Evening Star Newspaper, June 26, 1926, Page 33

GROUP EMBODIES UNUSUAL FEATURES Marietta Park Demonstra- tion Community Built in Italian Style. BY G. Deajgner of RODIER, the Italian Community Model Houses Group The community of model homes in Marietta and Longfellow streets built by Waiter A. Dunigan A most unusual and inte velopment. It was the last uudts 1o get under way, be fng the month of April and the greater v of May. the construction of a trunk sewer line in IMifth street pre vented access to the site, and Mr Dunigan was prevented from deliver ing the building material at the site. Immediately upon the completion of this sewer, however. the builder began operations with un unusually large number of mecha and laborers, and this, together with his foresight in placing his orders for material and resulted A L Ivwill be found, therefore, that while the work has not reached the same ad + vanced s the other projects. there is no doubt that it will be com pleted very soon after they arve fin ished Because of the dedly interesting group Park. Fifth now being has had ing de of the A initinl delay, deci uitra-modern con struction methods have been adopted. Devices ordinarily applicable to very large construciion projects are being used to speed up the work, and vis. ftors should be interesied in noting the rapid progress being made. I example, & most genious device for hoisting br: or and other mate rial, a motor tractor equipped with a | being used. Mortar and concrete are being mixed mechan ilv and tractors are employved for yemoving the earth from the excava- ion. The millwork, so far is practical, is being assembled in the shop before delivery Built in Italian Style. In design these houses are decid- edly different from the ordina in similar_developments. The st chosen is ltalian, not because it w felt to be the most fitting for com- munity groups, but for the purpose of introducing the variety of unusual methods and material to which the style ,so readily lends itself. The plan, fhile more or less conventional has been given much study, so that in detail it reveals many improvements over the standard so-called “box plan. For instance, each house has built into the basement a full single age which will be virt ally fireproof. Instead of the usual approach to a garage located under the house, these are reached by a very moderate incline. In the base. cable drum e ment also is to be found a modern | tollet and the most up-to-date heat- , ing and hot-water apparatus The main floor, which is supported on steel construction, with an ample margin of safety, is divided into living room, dining room, kitchen and glazed breakfast porch. These rooms are pleasantly grouped to give a feeling of spaciousness, which is further car- ried out by the unusually high ceil- ings and the texture effect of the plastered walls. On this floor the woodwork is to be stained to imitate old American walnut and the oak floors are to be finished in a dark color. The stairway leading to fhe second floor is to have an ornamental wrought-iron balustrade, simple in de- | sign and effective in treatment. Large Broom Closet. At the head of the stairway, on the second floor, will be found a closet, ample in size, in which may be stored mops, brooms, the vacuum cleaner and other appliances. This is a fea- ture which will save many steps for the busy housewife and make easier her daily tasks. The master bedroom is located at the front of the house and extends across its full width. Available for use in connection with it are two un- usually large closets, a convenience not frequently found in houses of this size. Adjacent to this room is the bathroom, in which are incorporated several novel and attractive features, among which is a cupboard for bath linen. It is pleasingly finished with colored tile. In the rear on the second floor are two bedrooms, each of which has di- rect access to the sleeping porch—an uncommon arrangement —and, in ad- dition havel 1t the porch is glazed, will open direct- Iy on the outer air. It is generally the case that when w sleeping porch is glassed in, in row houses, that all of the rear windows on that floor are in- closed and direct light and ventilation is thus cut off. 'The upstairs wood- work will be finished in Duco enamel and the walls will be attractively papered. The oak floors will be in their natural color and the electric fixtures through the house will be in complete harmony. Ornamental Work Exceptional The particularly unusual feature: entering into the design of this house are the ornamental, wiought-iron rades, the varicolored roofing nd the ornamental stucco work. latter is being_executed in the studio of Mr. John best-known craftsman in this country for this particular type of work Ne have so many people under & common government advanced so far in educa. tion or in the accumulation of wealth It is probable that the last 50 vears have seen greater economic and i Austrial development than all the pr vious history of mankind. But it is a e, dur- | ¢ type | e windows, which, even | sarley, one of the | THE EVENING i | gregate. however, there has been a i net_gain in noteworthy achievement. | That there is a growing apprecia- | tion for good architecture, however, is | indicated by the tremendous amount | of space given in the daily press to this subject, as evidenced by The Star's better homes property in dis- ussions in civic and social bodies, and particularly in the better class of magazines and other periodicals of especial interest to the women of the country. | ! Education Is Broader. | There has never been a time when travel and education have been So uni- versal as at present. Today educa- tion no longer consists of merely read- ing, writing, arithmetic and a few kindred subjects. It comprehends |real knowledge of music, literature and art and other advanced subjects. Facilities for travel are now so ade- quate that we find journeying to Eu- rope people who ‘before the great war dreamed of but never hoped to make such a trip. Each vear thou sands of people cross the Atlantic merely for the excitenient and nov- elty of i. But no matter how lacking | in taste.a man is, he cannot help ab- | sorbing somethin n appreciation | of architecture, and in fact, of all the jarts. while visiting the centers of Bu ropean culture. But, in their desive to see new flelds, Americans do not confine their pilgrimag, 0ss the seas. The moderate ex pense necessa railroad journey and the the automobile make it y him great area own country little cost either of money or time. Such travel broadens, to some extent at least, even the most undiserimi- | nating. Add to this the effect of the radio and of the motion pleture, both of which are capable of and do bring | to us much of beauty and worth, and | We can hardly fail to conclude’ that | we have reached the point in our na- tional development where we are |ready to appreciate and welcome the | real “better home." of for his of at Three Things Essential. Three essential eonsiderations are included in the answer to “What is a better home?" The problem must be regarded from three points of view and in s solution t e three ele- m?nls must be harmonized, else the soiution {8 not true. The three angles | from which the problem must be :\ll‘\'l'ti are those of the architect, the |engineer and the home owner. The 5!\!‘5‘( viewpoint comprehends the artis. tic t tment, the second, structual practice and and the third, comfort and utility. ¥ To many . and perhaps not unnaturally, the last is the most imn- portant consideration. The reason for this is that it concerns bodily comfort and ease of living. Our civilization has developed and become complex until it has reached a point where we no longer are able, for lack of time, to manage our domestic affairs | as they were managed by former gen- | eration Women have been emanci- | pated socially as well as politically; thelr inte s have become broader and more varied. Business and in- 1 du have become s ized and so intensive that men | give e maintenance and oper of the home the time their | fathers and their fathers gave. Ibecomes 1ncreasingly necessary, there- fore, that the modern home shall | function so as to prbvide a maximum | of comfort with a minimum of effort. The second element of our problem, the building of a home from the viewpoint of the engineer, involves, in itself, three most important consid- erations: safety, durability and econ. lomy. It is not nec 'y to support | the contention that all three are nec- |essary. Every one admits it. | Houses Made to Look at. | The consideration of the problem | from the view point of the architect, llhv purely artistic viewpoint, is evl- {dence of the eternal search for beau- |1y, the desire for which is a part of | the spiritual make-up of every human being. .“.’1":‘ people still retain the old idea thuat houses were made to ive in and not to look at. That be- | lief has been proven rallacious. Early lin the evolution of man this seeking | for artistic expression was manifest. ver in the history of the world | up first knowledge of this longing | comes from the remains of paintings |left by the cave dweller on the walls of his rock cavern. With the beginning of real civili- zation, however, we find a sharp de- cline in home-building. All architec- | tural effort was spent on monumental S to voyages | to cover| highly organ. | the ideal better home, these three tdeas can and must be reconciled. Such a home is one planned to per mit domestic life and the rearing of a family under the most comfort- able and efficient conditions, with a maximum of safety and economy of cost, all in that setting of beaut without which real spiritual prog- ress—-the most important thing in the world—is impossible. How are we to achleve this condition? ideal Good Architect Necessary. The most important factor in planning the better home is the well trained architect. Unfortunately, to the average man, the part he plays is,| a mystery. Of late there has been a tendency of men successful in big architectural work again to devote energy and time to the housing problem. The facil itles available today to the architect for the solution of their structural and mechanical problems are greater than ever before. The Government is actively engaged in research and investigation and in the testing of materials and devices which enter into the successful home. The Ameri «an Institute of Architects also main- | ins a research Wbureau for this' same purpo Manufactur . OF building material and mechanical quipment have been spurred on to | greater efforts by the modern tend. | ency toward efficiency and competi- tion to produce the most efficient and | satisfactory materials. New sani- tary devices, Kitchen equipment, elec- trical appliances, floor and wall cov- erings, paints and other products are appearing on the market every {day. These appliances and materials must be Investigated and their use 50 coordinated that they may be properly applied and utliized so far as cost limitations will permit. And there is no one £o well equipped for this task as the well trained and ex- perienced architect. Selection of Architect Difficult. The selection of an architect fin | | sympathy with his client’s ideas and | with sufficient technical knowledge |and training to produce the desired | result is the real difficulty, Having | made his selection, the prospective | home-bullder, if complete success is | to be assured, should co-operate with | the architect to the fullest extent and {in the confidence that his ideas will be realized. If practical, the archi- | tect should be consulted before the home site is purchased. If properiy | trained, he will be able to point out | the advantages and disadvantages not readily apparent and offer invaluable assistance in reaching a wise decl sion. The site having been chosen, the client_should tell the architect fully and frankly not only what he e pects in the completed house. but in timate details of the family life which | will enable the architect to get a sympathetic view of the probiem and solve it in the proper spirit. In this frame of mind and freed from ail unnecessary restrictions, the archi tect will ultimately produce a much | more satisfactory design than if | handicapped too heavily by the pre- | concetved ideas of his client. client may dasire several features in- corporated in his home, each of them | admirable in themselves, but wholly | 2 G af e & | nal requirements are increased STAR, Left to right upper— Small and designed by built by Morris Cafrit W and_designed by WASHINGTON, 'he Northeast row houses at West Virginia avenue and Queen street, built by C. H er Smith and the Northwest model row structures at Fifth and Decatur streets Lower—The Italian community group at Fifth and ouis Gustement. Longfellow streets, planned by G. L. Rodier and erected by Walter Dunigan, unworkable when combined. The architect will, so far as practicable, reconcile these ideas and make it clear why others are impossible. 1o not of necessity accept sketch presented. It may sary for the designer to produce sev- eral before the solution of the prob- lem is reached. It is an axiom in the architect’'s office that it is readily apparent wnen it is solved. There 1s no doubt about it. Once the plan has been solved, and not until then, comes the time to consider the man ner or style in which it shall be treated. Perhaps the most Important point | to be considered by the home-builder is the cost. Many persons have had the sad experience of seeing their plan grow and expand, not realizing and never having been told that each addition to the original means added cost in direct proportion to increased size and elaborated detail. A ca- pable architect knows, within reason able limits, what a building will cost At the outset the client should teil him frankly the maximum sum can afford to pay. Else, if the orig the ds will be increased in divect ratio. The architect has no magic and can- | not_add one additional room without | adding to the sum to be paid the Tile and slate rvofs require v than do wood builder. a greater initial outla shingles: brick is ma build than frame construction. we cannot put rubber tile on the kitchen floor as cheaply as linoleum, nor can we use linoleum at the lower cost of wood. Mrs. Louisa Sheldon of Blanchester. Ohto, now past 101 yvears of age, has the distinction of being the oldest of The | the five remaining “‘gold star” mothers of Civil War days who are being car- ried on the pension rolls of the Gov ernment. “The Garden 'Spot of Washington” | NDOWED by nature with wooded beauty, which the hand of i aan has not desecrated by destruction and which the protect- ing influences of development guard jealously: the first | be neces- | he | expensive 1o | I\()RTHEA_ST MODEL ROW HOUSES | ATTRACTING MUCH ATTENTION | {Residents Eagerly Inspect Plans for Buildings—Best | Materials Assembled Into a Pleasing Homogeneous Mass. i BY WILMER SMITH. Architect for the Northeast Mode! Houses. Row Since the model homes demonst tion, sponsored by The Evening Star, { to proniote better design and to give the public a practical demonstration | of good construction, the whole city | has been keenly interested in the prog- ress of the work. They eagerly sought the first published pictures and the arc drawings, anxious to see | Just what the butlders proposed & | up, and they have watched with in | est the construction of the houses | from the time the excavation was | started until the last nail was driven | and the paint and paper applied. ! Those who have watched the erec- | tion of the row of seven houses on West Virginia avenue at Queen street | northeast by C. i1. Small & Co. have | seen materials, the very best obtain lable of their respective kinds, assem- | bled into a homogeneous mass pleas ing to the eye and as durable as it s | possible to build. Colonial Architecture. These house: appropriately de signed in the American colonial style of architecture of red brick with white trim and green shutters, are set up on a terrace with a brick retaining wall around the entire group, adding R assuredly. s RS (X much to the dignity and privacy of the homes. The garages, facing the streets, of the same brick as the houses, will be tied to the group with white lattice fences, while the front porches will be terminated with convenlent and us benches and lattice partitions. The interfors have been carefully ar- ranged to provide comfortable homes, several different plans being used to give latitude to individual taste. Built-in breakfast tables and henches are used in all kitchens, and the end houses have built-in bookshelves in the living rooms. All rooms are large and well lighted and the bedrooms are provided with ample closets No home, regardiess of price, could be constructed with greater care or of better products. are of solid concrete made extra wide to insure against any settlement of the brick walls. Face brick of a much better and more expensive grade than is usually found in houses of this type is carried around three sides of the group and across the rear of the end houses, so that when the garages are finished there will be no ugly back The foundations | MODEL HOM wall showing. They are laid up in Flemish bond, a method of construct- ing the walls extensively used in the colonial types of this style of archi- tecture, Real Slate Roofs. Real slate has been used | roofs, | of the houses | Inside equal care was taken to | guarantee rigidity and permanence Steel beams and columns support all | main floors, and the partitions carry- |ing the load of the second floor rest directly on them an excellent grade of well seasoned | vellow pine and have been so installed 4% 10 minimize shrinkage. and joints between®walls and ceilings are covered with metal lath to prevent cracks in the plaster. The same quality prevails in the | finish. Oak floors are used through- { out the first floor and the bedrooms | are covered with edge-grain Ala- {bama pine, so that there will be no { splintering and slivering floors. The | trim is all soft wood which | paint well and does not twist out of | place. All doors are stained mahog- |any and varnished, which is much |less perishable than a light-colored | paint would be. on the 2 Bathrooms Well Arranged. Bathrooms are neat, sanitary and well arranged, each having a built-in enameled tub with shower over, and the walls being wainsgoted to full | height with white vitrious tile. Metal | medicine cabinets are provided in | each house. In the final touches. every effort | was made to get harmonious effects | and to preserve the colonial atmos- phere of the exteriors. Wallpapers were selected to carry out the color | schemes and care was taken to elim- inate any appearance of gaudiness. Walter A. Dunigan W.C.& A.N. Miller “As lon, TILE your which also enhances the beauty | The timbers are of | takes | How Long Look Pretty? s the houses stand,” answer the builders—you can oors and walls and know that they will stay fine. “Nothing in the house is more permanent.” S SECTION MODEL HOMES SITES CAREFULLY SELECTED Thirty Locations Considered by Committee Before It Chose Nine That Were Used. The nine sites upon which have been constructed the model homes sponsored by The Star were chosen after ‘the supervisory committee had carefully weighed the adv: s of 30 locations that were submitted The committee which chose the sites was composed of former Assist- ant Engineer Commissioner Maj. R mond A. Wheeler, Rufus S Lusk secretary of the Operative Buflders’ Association of the District of Colum- bia, and Horace W. Peaslee of the local chapter of the American Insti. w of Architects. | The committee took more than a ‘wwk in considering the various sites. A tour of inspection to 1 the loca tione was made. and a considerable " iber of meetings were necessary to arrive at the final conclusions. Practic 11l of the sites submitted | were excellent and t choice had to be Hmited to nine the committes was faced with a difficult task | Many factors were taken into con. sideration. Accessibility. th desira- ! bility of the site submitted b the | builder in reference to the type of | dwelling to be erected on ir, the loca- | tion of the various types in conform ity with the 2 develop- | ments. the er s of dwell- ing in m that would rerve to | interest the most persons, the location of the model homes in all sections of the eity and all that difficult problem-—zoning. In no c was there any attempt to make hoice becausa of the su- periority of ona bullder over another, but ev effort w made to choose the sites offered b | ers in reference to for the demonstration. Car Lines Near Model Homes All of the nine projects in the hetter homes demonstration sponse The Star are located near ce |car line or automobile routes. They {have been so located that persons in | every part of District will be | within easy req ; sera Those in Mar also anopport model home. All angles | Lighting fixtures are all well de- | slgned silver colonial patterns, and {will give ample illumination for all | purposes. idewalks are already in and the et is paved to within a block. Zuch of the other elght projects just illy planned and con | strucied. From the most expensive | detached house down to the cheap- est row house the same infinite care has been taken to provide a home that is well designed, well built, com- fortable, convenient and a credit to the nelghborhood, so any one visit- | ing any one or all of the mode | houses may easily see that the ut- | most has been done to make them the | best pos C. H. Small Will They Marble — Mosaic — Terrazzo Tiling — Ceramic — Fireplaces UNITED STATES TILE AND MARBLE COMPANY, INC. 1553 PSth Stresfits N.W. otomac To the management and men of The Evening Star we express our gratitude for a civic prescience and idealism that prompted them to sponsor and carry to successful conclusion these won- derful examples of “Home, Sweet Home.” It is only by such practical efforts—involving thought, time and endless care and personal attention—that we may hope to retain and maintain a “Beautiful Washington” that is more than a hollow name, Txample is more potent than precept, and by wise choice of design and location, combined with thorough- ness of construction and completeness in necessary equipment, these homes will stand as beacons of light to those in search of a place to call “Home.” The results are constructively fine and highly commendable. > S e common bellef among members of the | work, beautiful temples, elaborate architectural profession that domestic'| public bulldings and gorgeous me- arctitecture has not kept pace with|morials to emperors and kings. Even the other arts and with industry, par- | during the dark ages when civiliza- ticularly the latter, in their progress.| tion was at its lowest ebb we find while industry has moved steadily for- | the marvelous Gothic style developed ward during the last half century,|by those who would glorify religion architecture has made gains and suf-|and the church. fered losses alternately. In the ag- If we are to achieve the ultimate, GO & e We extend our compliments to the architects, builders, bank- ers, electrical contractors, painters, decorators, plumbe steam and gas appliance men, heating engineers, workers in wood and stone and all allied industries who have contributed their best in making these homes worthy of the title “Model Home.” R RIS LS We ask the public, when viewing these exemplars of nicety and completeness, to kindly note the essential part that electricity has played in the formation of the quality of a pleasant HOME. ‘What would these homes be without electticity? Ponder on that! : Please note the number and locationrof therConvenience Out- lets that each room is supplied with to make the lighting and general electrical comfort more easy of connection and more impressive in effect. Count them—they are worthy of emulation. Today—the true sign manual of home.comfort lies in the number and location of convenience outlets for electricity, for by these: magic loadstones drudgery in home work is banished and women’s time is put to uses that in reality make the home “Sweet.” POTOMAC ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY “Matchless Service” . 5% 1) 2._. S Model Home 44th Place and Hawthorne St. N.W. Sponsored by Evenirig Star % 2% Y R o0 %Y $L; Despite the fact it is not completed, you are cordially invited to visit this Georgian Home, done in the style of the Annapolis ‘colonial houses "of brick. e} N ) —— {) Motor out Massachusetts Avenue, across Wisconsin Avenue into Cathedral—or take Wesley Heights Bus at 20th and P Streets. R 3TN % 33?