The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-06-27
KESSLER ON PARKING
Landscape Architect Points
Out Way to Beautify
the City.

Geo. f. Kessier the landscape archie
tect Of KHasas city. writes the following
self explanatory letter;
st. Louis. Mo June %. 1905.
Hon board Of Park Commissioners. Dr.
l.. b. Morse President Guthrie. Okla.
GeiUivner Referring 30 the snbject Of
street improvements and the subdivision
Of street areas into roadways. sidewalk
spaces, lawns and tree planting
While n Oklahoma recently ] noticed
that your city Is doing what al other
Of the Younger cities had previously done,
very much TO their disadvantage. by
making abnornally wide roadway spaces
ana contracted sidewalk spaces Mny /
venture TO Offer susges on. h5sins that
it may be- taken in the spirit in which
st Sc htedned. as suggestion when mny
be Of value in dollars and ce,hs as wen as
in good appearance Of your naturally
most beautiful city
Your excessively wide roadway or paw
Ing afea results finally In the paving OF
this space at cost considerably greater
than is necessary for the travel on most
Of your streets. except IN tie business
area of course. and the CONTRACTED side
walk space distinctly detraets from Jhe
good appearance, from The street as veli
as from the surrounding private lands.
I beg leave TO urge that you ID not con-
tlnue In this error. which has cost 40
many western cities great sums without
proper returns and suggest that IN con-
neetion with the prorer functions OF tho
hoard Of park commissioners IN the city,
you extend your good Influence over the
entire city az well az IN the parks, by
securing a subdivision OF yonr residential
streets into roadway space OF MOI 20 ex-
ceed thirty feet and ia the side streets
| IL is not necessary 20 so beyond 25 feet
I AN the remaining space ts he devoted 70
parking. Where yau hase comparatively
wide parking space. say twenty feet or
more ! would place the sidewalk pave
ment from four 90 five feet from tho
private property line, and making these
sidewalk pavements not 20 exceed hvc
feet wide and devoting the remaining
| space between sidewalk and curbng
| line TO lawns and. planting on thg
| space between private property line end
| sidewalk and also on the outer space,
! say about four fe'' from the curb.
lines OF trees placed as nearly uniformly
as the spacng Of the blocks and the bos-
slide drivcwiy approaches viii .tunit; in
your territory most Of your street tcces
nor 70 exceed fhiriy-tve feea apart ion-
! gitudinaiy for permanent planting. and u
you desire, planting intermediate trcee
between there permanent trees for more
immediate effect, but not Planting such
intermediate trees unless voa can be
certain that at the proper time. when the
trees begin TO crowd each other 20 take
out, eithtr by transphnting or cutting
down the intermediate trees.
A very extended observation and con-
siderable personal experience reads me
10 offer these suggestions 10 you. know
ing that IL would be advantageous TO
your city la every respect aad I err
frank 20 say that trerc is no possible
excuse from any point of view FOR ex-
cesslvely wide pavements "a residential
districts even ln la-gc cpy
Very sincerely yours.
GEO. ID IcEssLEG.