The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-08

~ points of view. In the first place
shall try to show what changes
II would cause and what would be Its full
significance, and secondly. how it pays.
OF all modern cities, Paris, more than
any other. deserves the title of THE City
Beautiful" with its clean, paved streets
with its public places, surrounded by
buildings in harmonious style and decor
ated with statuary which represents the
highest development OF modern art, with
its river so beautifully bridged. with its
old cathedral of immense proportions. It
comes nearer than any other to reaching
the ideal which is the object of this mu-
nicipal art movement, The City Beauti-
full"
The conversion OF the American city.
built primarily for utility, into the city
beautiful, may seem at the first glance
a herculean task. But 1t Is like the fable
of the old man who, when about to die.
had a bundle of arrows brought to him.
which he gave to his sons to be broken.
They tried with might and main, but
could not break them, when the old man,
taking them one by one. easily broke them
all. So 1t is with the difficulties in the
way OF municipal art. If we take every
element of ugliness, one by one, and try
to root II out, the task will not be diff
cult
There are so many little things that
could be remedled in our modern cities.
For example, our lamp posts; why could
they not be beautiful affairs? Why could
not a society like the Baltimore NUM-
cipal Art Society institute a contest for
designs for lamps? 1t does not cost very
much more to put up handsome gas lamps
than 1t does ugly ones. If you have the
designs; and II liberal prizes were offered,
successful workers and scuptors would
compete.
Every little thing counts in municipal
art. The people of Venice had to build
a bridge in the early part OF the six
teenth century. II was not a large bridge:
there was not chance to do anything on
a very great scale; but they resolved to
do the very best that they could. So
famous has the Rialto bridge become that
today the architect is called Antonio OF
the Bridge.
Another method by which we could grad
ually improve our streets is the introduction
OF color. The love OF color Is natural The
medieval city was a feast of color with its
bright tile roofing and painted facades,
with the coats of arms emblazoned on all
the houses and walls of the cities. and with
the glitterlng glass windows stained In all
colors. IT is only in modern times that we
have banished it. except where we put up
a hideous affair to advertise an auction
sale. am not arguing for throwing paint
pots at buildings, but in favor of order In
place OF the present anarchy. Let the col
oring of our cities be under artistic direc-
ton.
In coloring our modern cities the French
have given us good examples. They us~
trees as much as possible. Green is ma
lures colorins; II rests the eye, and in the
broader streets OF the city nothing is so
charming a. 10 see bright green tree. The
Champs Elysees. which is pronounced by
many to he the finest avenue in the world
dt certainly is one of the 1nesO. has Its
chief charm in the beautiful trees through
out.
Another way in which we might use color
would be through the increasing use OF
heraldry Black is dingy color. but IL
one places blue spots in a black field he has
a field of beautiful sapphire. And so we
might use heraldry in our modern stiles,
Why should not the coat of arms of the
city, in colors. be emblazoned over the door
OF every public building? Why should rot
merchants have trade marks which are ar
tlstic. and have them colored and en-
blazoned in n like manner?
l am sure all remember that beautiful
feast OF color at the worlds fair in Chica-
20, The white of those buildings, which re-
iected all the colors about. the blue Of the
lake and sky, the golden dome OF the adj
ministration building. together with the
golden statue Of the republic and the duh
red OF the Transportation building-these
with the green OF the NNfE anu INC grass
all made a picture which any one who Las
seen II will never forget. Just AZ 1t VAS
done there II can be done TO some extent
in all cities by the use OF colors.
Leaving the streets and this coloring
scheme, let ua come TO the public squares
and open places OF the city. which should
be decorated in a suitable manner. There
are numherIess buildings congregated IN
Paris and YOU will notice that while Il is
Impossible 20 have buildings OF a similar
style OF architecture. the first great prin-
clple Of having beautiful places Is that
instead Of having them scattered they
should be grouped Berlin Is az hand
some as Vienna. as far az It's Individual
buildings are concerned, but Vienna IL
Infinitely finer than Berlin because Vi
enna's buildings are concentrated In one
street the Rgstrasse. whereas those OF
Berlin are scattered all about.
The peoples houses should always be
tho greatest and most diguihed houses In
the community. Nothing "a too good Tor
the people. IN Grecian times the peoples
houses we're the templca The Acropolis
was the most sacred place 10 tho Athcn-
iaus, tho place where they kept their
treasures, and Il was beautifully decor
ated
In the middle ages the peoples houses
became The cathedrals. Bat Z was not the
cIeTgy alone who buit those gzand ola
cathcirals. The people themselves gave
% their abundance Tho poor rave ~
their need. and not only that. some 81
them gave their lives 20 the work There
are Instances q treernen who bound them
selves as serfs TO = cathedral. 20 draw
water and 90 hew stono untu death should
release them When the people buff IN
shat spirit and IN that style. they built
something worthy.
Nowadays the city halls. court houses.
Fsltilc schools and libraries are the peo-
pies houses These should - built as
worthUy q we're the temples and palaces
~ ola Perhaps the most elaborate ana
beautiful city hsu IN the world Is tha
Hotel Gee VIE. ot Paris. whlcA Is elab-
lrateiy decorated without and within. The
new plhle library % Boston "a fne sx-
- ..r... 2 ..s u LeIt.. ....a 4 -. -. -.