New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-02


hope to see these things; but they will see them' ana
thew have been taken for granted from the beginning in
the arrangement Of the Park.
We ,hould be rad TO enlarge upon the Americansm
Of the Park its most striking characteristic but tins Is
not the place. We only allude to it to make clear our
very first objection Mr. Hunts Designs for tie Gates
that in every feature they as unAmercan as it
woud be possible TO make them. Like nearly every
thing that Mr. Hunt designs hey smack Of France and
of Modern France, which is, INTELLECTUALLY the worst
period-but that is hazardous TO say for archeotur'
ay France has seen many bad perodsbut there never
was period we are pretty sure when that Art showed
in France than she docs present II suits
the French however and they heartily welcome to
it, but we in America desire ideas and are not satisfied
with tasteless "rrod(.s"-to coin word-of classical
conventonalites. One such building at the Tenihst
Studio Building will last us lifetime; the spirit that
ns PRED that structure has really place in our Amer
lean Central Park. These Gates copies, tame and
spritless indeed but still copies in every part and de-
tail of modern French work-nothing springs ou Of the
needs Of the place, is dictated by conditions that
exist and ought to be respected but everything is in
tensely artificial and formal. there is freedom no
play, it is all show and expensive showthe minimum
of beauty for the maximum Of money laid out, and when
You come to the detail, to the ornament. what Is it :
French Greek, French. Roman, Paris French; classic
statuary on French pedestas with lampposts for
change Why, If you ask the people how they like it,
they will tell you, Mr.. Hunt that they would not
give one square Of the terrace starrai with lis cary
ngs Of American fruits and flowers for all the orna-
ments Of your four Gateways put together. This
modern French architecture is the barren spawn OF
Ionic 'ppus
which be throws with unsparng hand to the dragon Of
Partisan ouyrierie don't like it here, 1t Is tue an
tipodes Of American feeling We don't like to be re-
minded Of the existence Of such rraf as the French
Emperor, when we are in our Park. We wish to thank
God for It, and TO rejoice in knowing that ltis our
OWL; bought with our own money literally paid for;
thoroughly well designed by fellowczens OF ours ana
the design approved by us; carried so far in such
admirable fashion with such sincere and lasting good
workmanship as can be excecd nowhere on the planet
TODAY such az no Emperor were he hundred times as
despotic as the Jupiter Scapin who makes Imperialism
mockery today-can get better done, were he to Try
and il woud be an actoR TO feel that We could
not enter into our garden TO take pleasure IN Tive
aud the crowd of our European fellow who have
been driven here by the cruelty and injustice OF systems
such as Jupiter Scapn and his mates sustain ana de-
light inwithou. being obliged to pass through Gates
that recalled such hateful things to onr mind.
So mach for the spirit in which these Gates are de-
signed but there other objections which many viii
admit TO be much practical.
| 1t has always been the design-we speak a. having
watched the growth OF the Park from the outsei-to
make Nature and not what understand by Art the
main feature OF the Park TO get the greatest possible
amount Of refined sndscape-as simple and natural and
beautiful possible-this has been the aim from the
start an aim kept steadily in view. We want the most
beautiful trees the oveiesi flowers 10 profusion we
want water and water birds and waterpants; want
to for the city utterly while are in the Park and
we want TO get into il possible. we don't want
to lounge about the gates hut want TO fad ourselves
without unnecessary delay among trees and grass and
flowers And the makers Of the Park have felt this 40
strongly have felt IT, and have given us AZ little
stone and little architecture was possible TO get
along with. Every years growth shuts the archways-
one Of the original ingenious and necessary fea
lures Of the Park-when its situation is considered
more and more Of sight, before q great while the
existence Of most OF them will hardly be suspected aud
when they taken out Of the there Is left OF the
architecture only the terrace Now the terrace In its
idea" Invested of its rch varied and only hafcom
pleted ornamentaon is the great central feature OF
what we nav call the Lower Park. l. the Park below
and WAS made in obedience to the law that in all
such situations makes q center. to which all drives
walks rambles tend and where they may terminate if
need be-absoutely necessary. No doubt Mr.. Vaur
would have preferred q mountain or at least hill
even great mass of rock with all its natural surround
III ngs Of trecs and shrubbery and and wild flowers
but Nature had not put any such natural feature there
and 1t could be supplied So. have the terrace
and 1t was begun the Park was begun. on q
scale splendid. doubt. but quite within the means Of
the Commissioners 10 carry out. and intended TO
concentrate there all that architecture mural decora
tion sculpture Of natural objects and statues OF dstn
guished and could supply to make the place
beautiful The square pedestas with attsh caps that
terminate the carved railing of the terrace everywhere
are intended If read the description in Of the
Annual Reports Alright. to for statues soon
means accumulate TO erect them. The caps merely
temporary aud even the pedestas may be counted 80.
This is another feature we cannot date upon. but
enough has been said TO point the second objection to
these Gates Of Mr. Hunts. They detract from the i'm.
portance Of this great central feature and they do it by
psodyng in the weakest way ofthe features ftbe
larger work. The faH.stas which the Architects Of
the Terrace have employed with logical common sense
just where they most expressive. and where they
take their place as part Of the design aiding 1t with
their lines land were ever fagstss elegant de
signed O-tLsse Mr. Hunt has repeated In the most
aimess way and has put Just where they would be oand
extremely announcement. The works at the Terrace
have doubt been very costly and lack Of money must
be the only for not finishing the carving Of the
stairs and the thing Of the railing and foor-but TO
carry out Mr.. Hunts designs would. venture to say
Cpi rl,la nd