Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-01


ter To realize this function New Hlgn
street from the federal building to Re
public would be utilized. On the one slue
Of 1t would be a pars. the retaining wall
or the parks farther side made beautiful
with creepers; on the other side. with
Main street before them and the PARK
behind, there would ri-e better class OF
buildings than at present, and at Repub-
lie street. used as the nucleus of broad
eneJ way, 1t would widen and make a
swinging curve, that from Main street
would open fine view of the blun and
proceed directly to the Plaza.
Central Park Center
CENTRAL PARK AND THE CROWN
OF FIFTH STREET. have spoken OF
Central park as forming a center for
| a further scheme of Improvement.
This is in accordance with my wish
| tc make the utmost use possible
of what the city already has. Central
park, however has the further and very
great advantage of being directly In the
| line of the suggested improvements Tor
| Fifth street. IL the widening of that
thoroughfare, which have advocated for
, union station approach. were carried
as far as Hill street, it would come direct
! lv to the beginning of Central park. AT
worst. there will be only four short blocks
| of narrower street between the broad con-
course leading down to the station and
| the Developments at Central park. The
| intimate connection of these with the
pans for a handsomer Los Angeles Is
| thus suggested. But the situation Is
strategic also in respect to the boulevard
| system.
The normal school property should he
| acquired for the city. There is no other
equally large, central and advantageousy
situated tract that will come on the
| market. A public building, erected on It's
| height, will command Fifth street and
| occupy a superb position in the building
up of the Los Angeles city beautiful. On
mis- site i would plan the art gallery
| end public library which the city must
| soon have. The details of the structures
can be left to the architects. Perhaps it
will be possible to combine them in one
| splendid building, or 1t may be better tc
construct separate pavi.ions connected by
| open colonnades, the white columns show
| ing from below against the blue Califor-
| nia sky, for should hope that the effect
would be Grecian.
Obviously, to complete the realization
of the opportunity, there must be a con-
rection between Central park and the
normal school property. To secure this
the north half of the short intervening
block-and by rare good luck the most
costly part of it is still vacant property.
rust be acquired and added to the park
Scciologically, there is need for it, as
shown by the overcrowded condition of
Central park; but scenically, and from the
standpoint of civic development, 1t woulo
he little short of crime for rich Los
Angeles to let slp-and let slip now, It
is gone forever-the chance to create the
center here described.
Rearrange Square
With this half block obtained and added
to Central park there should be a radical
Encouragement of the present square.
definite landscape design taking the place
of the present haphazard planting. The
motif of the design would be found in its
introduction to the buildings on the hill.
The whole plan would lead up to them,
end they would crown the vistas. In SIM
p.ification of the design and to obtain
happier proportions 1 suggest that the
tract be cut into two distinct problems.
The one would be a parallelogram, occu-
Lying the south half of the present Cen
trail park. This would be practically com
pleted in itself. The other would be
long parallelogram, from Hill street to q
rectangular plaza at Grand View avenue.
II would constitute the forecourt, or park
approach, to the structure on the hill.
In carrying out the plan for this mali
the trees-good as they are-which are
planted between the walk and the curb
on Fifth street in front of the park,
would best be removed. 1t is important
that there be given broad view of the
front facade of the building. My scheme
would also take out the south sidewalk
on Fifth street, from Hill to Grand View.
and would widen the Fifth street road
way to the present park line. An advan-
tnge of this Is that 1t would seem to add
TO the width of Fifth street as an ap-
rroach, for the line of trees now appear
to cut off the street at the curb line on
l. 1YT1FN \
provision for the Auditorium carriage
traffic.
Within the park bounds-the present
bad, sinuous walk which runs close to
the street sidewalk having been taken
out-I would put broad, straight walk,
leading up to the buildings on the hill.
This promenade would be thirty feet
wide and would be separated from the
curb by fifteen feet of turf, on wAich
would be planted roses On the other
side of 1t there would be another line OF
roses, and beyond roses-the grass strip
here being thirty feet wide-a row f
eucalyptus, planted thirty-five feet apart.
These, and similar row beyond, would
define the drive. The rest of the space
would be tree dotted lawn, and here
nearly all of the better trees which are
now within the par could probably be
retained. There would be benches along
this walk, and in time. at this cultural
center along the rose bordered prom
enade, there may be erected sculptured
memorials 10 litterateurs, musicians and
artists. Walk and drive would merge
into Hill street by arcs of circles.
AS to the plat on the south half Of the
present park site, which / said should
constitute a distinct design, my idea
would be to put here the new band stand,
At the west end of the mall suggest
an open space to give setting to the
buildings when one ic near them. In the
perspective view from the lower end of
the scheme this would not be seen. and
in the view east from the buildings one
would look over it. The drive, 1t will be
observed, makes curve at the west end
Of the mall and proceeds through the
parked grounds of the library at the
base of the hill, around the building and
to Figueroa street. All this has some
thing to do with the boulevard system,
OF which l am next to speak. 1t Is suf-
ficient to note here that the grade by
which Fifth street reaches Grand avenue
is by this means avoided; and that, by
park road reserved for pleasure driving,
free from street cars and at even grade,