Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/762

620 The Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal. [April, DESCRIPTIONS. IRON STORE-FRONTS. By Wm. J. Fryer, Jr.* IN the city of New York, there are a greater number of entire cast-iron building fronts, in process of erection, than ever before, at any one period of time. Iron, indeed, has meritoriously secured for itself an almost universal adoption, in this country, for the first story fronts of stores, on account of its durability, strength combined with lightness, and l'eady renovation. But its use for complete fronts, for a num- ber of years immediately past, has, in comparison with marble and freestone, been small. When, some twenty 3'ears ago, iron fronts were introduced, as a novelty, their low price secured a large adoption. But, incorporated with these early attempts were defects which, in due time, secured a general dislike to them. The introducing manufacturers, and architects in iron, acting on the self-evident proposition, that a multi- plicity of ornament and decoration could be executed in iron at an ex- pense not to be named in comparison with that of stone, literally covered their fronts with useless filagree work. Every column must be fluted, or of some intricate pattern, every mould- ing enriched. Wherever a square foot of plain surface revealed itself — that was deemed a legitimate place for elabora- tion. The carvings high up in the air, on the fifth story, were the same as those low down on the first, no bolder, and in every case too flat and fine. In- stead of seeking for beautiful outlines and proportions, and appropriately em- bellished, special features, to contrast with other portions of the edifice, pur- posely left plain and unpretending, with iron-workers, ornateness was made the governing idea; and all elaboration, such as architects previously might have dreamed of, but did not dare represent in their plans, produced, with twistings and contortions of outline and crowding in of small columns and pilasters and diminutive friezes and cornices, overlay- ing everything with so-called ornament, and planting on miles of reiterated and unmeaning rope mouldings, all this, was presented as embodying the beautiful, and as a thing which would greatly elevate the public taste. The public were taken by storm. "Why," an iron constructor would say, to a party about to build, " I can fur- nish you such a front in iron for so many thousand dollars : the same front, in stone, will cost so many thousand dollars. See what avast saving !" This, together with the enumeration of the fire-proof and other good qualities of iron, were conclusive arguments, to a man who had made his money in fish, or oil, or cotton ; and secured an order for a cast-iron front. Immediately after the introduction, the making of iron fronts rose into a business of magni- tude and profit. But the pretensions and vulgarity of these over-ornamented fronts, in due time, brought them into well-merited contempt, and sealed their condemnation by every person who had any knowledge at all of what is truthful and comely in architecture. The fault of these fronts was not in the material emploj'ed, but in the false treatment. For building purposes, cast- iron possesses unequalled advantages of strength, durability, economy and adaptability to ornament and decora- tion. In resisting any kind of strain, it is vastly superior to granite, marble, freestone, or brick. Practical^, cast-
 * With Messrs. James L. Jackson & Brother, East Twenty-eighth street, New York.