Milford chronicle., 1893-01-20
esAuTIFY THE sTREETs.
The Advantage of Employing the Land
scape Engineer.

scaPe Engineer.
While it is generally admitted that with
10 the next few years certain radical
changes will need to be made in the streets
of Boston in the way OF new constructions
and enlargements those who have advanced
plans of this kind do not seem to have
! taken into account the way that such
| things arc considered in Europe, the desir
| ability Of increasing the beauty of cur city
| as well as the convenience Of our people
| At the present time two or three PROPOSE
tions Gre before the London county coun
/ ell, having for their object a relief Of the
congestion OF travel upon the Strand, a
thoroughfare which holds much the same
I relation to London that Washington street
/ does to Boston.
There have been propositions made to
widen the street, which, however have re
ceived little support in consequence Of the
tremendous expense involved, and there are
other propositions TO build relief or connect
ing streets, which will have the effect OF
detecting a part at least Of the travel
] which now passes through the main thor
| oughcere.
But in considering these propositions the
artistic effect of the proposed changes has
been Kept carefully in mind. a plan has
I DeGu DIuDuSHu Ol UklllQill u highway a
| hundred feet in width, into which great
| part of the tide of travel may be turned,
but it is suggested that this street should
be laid cut in such manner as to abolish
existing street frontages, so as to procure
the erection OF new buildings, and that these
new odilces should be built under restric
tions both as to height and materials used.
More than this, care seems to have been
taken in the plans, not only to preserve Ger
tain landmarks of London, such as one or
two of its churches, but to add to the archi
tectural effectiveness of these by providing
that they shall form the central objects at
the ends of broad open stairways. In
word, the services of the landscape engineer,
as well as Of the civil engineer, have been
brought into requisitiOn, so that the money
when spent-fOr large expenditures are re-
quircd-shall result in the largest and most
satisfactory returns.
We call attention to this phrase of the
street improvement question because it is
one which, it seems to US, should be borne
in mind. In spite of the inconvenience of
our thoroughfares there is a picturesque
ness il our Boston streets which does not
obtain in most American cities. If we are
to obtain needed conveniences, and these
can only be secured by large outlays, there
is 10 reason why we Should rush rashly in
to expedients which have only conven
ience 20 recommend them, and which have,
as an offset, q great deal of ugliness, when
by greater care and by judicious arrange
ment both beauty and convenience can be
made to so hand in hand.
The general plan Of construction adopted
in Chicago for the Worlds fair demon
strates conclusively that we have in this
country landscape engineers whose ability
is not surpassed by any members Of their
profession in any other part Of the world.
The park systems of Boston are also a proof
of this same genius in the way Of artistic de /
sign, and there is no reason why the same |
talent might not be wisely employed in the /
way of suggestion-at least on the subject |
of new street constluction.-Bost Herald |