The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-06
BOARD ID bEAUTIFy
 CALDWELL PARK Miller Submits Details to
 Chairman Otto Marx PROBLEM PRESENTED
PROBLEM PRESENTED
Treatment Will Be Expensive Because of the Exceptionally Rough Ma ture of the Surface of
 the Park

well park, upon which several thous- and dollars will be spent, has been ar ranged by George II. Miller the Boston landscape architect, and has been ap- proved by Otto Marx, chairman of tho neighborhood committee having that work in charge. The plans of MT Mill Ter are outlined in the following state- ment prepared by him:
 Mir Otto Marx, Brown-Marx Building,
 Birmingham. Ala:
 Dear sir--Under separate cover you will receive four colored white prints and six blue prints of plans for i'm provement of Caldwell park.
 "Quoting from report on improve ment of Rhodes park, with the excep- tion of Hanover Circle. these parks contain that kind of larfd which should be used for park purposes, that is land having little commercial value but con- siderable beauty. Generally in select ing sites for parks such land is chosen because of its natural condition, that is. rocky land or steep banks as along streamsides following long flat grades and low, wet or oYerflowed land or pointed eminences providing distant outlooks and the like, and selected as a part of a system on account of their relative location.
 Contrary to principle, these parks were not selected for these reasons, but rather grew to be parks because they were areas wasted in an artificial scheme for street improvements. Each being the same kind of wasted land and from the building of the same street and within short distances of each other, and in the same general land formation, it is not strange that they should have about the same general character in size, shape, topography and tree growth. Hence Gas I have suggested to you before), it would be to the benefit of the general neigh borhood and section of the city if the design for all of these parks were un- dertaken at one time to insure that each may be given individuality and distine- ton and type of improvement comple- mentary to the others.
 There is little natural distinctiveness to build upon and consequently the differ entiation must be in the artificial treat ment. While I have not been able to study all the parks, l feel it my duty to draw the idea to your attention, and have undertaken in the improvement or Rhodes park to make the improvement of type, so to speak, and instead of in- troducing little of everything that might be used, have rather endeavored to sim plify and emphasize the type in the hope that the same will suggest something contrary to be adopted in each of the others and thus make the four a more original and interesting chain.
 Links in the Chain
 Caldwell park, at its season a mass of white bloom with local stone fea- tures Still further on, Rhodes park brilliant in pink flowers and attractive concrete architectural features with q unique brick finish, while Halls park might well afford surprise in sheets of red bloom, Hanover Circle yellow, and each with a different building ma terial and architectural motive. Still further on. climbing the mountainside to get view and a breeze, it would he a delight to find something else distinctly different and original even at the same season. I am mentioning merely plant growth and architectural building material; the range of di- versification is unlimited"
 Tn planning the improvement of Cald- well park 1t has been endeavored to carry out this idea and I am glad to state here that in the Improvements now being planned for Altamont, the scheme of di- versification is being complemented fur ther and 1t is to be hoped that the newly formed park commission will be able to so guide the improvement of Halls park and Hanover Circle that the above sug- gestions will be completely carried out.
 Presents Peculiar Condition
 ''The Caldwell park area presents peculiar condition in that part which is natural leans in a direction away from the center of the park towards what will be backyards or building sites almost impossible of being made first class; first, because of the lowness of the land. and. second, because of lack of space.
 And this natural surface, even though leaning in one sided, falling away fashion is at the same time so crossed with ditches and lines of pipes with earth mounded into ridges over them above grade that 1t must be entirely changed to furnish utility of the area or even foundation for attractive appearance.
 The artificial conditions that have made the park. that is the steep sloping banks from bounding streets. have no arch- tectural formality or expression. For in- stance there are the sides bounded by streets and not one of these streets has a particle of architectural relation to an- another and practically no architectural design in itself. The streets approaching have absolutely no architectural sugges- ton in relation to the streets approached or to each other or to the park in so far as lines and topography are concerned.
 The lofty tree growth is attractive in size, character and composition but un- fortunately is mostly within the hol-