ENPages That Mention Richmond (Va.)
AIA Southern Chapter Proceedings
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14 THE SOUTHERN CHAPTER, A. I. A.
Western brethren in the profession and reap the benefits to be derived from a united interest in our chosen profession.
I will close by quoting a sentence taken from the Journal of Architecture, of Philadelphia, which expresses fully the object of our assembly to-day; "Architects as a fraternity should, by their intermingling and interchange of ideas, by their unremitted and unanimous action, and, if possible, in a broad and all-embracing organization, working from within by and upon its membership, attempt to render the methods and practice of architecture more uniform, raise the average standard of design, and by making all true criteria of architectural merit more generally known and more universally adopted, pave the only highway to the popularity of true architecture which seems at present to be open."
The President: 'The next thing in order is the report of the Board of Directors.
The Secretary : As sec'y of the Board of Directors I wish to state that but one meeting of the Board of Directors was held in 1892, which occurred at Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 1st. At this meeting the letter ballot, similar to that used by the A. I. A. was adopted. The Board of Directors also instructed the Secretary to have a Certificate of Membership engraved with such conditions shown in its face as render it void after the following annual meeting, a copy of which, properly filled out, to be given to each Fellow, upon the full payment of all dues for the current year. A copy of this certificate is herewith submitted for your consideration. It was further ordered that Fellows of the A. I. A. requesting membership in this Chapter be excused from furnishing photographs or other drawings as evidence of their professional ability, but in other respects the application blank to be filled out by each applicant and endorsed in the usual way.
The Board of Directors held a meeting this morning prior to the assembling of this Convention, and after considering the applications filed in proper form with the Secretary, they recommend for membership the following named architects, viz.: W. E. Hall, Winston, N. C.; Tom Wood, Sherman, Tex., ; C. H. Read, Jr.., Richmond, Va.; G. W. E. Field, Richmond, Va.; J. G. Barnwell, Rome, Ga.; C. C. Wilson, Roanoke, Va.; J. W. McClain, Birmingham, Ala.; E. W. Smith, Lexington, Ky.; Geo. W. Stewart, Dallas, Texas ; Harry D. Breeding, Huntsville, Ala.; P. S. Rabbit, Galveston, Tex.; J. A. Tempest, Houston, Tex.; W. A. Bird, Bir-
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26 THE SOUTHERN CHAPTER, A. I. A.
which are to be installed in public or private buildings, in which architecture and electricity are alike advancing, hand in hand.
The President: The Secretary has a paper written by Mr. M. J. Dimmock, of Richmond, Va., on "The Practice of Builders Making and Furnishing So-Called 'Architectural Drawings.'" Mr. Dimmock's essay was read by Mr. W. E. Hall, of Winston, N. C.
THE PRACTICE OF BUILDERS MAKING AND FURNISHING SO-CALLED "ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS."
Mr. President:
This is a matter which concerns the profession of architecture generally, but more particularly does it interest those who are located and practising in the smaller cities and towns where the evil is the greatest.
The Southern States in the past were strictly an agricultural district, and consequently the cities were few and the plantations large, and there was little which led to the study of architecture, and the buildings partook more of the practical than the artistic in design. There were public buildings and many planters' houses which were admirable in design and were planned to suit the wants and requirements of the day and climate, and someof these are to-day worthy of study.
But a new condition of affairs now exists, and the new South has become manufacturing as well as agricultural; and, as a consequence, her cities are growing and new towns have sprung into existence, and so new architectural conditions are required. The resources of the South are being rapidly developed, and capital from home and abroad is seeking investment. Great business schemes are projected; and it is a recognized fact that after maturing a scheme when the planning and erection of buildings is necessary, the first thing to be done by the projectors is to secure the professionalservices of an architect--one in whom all confidence is reposed--to advise with and prepare the plans, etc., of a building which shall fill all the requirements of the special scheme, not only as to arrangement of plan, but also as to appropriateness and beauty of design, and which shall not fall short, but surpass, if possible, other buildings of a similar character. This is a recognized business proceedure and the only proper mode of carrying out the scheme in hand. Now to find this architect and advisor, one must first look for an educated man in his profession, and one who has had experience in all matters pertaining thereto and is able to study and solve the problem given him in a careful and business-like manner in all its details; and the architect, to do this, must have years of study and long experience, and a certain aptness for his profession, coupled with decision of character and a gentlemanly bearing, which are all necessary for success,
These qualifications it would be unreasonable to expect in a builder who has neither had the time nor means of study, and whose early manhood has been spent in the details of probably but one branch of the