Palace of Peace. - International Competition of the Carnegie Foundation. The Palace of Peace at The Hague. The 6 premiated and 40 other designs chosen by the society of architecture ...

London, Jack 1907. Folio (49x38cm); eight parts loose as issued in publisher's printed wrappers and cloth portfolio (the portfolio a bit marked and bumped); 76 plates (eight colour) - elevations and plans. An excellent set. ¶ A luxurious production. According to the report judging took several days, votes were close and there was some argument before Cordonnier's baroque wedding cake was given first prize, largely, the report suggests, due to its sympathy with surrounding buildings. Of the now revered competitors, Otto Wagner got fourth prize and Berlage and Saarinen were further down the lists. Despite stylish aspects of their designs and the idiosyncratic splendour of Debat's Indo-Mayan stupa - which looks to me like it could have inspired Burley Griffin's parliament house for Canberra - it does seem, from this distance, that the judges got it right. I'm sure they'll all sleep easier in their graves knowing that. Cordonnier's building has a joyous optimism that matches the crusading zeal for world peace of patron Carnegie and any number of seemingly sensible exponents of world unity at the time. Wagner's building is an opulent museum or theatre, Saarinen's ideal for a mausoleum, Berlage's a Byzantine basilica, and most of the others studied lumps of classical monumentalism. Cordonnier's building did suffer paring down to meet budget and lost some of its airy charm but still ended up closer to the original design than many winners of other competitions.

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