The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-07
MAKING CITIES BEAUTIFUL

1t is intensely gratifying to find large
American cities considering broad plans
for improving their appearance. 1t is
being realized, more and more, that the
construction of a good building here
and there does not necessarily mean
much so far as the general aspect of
a city is concerned.
The moment, however, that the re-
lations of buildings to one another be-
gin to be considered by any city, there
is reason to believe that it is on the
right course. A city does well to
plan parks. Too many parks are hard
.ly possible. But a city does still bet
ter when it plans a park system, hav-
ing in mind the relation of park to
park and Of the parks to their surround
ings 1t has been the working out Of
large schemes that has made Paris so
superbly beautiful. Ideas that en-
braced the improvement of great areas
have there been successfully put into
effect.
Commissioners have been abroad from
the city of Washington to study the
cities of the old world in order that
they might give to the nations capital
the best possible designs for adding to
its beauty. Cleveland, Ohio, a city
whose residence section is as beautiful
as the business section is ugly, is now
considering a plan for grouping public
buildings, including the federal, munich
pal and library buildings, to FORM
when the scheme is realized, a grand
court of honor" Several new buildings
must be built soon and very wisely it
is being considered how each building
NAV best add to the effect of others.
Eventually a considerable portion of
Cleveland where the buildings with
certain exceptions are old and bad must
be made over, and the present move
ment toward harmonious arrangement
iof public buildings, if it is successful,
may have an effect reaching further
than its advocates dream.
The Chicago exposition has perhaps
been the most potent influence toward
creating better thought about build
ing that has ever been felt in this
country. The Pan-American EXPOSE
ton at Buffalo is also full of sugges-
ton. What these expositions will event
ually bring about for American cities
and towns is past comprehension.
All of the wealthy American cities
can do much for themselves when once
they think more broadly upon questions
concerning their adornment. If it
is reprehensible for a person to be
careless about his appearance, it is in
finitely more so for a city to be indif-
ferent as to its appearance.
1t is not meant that the best effect
is always to be obtained by grouping
public buildings. Conditions may be
such as to make a contrary plan more
effective when the city is considered as
a whole. But thought must not begin
and end with any one building 1t
must include much more than that.
Neither must it be of the present only
it much reach far into the future.
The remark is often made that after
oAAC has SNtll a lew ClLlCS III INT 0HllGu
States. making selections from the
East West, North and South, he can
not derive much pleasure from visiting
other cities, that is, so far as any de-
light other cities can possess for him in
themselves. So soon as cities make
the best of their environments. and
work broadly for improvement in their
appearance the present monotonous
.sameness win vanish. Every city will
assume a character distinctly its own
and become well worth seeing.
The next fifty years should be a
period of rebuilding wherever wrong
principles were followed in the first
place, and particularly where no prin-
ciDle at all was followed. Many
mayor may earn distinction by inaug-
urating a wise movement for giving
beauty to his municipality. The old
that is good should be spared and hon
ored. The old that is bad should make
room for something better.
The thought as to what the leading
cities in this great and fertile land may
make Of themselves is indeed stirring.
The time should not be far distant