclusive; theyare,rather,attempts to explainbeautyfromdifferent points ofviewintellectual, mystical, emotional, or scientific. The experience it self remains, and, whatever our explanation of its causes may be,

8 THE APPEAL OF ARCHITECTURE

buildingsand towns andvillages,goes on enriching thelivesofthosesensitivetoit.

But there are more sides to the satisfactions that buildings can

givethanthose derived from its mere external shapes There is, forinstance, thepleasure arisingfrom the perception that a building is

supremely suited to its purpose Everyone has at some time been

irritated by a house which, though superficially pretty, was nevertheless so built that the kitchen odors penetrated everywhere; or,

perhaps, by a theater full of charm and color where one could not

hear; orbya cityhallwhereeveryofficethatoneseeksseems tobeatthefarend oflongandtortuouscorridors.Inbuildingssuchas thesethearchitecthas failed, at leastpartially, andthe irritation arises as

much from his failure as from theinconvenience ofthebuilding it self. Ontheother hand, thereis alwaysa soothingsatisfaction from

alibrary wherethe appearance of the building itself expresses what

useeach partserves; or from astationwhere entranceleads to wait

ing room, and waiting room to ticket office, and ticket office to

trains, directlyandclearly. There is a somewhat similar satisfaction

from a bridge where every stone and every girder seems to do itswork perfectly, and where each smallest part is necessary It is a

growing understanding of the importance of these aspects fitnessandstructure whichhas markedthe best architecturalthought of

thetwentieth century andcaused a veritable revolutionin architecturalforms Duringthe lasthalf of thenineteenth century and theearly years of the twentieth, many factors in the industrial andcultural life of the Western world had combined to separate thearchitectand the engineer, andto make architects forget constructionandengineers forgetappearance. More and morethearchitect,using forms borrowed from past times, had come to considerarchitectureas merelya sortof exteriorandinterior dress,akind of

mere "prettying up" of necessary buildings Scholarship in knowledgeof paststyles hadoftencometo replace true creative

imagina

tion in design; ingenuityin developing symmetry or other a priorivisualpatternshad often replaced the searchfor realconveniencein

arrangementorrealexpressiveness ofeffect. Constructionhadoften

become a consideration, and materials were used

THE APPEAL OF ARCHITECTURE 9without understanding of theirqualities Steel, concrete, cheap andeasily available glass all the results of industrial development were used, not inways to bring out their superb potentialities, but

merely to imitate the past or to cheapen buildings thoughtlessly

The resulthad been anarchitecture increasingly divorced from the

actual bustlingindustrialworld of the day, increasingly unreal, andtheplaything ofwealthyaesthetes

Manifestlythis could not continue; new conditions clamored forattention,forarchitecturalexpression.The new revolutionary archi

tecture that aroseasa result necessarily stressed the qualities which

the earlier period had neglected modernity, convenience, con

struction, the appropriate use of modern fabricated materials The newschoolofthought wasoftencalledfunctiondism, because ofits

emphasisonthesequalities.

For architecture is a science as well as an art, and the architect

mustnotonly build beautifully but mustalsosee thathis buildingsarestrong anddurable and efficient,that theyare proofagainst theweather,andthattheyfulfill allthepracticalpurposesforwhichtheywere built. Good architecture, therefore, must always be sane and

practical.Architectureisnot onlyanartofcathedralsand tombs and monuments thougheven thesemust bebuilt to stand andendurebut it is also an art that deals with every phase of the most

ordinary businesses ofmen Ourhouses must be as convenientand

roomy as

possible OfficeTtmildings must be economical, with thegreatest possible rentingspace, and theymust be provided with allthe necessary elevators and toilet rooms and heating apparatus.

Factories for evenfactories may be architecture must havefresh

air and floods of light, and beso constructed as to minimize noise

and vibration Theaters must be so arranged that from every seat

there will be an unobstructed view of the stage, and no echoes or

undue reverberation to destroy the sound, and so planned that in

case of accident the theatercanbe emptiedin theshortest possibletime

When one considers that architecture embraces every one ofthese points andmore; thatplumbing and heatingand electric wir

andventilationandthe design of concreteandsteelcolumns and

1O THE APPEAL OF ARCHITECTURE

girders allcome under its control,it isnot likelythat hewill accuse

itofbeinganart esoteric and aloof Indeed, it is of all thearts the

onethattoucheslifeatthegreatestnumberof points.Thearchitectmust always be in our midst, hard-headed, clear-thinking, careful,

to fill our daily structural needs, whatever theyare; to build dwellingsandshopsandairportsand factories andtheatersand churches;andto seethat each is as useful andwellbuilt as science can make

it, andthatit iscrownedwith beautyand madeasource of constantdelight

Yet in a sensethis isnot altogether a correct statement. It is not

that the architect plans for convenience, designs construction forstrength, and then composes the whole for beauty These are notentirely separate processes, nor is architecture composed of threeunrelated factors convenience, strength, and beauty. It is, rather,

that all three considerations are always present in the architect's

mind, just as all three aspects should be inextricably integrated inthe finalbuilding Each type of interior space has its own implica

tions astothestructuralsystemandthespecialmaterials best suitedfor its construction; each type of structural system has its own

characteristicshapes that help determinethe appearance; and each

building material has its own appropriate colors and textures All

work together to create the final effect of the completed building;

its beauty is therefore a matter dependent on convenience and

structural strength as well as on geometric or arbitrary design. Ingreat works of architecture these three factors are absolutely made

one This is one of the most powerful reasons for the richness ofaesthetic experience that flows from architecture; this

integrationgivesreality,seriousness,and powertothewhole and makesarchitecture eternally different,

say, from scenepainting or pure

sculpture.Letus seehowthe threeaspects of architecture thatwehavejust

beendiscussing whichtheRomanVitruvius,inthetimeofAugustus, firstlisted, and which SirHenry Wotton quaintly called "com-

moditie, firmeness, and delight" are bound together in an actualstructure Let us take the entrance hall ofthe International Build

ing in Rockefeller Center designed by Reinhard & Hofmeister;

Corbett, Harrison& MacMurray; and Hood &Fouilhoux .A