Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-02


faculty and seminary rooms, is thor
branches of academic work offered by
union station approach. were carried
| as far as Hill street it would come dl-
rectly to the beginning of Central
park At worst, there will be only
| four short blocks of narrower streets
| between the broad concourse leading
down to the station and the develop
ments at Central park The intimate
! connection of these with the plans for
a handsomer Los Angeles is thus sug-
| gested But the situation is strategic
| also in respect to the boulevard sys-
tenn.
The present conditions as regards
Central park are as follows: An eX-
ceedingly valuable block of ground
has been reserved as a park. In COM
mon with all the blocks in this sec
ton its longer axis runs north and
south and it is twice as long as 1t IS
broad. A fiat tract it has been la1I
off in walks and planted in trees and
grass and flowers. In the center an
ugly frame structure serves as
covered deck for women and children,
and on occasion as a band stand. BY
degrees very important buildings are
rising around the park, On one side
are the California club and the i'm
mense and beautiful Auditorium; on
two other sides are important churches;
on yet other abutting sides tall and
costly buildings are rising. The park
is not large enough now 10 aCcOmmo-
date the people who crowd into it; but
there is a demand for a better band
stand and for better provisions for
concerts. To the west of the park on
a plat similar in area, but at its nortn-
western corner sloping up to higher
level, there are now no important i'm
prOyements except on the south half.
Beyond this tract, and on hill that
gives to it a very commanding site,
making the terminus and crowd of
Fifth street rises the normal school.
Its building is visible far down Fifth
street, and the state has announced
readiness to sell the whole big plat at
a price that seems to be reason BILE.
The conditions are favorable for an i'm
mediate and stunning effect.
City Should Acquire Property
THE. Normal school property should
be acquired for the city. There is no
other equally large, central and ad-
vantageously situated tract that viii
come on the market. A public building,
erected on its height, will command
Fifth street and occupy superb posi-
tOn in the building up of the Los An
geles City Beautiful On this site l
would place the art gallery and 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 it may be better
to construct separate pavilions, con-
nected by open colonnades, the white
columns showing from below against
the blue California SKY. for ! should
hope that the effect would be Grecian.
Than the designing of this construc
ton, with the view of it from the bust
ness section, with the view of it look
ing north from Hope street or south
from Hope, no architect who loves Los
Angeles could ask a more congenial
and delightful task. Certainly it must
inspire him to his best achievement,
for his would be the task of designing
the acropolis of a great city. Nor
would il be this in the seeming only.
With art and literature on the hill, the
Auditorium at its foot stands for mu-
sic, and the churches for the spiritual,
and so there is created here cultural
center of which any city might We'll be
proud.
obviously, to complete the realiza-
ton of the opportunity, there must be
connection between Central park and
the Normal school property. To Sc
u u
! intervening block-and by rare good
luck the most costly part of it is still
vacant propGTty-must be acquired and
added to the park SociolOgically, there
/ is need for it, as shown by the over
/ crowded condition of Central park; but
/ scenically. and from the standpoint or
/ civic development it would be little
/ short of a crime for rich Los Angeles
/ to let slip-and let slip now, it is gone
/ forever-the chance to create the cen
ter here described.
Would Rearrange Square
with this half block obtained and
added to Central park there should be
/ a radical rearrangement of the pres
/ ent square, definite landscape design
! taking the place of the present hap
/ hazard planting. The motif of the de-
/ sign would be found in its introduce
/ ton to the buildings on the hill The
whole plan would lead up to them,
/ and they would crown the vistas. In
/ simplfcation of the design and to OBJ
/ tain happier proportions l suggest
/ that the tract be a parallelogram, oc-
( cupying the south half of the present
Central park This would be prac-
tically complete in itself. The other
would be a long parallelogram from
/ Hill street to rectangular plaza at
Grand avenue. 1t would constitute
/ the forecourt, or park approach, to
the structures on the hill.
In carrying out the plan for this
| mall the trees-goOd as they are
4 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 a
| broad view Of the front facade Of the
| building NV scheme would also take
did IL on gf