The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-10
PARK SYSTEM IDEAS
THE OLMsTEADs SEND THE COMMITS
sI0yERs A REPORT.
Advise a Park Along Fall Creek as
Far as the Fair Grounds
Public Squares.

The landscape gardening firm OF Olmstead,
Olmstead G. Elliott. of Brooklyn, Mass.
which was employed by the city TO make
a park survey. has sent the park commits
sioners preliminary report, which is given
In full as follows:
The fact that your board has only re-
Gently been appointed, and that the city
has had heretofore no clearly defined poll
Icy with respect TO parks, makes 1t not
inappropriate that we should cal atten-
ton 10 some general considerations bearing
on the park problem and on the duties OF
your board.
Theoretically. complete and satisfactory
system OF parks for a large city should
include ID central public ground, upon or
about which may be grouped the principal
pubic and semi-public buildings; CD series
OF squares or small public grounds SO dis
tributed that they may be used freely at all
hours and be within a short walk of every
ones home; CD a series OF local parks or
more varied and interesting Typographical
features, which may be developed into
pleasing, but rather restricted. passages of
decorated features and means for amuse-
ment: "a one. or possibly more. large rural
parks. situated on the outskirts of the
city, and comprising broad stretches OF
pastoral or woodland scenery. extending
over hundreds of acres of land. where one
may walk for an afternoon or drive for an
hour or two, at least, without having TO
go twice over the same ground; t5) one,
possibly more, great public reservations,
situated at some distance from the city.
thousands of acres in extent, where most
OF the ground Is left wild or encouraged TO
become so, where the sense of relief from
urban conditions will be completes. and
where all may roam at will over the mead
owS and through the woods without the re-
strictions necessary in city and even most
rural parks; 90 parkways connecting two
or more of the public pleasure grounds or
forming agreeable approaches to them, and
which may be either formal or informal,
and combined with irregular Though re-
stricted) stretches of more or less natural
scenery. such as sloping banks, groves of
trees, patches Of shrubbery or the banks
of rivers.
THE PUBLIC SQUARES.
AS the terms which we have used may
not convey to you the same idea that they
do to US, it will be worth while to ex-
plain them little more fully.
The ordinary public squares Of a city
are so well known that no special definition
is necessary. The most usual. simplest and,
in most cases, the most economical plan
for such public squares is to grade the
ground, build cross-walks and diagonal
walks, plant rows of trees along the walks
and have the remainder surface i'm nicely
kept turf. A low fence, with gateways, but
no gates, is a great aid to economical and
neat maintenance. IL expensive luxury OF
Hover beds can be afforded, trees cannot
be permitted where they would shade them,
and il is essential to good taste not only
that the flower beds should be systematically
and formally laid out and carefully designed
in detail. but that the utmost neatness and
substantially should characterize the walks
and other constructions, and that the turf
should be everywhere perfect, and that the
trees be symmetrical and well developed.
If the expense Of constructing and main
tanning the square in this way cannot be af-
forded. II Is in the worst possible taste TO
attempt any flower gardening. In case
there is a large poor population about the
public square. 1t Is important to provide
ample accommodation for h-and-tumble
play, and IL is well in such cases to finish
a portion of the ground with hard gravel
surface, as Ii is impossible properly to
maintain turf Fairgrounds. Provision should
be made in such places. more often than is
usually the case, for sand courts for very
little children. swings and other apparatus
for larger children and shelter and toilet
accommodations. The public squares of a
city afford the most appropriate sites for
most portrait statues and public monu-
ments, and in designing for such squares the
object OF providing suitable sites for such
statues should be constantly kept in mind.
Sculptured fountains, with stone-curbed
basins and other decorations. are also en-
tirely appropriate. but cheap cast-iron foun-
tainS are nominations which ought not to
be permitted under any circumstances.
By the term local parks or ''city parks
We designate those comparatively small
parks surrounded by buildings or which
soon will be. having somewhat natural
landscape effects. but SO smooth and neat
to be obviously the work of man, lacking
in perfect secusion from city sights and
sounds and more or .ess decorated with
and the like. Local parks are usually one
hundred acres or mere III. extent. but may
be smaller or larger. tie SIZE being less
CHARACTERISTIC than the style in which they
are improved and kept. Local parks are
often more stiff and smooth and artificial
lied than Is desirable owing chiefly to the
lack Of appreciation of broad, simple land
scape. natural scenery and native plants
on the part OF those who design, construct
and care for them.
AS TO TREES.
II would be more interesting and refresh
ing, by way of contrast with city streets
and gardens, if the trees planted in local
parks were less uniform in kind and ap-
pearance, less like trees; If the slopes were
more gentle and natural than is often the
case; IL the ponds had gently sloping shores.
more mystery and intrcacy of water-lov-
ing plants, marginal shrubbery and groups
of trees; If what purport to be natural
lawns were kept free from stiff beds of
flowers. dropped here and there without re-
gard to general landscape effect or good de-
sign of any sort; and IL the surrounding
houses were, at least, partially screened
by border plantations of trees and shrub
berry. Owing to their situation and restrict
ed size, and to the necessity for accommo-
dating people in such way as to reduce
the wear upon turf and plantations to a
construction must necessarily be dispropor-
tionately large, and often unduly conspic-
uous. but care should be taken. both in the
designing and in the grading and planting
to render all artificial constructions as
subordinate possible to the general ef-
feet Of verdure.
II must be acknowledged that most people
resort to local parks for more active and
positive sorts of amusement than the en-
joyment or natural scenery, and that suit
able artificial provisions have to be made
for such amusements, so that the general
aspect OF local parks is inevitably less
broad, simple and natural than outlying
rural parks For this reason, it is not in
appropriate that the plantations in local
parks should include many sorts of trees
and shrubs which are not Indigenous and
that more attention should be paid to strik-
ing effects in foliage and flowers than is
proper In rural parks. 1t is also important
method of care-taking should be pursued
than is necessary. or altogether appropri-
ate, in the case of large rural parks: that
is to say, any shabbiness weakness or I'M
evenness of the turf surface. any litter of
fallen leaves or accumulation of scum on
ponds. formed by decaying vegetable mat
ter. should be avoided In short, local
parks may. perhaps. be designated 'Iand-
scape gardens" to distinguish them from
formal gardens or formal public squares
on one hand. and from rural parks. with
but little evidence OF the gardeners care,
on the other hand.
LARGE OUTLYING PARKS.
What we call rural parks" are almost
necessarily much larger than local parks
Their essential quality consists in the
marked predominance OF natural scenery,
rurality and rusticlty. and the relative in