The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-15
keokuk, A City . useful
John Nolans Plan to Provide for Future Devel-
opment Has Many Features.


This is an age OF scientific city
building. No longer do cities with (
future expand along haphazard line.
without regard to how and where.
Today the evolution Of city planning |
has reached an advanced stage, max |
ing 1t possible to plan the growth If
city with nearly as much precision |
as one would plan modern skyscrap-
err
The great trouble with many OF the
larger cities Of the United States IL
that they were planned carelessly or
not planned at all The men who did
the planning had not the degree OF
skill that leading city planners OF the
present day have, nor were they as
far-sighted. New York Is not laid out
right, St Louis has great weaknesses
and so have many other cities Of the
country.
II city is to grow 1t is essential
that this growth be In the right di-
rection. that the streets be properly
arranged; that the civic center be In
the right place; that the parking be
done to the best advantage; that the
entrance to the city be right; these.
and many others enter Into the city's
future welfare.
keokuk, City Useful.
This is what John Nolan OF Cam
| bridge, Mass, one OF the leading
j landscape architects OF the country,
is trying to do for Keokuk. To refer
to his plan as one for making the
city "city beautiful is clearly a
misnomer. Keokuk, city useful. !"
would be designating 1t more accur-
ately. For Mr.. Nolan Is not striving
to beautify Keokuk. but is giving q
plan which the city should follow as
nearly as possible In its expansion
and growth for practical reasons
only.
When Keokuk was laid ont there
was something Of tangible nature,
4 extending 80 far as the present city
limits. Mr.. Nolan has added much to
4 this plan and has included In 1t q
scheme for the outlying districts and
the tnroads 20 Keokuk.
The back bone or spinal column Of
Nolan's plan is Main street. This Is
and always viii be Keokuk's principal
business street. There are no changes
suggested in reference to 1t, except
possibly to carry out improvements
beyond the proposed civic center
which viii be In the vicinity o
Twelfth street.
Saving Money In streets.
In regard to the side streets yer,
important suggestions are made b,
Mr.. Nolan. Often city expendl
much money keeping up wide streets
at the same time having few goot
thoroughfares that run the entir,
length of the city. The new plan ad
vocates making Bank street on tn,
south side, and High and Orleans o,
the north side, the principal thorough
fares. These streets, when they ar.
improved by the city commission
viii be made wide enough for goo,
travel. The streets In between vii
be much narrower and will give tn
abutting property owners more Ian,
for outside lawns. In this way tn
streets will be improved and Their
WIN be saving in maintenance. Il
addition there is the present Gran,
avenue which can be beautified II d.
sired and the improvement of Ridg
streets, connecting with Hicks road
The same arrangement is made 70
streets running north and south, sue
streets as Fifth and Seventh bein
extended ont beyond the city limit
: for the improvement OF travel
AS the main thoroughfares extern
ont into the present outskirts. Nj
Nolan offers plans whereby they wi
be given connecting streets. At tn
present time If one ia on an exter
sion such as Hilton road, it is a
most impossible to get to anothe
extension road without long detou
These faults are remedied.
PIsns for Civic Center.
One OF the most interesting feature
OF the Nolan plan is that providing
civic center, something that Keoku
II In need OF at the present time.
Eolan's plan calls for assemblin
the municipal and semi-pubiic BULL
ings at civic center between Eevent
and Fourteenth and Exchange an
Concert streets. The central sGuar
would be parked and would have
band stand, and SO could Deufilized 0
public occasions. Beyond this is tn
city hall, TO the left OF the city ha
an auditorium, and to the right
hotel. Other buildings such as ID
county court houae, the police STATIC
fire station, federal building, Iibrar