The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-12-04
TIE BUILDING OF
 BEAUTIFUL CITIES Lecture by Frank Miles Day on Movement for Civic I'm provement in United
 States.
WASHINGTON A HIGH
 TYPE OF CITY PLAN
General Work Would Include Parks, Rivers and Termi- nal Stations, as in
 Europe.


 course at the Yale Art School last eve- ming, the subject of which this year is Civic Improvement" stated that it was his intention to give a general view of the movement for civic irn- provement now taking place in the United States by presenting examples chosen from the more important branches of the work whether accom- plished, now in course of construction or merely projected and to lay the foundation for the lecturers who would treat the several branches of the subject in detail As these branch es were many, Mf. Day felt con- strained to treat each one very briefly and with few examples.
 1. Beginning with city plans as whole, MT. Day stated that these were broadly of two types, one the product of mere undirected growth as for example the old part of Boston. The other, arranged in accordance with some predetermined rule or prin- ciple generally expressed in draft as Philadelphia or Washington. The plan of Paris which had, perhaps been studied more fully than that of any
 other city and which would be pre- scented in more detail in one of the subsequent lectures, represents these
 types combined, the older city being
 of fortuitous growth, the vast changes
 of latter centuries having been carried
 out in accordance with careful plans
 based on we'll considered principles.
 As an example of a very high type
 of city plan, MT. Day presented that of Washington, the work of military lengineer, Pierre TEnfant acting under
 the advice of George Washington and
 parture from the plan had to a cer-
 tain extent marred the beauty of the
 city by cutting off important vlstas
 and by placing the Washington monu-
 ment in a position irrevelant to its
 surrounding. The effort which for
 some years had been steadily main
 tained for a return to the original plan and for future adherence to 1t
 was one which if fully carried out
 would result in making Washington
 one of the most beautiful of capitals. , The plans for the improvement of . Washington involving as they do many problems of city planning, street | arrangement grouping of public buildings terminal station as the gateway of the city, park system and | water front treatment have served as model for the studies made or in , progress for the improvement of many i, American cities. Mir Day also brief , ly described the replapning of Manila
 San Francisco and Chicago.
 , 2. In talking of the grouping of , public buildings, MT. Day said that the city which has made the greatest actu- , al progress was Cleveland where [
 splendid scheme for a broad mall . serving as an approach from the new l Union station was to be surrounded . with stately edifces of a public and Esemi-public character So far was
 the project advanced, that almost al < of the ground had been acquired s plans of two of the largest buildlngl 4 were ready for letting contracts ant : a structure of great importanct I fronting upon the Mall, the Unitet , States government building, was al
 ready under roof. The example O e Cleveland was having well marked in !. lfluence on many other cities where thu s orderly grouping of buildings was SC r riously under consideration as at St r Paul, St. Louis, Philadelphia an' |. Buffalo.
 2 3. Turning to the subject of park d and park systems, so important a feat - ure of modern city plans, Mfr, Day in n stanced Boston as fine example of
 park system conceived on broad lines
 executed with intelligence and typica
 of what is best in democratic as con
 trasted with the arlstocratic par Q method. The Philadelphia system wa k given as an example of transition iron if the old idea of 8 single park to tn ,e present idea of system. Partly ex ~ ecuted in fact partly as yet but hope B. for. Baltimore and Cincinnati wer el cited as instances of cities having sev l. eral isolated parks and now strugglin :. to secure more adequate areas and
 grouping better related to the need Il of the people.
 'e 4. Neighborhood centres of the Chi d cago parks were somewhat fully de ,- scribed by MT. Day and the movemer ,f indicated as one bridging the gap be S, tween parks and public play ground y and combining the features of bot e. with others not found in either. f. 5. The terminal station as the gate l. way of the city Is a conception rels ty lively new in America. The though
 of a station not used merely as to shelter for crowds or arranged merel le to facilitate their handling but 6 as local point capable of great dlgnit of of treatment and significant of tn of amplitude and movement of moder
 life Is one new to most of us Exam in pies of such stations In course of COT ne struction in Washington and in Ne q York are shown by MT. Day and the m significance to our widening horizon
 pointed out.
 lv 6. A movement for civic improv' ve ment well advanced in Europe but a ,e most unfelt in America is that of tf ve permanent and dignified treatment of the banks of rivers where flowlr aft through cities The ease with whiC m. practical considerations have bee of met and treated in harmony with cal of ons of beauty was shown by exampl IT, from London, Bath, Paris, Pisa ar ,al elsewhere. The total neglect to sel ite the splendid opportunities for civ e. improvement offered by rivers He American cities was commented upt ly and a plan of the proposed improv h. ment to the Schuylldll at Philadt til phia was presented.
 In concluding, MT. Day stated tn