The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-25

5TIVlCs CENTER movements in other
x cities have been successfully car.
= ried out. In fact, the civic cen
ter fad, or whatever it may be called,
. and an expensive one at that in the
older cities, is passing over the country
in a wave.
posed for Minneapolis that 1 Suggested
by G. p. Bertrand with Bridge square
as a center, is a comparatively mex
pensive one, as it does not require the
purchase of rights.ofzway thru land,
or the demolition Of any new and ex-
pensive buildings. So ", Il
That proposed by "A. p. Wyman of
Chicago, with the courthouse as the
center, is more expensive in. it's esti-
mate, as it. provides two broad, dag
thor0fare and agconhagration stop.
Either plan can be carried out in such
a young. corporation as Minneapolis at
a minimum cost. Either plan postponed
for many years will involve heavy ex-
penditure. 81 s.~
The older cities; and the wealthy
ones, however, are the municipalities
which are now considering or putting
thru civic center plans. ~;
Confirmation ma Of. the judgment, ex.
need of civic center is deduced by
G. L. Sawyer Of the, free information
bureau Of the Minneapolis Real Estate
Board from the results Of his investi-
cation among the larger cities Of the
country, much of his information being
secured from Worlds Work. ~.5
The undermining Of Washington, Mr.
Sawyer found, is probably one Of the
most notable examples Of civic improve
ment on a large scale. "A commission
was appointed by the senate in response
ST Architects. The commission was
composed of four Of the best architects
together with a landscape designer and
sculptor. The commission was given
a new task. No notable examples of
|civic improvement were to be found.
The only prototype was the plan of the
/ Columbia exposition. The commission
recommended a comprehensive, beauti-,
/ full and reasonable plan which will be
carried out in the next few years at
tremendous expense ,iJ,s. ~ 80. u:
f Harrisburg, Pa, "a city, Of $4,000
population, is being made over from a
city of, poor. Streets. one park and i'm
pure water, into a city which will be a
model of it's kind. When the question
was proposed $4,000 was raised to Sc
.cure plans which called for an initial
1oan Of more than 81 200, 900. A Sec
sond $4,000 was Immediately subscribed
tory to submitting a Bond issue to vote.
The result was overwhelmingly favor
able and the Z Harrisburg plan has
formed an mportants1ehapter in NUM-
I3cipal history. Y h'&F* ofE !, -, VIZ ! -;
B .s case Of cleveland :v.sp... IT, a.
/. Then Cleveland began to consider
#the grouping Of public buildings; "a
city hall, library, courthouse, Postt;o'ffi;ese
and union station were to be built.
This presented an unusual opportunity
to group these buildings to form a civic
center. The citizens were aroused.
The city hall commissioners, with
representatives = of 4other proposed
structures, selected the sites They
appealed to, the legislature for author
sity to appoint a commission to make
group plan M. hhe eom miss 9Sr pre-
has now been acquired, and several .of
athe buildings are we'll advanced. The
scheme involved expenditures of $10,-l
but the city will be trans
formed, the. value of adjacent property
advanced and public business increased
manifold. " ,5b7 i. , ,1s.5 '<. s.s.
]. In Washington outside experts de-
vised the plan; in Harrisburg The peo-s
.ple themselves outlined the scheme;
in Cleveland the plan was promulgated
by regular represent atives. ,.S. g.
wherever cities could generate suffi
cient public spirit to entertain the
sc heme, Buffalo, in many respects a
rival Of Cleveland, caught the conta-
gion. Public meetings were held there,
Ethe result being the Inauguration Of a
movement to- transform Niagara square
into assplendid civic center, and which
has awakened the people to an expec-
tation of a more> beautiful Buffalo.
|. Ottawa, Ont, was next in line. It
employed a Montreal expert. His re-
port called for. a far different plan
than that followed at Washington. The
Ifof any one Of the other cities men
toned. The plan consisted in park i'm
provement almost exclusively. This
plan has been already carried out, and
the city is now looking to revision Of
the entire civic PLAN 4.
Soon st. Louis caught the fever,
Plans were outlined involving an, ex-.
pense Of S., 100000. ST.. Louis has only
entered upon the execution Of her plan.
At the close Of 1904 in New y ork,
commission made "a comprehensive
report looking to the civic improve
ment Of the. city. The plan is to make
material changes in the redidces already
erected, and looks toward the lconfor-
nation of future Improvement to a
studied plan. s. s;,3. 49,
! Detroit and San Francisco at once
began to look into the proposition, In
Detroit q citizen left the city q. legacy
Of $4,000 to- be expended as the civic
improvement trustees should dictate.
Here proposed civic Improvement be-
fcomes stimulus to public requests. !. [
When the Baltimore fire. occurred no
plan for civic: improvements had been
formulated and the plan hastily pre-
scented was not SO comprehensive as it
| might have been. Itsiconsisted mainly
IN the widening Of streets and such
| other changes as were conceived in the
mind Of the ordinary business man.
San Francisco, when the calamity
came, had already at hand the report
Of an efficient commission containing
compre hensive and ambitious propos-
ais, which are, nevertheless, being car
ried out in all !. essential details.
Colorado Springs, Col, and Columbus,
Ohio, were next to consider the ques-
ton. In each city few spirited citi-
zens comprehended the necessity Of
civic improvements and a more COM
plete park system was laid and other
material at improvements proposed, which
will be duly carried out. .s...
Syracuse, n. y, and Columbia, s. g,
i have Joined in the movement. At Col.
umbia the city. and state combined in a
joint commission w hieh;s will result in
a. homogeneous transformation Of the
i city. In Denver the proposed plan en-
i braces an nvestme Of $4,000 900 in
! land alone. The report created a sensa-
4 ton IA meeting waas n Il ina a. nllhlic