The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-19
ARTISTS ARE INDIGNANT.
THEY DO NOT WANT AN ENGINE
HOUSE AT MARKET AND
BUSH STREETS.
PREFER THE DoNAHUE
FOUNTAIN.

The proposed action of the Board of SUI
! pervlsorS to erect an engine-house on the
| gore lot at the intersection of Market, Bush
and Battery streets was the subject for ami
mated discussion at the meeting of the
Guild of Arts and Crafts yesterday.
! 1t will be remembered that this spot has
been long coveted by the Fire Department
as site for an engine-house and the pro-
ject of erecting building thereon has
been repeatedly discussed by the board.
Several designs for the building were sub
mitted to the board, but before decisive
action could be taken J. Mervyn Donahue
died, leaving $50, 900 to pay for the erection
| of fountail on the lot.
| Mr. Donahue has been dead several
years, but since that time the executors of
his estate have done nothing to show that
| they intended to carry out Mr.. Donahue' s
will in that respect.
The Supervisors in the meantime were
informed that the fountain might never be
erected, and at the last meeting of the Fire
| Committee the old idea of building the
| engine-house was revived.
Those present at the meeting of the
| guild yesterday were Bernard Moses,
Bruce Porter, A. Page Brown, Sigmund
Beel Arthur F. Matthews, Willis Polk and
| Douglas Tilden. 1t was the sense of the
meeting that the Supervisors should for
ever abandon the idea of erecting an
engine-house on the principal thorough
| fare of the city. 1t was decided to file a
protest with the board to-day against such
action being taken now or at any time.
"The protest" said Secretary Bruce
| Porter to q CALL representative after the
| meeting, twill call the attention of the
| board to the fact that the lot on which it is
proposed to erect an engine-house is on
one of the leading approaches to the city,
i nd no hnrc nf 10
| board have any eyes as to beauty, an ar
tistic fountain will be far more appropriate
there than low, triangular building to be
used for fire purposes.
eff we ever hope to make this a beauti-
full city we should certainly begin at the
approaches thereto and work this way
| We maintain that the identifying of the
city by the erection of fountains and the
establishment of parks will inevitably add
| to our wealth. Visitors who come here
from distance to invest will do so much
more quickly if they find the city beauti-
| full in an artistic sense. Now that we are
| going to have a fine ferry landing, why
| should we spoil the appearance of Market
and intersecting streets by placing little
| buildings at each corner? That is the
argument that we, as artists, will advance
| to the Supervisors in our protest"
| The executors of Mr.. Donahue's estate
| claim that they have been unable to carry
| out his idea thus far owing to the fact that
the money of the estate has been tied up.
This, however, will be remedied within
| few weeks and the necessary money will
be on hand. It is the intention of the
executors some time in March to call upon
local artists for designs. Immediately
upon the acceptance of some design, the
work of erecting the foundation will be
proceeded with.
The officials of the Fire Department,
whose ideas of art do not correspond with
those of the artists who make up the
Guild of Arts and Crafts, believe that the
interests of the city will be best subserved
by the erection of an engine-house rather
than a fountain. They therefore are ex-
erting every effort to convince the Super
visors of the necessity of constructing the
building.