Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-08
CITIES BEAUTY SPOTS
EMBELLISHMENTS OF STREETS
AND BUILDINGS IN EUROPE.
New York Art Commission to Get
Report on How They Order Things
in Great Towns of dd World.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune.
DR.. Milo R. Maltbie, assista1t secretary
of the municipal art commissfon. has re-
turned from a two months trip abroad
with interesting data regarding what had
been accomplished by European cities In
the way of embellishing their public build
ings and streets. He says that tn many
ways the foreign cities are ahead OF New
York. They have given more attention to
the decoration and location OF public build
ings, and the use Of monuments and scuip-
ture In the streets, as well as in the parks.
than this city has given. They have done
much to widen their streets, to make them
attractive and provide proper travelling
facilities.
DR.. MaItbie declared that Paris had gone
further and used better taste in the In
terror decoration of public buildings than
any other city Of Europe. Paris also had
I excelled every other city of Europe in the
arrangement Of its streets and the colnbi-
nation of the streets and boulevards with
monuments and arches of triumph and pub
lie statues. Vienna had the finest boule-
wards and parks, grouped together with
public buildings. that were to be found in
Europe he said, and there was a bridge
was another in process of construction
across the Danube, which. intellectually,
would be one Of the finest in Europe.
Flora in Dresden.
In Dresden, said DR.. Maltbie. the people
and authorities have done more with flow
ers and foliage and plants to relieve the
uniform color of the facades of the build
ings than had been done in any other city.
There was hardly a street in Dresden, how
ever short or narrow. that had not a con-
tinuous display of flowers along the lodges
of the buildings. Prizes were awarded for
the most artistic facades and for the pref
test windows, and information was fur
nished by the authorities to the people re-
garding the treatment of flowers.
In Moscow they have utilized color more
than anywhere else to add to the attrac-
tiveness of the streets, and this is made
possible by the character of the buildings,
which, almost without exception, are of
brick with plaster coating. Some of the
color effects were attractive, and reminded
one of the Pan-Amercan exposition greatly.
DR.. Matlbie said that in Brussels they
had attempted to restore the Grand place
to its original condition and embellish IT.
They had restored the guild houses, and in
instances where the owners of these houses
refused to embellish them the city had
beautified them and rented them to private
individuals. The result was that tbs would
soon be one of the finest spots in Europe.
Transit in Vienna.
AS to the way Vienna had solved the
problem of rapid transit, DR.. Maltbie said
the railroads were originally all on the sur
face, and, besides, there was a branch of
the Danube running through the city. The
authorities put the railroads underground
and rooted the branch Of the Danube over,
and on top laid out public park that was
one of the prettiest of pleasure spots. The
authorities of Vienna are preparing to sub
stftute electricity for steam the under
ground railroads. In Copenhagen the au-
thorities are considering the proposition of
putting the railroads underground in the
same manner In Vienna.
In one direction" remarked DR.. Maltbie,
New York has a promise for the future
which foreign cities do not have 1 rarely
dividuals which was working for the en-
Enlistment of city. Usually they depend
ed upon the city officials themselves, and
the Individual did not consider 1t was his
duty or his prerogative to make any sugges-
ton as to h0w city should be beautified.
Nowhere dfu1 find the intense interest on
the part of private organizations one finds
here, in such organizations as the Municipal
Art Society, the Merchants Association and
Where most has been accomplished abroad
you will find private actions have supple
| mented municipal activity.
The foreign cities ahead of us in
municipal activity. Many of the officials
abroad are permanent, and realize the i'm
| portance of beautiful city and are work.
| ing in that direction. They have experts in
| various lines, but they do not have, as
| rule, the keen interest of private societies
| When we achieve, as we shall, thoroughly
! honest and efficient government, then for
eign cities will want to watch their laurels,
| because we will have a finer city than Eu-
| rope can now boast Of"
DR.. Maltbie will make q report to the
| municipal art commission in about month.