"The Architect had achieved a very sympathetic expression of the Spanish-American style." ARCHITECTVRAL A Flagrant Case of Plagiarism T IS NOT Often that the plagiarist in art or letters allows himself to be caught red-handed. If he copies a thing he ordinarily does so with just enough craft to admit his copy under the guise of an "adaptation." A change here and there, a reversal of the composition, and his result is effected sufficiently either to escape detection by any but a captious critic, or, at least, not to arouse indignation. It is the inalienable right of a designer to adapt. Many of the best buildings of today are adapted either wholly or in part from other sources, but in the adaptation there have been apparent certain elements of scholarly appreciation for the original which has furnished the source of the inspiration, and often added creative thought has been expended to produce the whole. Even a reasonably strict code of ethics will condone an adaptation, provided the source of such adaptation be not contemporary, but few will be found to condone out-and-out piracy on the high seas. Adaptation, furthermore, has generally been only partial-certain details have been altered to suit, or frankly borrowed outright from well-known. originals, or originals, or a general scheme has been borrowed, and details have been devised to conform with specific requirements. A case has recently been presented to us, however, wherein niceties of adaptation have given place to crudities of absolute plagiarism-wherein a beautiful original has been parodied in a debased copy. The copy, curiously enough, is sufficiently like the original to leave no THE "ADAPTATION" OF THE JAMES VILLA. "A remarkable illustration of architectural piracy, in which crudity takes the place of finesse. the uncompromising centering of the entrance." doubt as to its "inspiration," yet so unlike it in those finer qualities known as "feeling," to be a cruel libel. The facts, as we understand them, constitute in themselves an affront to the commonest tenets of ethics, professional or unprofessional. Mr. Arthur Curtis James is the owner of a charming villa, of Spanish-American type, at Miami, in Florida. Its architect, Robert W. Gardner, is to be congratulated in having achieved a very sympathetic expression of the style in which he was working and its owner in the possession of so delightful a winter retreat. James had every reason to pride himself upon a unique and unusually charming bit of architecture. Mr. It is unfortunate that Mr. James' villa Note at Miami should not have been allowed to remain unique, and doubly unfortunate that it should have suffered so grievously in its "adaptation." A reasonably prominent politician (not unknown on the lecture platform) saw and admired the villa at Miami, and desired a counterpart for his own domicile, An architect would not have duplicated work already done for one client in order to please a new client, nor would he have debased the work of his own hand by so crude a copy. Our politician, therefore, approached the builder, who, being in possession of a set of plans of the James villa, ventured to erect a duplicate building (with "a few slight changes," of course) and the result, though it may have pleased the builder's client, certainly |