DOI issue:
Nr. 336 (May 1925)
DOI article:Pennington, Jo: Georgian houses in New York
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19985#0103
mceRnAcionAL
only changes they made in their designs were those argument. The brownstones are nearly always
changes demanded by the difference in materials much higher than the Georgian houses—they were
used here from those used in England. The feeling usually four or five stories high—and had much
seems to be that George Washington should have higher stoops, with tall windows and doors,
summoned the architects of the late eighteenth Looked at from the street, their excessive verti-
century to a conference and said: "This is a new cality gives their facades the appearance of sloping
country, and we must have a new architecture;" backwards. And that very selection of more inter-
and after glaring at them fiercely, have allowed esting materials and the use of pleasing ornament,
them until the following Tuesday to evolve new which this gentleman treats so lightly, is of the
designs for home build- greatest importance in
ing. These critics for- - j 1 tIle cIesiSn of bouses
get that most archi- HP that are to stand in
tectural styles have r°ws- ^ But compare
necessary by ^-f^ || ^u'r^
ery was another local ' ' J^^^ ing so little that on^
peculiarity; light cast- I ■■ " 1_'.__-I wonders how their in-
iron tracings in deli- doorway at 112 waverly place habitants can be sure
cate patterns on the of entering their own
glass used for sidelights and door trim. This type doors on dark nights; and built of stone of a
of ornament is related to the fan-lights found in repulsive color. Then you may judge how great
New England houses. The detail sketch of part were the possibilities for a beautiful city which the
of a doorway shows this tracery; and it may also brownstones completely missed,
be seen in the illustration showing the entrance The Gothic and Greek revivals in England,
to a house on Waverly Place, this latter one of the that followed the Georgian period, made them-
fmest Georgian doorways in New York. selves felt on this side of the ocean chiefly in minor
In searching for an old doorway to be used in modifications of design. During the later Renais-
the house of a client, a New York architect found sance English architects had, as we have pointed
that in fifty doorways examined and measured, out, used Italian models in free adaptations, not
there were onlv three distinct types. This dis- in a spirit of imitation. But the passionate enthu-
covery, together with the analysis of other details, siasm for Greek art that followed the discovery of
led him to the conclusion that these old houses the Elgin marbles led to a deliberate and accurate
were monotonous in design and architecturally no copying of Greek forms, as if to modify were to
better than the brownstone fronts that followed profane them. But by the time this influence
them. He assures us that we think they are more reached us its heat had cooled a little and it was
beautiful only because they were made of more used merely as another interesting source of detail,
interesting materials and their ornamentation was One curious bit of architecture, however, shows
more pleasing. It is hard to agree with such an that the neo-Greek movement had a few dogmatic
MAY 1925
one hundred three
only changes they made in their designs were those argument. The brownstones are nearly always
changes demanded by the difference in materials much higher than the Georgian houses—they were
used here from those used in England. The feeling usually four or five stories high—and had much
seems to be that George Washington should have higher stoops, with tall windows and doors,
summoned the architects of the late eighteenth Looked at from the street, their excessive verti-
century to a conference and said: "This is a new cality gives their facades the appearance of sloping
country, and we must have a new architecture;" backwards. And that very selection of more inter-
and after glaring at them fiercely, have allowed esting materials and the use of pleasing ornament,
them until the following Tuesday to evolve new which this gentleman treats so lightly, is of the
designs for home build- greatest importance in
ing. These critics for- - j 1 tIle cIesiSn of bouses
get that most archi- HP that are to stand in
tectural styles have r°ws- ^ But compare
necessary by ^-f^ || ^u'r^
ery was another local ' ' J^^^ ing so little that on^
peculiarity; light cast- I ■■ " 1_'.__-I wonders how their in-
iron tracings in deli- doorway at 112 waverly place habitants can be sure
cate patterns on the of entering their own
glass used for sidelights and door trim. This type doors on dark nights; and built of stone of a
of ornament is related to the fan-lights found in repulsive color. Then you may judge how great
New England houses. The detail sketch of part were the possibilities for a beautiful city which the
of a doorway shows this tracery; and it may also brownstones completely missed,
be seen in the illustration showing the entrance The Gothic and Greek revivals in England,
to a house on Waverly Place, this latter one of the that followed the Georgian period, made them-
fmest Georgian doorways in New York. selves felt on this side of the ocean chiefly in minor
In searching for an old doorway to be used in modifications of design. During the later Renais-
the house of a client, a New York architect found sance English architects had, as we have pointed
that in fifty doorways examined and measured, out, used Italian models in free adaptations, not
there were onlv three distinct types. This dis- in a spirit of imitation. But the passionate enthu-
covery, together with the analysis of other details, siasm for Greek art that followed the discovery of
led him to the conclusion that these old houses the Elgin marbles led to a deliberate and accurate
were monotonous in design and architecturally no copying of Greek forms, as if to modify were to
better than the brownstone fronts that followed profane them. But by the time this influence
them. He assures us that we think they are more reached us its heat had cooled a little and it was
beautiful only because they were made of more used merely as another interesting source of detail,
interesting materials and their ornamentation was One curious bit of architecture, however, shows
more pleasing. It is hard to agree with such an that the neo-Greek movement had a few dogmatic
MAY 1925
one hundred three