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THE SOUTHERN ARCHITECT. IV Why is it that Some Houses Always Heed Repainting? The owner has them painted in the Springby the Fall they have a dingy, rusty, faded look. A neighbor’s always looks fresh, clean and newly painted, and yet is not repainted oftener than every four or five years. The first ‘‘economizes” by using “cheap” paint; the second uses nothing but Strictly Pure White Lead. The first spends three times as much for paint in five years, and his buildings never look as well. Almost everybody knows that good paint can only be had by using strictly pure White Lead. The difficulty is lack of care in selecting it. Any of the following brands are strictly pure White Lead made by the “Old Dutch” process; they are standard and well known —established by the test of years: “ ANCHOR” (Cincinnati.) “ARMSTRONG & McKELVY” (Pittsburgh.) “ATLANTIC 7 ’ (New York.) “ BEYMER-BAUMAN (Pittsburgh.) “BRADLEY” (New York.) “ BROOKLYN” (New York.) “COLLIER” (St. Louis.) “CORNELL” (Buffalo.) “ DAVIS-CHAMBERS” (Pittsburgh.) “ECKSTEIN” (Cincinnati.) “JEWETT” (New York.) “KENTUCKY” (Louisville.) “FAHNESTOCK” (Pittsburgh.) “LEWIS” (Philadelphia.) “ MORLEY” (Cleveland.) “ RED SEAL” (St. Louis.) “SALEM” (Salem, Mass.) “ SHIPMAN” (Chicago.) “ SOUTHERN’’ (St. Louis and Chicago.) “ULSTER” (New York.) “UNION” (New York.) Get the National Lead Co.’s Pure White Lead Tinting Colors. Mix them (for color only) with strictly pure white lead, and you will have the best paint that it is possible to put on a building. These brands of White Lead and the National Lead Co.’s Tinting Colors are sold by the best dealers in paints everywhere. Also by the National Lead Co.’s Warehouse, Nashville, Tenn. KTiiTIOKTALs JLhHI JSIX> OCX Cincinnati Branch, CINCINNATI, OHIO. e Bar None. US# nuiif “THE GENESEES (MADDEN’S PATENT.) Particularly adapted for use in Hotels, Schools, Factories, Asylums, and all Public Places wherever a Reliable Automatic Fixture is Required. They are the onlythoroughly reliable Automatic Closets made. They have but one pipe for supply and discharge. They have seat and slop safe attached. They do not depend on legs for support, nor levers, bars, chains and weights to assist in operating them. They save water, labor and material, and can be set m less than half the time it takes to set any other closet made. They cannot be used without being discharged every time. They cannot leak nor waste water, as the valve closes with the water pressure, and not against it. The Frost Proof “ Genesee No. 1 A.” is the only reliable anti-freezing closet made. The tank and pipes are always empty except when the closet is in actual use, and the stop and waste valve below frost line has to empty less than 6 feet of X inch pipe after the discharge of closet takes place. The Syphon-Jet “ Genesee No. 6 ” contains a larger body of water in the bowl (the surface being 12% by 15% inches and the depth 5 inches) and can discharge a larger quantity of matter with from 3to 6 gallons less of water than any Syphon Jet Closet in,the world. Its tank can be located on a level with the seat or at any desired point above it. We also manufacture a full line of Pneumatic and Jet Actuating Syphon Closets which are operated by chain and pull. These closets are flushed from open tanks. All, our open tank closets can be made to operate with our Automatic Seat Action when used in connection with our “ Perfect ” or Time Regulating Valve. Send for new catalogue for 1891-2. BY THE NEW GENESEE IRON AND BRASS WORKS CO. Nos. 268, 270 and 272 State Street, ROCHESTER, N. Y. mm
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THE SOUTHERN ARCHITECT. V IST EW IFTTBLIO-A-TIOIISrS. BE SURE TO Read them before you Build. '* Interior Finish of a Modem House.” " Finishing' and Staining of Natural Woods.” -Called. Free tc any jft.cLd.ress Tcy tlxe LF’-u.’follsla.erei.- PRATT & LAMBERT, VARNISH MAKERS. 47 John and. 5 Dutch Streets, - - - P. 0. Box 2970. NEW YORK. WHAT YOU WANT. go°ng A to SHELVE A NEW STORE OR REFIT AN OLD ONE, IT WILL PAY YOU TO INVESTIGATE PATTON’S PATENT ADJUSTABLE RMS Catalogues and Prices sent on application. Address J. Ml. PATTON, MACON, If Mention this paper. STATE RIGHTS FOR SALE. fO * 89 This Intel is Staid with letter Brothers’ English Shingle Stain. m Si jm " - E3B i racz: Biaii II ■mmHt-ffy s ■ft TO aswj ( :.i i ftonwonTOl [dd I ftwertaa" -^Wh to , . ..„.W /Aj^CHire i VvXl Nut 3~r T3l mjuade: nowjwtßK r? c We Challenge anyone to show us a house where our STAIN has washed off. DEXTER BROTHERS, Sole Manufacturers, 55 Broad Street, - - - BOSTON, MASS. —h SEND FOR * A. BALDWIN & CO., Lim„ New Orleans* La., and C s W. TANNER & CO., Richmond, Va., Agents SCOTT A. WHITE, TERRA COTTA ROOFING TILES ■SEND FOR CATALOCUEBoom 715, Lewis Block, DE*lttsfc>iirg7
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Vol. 111. ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AUGUST, 1892. No. 10. PUBLISHER’S ANNOUNCEMENT. THE publisher takes great pleasure in announcing that the services of Major Chas. W. Hubnir, of this city have been secured as office editor of The Southern Architect. His duties will begin with %e next numj ber. Mr. Hubner is an accomplished ionrnlHtaj, of marffv years’ experience and perfectly equipped for the responsible duties which will devolve upon him. As editor, author and writer on Art and Literature, he has done distinguished service and his name is a familiar one throughout the South. He will devote his talents and his time to the columns of The Southern Architect and make it in every particular a publication of the highest order of merit, one that the South will be proud of and which shall stand second to none in the United States. Many improvements in The Southern Architect are contemplated and neither labor nor expense will be spared by the management to make this journal all it should be as the representative of Southern Architecture and of the marvellous progress of the South. The equipments of the office are first-class and the publication facilities unexcelled, the Franklin Publishing House being the finest and most extensive in the South, and equaled by few in the North. We bespeak for The Southern Architect the continued favors and patronage of the public and the earnest interest of architects throughout the country in its success, and we respectfully solicit their active co-operation. We desire communications touching upon architecture in its practical and esthetical departments, and especially applicable to the South. Contributions and suggestions will be thankfully received and shall have personal attention. The Southern Architect Pub. Co., Geo. W. Harrison, Manager. A CASE of outrageous professional treatment recently occurred in Chicago which calls for the severest condemnation on the part of all fair-minded men. Several weeks ago a large seven story building, in course of construction, collapsed, killing and injuring several people. Immediately, two or three architects tendered their services for the purpose of proving their professional brother in charge of the building guilty of gross carelessness in the methods of construction, claim'- ing before the coroner’s jury that the timbers were not properly anchored and that the work was poorly executed from cellar to roof. On expert testimony of this Character, it is not surprising that Architect Mills was field to the grand jury for manslaughter and that finally selen indictments were found against him. J| scarcely seems possible, in this age of equal rights, thaftsuch acts of injustice can be perpetrated, especially in view of the fact that several reliable witnesses testified thiJpthe wind and lightning.destroyecl the building, and th|l the methods of construction employed were perfect, the work good. r The editor of the National Builder personally inspected the buildings, ader the accident, for the purposed determining how far the testimony of these expert architects was based on the facts, and was surprised to find that there was no reason, from a mechanical point of view, for condemning either the architect or the work. While it is well, on the score of public safety, to closely inspect large and high buildings during their construction, and carefully scrutinize plans and drawings prepared by architects of doubtful reputation or limited experience, yet we must remember that certain restrictions are put upon architects by owners themselves, which govern considerably the character and cost of buildings, and as a consequence, the blame for poor work is not always placed where it belongs. We doubt not but in the experience of every architect of extended practice, there have been cases where the ultimatum was, to either meet a certain expenditure of money, of give way to some one who could, and while* architects of reputation may be able to refuse work when offered to them under these conditions, there are members of the profession who, from a financial standpoint, cannot afford to lose a client, hence the problem of designing a building which shall not only meet the i] 3 /H j§|||| TONIC/STSHp Editorial 235 Outrageous Professional Treatment 235-236 Cyrus W. Field’s Death 236 Decorations 237-237-238-239 Illuminating Building Interiors 239-240 Future Electrical Advancement. 240 Illustrations.... 241 The Decorative Features of Sculpture.... 941 _ c >49_94. > Disposal of Sewage from Isolated Dwellings 243-244 Value of Sleep. 245 The Parthenon Frieze.... nmm.wij °45 Burdette on the Life of .... !*!?!S^45-246 Blue Paper Printing .3t246 ... .o^- Building, Construc^i#P:And Engineering.... 247-^ Domestic Sanity 249-251 Trades 251-252-253 Trade JSEi>,#s 253 Building Notes. 254-255--256-257-258-259-260
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requirements of the case architectually but financially, and in this lies the greatest skill of the designer, for it is a very easy matter to build magnificent structures when the cost is unlimited, therefore the testimony upon which the indictments were found should have been taken with considerable caution, for it seems that there were several factors entering into the cause of the accident which would have been very forcibly brought out on the trial. The disposal of this case by State Attorney Elliott proves that even the State knew the testimony on which the indictments were found was uncertain, for on callingup for trial before Judge Collins on June 4th, he moved to strike the same off the docket, on the ground that the indictments should never have been found, adding the significant remark, “Had it not been for two or three big (?) architects, who have a contempt for the little ones, no bills would have been found in this case.” Nothing that we can add expresses the true state of facts more than this final disposal of the whole matter.—National Builder for July. CYRUS W. FIELD. 'T'HE death of Cyrus W. Field yesterday, at the age of ■ seventy three years, brings into melancholy prominence the name of one of the most notable men of this age, so renowned for its remarkable advancement in scientific progress. The father of the ocean telegraphic cable, virtually originating the design of spanning continents and underlaying the seas with telegraph wires, he devoted his life to the consummation of the problem and never rested from his labors until he had accomplished the most important and vastly the more difficult part of the work— that of laying the cable under the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This feat was successfully executed in 1866 through his indomitable perseverance and energy, coupled with his profound practical knowledge of the various problems to be solved, and backed by the wonderful ability he displayed in securing the confidence and substantial support of capitalists in an enterprise which must have appeared to many when first presented contrary to all experience and wholly chimerical. But Mr. Field lived not only to see his efforts crowned with entire success but to realize that the service which he had rendered to humanity, science and civilization was so distinguished, so unique, so beneficient and so enormously valuable in every way as that no name in all the records of philanthropy, civilization and human progress has a higher place or more enduring fame. Mr. Field’s great enterprise has enormously increased the power and functions of the press as gatherers of news. As an extender of the power of the “Fourth Estate,” he ranks forever with Franklin. —New Orleans Picayune. A German engineer has paved a bridge with India rubber and the result has been so satisfactory that it is to be applied on a larger scale. It is found to be more durable than asphalt, and not slippery. “ A section of roadway,” says the Railway Review , “ under the gate leading to the departure platform of the St. Pancras terminus, London, has for some years past been paved with ludia rubber, and many people must have been pleasantly surprised at the deadening of sound when passing over it on wheels, and at the grateful elasticity to the tread when traversing it on foot.” Ripans Tabules: a standard remedy. DECORATION.* s /\ ND now, to come to my special subject, I will give 1 tl some hints as to the best manner of treating a i middle-class dwelling, and will begin at the entrance - hall. Of course there are many ways of dealing with - this, as with every other, part of the house, so I must t give several modes of treatment. It has long been the custom to treat the hall and staircase as unimportant ; parts of the house, to give them little or no attention, 1 and so they have presented a naked, cold and uninviting ; aspect; places to be hurried through as quickly as possible. The ceilings have been left white, and the walls painted ; one plain unbroken tint of drab or stone color. "The visitor obtains his first impression of the house on entering the hall, and it is desirable he should be well impressed. We may first consider the ceiling. It should not be pure white, as garish whiteness is out of accord with all other coloring—that is, in connection with house decoration; the whiter your shirt-fronts are the better. Well, the ceiling may be painted some shade, such as light vellum or fawn color, or some shade of blue, neutral in tone, such as the shade presented in the duck-egg shell. The ceiling tint will be regulated by the coloring of the wails. This toning of the ceiling is good as far as it goes, but there is no limit to the various ways it may be decorated. Stencilled ornament is one of the less expensive modes. And here, in speaking of stencilled ornament, it must not be thought that this is necessarily a “ cheap and nasty ” mode of ornamentation because we are all familiar with wretchedly designed and executed work of this kind. A stencil is a design cut in firm paper, cardboard or tinfoil, and the color is stamped through the openings in the manner of printing. Now all printing is not artistic, yet the capital letters in old Italian and German books are full of artistic design—yet they are printed, too. So with the stencil plate. It first of all has to be designed, and the highest powers of draftsmanship may be brought to bear in the production of high-class stencil work. The same design may be traced directly by hand, but the stencil plate is used as a quicker method of obtaining like results. The reason why so much work of this kind is inferior is simply because it is difficult to do it well. Preston Town Hall, in England, decorated by H eaton, Butler and Bayne, the eminent glass stainers and decoraters, is nearly all stencilled work, but yet it is one of the best decorated halls in England. Ido not recommend stencilled in place of hand-painted work; where money is forthcoming, I prefer to do the latter. But to return to the hall ceiling. It is a simple and inexpensive way of getting a pleasing effect to put a band of well-designed ornament round the ceiling, its breadth being regulated by the size of the vestibule or hall, and there is no reason why the center of the ceiling should not be covered with a simple geometrical design in quiet colors, and treated flatly, without light or shade. A little gilding introduced in small spots and thin lines defining the leading forms of the diaper or panelling has a very good effect, but there is no limit to the richness and quality of design that may quite fitly oe expended here. Besides that, there are many alternative modes of treatment besides painting. There are beautiful paper hangings specially designed for ceilings, besides several embossed or raised materials each as Tynecastle tapestry, Anaglypta, and Japanese leather papers, which when harmoniously colored, produce most pleasing effects. The cornice should be colored to connect the ceiling and walls, care being taken to use light from a paper read before the Sydney, N. S. W., Architectural Association, by Mr. Andrew Wells. 236 THE SOUTHERN ARCHITECT.
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shades where the mouldings and enrichments are delicate. The treatment as to the division of the walls will depend on the height of the ceiling, but generally speaking it is good to put a frieze under the cornice, and it is useful to have a dado here, and in the staircase following the rake of the handrail. The dado and wall space should be separated by a wooden moulded rail. The dado should be highly varnished, so as to allow of washing and dusting without the risk of soiling. The color of the walls should be pleasantly warm, such as terracotta, or even Pompeian red, the dado in deeper shades of the wall color; soft olive green is also good for staircase walls. Blue, unless it is of the peacock shade, or approaching a grey green, had better be avoided here. The steps of stairs, if of wood, should be stained a deep walnut color, or if they be of stone, they may be painted a deep shade of the dado color, and varnished to allow of cleaning frequently. The hall and staircase walls may be papered—-there are special designs made for the purpose that look very well indeed, having friezes and dadoes specially colored to match. The hall is a good place to hang etchings, autotypes, and engravings, in quiet oak or black moulded frames; and when they form a special feature of the decoration, the walls should be painted a quiet shade, as a florid patterned paper detracts from the value of the pictures. The carpets and portieres should be in strict harmony with the decorator’s work, and should be chosen by him or the architect. I have often seen the whole harmony of coloring in a house destroyed by the unskillful selection of the carpets and hangings. The woodwork should he painted in one or more shades of maroon or other rich brown colors and varnished ; all graining should be avoided. I must confine myself to broad principles as I proceed, as I could multiply varieties of treatment without end. The dining-room should be sombre in tone, the ceiling a vellum color in depth to suit the walls. It may be divided by wood mouldings into geometrical panelling, and these panels filled with Tynecastle tapestry or Anaglypta, the effect of this is as if it were executed in low-relief plaster work. The designs manufactured now are very beautiful. If the ceiling is treated in this manner the walls may also be decorated with the same materials, for there are friezes and wall hangings made of the same stuffs. The paintings and gilding on those surfaces can be as simple or as grand as may be demanded; they are capable of many and varied beautiful treatments. Immediately under the frieze'should be fixed a moulded picture rail; this is much better than a metal rod, as it goes round the entire room as the cornice does; its distance from the cornice will depend upon the height of the walls. The advantages of lowering the picture rail is that it affords greater ease in hanging the pictures, and prevents the unsightly cords being seen to the same extent as when going to the cornice; by shortening the cords, too, pictures hang steadier and the chances of breakage are lessened. This moulding can be colored to be in harmony with the walls and rendered almost invisible, or it may be gilt solid so as to form a marked boundary to the frieze. The coloring of the walls should have reference to the pictures, and should not be too light in tone; experience has discovered that dark reds or old gold color, not unlike rich brown paper or dull tones of green, either cool and grey, or warm and brown, are the best for showing pictures to advantage. I painted the dining-rooms of two of the Royal Academicans in London, J. Pettie’sand McWhirter’s, and in both cases the color selected was a dark grey-green; both artists found the full value of the coloring of their pictures brought out to the fullest extent on this dark background. The Royal Academy Avails are colored a dark Indian red, and so also are the Avails of the British National Gallery. As chairs are placed round the Avails of the dining-room, it is good to put a chair-rail at the height of the chair-backs; this prevents the chairs from breaking the plaster. The dado should be colored in relation to the Avails above, and a good many shades darker; the dark dado takes from the bareness of a large room, and gives a coziness and furnished appearance which does not exist Avhen you can see each piece of furniture clearly defined against the walls. The AvoodAvork should be painted good solid colors of Indian red or walnut shades, or black and resembling ebony. Ido not recommend decorating the panels Avith any kind of natural floAver designs ; thin flat hand-painted ornament in ivory color, resembling but not imitating inlaid-work, is chaste and beautiful. If the Avood is of good quality the panels may be decorated Avith various stains in full and rich designs. I have decorated the saloons of many of the great ocean steamships in this manner. It is best to French polish surfaces decorated in this Avay. As yet I have dealt with the ceilings and walls as covered with embossed materials, either in low or high relief. The ceilings, where dust cannot settle, may safely have tire designs in high relief, but those in low relief are more suited to the walls. The walls themselves may be formed into well proportioned panels, not so small as to interfere with the placing of the furniture or the hanging of the pictures. The panels should be divided by wood mouldings and there should be a style round each treated in flat tints of such a kind as to show the panel coloring to the greatest advantage. The French are partial to this mode of treatment, and I think it a very good one; it gives a rich furnished appearance to the walls. Both ceilings and walls may again be oil-paintecl and decorated in a hundred ways; I have painted many of the finest houses in Scotland in this way, the ceilings being entirely decorated by hand with figures, wreaths and ornamental compositions, the walls also being decorated with the like specially designed and hand-painted ornament. This is the most artistic manner, and no two houses are ever painted in the same way Of course ordinary wall papers may be applied here as everywhere else in the house, and if chosen by an expert, very fine effects may be obtained in this manner. I don’t think there is a wiser way of spending money than in making the home beautiful. Our wives and families spend most of their lives at home, and the enjoyment derived from beautiful surroundings is beyond estimate, besides the refining influence it has on our children. There is no pleasure so constant, so soothing, so lasting and elevating as that afforded by a lovely home; it is the most unselfish pleasure, too, as all our friends may share it. In a room where there is heavy furniture it is good to have a margin of say 30 inches round the floor uncarpeted, so as to allow of the carpet being frequently taken up and shaken. This margin may be painted in some dark shade agreeing with the carpet and dado, or if the floors are new they may be stained to a dark oak or walnut color, and in both cases varnished. AVax varnish is most artistic in effect, but is more liable to soil and takes much more labor to keep in good order, and parquet flooring is better than either of the former, but is more expensive. The drawing-room is the ladies’ special room, and should be bright and cheerful. It is difficult to deal with a subject like color to make you realize effects from mere description, and to describe in detail the many ways I could treat a drawing-room would merely confuse you, 237 THE SOUTHERN ARCHITECT.