Evening Star Newspaper, June 26, 1926, Page 36

g o | FASCINATION FOUND -IN HOME BUILDING Permanent Joy Gained in Sense of Ownership, Says Model House Architect. BY DELOS H. SMITH. Architect for the Georgian Detached Model Home in Wesley Heights. Nothing fascinates the average per- son more than the project of home Dbuildin It brings with it the de- light of omplishment, and leaves « permanent joy in the sense of own- hip. There is also the feeling of security as a stimulus for achiev ment, and nothing that the family can do is of more value as an inves! ment. Such are the rewards of the home owner. The Evening Star, feeling the need at the present time for emphasis of these points, determined upon the present demonstration as being a contribution that it could make of real benefit to the community. The big task was undertaken and it was realized from the first to be deserving of most seriods consideration. Briefly stated, the conception was to elevate and inform local house building stand- rds, and the purpose simply in each class was to do the very best house that could be done. uch a program naturally put each hitect and builder on his mettle. nd the results even where they fall short of the ideal are expressive of the wholehearted efforts of, and best sort of co-operation between, all parties concerned, for all have been actuated by the spirit of the demon- stration and the hope that it may not fall short of its mark. Traditional American Design. In the house planned for Wesley Helghts, of which the writer is archi- tect and W. C. and A. N. Miller builders, the suburban house of tra- ditional American design was called for. That is, the sort of house that might have been seen in the eighteenth century in any section where brick was available. This type is more or less familiar to any of our readers who have been to Annapolis or far- ther afield to Newcastle, Del, or Portsmouth, N. or Charleston, « Not that the detalls are the same .in the widely separated localities, but that in general certain basic detalls were followed. These had to do with the kind of brick, which were gen- erally plain red sand finish, with small joints, and the openings spanned with brick arches and the type of win- dow and door frame, which was gen- erally simple and unornamented, save perhaps at the front door. The lines the roofs were generally steep, and the dormer windows small and grace- ful. Wherever ground was available these houses are found to have spread- ing lines and to give an effect that is long and low rather than lofty. The surroundings, shade and garden treat- ment of the Colonial houses are like- swise kept in mind as an essential of ‘the problem. The architect and builders, in at- “tempting to apply these considerations to the house, now completed at the corner of Forty-fourth and Hawthorne streets in Wesley Heights, proceeded, with the aid of The Star officials and the advisory committee, to develop isketches of the floor plan and general exterior treatment, including that of the garden. Modern needs and costs were balanced against the treatmeht “that an antiquarian might have de- “sired and the architect’s committee .was most helpful and generous in its erit 4 i . Public Demands Considered. Public demands as evidenced in other projects were considered, and <the resultant scheme was that of a :main house about 40 feet wide facing ithe street to the north and with the «garden terraced to the south. At “either end a low one-story wing was . planned, the one to the west being +for servants, with garage in the base- Zment, and the other to the east de- -signed for a liv porch. : Those who have indulged in the endeavor of planning a house will realize that one of the first con- ditions met is that the second floor is, or seems to be, of greater required than_ the first floor. This is be- wc3 of the modern needs for accom- modation in bedrooms, baths, closets and stairs. In the present case it was determined to have three bedrooms on the second floor and to have ample .windows at the ends, giving two ex- posures ch room. o In describing the plan briefly, let Zus suppose that we enter from the street with a vista through to the zarden at the south. On the left is a wide opening to the living room, _which has a fireplace midway of the long side with brick facing and white -Colonial mantel. To the left of this is “wall space for bookcases and piano, and to the right a door to the porch beyond. Ample South Exposure. At each end of the room are two windows, and in the west wall op- posite the porch door is a wide open- ing which gives into the dining room, Here we have ample exposure to the south aid an octagonal effect giving a corner ‘china closet, and beyond this on the way to the kitchen a breakfast alcove. Through the pantry we enter a modern kitchen. .. It has been the endeavor to conduce in every way to the best standards of housekeeping. Access has been pro- vided here to the basement, and also for greater convenience a servant's room and bath have been placed in the wing immediately adjacent to the kitchen porch. In addition to the cenveniences provided in the kitchen, extra storage space may be found in the basement, together with laundr: furnace room and the usual appu: :tenances thereto. It may be noted here that the slope ‘of the ground has made it possible “to have the house set low with refer- ence to the street and yet to allow on the southern side, where the ground is Jower, ample light and air to the basement. Returning to the main entrance hall one finds on the right a curvingy stalr which winds up to the second floor hall. The fi the owner's bedroom, which is be- lieved to be large even for modern sstandards. two closet: and west, The windows face south it being believed that the prevailing breezes in Summer como ||| frum these quarters. Provision for Comfort. ‘The southeast room adjoining is a bit gmaller, but here, as in all the rooms in the house, provision has been made by careful study for com- fortable furnishing in accordance with good standards of living. The smallest room even is comfortable, and another bathroow serves thes: two rooms convenientl Upstai -under the sloping roof is a large, airy finished attic, which may be subdi-' vided, if so desired in the future, to accommodate two more rooms and another bath. Somewhat extensive space has been devoted to description of the arrange- ment of the house because it is felt that these requirements and accommo- -dations are typical of those of a great :many homebuilders of the present ‘day. There are many innovations which have been the result of study, ‘with a view to modern standards of || comfort and convenience. integrity - of the . The structural ouse has been ngle; the spread concrete founda- tions are on firm soil well below the frost Nne, the brick stantial, the-exterior- st door leads into || This has private bath and || studied from every || MODEL HOMES SECTION, ™™™ able, and the gutters and downspouts are of a durable copper, while the sloping roof is covered with selected quarry perfect green slate. The framing of the floors and partitions has been carefully done to insure a minimum of shrinkage and warping, evils which often creep into an in- ferior house, with resultant cracks and dilapidation. Many readers have inspected the house "during construction and will This group studied all plans drawn for the model homes demonstration. Upper, left to right: Horace W. Peas- lee, chairman; Albert L. Harris, mu- nicipal architect. Cenger, left to right: F. V. Murphy, J. H. d& Sibour. Lower: Nathan C. Wyeth. bear witness to the care which has been exercised to insure good results. In previous issues The Star has de- scribed the different departments of the work in detail. As to furnishings and accessories for convenience, it is believed that the house is well up to the best modern standard. This ap- plies to the heating and plumbing systems as well as to electrical and mechanical equipment. It is hoped that at the time of opening of the heuse for public in- spection there will be ample and ex- tended visit and criticism, upon which will depend the success or failure of this house. Bigger than this house or any one house is the general problem of the home builder in America today. And' especially in Washington, the Nation's capital, is the need insistent for co-operation toward the construc- tion of houses that will bear the test of time. STAR’S HOME DEMONSTRATION PRAISED AS AIDING CAPITAL Beauty of Washington, Often Marred by Architec- tural Monstrosities, Being Increased by Model Houses. BY A. E. SEYMOUR, Secretary, Washington Chamber of Commerce. As secretary of the Washington Chamber of Commerce, as well as an individual citizen of Washington, I have been greatly interested in the project fostered and carried on by The Star for better homes. The chamber has constantly endeavored to bring to the attention of the people of this country the many advantages and attractions of the National Cap- ital. We have consistently urged its claims as a convention city, stress- Ing the multitude of interesting things to be seen here which no other city has. We have constantly called at- tention to its advantages as an edu- cational center. We now have in preparation a booklet upon this sub- ject which will show that our city possesses educational opportunities to be found nowhere else. ‘We have conducted two successful industrial expositions, demonstrating clearly that Washington does manu- facture and produce many things not generally known, and also that its in- dustrial life is a necessary and im- portant factor in its continued growth and development. Homes Important Asset. But there is another asset which Washington possesses that we have endeavored to emphasize, which, in our opinion, is more important than any other, but which has never been accorded the prominence it deserves, and that is its desirability as a resi- dential city. Real estate operators and builders have for some time recognized that thelr greatest opportunity lies in the development of Washington as a. city of homes. No better demonstration of this is needed than the figures we get from the office of the building in- spector. For several years Washing- ton has enjoyed a building boom of unusual proportions. Between Jan- uary 1, 1922, and June 1, 1926, the total amount of bullding permits for the District of Columbia reach the enormous total of $238,404,423. Leav- ing out of consideration the figures for 1922, for which we do not have the statement in detail, the amount from January 1, 1923, to June 1, 1926, 1s $189,403,009. Of this amount $133,- 855,481, or 70.7 per cent, is for new construction of dwellings, apartments and hotels. But there is one feature connected not only with the hoom in residential but in business building to which far too little consideration has been given. This is the question of the architec- ture or style of the buildings which are being erected. We have had al- together too much of what we would term haphazard building. If some one wishes to build a house it is con- structed according to his own ideas, with little regard to the style of con- struction in the neighborhood or the. needs of the particular locality. It has been a case of “‘each man for himself and the devil take the hindmost.” Then there is another species of dis- Will and durability. Pot. Colorful Roofs “We are roofing over half The Star’s Model Homes. They will be covered with materials in perfect harmony both in tex- ture and color with the fine design so skill- fully executed by our craftsmen. We are proud to offer you a distinctive service founded on forty years’ experience in designing and applying roofs of beauty Roofs to Last William H. Marriott Slate and Tile Roofer 2909 O Street Northwest 4197 Have Georgian detached house at Wesley Heights, désigned by Delos Smith and bullt by W. C. and A. N. Miller. v figurement so far as building is con- cerned which is even worse from the standpoint either of architecture or beauty. This is found on ngany of the residential blocks of the city, where a one-story building is bullt out in front of the residences, extending even to the sidewalk, and intended for com- mercial purposes. A single bullding of this kind spolls the entire block. And it is becoming increasingly evi- dent that this class of building is do- ing more harm from the idea of archi- tecture or beauty than anything else, because in many cases such buildings remain unoccupled for months, with the result that many blocks are neither residential nor commercial. Some one has well said that no city is permanent until it has been built three times. Washington for the most part is in the second period of con- struction. Because of thesa conditions the “better homes” project of The Star deserves the commendation and sup- port of every one who has at heart the well-being of Washington. To teach the home builder to construct the right kind of a home in each par- ticular locality is a well worth-while Job. To indicate the class of home to fit the locality and the pocketbook of the owner is equally worth while, Most Beautiful City. ‘Washington carries the claim of be- ing the most beautiful city in the country. Its natural advantages are unsurpassed. It has many public and semi-public buildings of surpassing beauty. It has homes which need not fear comparison with any in the land. But to make its claim complete and beyond contradiction it must carry the idea of beauty of architecture and construction to all localities and to all classes of homes. Finally, without ceasing to press the claims of Washington as a con- vention city, while urging its ad- vantages from an educational stand- point, while stressing its desirability as the city beautiful, we should, above all, urge its appeal as the home city. ‘We repeat that we have not suffl- clently emphasized the claims of ‘Washington as a residential city. The people of this country in rapidly in- creasing numbers are coming to MODEL HOMES SECTION. = OPERATIVE BUILDERS’ PRESIDEN PRAISES HOME DEMONSTRATION Declares Association Welcomed Star’s Move—Com. pares House Constructed Year Ago With Conveniences of Modern Type. BY RUFUS S. LUSK. President. The Operative Builders' A tion of the District of Columbi ‘The Operative Builders’ Assoclation, from the very first, welcomed the Ev ning Star's model home demonstra- tion enthusiastically. As bullders we knew that it would not only create much interestinhomeowning but also | would encourage the building of better and more artistic homes. There has been a marked Improve- ment in home construction during the last 50 years. People are apt to say that “they don’t build houses like they used to.” That's the truth. If a builder erected homes today such as were built during President Grant's administration he would soon be in the poorhouse. One need not be very old to remem- ber the bathroom that instead of be- ing built in the house was hung on the back @s a sort of afterthought. How one could shiver in its frigid atmos- phere! Bathing in those days was an ordeal and indulged in as little as pos- sible, Compare those dingy old holes with the modern gleaming white- tiled, sunlit, well heated bathrooms, with its enameled tub, built-in fixtures, realize that this is a most desirable place in which to live. Our final appeal, therefore, is to the home seeker. Washington, the city of homes, the ideal home cff ‘Those who are interested in legislation will come to the Nation's Ci ‘The mem- bers of the great national business and fraternal organizations will come to Washington, the convention eity Natlonal organizations will establish themselves in Washington, the home of American business. Those seek- ing educational advantages and op- portunities not offered elsewhere will come to Washington, the great educa- tional center. But, ip the final analysis, those who skek an ideal home life in the real American sense must come to realize that nowhere can it so truly be found as in Wash- ington, the heart of the Nation. and one can well say that “they don't} build houses like they used to.” ! ‘There has been a constant improve. ment in the planning of modernf} homes. There is no such thing as dark, king stairc ank, ement, or cut-up, im- practicable rooms in your modern{fl home built by an operative builder.fif Every effort has been made to mak the home light and airy, and above allf a practical institution in which to livel at a moderate cost with ease and com| fort. In place of the ashy latrobe there | now a hotwater heating system; the old coal range has been replaced with aj trim gas stov the automatic gas| heater in the basement insures hot water at all times; oak floors, shellacked| and waxed, have taken the place ¢ splintering pine boards; indeed these are but a few of the hundreds of bet terments that operative builders place In the homes they offer for sale. All of the homes that have been erected in The Evening Star's demon- stration have been built by operative bullders, men who have devoted their lives to the providing of housing gr-| commodations for the people of \\’mh—\ ington. These homes are excellent ex-| amples of planning, construction and design, and of the co-operation of the operative builder and the achitect ‘The Operative Builders’ Association, which numbers among its membe most of the better builders in Wash- ington, is doing all in its power to en- courage more artistic and pleasing de- sign of homes. The Star’s demonstra. tion will do much to encourage the bullding of more attractive houses, and 1f it will do this one thing, it will have peen well worth while, Preserve Woodwork. The woodwork, floor and furniture should be protected by a finish in bright colors not marred by dirt or scratches, Enduring finish on the furniture will appeal to every woman because of the sanitary feature and the ease of cleaning. Welsbach WATER HEATERS The Star Model Homes of these well- known builders start out in life with a legacy of comfort and convenience. Here hot water will always be available at all faucets at all times. For each home is equipped with a Welsbach Automatic Storage Gas Water Heater. The Welsbach is the modern means of obtaining the household necessity —hot water. It needs no attention. It never forgets. And it never allows the gas to burn unnecessarily. Water is heated and stored in a thoroughly insulated tank—ready at all faucets at all hours. When any hot water is drawn the Welsbach replaces it automatically. No inconvenience is as irritating as the lack of adequate hot water. Bring your home up to date and increase its value and livability by installing a Welsbach. There is no need of waiting. Enjoy its comforts now. Convenient terms for purchase and installation can easily be arranged. WELSBACH COMPANY 439 Seventh Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. Q 026?. Selected for 21 of the STAR MODEL HOMES