Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-05
CIVIC WORKERS
MAKE PLANS FOR
CITY BEAUTIFUL
GAMUT CLUB SPEAKERS URGE
MUNICIPAL ART
CAPTAIN FRIES HAS SCHEME FOR
HAR5oR BUILDINGS
Absence of Decorative Architecture In
Los Angeles Pointed Out
and Suggestions for I'M
provement Given

E1IRST steps were taken last night
II for concentrating the spirit in
Il Los Angeles for civic betterment
and preserving the spirit of art
throughout the city until Los Angeles
may tinl herself for comprehensive
recognition of the necessity for mu-
nicpal art and a recognition of the
fine arts through other means than
scattered individual effort.
These steps were initiated by the
Gamut club through a consideration of
! Greater Los Angeles and Il city beau
! titul" by club members and guests rep
resentfng other influential city organi-
cations. While the program was made
up along this line, the meeting appro-
| priately ratified also the harbor victory
following the announcement of the
votes on consolidation This was re-
| ceiVed by the club as indicative of
the citys advancement, and Captain
Fries, T. +. Gibbon and others present
who have been identified with the fight
for a free harbOr were given ovations
accordingly.
That the Gamut club, the City club
the Friday Morning club, the Ruskin
Art club, the chamber OF commerce and
other clubs and civic organizations be-
lieve that a great work making for the
establishment of a comprehensive city
plan must be started at once was en-
phatically brought out by the evenings
program.
Discuss Artistic Needs
Charles Farwell Edison, the president
of the club, introduced Capt. Amos A.
Fries of the United States engineers
office, John w Mitchell, vice president
% Arf mi ce,in
e. Gibbon, as president of the Fine
Arts league, and Arthur FarWell of
New York, OF the American Music so
ciety, as the speakers of the evening.
Each, except Mr. Farwell, who had
been asked to speak on the establish
ment of a Los Angeles center of the
American Music society, had been as
signed a subject centering about the
artistic needs of the municipality. Fol
lowing them Mrs Charles Farwell Ed
son, for the Friday Morning club; Mrs.
Morris Albee, for the Ruskin Art club;
DR.. Sherwin Gibbons, for the City club,
and Maj. Henry 7. Lee, speaking unof-
ficially for the Municipal league and
the chamber of commerce, all pledged
their respective organizations for CO.
operation in great movement for ar
tistic betterment in Los Angeles.
The club sat down to a dinner before
amount of fun and an excellent musical
program besides.
When Captain Fries was introduced
he was heartily applauded and the club
members stood up and cheered him
Justify His subject was announced as
1.-THE Artistic Possibilities of Greater
Los Angeles" but he lost no time in
sliding down into the harbor," as he
said at once. He urged that the Cali
Gov To GGfn In t~p11 ifn.,
mission style-be adopted for the gen.
eral scheme of the harbor buildings,
making a concept for the visitor to
Los Angeles at once unique and arch-
tecturally beautiful. This idea was
enthusiastically received by the listen
erS.
Toasts Los Angeles
Here's a toast" exclaimed Captain
Fries. Here's to Los Angeles, 300
miles long and 100000 strong.
Now that consolidation has carried
for there will be no doubt about San
Pedro, | am sure" he said, 1.-The next
thing is to get a plan and work to it,
You have the beginning of this in the
consolidation committees report, when
you come to your warehouses, your
municipal railways and your other
work you may just as we'll see that
everything is carried out to beautify as
well as to give utility. | hope even to
see the time when the privately
railroads will plant trees character
istic of this section all along the rights
of way and make their tracks beauti-
full"
Mr.. Mitchell severely scored the
supervisors for their marring the
beauty of the court house by placing
the new hall of records on a site that
Jared all plans of civic center beauty.
He urged the immediate carrying out
of plan for a practical administra-
tive center. and told of the difficulties
met by the Municipal Art commission
in endeavoring to advance the artistic
side of the city's growth.
Municipal Art Neglected
The Importance OF this was empha-
sized by T. e. Gibbon, who followed
Mr.. Mitchell. He called attention to
the fact that Los Angeles stands alone
among the cities of 100000 population
in not having a dollar invested munic-
ipally in the expression of human taste
through painting, sculpture or music.
He advanced the opinion that this
curious and unenviable situation Is due
to the fact that Los Angeles has doubt
less had to deal more strenuously with
the more practical problems, such as
water supply, sanitary provisions and
similar work, than any other city in
America Mr.. Gibbon showed that these
have developed great undertakings,
which will give the city wealth and
leisure ample to develop the artistic
He urged, meanwhile, the
keeping alive of the sentiment for art
in every way possible.
Mr. Gibbon called special attention
to a manifestation of the artistic ten
dency in Los Angeles citizens through
the building in many sections of the
city of so many beautiful bungalows
by men of moderate means, and said
that this had been remarked on by
visitors as indicating that the love of
art must be strong among residents of
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