The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-09
MEMORIALS OF THE FAIR.

a week ago the executive committee of
the exposition offered to present the park
with the buildings 10 which the show las
been held, and to contribute for the benefit
Of the community as much of the fair prop
erty as can be made useful. The commit
tee named specifically the grand court,
with its walks, gardens and Improvements,
the Administration building. the Fine Arts
OF Egyptian building, and the great Manu-
features building.
The Park Commissioners, after due con-
sideration, accept two of the offers and
decline the other two. They decline the
Administration building. which the fair
committee offered as headquarters for the
Park Commissioners, on the ground that it
is too big for the purpose Ii contains
forty-seven rooms, and, in the opinion of
the Commissioners, half dozen rooms are
ample for the wants of the Commissioners
ana those who have to visit them on bust
ness. 1t would be an expensive building
to keep in repair and in order, and could
serve no useful purpose. 1t may thus be
assumed that it will be removed when the
fair closes and carted away as an entirety
or otherwise.
The Commissioners also decline the
great Manufactures building on the
ground that it could only be used for
horse shows. which, in their opinion,
would be out of place in the park. They
are opposed to the giving of State or
county shows in that pleasure ground in
opposition to the fairs which are now held.
Their opinion is that the park should con-
tlnue TO be maintained as thing of beauty
IN forestry, flowers, plants and landscapes,
and that this purpose should not be de-
parted from in its administration. There
fore they will ask, when the fair closes,
that the Manufactures building, which was
hurriedly put together of the cheapest
material and has no element of per-
manence, be removed from the grounds.
The Commissioners gratefully accept
the grand court, which is the quadrangle
inclOsed by the fair buildings, with the
electric tower in the center This, even
as it stands, is a beautiful square. The
Commissioners propose 10 make such
alterations in it as will convert it into a
concert station, with an amphitheater for
seating the public and a drive for car
riages. 1t will be possible, with the aid of
floral decorations, TO make that spot a
dream Of beauty-an open-air concert hall
that is hardly equRled anywhere in the
world. Our people have been educated to
love of music by the weekly park con-
certs; how much they have done 10 form
a pure and correct taste it were difficult to
estimate. In the new court with esthetic
surroundings, they will continue their
work of education with results that will
presently show.
The Commissioners likewise accept the
Egyptian building and propose to devote it,
temporarily, TO art and museum purposes.
They say temporarily" because they do
not altogether approve either the building
or its location. They add that it will do
till something better has been provided.
long time may elapse before that some
thing better materialiZes; in the mean
time San Francisco will have what it has
long wanted. building where art treas
ures and scientific curiOsities may be col
lected to educate the people in art aud
science as the park concerts have educated
the musical taste. There are in private
houses number of high-class works of
art. II these or a portion Of them were
sent TO the Park Museum an effect on ar
tistic development could not but follow.
a San Francisco annual salon would prob
ably be one Of the results. Again, the
Academy of Sciences contains a number
OF curious objects-such as the reprOduc-
ton Of the mammoth and the restored
skeleton OF the manatee-whleh are out Of
place in that somber building aud are seen
by few. The academy also contains a
priceless collection of birds, which are
better suited for popular education than
for the contemplation of the masters of
science. If these or part of them could
be transferred to the Park Museum they
would be more useful and better known
than where they are.