Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/23

 1868.] The Gazette. 9 If we turn to the South, we find traces of a semi-barbaric transition. The ideas of room, corresponding to clannish pro- 'fusion and display, always abounded. If the stairways were wide enough for a coach and horses to ascend, with plenty of space towards the walls, the kitchen fire-place was large enough to contain the whole family seated around the fire. The desire of surpassing, if not of excelling, has always predominated in the South; and this led to gradual improvement in home comforts and enhancement of taste, which were just beginning to ripen their fruit when checked by the war. Southerners have been known to travel from one thousand to fifteen hundred miles to see a hand- some new house. The next thing was to outdo it, at whatever expense, and in this they generally succeeded. As for ourselves at home, through much delay, and many rude checks, we are gradually attaining taste, beauty, and variety ; and this reflection should encourage us to persevere, until all ob- tain comfort, and all know the canons of art. THE GAZETTE. UNDER this heading we design pre- senting a short abstract of the im- portant new buildings, and their styles, designed, and being constructed, by the various members of the profession, throughout the country. The only cost to them will be the time taken by each in briefly describing his own operations. We sent circulars around to the archi- tects of Philadelphia, simply to start this epitome in our first number ; but probably allowed too short notice. At any. rate no memoranda have been sent in. We hope the architects of the United States will enter genially into this project. If what they furnish would tend ultimately to give us official standing, they themselves should cer- tainly experience corresponding benefit. We trust, therefore, that August will find The Gazette something more than a name. DESCRIPTIONS, Elevation for a Store in the Palladian Style DESIGN for a store-front of 33 feet in width, four stories high, with Mansard roof, which adds an additional story. Whenever the latter is desirable it can readily be obtained by the intro- duction of the French roof, now preva- lent in almost every section of our country. By this method space is ob- tained, without elevating the structure beyond its proportional limits ; necessa- rily the case when the building is carried up an}^ farther vertically for that pur- pose — thus not alone marring the effect of the building, but adding materially to the expense of construction. This does not apply merely to the difference be- tween the cost of these two upper stories. The main cost lies in the additions of substance needed for strength, from the foundation upwards, to support this ad- ditional story, which extra bulk is not needed in the case of the Mansard roof. There are other advantages gained from the use of the Mansard. In our cities, where the streets are narrow, the sloping roofs begin to spread gradu- ally, conferring greater width or open space for that diffusion of light and air, so essential to the health and comfort of the vicinage. This, of course, only applies to the cities ; in the suburban districts, and in the country, it is of little or no consequence, although, in some cases, the introduction arises in pursuance of economy, and in others because it is fashionable. In the former