Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-16
HIT CITY BEAUTIFUL
Architects Object to Term Ap-
piled to Washington.
TAFT'S PRAISE OF McKIM
Lauds Dead New Yorker as Great
Exponent of Art.
CABINET SECRET LAID BARE
President Tells How Secretary Will
son Was Bested by Artist-Root
and Choate Eulogize Architect.
CABINET SECRET LAID BARE

BY declaring that the term 'city beau
tiful,'' as applied to the object of the city
planning movement in which architects
and civic organizations are so deeply in
| terested nowadays. was a most ridiculous
and offensive phrase Cass Gilbert of New
York. the retiring president of the Ameri-
| can Institute of Architects, struck a re-
| sponsive chord in the hearts of the dele
gates and visitors at this mornings ses-
| sion of the forty-third annual conven-
| ton of the institute and won a round of
applause.
The question under discussion by the
convention at the time Mr. Gilbert de-
| livered himself of his few desultory but
biting remarks on the mawkishness of
the "city beautiful appellation was the
relations of railways to national and civic
development, which had been placed on
| the program as the topic for the day.
When the movement for the develop
ment of the city of Washington first
| started Mr.. Gilbert said. some one-I
don't know who-coined the phrase "cty
Of civic construction. If l were dis
posed to delay, interrupt or confuse the
progress of city development 1 would pub
lish that phrase city beautiful in big
HcduiileS III every newspaper
Anything but "City Beautiful"
Let us have the city useful, the city
practical. the city livable. the city SEN
sible. the city anything but the city
beautiful.
I'VE want a city that is done, COM
pleted. a city sane and sensible that
can be lived in comfortably. If it is to
be city beautiful it will be one natur-
ally"
Mr.. Gilbert's speech was received with
an outburst of applause from delegates
and visitors alike. The sentiment against
the "city beautiful term was unanimous.
The general idea seemed to be that
the city beautiful in its application as
mentioned by Mr.. Gilbert belonged to a
class with such phrases as Candy Kid"
|; polite vaudeville and some class"
A search warrant was sent out to find
the originator of city beautiful" Glenn
Brown, who was among the first to lend
his aid to the city planning movement in
Washington, said he did not know who
the culprit was. One young woman
among the visitors said she thought she
remembered having seen that phrase in
the Ladies' Home Journal On second
thought she remembered 1t was "house
beautiful" The culprit had not been
discovered at O'Clock this afternoon.
After some discussion the delegates. I'M
officially and informally settled on 1.-The
for the city beautiful
Discuss Railway Stations.
The first speaker this morning was
Frederick A. Delano, president of the
Wabash railroad. who read a paper on
THE Location and Treatment of Railway
Stations" This question, Mr.. Delano said
was growing more and more complex and
important every day. The solution of it
could only be found when railroad men.
civic authorities and architects joined
forces and worked in unison. No definite
general rules for the location OF passenger
or freight stations and terminals could be
laid down, the speaker declared, each
city presenting problem in itself. He
predicted that the subway would play an
important part in the future In the gen.
eral relation of railways and cities.
Other speakers were NJ. w. Richards of
the Southern railway. whose subject was
THE Relation of Railways to the Con-
servation of Natural Resources; NJ. A.
Long of the Baltimore and Ohio. who
discussed general traffic questions; AL
bert Kelsey. who spoke on "Interurban
Stations and Trolley Traffic in City
Streets" and John r. Lockhart, who
liberation with I. d. Waterman and c.
w. Lord on THE Relation of Buildings,
Retaining Walls and Their Surround
ings to City Development and Beauty"
night with banquet at the New Will
lard Yesterday afternoon I. K. Pond
of Chicago was unanimously elected
president of the institute for the coming
year.
Pay Tribute to McKim.
Last nights session of the institute,
which was held in the Corcoran Gallery
of Art, was given over to memorial ex-
ercises for the late Charles Follen McKim
President Taft. Senator Root and Joseph
H. Choate, former American ambassa-
dor to Great Britain, delivered short ad-
dresses in which they praised the char
acter and work of the man who was
held by many to be Americas greatest
architect.
At the conclusion of the speeches Cass
Gilbert Of New York, retiring president
Of the institute. who presided at the ex-
ercises. presented the gold medal of honor
conferred upon Mr.. Mckim before his
death by the institute as a recognition
of hs achievements. 1t was received by
William r. Mead, whose partner Mr..
Mckim was. in behalf of Mr.. McKim's
family.
President Taft was the first called upon.
He apologized for his want of a knowl-
edge of art that would qualify him to
properly express a true appreciation of
tribute to the dead artist-architect's char
acter and works as he knew them.
Leader in Great Art.
I'VE are here to do honor to the men,
DRY of an American leader in one of the
great arts" the President said. II do
not feel justified in saying much with re-
spect to Mr.. McKim. for the reason that
the period of my acquaintance with him
and friendship for him was very short.
My acquaintance with him arose from
the fact that / was Secretary Of War
and had to do with that plan in an official
way which he held most dear. l think.
VI all the subjects TO which he devoted
mis- great artistic genius-that plan for
carrying onward the design with respect
to Washington. He was sensitive, as
presume most geniuses and men OF tai
ent are and he suffered much as he ran
kagainst that abruptness and cocksureness
that We are apt to find in the neighbor-
hood Of Washington, both in the execu-
tive and the legislative branches. He
was the last person to give you the inn
preston that he had either abruptness
or cocksureness, but l don't know any
one who. when he had set his mind at a
thing and determined to reach q result,
had more steadafstness and manifested