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AND
NEW YORK, JUNE 5, 1915
REGISTRATION OF ARCHITECTS NOW THE LAW
Does not Interfere With Builders Who May Wish to Make
Their Own Drawings Without the Assistance of Architects
::d<!!iiil!illl!iiH^^^^^^^^^^
IMIIIIM^^^^^^^
ANEW State law requires the reg¬
istration of architects, the appoint¬
ment of a Board of Examiners and the
examination of candidates for the privi¬
lege of practicing architecture. It will
not prevent anyone who wishes to build
from drawing his own plans, but he may
not plan for others without a certiticate.
Opposed by the Building Trades Em¬
ployers* Association until within a short
time of its passage, as similar bills had
been for a number of years past, the bill
reposed ih the Assembly Committee of
the Judiciary from the date of its in¬
troduction by Assemblyman Bacher, of
Brooklyn, on January 20, until a general
agreement was effected, between the
building interests and the organized
architectural bodies of the State, includ-
in-^ the various chapters of the American
Institute of Architects and the New
Vork Society of Architects.
Object of the Bill.
As explained by the framers of the
bill, "it is an' educational measure de¬
signed to gradually raise the standard
of qualifications for practicing architect¬
ure without interfering with the rights
of those who are now practising archi¬
tecture, and without interfering with
contractors or others who may wish to
make their own drawings without the
assistance of an architect."
University Will Appoint Examiners.
The Board of Examiners will be ap¬
pointed by the Regents of the State Uni¬
versity. Dr. J. Jrl. Finley, tormerly
head of the College of the City of New
York, is president of the board. In a
letter which D. Everett Waid, as chair¬
man of the architects' joint committee,
addressed to President Finley under
date of May 19, thanking him for his
interest and co-operation, it is said:
"Since our examinations for admit¬
tance to practice under the title of 'arch¬
itect' will be conducted by the State
University, the profession may have
every confidence that the purpose of
the law will be carried out to increase
the efticiency of the profession, and
thereby benefit the public as well as
architecture itself.
"Incidentally, I feel sure that the law
cannot be used for ulterior purposes.
Some of the builders felt that the archi¬
tects were trying to legislate business
into their own hands. I believe that the
building laws should be sufficiently strin¬
gent to place the responsibility of safe
design and safe construction where it
belongs, namely, upon him who under¬
takes to design and construct, whether
he be a contractor, engineer, or archi¬
tect. This law certainly is not intended
to force anyone to patronize an archi¬
tect."
Builders Were at First Opposed.
Chairman Waid, in a report which he
has made to President Richard M. Hunt,
of New York Chapter, says the commit¬
tee in its efforts to secure the passage
of this bill encountered a strong senti¬
ment of opposition on the part of the
Legislators, not to anything specific in
this bill, but on account of their preju¬
dice against license bills in general, and
it was somewhat difficult to convince
them that this is an educational meas¬
ure and not a license bill to be likened
to such bills as have been introduced in
behalf of the plumbing and heating
trades.
"Unexpected opposition also appeared
when the attorney representing the
Building Trades Employers' Association
made active efforts to secure the defeat
of the measure. This opposition was a
painful surprise, inasmuch as the bill
had been submitted by the undersigned
personally to the President of that as¬
sociation and also to the chairman of
their Legislative Committee a year ago,
and wc had no reason to suspect from,
their cordial attitude that there would
be anything but co-operation with us.
When we discovered that their attorney
was instructed to secure the defeat of
our bill, we arranged conferences with
the attorney and entire Legislative
Committee of the Building Trades Em¬
ployers' Association, and, after pro¬
tracted interviews during which their
leading members supported our point of
view, they were voted down by a narrow
margin and their attorney instructed to
continue to oppose the bill. We then
found that an amendment to the bill,
which would be in effect a declaration
of purpose and which would in no sense
change ils meaning or effect, would se¬
cure tlie withdrawal of their opposition.
This amendment reads as follows:
Paragraph Omitted.
" 'Nothing in this article shall be
construed as depriviiip- any person of
any rights which he now has with re¬
spect to the filing of plans for new
buildings or for alterations to existing
buildings; nor shall any department
or bureau, or superintendent of any
department or bureau, with which
plans are required to be filed accord¬
ing to law, refuse by reason of this
article to receive the same from any
one on the ground that the plans are
not prepared by a person styled or
known as architect,*
"Our joint committee, representing
all five organizations of architects,
joined in requesting the legislators in
charge of the bill in Albany to secure
the passage of this amendment. For
some reason, those in charge of the bill
disregarded our request and the bill was
passed without the amendment.
An Embarrassing Outcome.
"This was a very embarrassing out¬
come, as it placed us seemingly in the
position of securing the passage of the
bill by a trick. The association was
immediately aroused to make the great¬
est possible effort to secure the veto of
the bill by the Governor. Conferences
again resulted and opposition to the
signing of the bill was withdrawn on
our promise to use every sincere effort
to secure the passage of this amend¬
ment to the bill at the next session.
"In view of the unfortunate experi¬
ence in Illinois, where, after a law had
been in force twenty years, the Board of
Examiners has become a football of pol¬
itics and the laws in existence jeopard¬
ized by opposition on the part of the
engineers and others, your committee
believes that it will be wise to have this
amendment passed, as it will make clear
beyond a doubt our purpose to raise
the standard of qualifications of archi¬
tects and not to secure business by
force of legislation. The penalty to be
mcurred under this law is for the use of
the title 'architect' by any one not duly
oualified. We believe that building
laws should be made stringent enough
to locate responsibility for unsafe de¬
sign and bad construction. If owners
then choose to employ contractors or
others to design their buildings, they
will do so knowingly and without being
deceived by unscrupulous persons who
assume the title 'architect' unworthily
and thereby discredit the profession."
The bill is entitled "An act to amend
the general business law in relation to
the practice of architecture," and reads
as follows:
Eligibility.
'^y?. Any person residing in or having
a place of business in the State, who, be¬
fore this article takes effect, shall not
have been engaged in the practice of
architecture in New York State, under
the title of architect, shall, before being
styled or known as an architect, secure
a certificate of his qualification to prac¬
tice under the title of architect, as pro¬
vided by this article. Any person who
shall have been engaged in the practice
of architecture under the title of archi¬
tect, before this article takes effect, may
secure such certificate, in the manner
provided by this article. Any person
having a certificate pursuant to this ar¬
ticle may be styled or known as a regis¬
tered architect. No other person shall
assume such title or use the abbrevia¬
tion R. A., or any other words, letters
or figures to indicate that the person
using the same is a registered architect.
Board of Examiners.
§78. The Regents of the Liniversity
shall, within ninety days after this article
takes effect, appoint a board of five ex¬
aminers who shall make rules for the
examination and registration of candi¬
dates for such certificates, subject to the
approval of the board of regents. Such
board of examiners shall be composed
of architects, who have been in active
practice in the State of New York for
not less than ten years, previous to their
appointment, selected by the regents.
Such examiners shall be entitled to such
compensation for their services under
this article as the board of rep^ents shall
determine, not exceeding in the aggre¬
gate the amount of fees collected from
applicants for certificates.
Qualifications.
§79. Any citizen of the United States,
or any person who has duly declared his
intention of becoming such citizen, be-
insr at least twenty-one years of age and
of good moral character, may apply for
examination or certificate of registration
under this article, but before securing
such certificate shall submit satisfactory
evidence of having satisfactorily com¬
pleted the course in an approved high
school or the equivalent thereof and
subsequent thereto of having satisfac¬
torily completed such courses in mathe-