Kansas City journal., 1897-11-15
A Tip for kan.a. and Missouri.


Architectural Prospectus.
The University of California has under
taken an enterprise which 1t Is hoped to
make one of the most notable in the his
tory of architecture: and in this hope it
asks through the wise and loving kind
ness of Mrs. Phebe A. Hearst. the CO.
ope ration of the architects and artists of
every land and cline. in the preparation
OF plan for ideal home of education
The purpose is TO secure Il plan to which
all the buildings that may be needed 10y the
university in its future growth shall con-
form. All the buildings that have been
constructed up to the present time are -
be ignored. and the grounds are to be
treated as a blank space. to be iiiied with
single beautiful and harmonious picture
as Il painter fills in his canvas.
The University of California was founded
urder an act of the congress of the United
States. passed in 1852 1t received large
land grant and subsidies, and still receives.
IN addition. yearly income from the
United States. The charter of the univer-
sity was granted to it by the state of Calf
fornia in 1865. and part of its income Is
derived from a tax of cents on each Sl.O
of the taxable wealth of the state. which
income is. of course. constantly increasing
in amount.
1t will thus be seen that the university
has both national and state character
It's present resources are valued at about
S900.00O and, in addition to the revenue
derived from part of such resources, 1t has
a yearly income of about $4,000 from the
United States. and of about $4,000 from
the state tax. The university has trebled
its number of students in six years IT
had az in 1881: it has 300 now. and IT Will
probably have 5000 after ten years. which
is the number of students for whom the
architectural plan should be calculated
The site of the University of California.
at Berkeley Cal, comprises 2i5 acres OF
land, rising at first in a gentle and then in
bolder slope from a height of about cN1
feet above the sea level to one of over 500
feet 1t thus covers a range of more than
7VO feet in altitude, while back of 1t the
chain of hills continues to rise thousand
feet higher.
1t has a superb outlook over the bay and
city of San Francisco. over the neighboring
plains and mountains. and the ocean, 1t Is
the desire of those who have charge Of this
enterprise to treat the grounds and build
irgs together. landscape gardening and
architecture forming one composition,
which will never need to be structuraiiy
changed in all the future history Of the
university. 1t is thought that the advan-
tages of the site. whose bold slope will ena-
BILE the entire mass of buildings to be
taken in at single coup d oeil. will per-
nit the production of an effect unique in
the world, and that the architect who can
seize the opportunity it offers will immor-
talize himself.
II is seldom in any age that an artist has
| lad chance to express his thought so
freely, on SO large scale, and with suca
ertire exemption from the influence of dis
ccrdant surroundings. Here there will be
at least twenty-eight buildings. all mu-
tually related and. at the same time. en-
tirely cut of from anything that could mar
the effect of the picture. In fact. it is
| city that is to be created-a city of learn
| fng-in which there is to be no sordid or
irharmonious feature. There are to be no
definite limitations of cost, materials or
style. All is to be left to the unfettered
discretion of the designer. He is asked to
record his conception of an ideal home for
| a university. assuming time and resources
| to be unlimited. He Is to plan for CEN
| turies to come. There will doubtless be
| DEVELOPMENTS of science in the future that
! will impose new duties on the university
| and require alterations in the detailed ar
rangement of its buildings. but it is be
| lieyed to be possible to secure a compre'
! hensive plan SO in harmony with the uni
| versal principles of architectural art thai
| there will be no more necessity OF remodei
| ing its broad outlines thousand year:
hence than there would be of remodelint
| the Parthenon, had 1t come down to u:
| complete and uninjured.
In the great works of antiquity the de
sisner came first, and it was the bushes:
| of the financier to find the money to carr,
| out his plans. In the new building schem
of the University of California. 1t Is th'
intention to restore the artist and the ar
| idea in their old pre-eminence. The archt
tect will simply design. others must pro
vide the cost.
About S 100000 have already been pledged
for a beginning. and such general desir'
| to contribute has been manifested that
is thought that all the funds required vii
be Forthcoming as fast as the work can b
carried on.
Mrs. Phebe A. Hearst widow of the lat
United States Senator George Hearst. ant
a lady we'll known for her philanthropy.
and public spirit. and her interest in AM
taste for all things artistic. has provided
ample funds for securing the architecture
plan. For this purpose she has appointed
board of trustees consisting of the gov
ernor of the state, James II. Budd, repre-
senting the state: one of the regents OF III
university, ]. B. Reinstein. representing tn
board of regents. and one of the professor
of the faculty, William Carey Jones. repre-
senting the university.
While the method of obtaining the archi
tecturaI plan has not been decided on il
detail. it is thought that it will be done b.
an international concours. open to all tn
architects of the world. with an interna
tional jury of five members. who will hav
full charge of the concours and of tn
award of all the prizes. This concourS
while partaking in some degree of the ma
ture of the usual competition. will posses
all the main features of an actual co-opera
tion of the best architectural and artist
talent available for the purpose. as will b
! seen from the programme which has bee
| prepared with that idea as 4 controilin
one.
There will be two competitions, and am
| pie prizes will be provided. Maps. cast
and photographs of the ground will b
placed at various accessible points in Eu
rope and America. for the convenience o
] architects desiring to enter the concours
and the programme thereof. prepared b.
Professor Guadet, of the School OF Fin
Arts of France. is now under consideration
by the trustees. and it is hoped to dis
tribute the same within the next sixt
| days.
Copies of this programme. when issued
may be obtained by architects from tn
! various architectural societies in Americ
ana Europe or upon application to tn
board of trustees. at their office, 2ll San
some street, San Francisco, Cal
The University of California is destine
| in no long time to be one of the great seat
of learning of the world. and the architec
who plans for it home worthy of its fu
trre. and of what a famous authority ha
called the most beautiful site on earth 70
the purposes of university" will make hi
l