Texas State Association of Architects Minutes and Proceedings

They will desire to know something of the new who formed the Association of Architects in Texas. Let us leave then an honorable reputation of our actor record. Let those who read our record in after years know that we of the present day had a proper regard and were fully impressed with the honors and true dignity of our profession; and when in after years wealth and population has dotted our sunny slopes and broad plains with beautiful and populous cities, let the architect of those times as he turns over the page of our record of today, let him see that we did all that was possible for the true dignity of our profession in our time as just on honorable men, men who will know architecture, like other art, did not spring into life and existance with all its beauty - with man creation; it was a child of slow growth. No traces remain of the steps by which the beautiful temples of Egypt, nor the grand, magnificent halls of Persia and Assyria were devoted from this rude beginnings. The earliest known structures of those countries belonging to an age considerably advanced in

civilization. So definite are the characteristics of the styles of different nations, at different periods, that from the mere form and carving of mouldings and decorations of any structure its, age and country can usually be determined by the architect of the present day. Thus we find that whatever variety is to be observed, among the early buildings in our own country in the various part are due chiefly to their different origin. Let us glance at a few of there. Take for instance the [?] of New England and Virigina and the Carolinas. They differ but slightly from each other. They are chiefly the work of English Mechanics, trained in the methods and styles of English buildings of that day. The architecture of St. Augustine and New Orleans reflect truly their continental origin. St. Augustine remains the present day a tour of the old world, with its original Spanish phyisgnomy unchanged. The streets are very narrow. The principal thoroughfare not over twelve to fifteen fixed wide, and the balconies of the old houses project so as to meet overhead. It has the distinction of being the oldest

city in the United States built by Europeans. In New Orleans, also, though to a less remarkable degree. The ancient European character of the town has been preserved. The growth of the modern city has left the old French quarters in many parts unchanged, and its, aspect today in that of a provincial town in the center of France. Take the buildings erected at a later day in New York City and notice the gloom and monotony to be seen on street after street of her brownstone dwellings, built-in the so-called Italian style, narrow fronts, sunken English basements, flat roofs high and narrow winding steps to the principal entrance. They are standing today as evidence to the eye of the costly folly of their. The more recent dwellings which are built in that city by the archtiects of the present day are free rfom the change of monotony. They are evidently built and constructed with a clear view and object for comfrot and present conclusive evidence of the advance made by architecture for domestic comfort and beauty of the buildings of that city. Philadelphia the Quaker City

of brotherly love, truly represented in her early building the character of her people. Sufficient examples of her early architecture remain at the present day to enable us to speak of her past. She presents to us today in her mile after mile of narrow red brick fronts, white marble steps, green blinds on her upper and white panel shutters on her lower story, the painful monotony as regular and quaint as the uniform dress of her quaker citizens, her style of ornament like her people, simple and plain, chaste and reserve in the use of decoration or ornament. Such has been the past style of the architecture of the quaker City. Her recent public buildings, her business blocks and private dwellings have greatly changed in style, and today her recent buildings, public and private present a degree of architectural elegance for beauty in design, harmony in finsih, domestic comfrot and stability, to challenge and capture the eye by the beauty of her buildings. Of Baltimore we can say but little, she has been the monumental city. Her monuments, public and

private buildings have presented no marked or attractive features. She made no effort with her sister cities in the march for style or architectural beauty, her efforts have been almost exclusive confined to domestic comfort and utility rather than for elegance or beauty of design that has been her source in past, but of late the old monumental city has given evidence in her public and private buildings of a better and more refined taste, and has erected some handsome and elegant buildings from chaste and modern designs of architecture and finish that will compare favorably with the best efforts of her sister cities. Washington City, the capital of the nation, was for a long time as slow and backward as her sister city of Baltimore. Washington City remained for many years with little, almost nothing in her architectural design for elegance or beauty. Her unfinished capitol building, crowned by an unsightly modern dome, built of an inferior quality of sandstone, only kept from disintegration by annual coat of paint. The president's