The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-15

4"eiS II OoFLlS private grounds and St1oh
IS travellers expect TO find here; cool
~F4Nes under arches of the overhang-
hiS d4sarooa, and in the center at
TdctlNe play fields. But to obtain
th-Se desiFao bic results. there would be
heeu 10 eNpend- a great deal of mon ev.
I'oeeo' the condition is 10 be frankly
faced at once; kapiolanf Park needs,
from some source or other. 4 large an
preparation for Improvements and IL n
IS TO 92 made an ornamental. show
park 1t requires a very large one
My suggestions for Immediate work
at hapiolani are as follows: Fill up
all but the main lagoon. Laid out on
perfectly straight lines, the iagoons
are more like canals than natural
waterways and have no attractiveness
IN themselves With the water in them
Ioui and stagnant. they are something
less imam nattractive and the park
should be freed of them. on the water
borders of the lagoon remaining. put
+ III some clusters of bamboo and pam
pas grass and carry on the shore
painting, TO soften the lines. to give
a more natural look to the stream and
to take away the aspect of A ditch
Screen the barns and various service
buildings with a high hibiscus hedge.
Extend, by further planting of alga-
robas, the arched drive, now in iso~
lated sections a charming feature on
the east and north circumference of
the park. so that it may be continu.
GUS Acquire. if practicable the al
garoba grove lying nearest the sea be-
tween the park and Diamond Head
and add It to the park Everywhere
open vistas through the trees, so UnaI
ha n
meadows. to get an idea of the park :
extent, and to bring into it as one of
its chief charms views of the rugged
grandeur of Diamond Head and of the
high distant hills with their ever
changing shadows. Convert the race
track grounds into play fields and golf
links, and get the old grandstand out
OF sight as quickly as you can. In the
front and more ornamental part of the
grounds, do not be afraid of the open
lawn. There is some attempt at it,
but the planting is still "spotty" and
there is much clearing out that ought
yet to be done, the algarobas ami
crotons where retained at all, need
ing to be gathered into clumps instead
OF left as they are. as individual
specimens, scattered and misplaced.
1t will surprise you TO see how much
this will improve the grounds. Around
the superintendent house, shrubs
should be planted, to wed the house
to the lawn. The trolley poles, il they
have to remain. may be made a less
conspicuous misfortune if painted
green and planted around the base
with vines. The poles in the center
of the grass walk on the ocean side
of the street are an objectionable in
3 1l-II ion nd no ord ar
once.
In making this list of suggestions
and criticisms, L recognize that the
present aspect is doubtless a vast i'm
rroVement over that of the past, and
1 am glad to give credit for the ac-
complishment of much, considering. the
conditions and the handicap of low
appropriations. But it is my duty to
tell you that if you want handsome
park there, or even moderately good
park, you must be prepared to ex-
pend a large sum of money. And
what the park has been, I am not
asked to consider; but what the park
possessions of Honolulu might be- In
making these suggestions, too, / have
been as moderate as possible indicat-
ing the parks further development
along the lines already started, and
making use of all the good there is.
With the purchase of the beach lots
opposite Kapiolani Park, Honolulu
has had done for it one of the best
things that could be done. The great
attraction of the lots is the beach and
the water and to make the latter
available for bathing is the first and
most important step, A house adj
mirably adapted for a beach pavilion
a 6x- ct
with the main emphasis on the water
front there is not a great deal that
needs to be done in the way of land
scape design. This will naturally find
it's motif in bringing the lots into SEEM |
ing unity with one another and with |
Kapiolani Park, so that the appear |
ance of separate lots may be prompt |
ly done away with and Kapiolani |
Park win appear to extend, as it al |
ways should have, to the sea. The !
new addition definitely fixes, also, the |
character of this reservation as the !
public pleasure ground in your list of |
parks.
b. SCENIC RESERVATIONS.
In a city like Honolulu,-of its size,
with no large class of industrial oper-
atives requiring outdoor physical eAer-
else, and with views and natural seen
cry the great attraction of the city,
one good sized park is enough to devei-
OPP distinctly as a pleasareground. TO
this purpose. as has been said, Kapio
lani can be very properly devoted. But
the city's need of scenic reservations,
that the great viewpoints may be Sc
cured for all the people, is more than
usually urgent. The case is one OF
large obligations involved by noble
gifts and opportunities; and as an in
dividual could do no Iovelier public
work than to set aside a beautiful
viewpoint for perpetual public enjoy
ment, it is to be hoped that some of
these advantageous sites will be thus
as in other cities, to the COM
What is not given, the people
must secure for themselves through
their representatives.