The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-02
MAKINGACTYBEAUTFUL

, for washin gton, for Cleveland and for Baltimore in collaboration with sucn men as Augustus St. Gaudens. Ffeo- erick Law Olmsted and c. F. Mckim. Gladly MT. Burnham, who had also designed the famous white city Tor Chicago, came to his task. From tneir , bungalow on Twin Peaks he and his assistants today look out over the sur passing panorama of city and bay and ocean. and draw inspiration for their guidance in mapping the outlines for 1 the new and better Naples-Naples as Italy will never know 1t.
 1 "Tt will take more years than we will live: 1t will take more millions than we can guess! Mir. Burnham's s general plan is yet in the forming. but the words quoted from him convey an idea of the scope of his inspiration. And. too. like Michael Angelo, con- Itemplating the uncarved angel in the marble. he has dropped words concern | ing his vision. has said that fulfill ment Of the practicable and possible will make San Francisco close to the most majestic city in the world. With his general plan completed. the &C., complishmept of 1t. part by part. will be undertaken with such expedition as may be found possible.
 1 "A community is like a client. says MT. Burnham. Unless wo pos- sess his confidence we can accomplish no results. Immediate details will come after. The man who undertakes this great work must be sincere. earn est and self abnegating. But I do not believe 1t will be difficult to open to the world out here a new side of life
 Far reaching will be the Burnham l plans, immense the cost of carrying 1 them out. yet this builder of cities beautiful ignores not the commonest. ( nt,- at a | would have flowers planted even If the planter has but a pot of soil upon a | sill in which to set his slips. In no place on earth save here.' says he. can | be repeated with success the French | and Italian ideas for beautiful gar dens. True. theirs were formal. mere- ly architectural. but here the oppor-
 tunitv for informal gardening appeals | to all. "
 | A civic center, around which will St
 grouped most of the large public build l ings, is a part of the general plan | Close to tho center 1t Is proposed tf build conservatory of music. found i ed by popular subscription, and mag
 nificent theatre. A boulevard. whicf l will become to the city what thu Champs Elysees is to Paris. will con. meet the center with the Golden Gate
 Park. Another boulevard will follow 1 the bay shore past the Golden Gate ant l south to the Cliff House to ,connec 1 with the present Ocean boulevard l The extension of Golden Gate Park tt | the Presidio Is a part of the parl | scheme, and 1t Is expected that thu
 federal Government will contribute tt the improvement of its reservation. The precipitous streets and hills will I lend themselves to effective terraces
 and it has been suggested that thu l terraces be set with flowers so that 1T
 time they may come to resemble thu
 streets or steps of Naples
 | MT Burnham has taken up thu l work of the adornment of San Fran
 cisco as a labor of love-" said Jamei
 D. Phelan, president of the Adornmen l Association. and former mayor, "ant l he has expressed himself to the effec
 that San Francisco affords unprece
 dented opportunities for accomplishing
 great results in city building. He be lieves that no city landscape in th' | world is fairer than the view wh!cf
 is presented to him from his temporar!
 abode There he has received hi'
 guests. made his calculations and hi | plans, and there he will. within a year! | time, complete his task.
 "It Is unfortunate for San Francisco | that such a plan was not made in tn, l
 time men were bent upon acquiring | fortunes and did not believe that z 1 great metropolis would grow up or I this peninsula. As early as 1865, how
 ever Frederick Law Olmsted was in.
 vited by the municipal council to plar | park system. He laid out broad backwards and suggested many
 changes. which unfortunately were
 never carried into execution. But the l Presidio reservation and the acquisi.
 tion of outside lands for Golden Gate | Park was considered at that time g
 gr aat accomplishment, and such has fl
 proved to be; and already this genera
 tion has begun to make additions by
 connecting the park and the Presidio which will be speedily accomplished l and ultimately the park will be l brought to the city by connecting 1, | with different districts by broad thor. oughfares
 The Adornment Association endeav.
 ors to accomplish much by keeping be- | fore the public the advantages oi | adornment Beauty is the conquerina
 power of the world. and by making the I city beautiful we can hold our popula- tion. attract new corners and add tc 1 the happiness of the daily life of my
 riads. If a city like San Francisco | neglects to make attractive its resi- l
 parks and playgrounds and schools and
 libraries. the population will drift
 away. This is a practical view tha,
 will appeal to every one and may be
 summed up by saying that beauty I pays just as an ethical truth is often
 made popular by the sentiment, hon. | esty is the best policy"
 The work which is being undertaken | by the people of San Francisco prom ises well. And 1t means more than the
 Identification of that city. Other cities | of the country are aready contemplat- | ing or are at work upon plans which
 shall result fin the preservation of the
 beauties of land and water. In Chi | cago an association Is working along
 lines which is to prevent the banish-
 ment and arrangement of natures
 face and which will one day make this
 a veritable city beautiful. Valuable I suggestions and well-directed effort
 have already had the effect of inter
 esting authorities, householders and | citizens generally parks and boule- | wards are now the tangible evidence: | of what may be accomplished. and ir l the natural order of things the town