INGENUITY AND LUXURY 



a cost considerably less than any permanent material 

 furnished by Nature, does not have to go begging for 

 advocates and champions in this practical age. Nor 

 will its future in the artistic world be questioned by 

 anyone who has seen some of the fine examples of 

 concrete-block architecture that have been erected 

 in recent years. One of the best examples is the 

 Royal Bank of Canada in Havana, Cuba. This build- 

 ing is situated on one of the narrow streets of the Cuban 

 metropolis, surrounded by the substantial but unat- 

 tractive buildings scattered everywhere throughout 

 Spanish America. Few people indeed suspect that 

 this stately building, whose massive blocks seem to 

 typify sturdy England, is not made of blocks of hewn 

 stone. Yet its fluted columns at either side of the 

 great arched entrance, its decorative cornice, and 

 every pleasing artistic bit from foundation to roof 

 have been cast of concrete in molds made of sand. 



One of the greatest advantages that concrete-block 

 construction has over every other form of masonry 

 lies in the fact that it is so eminently adapted to " hol- 

 low- wall" construction, without sacrifice of strength 

 or space, and with great saving of material. For this 

 purpose the blocks are made hollow in their vertical 

 diameter. The particular shape of this hollow space 

 with its surrounding shell of concrete is the basis of 

 many patents, and much ingenuity has been expended 

 in producing easily workable designs which can be 

 laid up quickly into walls. It is necessary that the 

 inner and outer surfaces of such blocks shall form flat 

 walls; but there seems to be no limit to the skeleton 



