Evening star. [volume], March 16, 1951, Page A-22, Image 22

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Modern Home’s Space
Priced Out of Market,
Architects Here Told
Pietro Belluschi, one of the coun
try’s foremost contemporary ar
chitects, believes high construc
tion costs are preventing the ar
chitectural profession from making
its proper Contribution to modern
society.
Addressing a meeting of the
Washington Chapter, American
Institute of Architects, in the Ho
tel Statler last night, Mr. Belluschi
said:
“The cost of houses has risen
beyond our ability to purchase
them, unless the parts are reduced
to the irreducible minimum.
“We have rediscovered the func
tion of space, only to find that
it is impossible to provide space.
It is the creation of snace that
makes a house modern, but space
has become too expensive a com
modity for us to create.”
Box-Like Budgets.
The Italian - bom, Portland
(Oreg.) architect who is a mem
ber of the District Fine Arts Com
mission and dean of the School of
Architect and Planning of the
Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology, said the American people
have reached a stage of develop
ment that entitles them to expect
“gracious and imaginative” archi
tecture.
Instead, he said, they are
forced by high costs to accept
“box-like structures.”
“High prices are not only short
changing today's family of the
Volume of space which families a
generation and more ago obtained
as a matter of course, but are
preventing architects from reach
ing their full creative powers,” he
said.
Attitude of Mind.
As for the so-called modern ar
chitecture. Mr. Belluschi said he
believes too many architects are
“employing the cheap cliche out
of the pseudo-modern book.” and
added:
“We claim simplicity is a great
virtue, but should not confuse sim
plicity with a poverty of inven
tion. Modern architecture is not
a style but an attitude of mind.”
In reply to a question, he said
he believes there are “extenuating
circumstances” for the existence
of the Fine Arts Commission.
“A community such as Wash
ington probably needs to assume
a certain amount of responsibility
to see that very bad things are
not built,” he said. He added,
however, he thought it “wrong in
principle” for any small group of
men to be required “to pass on
things architects do and to have
the right to veto their work.”
Branch Elam presided at the
meeting.
Auto Case Defendant
And Witness Held
A defendant and his main wit
ness were ordered held for the
grand jury by District Court Judge
Alexander Holtzoff yesterday in
connection with perjury charges.
The action came during the
trial of Milton R. Lewis, 32,
colored, of the 1200 block of
Eleventh street N.W., on a charge
of unauthorized use of an auto
mobile.
Lewis’ principal witness was
Luther Willis, colored, of the 800
block of Third street S.W. Willis
had testified he had heard the
owner of the car tell Lewis who
runs a garage, to pick up the
automobile for repairs.
The jury had begun to delib
erate, when evidence was un
covered by the prosecution that
Willis was in jail at the time for
drunkenness. The case was re
opened and the jury called back.
Furnished with the new evi
dence, the jury quickly found
Lewis guilty of the unauthorized
use charge.
Willis is being held for alleged
perjury and Lewis is to be in
vestigated on the accusation that
he induced the witness to lie. The
two men met for the first time in
Jail, it was said.
Assistant United States At
torney Thomas A Wadden pro
secuted Lewis on the unauthorized
use charge and helped uncover
evidence that Willis was in jail at
the time of the offense.
U. S. Forest Area Large
deen, Md.
The forest area of the United
States, exclusive of Alaska, is
larger than the combined area of
France, Germany, Norway, Italy,
Sweden, Belgium and the Nether
lands.
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Man Who Escaped Chair Now Faces Long Term for Slaying
A man who stood in the shadow
of the electric chair for four years
today faces a long prison term
instead.
The defendant. Baxter Griffin,
43, colored, of the 1800 block of
Eighth street N.W., pleaded guilty
yesterday in District Court to
second-degree murder in connec
tion with the shooting of Lee
Hunter, 30, also colored, in the j
victim's home in the 1700 block
of Ninth street N.W., in February,
1947.
Griffiin had been convicted of1
first-degree murder in March,
1947.
The United States Court of Ap
peals at first confirmed the con
viotion and the case went to
Supreme Court. That tribunal
sent the case back to the Court
of Appeals. Finally, last year the
appellate court reversed Griffin’s
conviction and ordered a new
trial.
The reversal was based on the
fact that the prosecution, at the
time of trial, failed to disclose
that the victim of the shooting
had an open knife in his pocket.
The defense contended the knife
would lend support to Griffin's
contention that he had shot in
self defense.
Before Griffin’s conviction in
1947 on the first-degree murder!
charges the Government had of
fered to accept a plea of guilty to
second-degree murder, it was re
vealed yesterday by United States
Attorney George Morris Fay. At
that time, however, Griffin pre
ferred to go to trial on the more
serious charge of first-degree.
In testifying in his own behalf
four years ago, Griffin said he had
shot in self-defense during an
argument over a card game.
The plea to second-degree
murdea made yesterday was be
fore Judge F. Dickinson Letts,
when Griffin same up for retrial.
Judge Letts referred the case to
the probation officer for investi
gation, pending sentence, for
which no date was set.
Griffin now faces a possible
maximum sentence of 15 years to
life. In a first-degree conviction,
the death penalty is mandatory.
New Dam Helps French Town
SAINT ETIENNE, France.—The
water supply of Saint Etienne,
textiles and metals town in cen
tral France, has been improved
vastly by the new La Vallette Dam
on the Lignon River. Capacity
of the dam is nearly 1.5 billion
cubic feet of water.
FILING SUPPLIES
OFFICE SUPPLIES
509 F ST. N.W.
EX. 7313
Gas Energy Increases
OKLOHOMA CITY. —Natural
gas accounts for about 20 per cent
of the Nation’s total energy out
put. It was 13 per cent in 1946.
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