Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-02
PHILADELPHIA AS
COUNTRY'S LOUVRE
Project to Raise 81 500, 900 to
Construct Museum to House
Art Treasures.

Art Treasures.
As a result Of the remarkable SOM
ersault which has brought Philadel-
phias Tammany tumbling TO the sup
port Of the great municipal projects
which the Blankcnburg reform ad-
ministration has been struggling to
finance the Philadelphia Museum Of
Art hitherto the bette noir of organi-
cation men, will very probably be
built. The new loan which it is pro-
posed to submit TO the people on
March 81, specifies that 81 ,500,0 shall
be for the construction of the
museum OF art, to be available imme-
diately, and that work on the struc-
ture shall begin at the earliest posi-
BILE moment. The city has at last
awakened to the fact that it must
provide adequate housing for the
great legacies of art treasures, such
as the Elkins, Widener and John G.
Johnson collections, if it hopes to
keep these in Philadelphia, and not
lose them to New York upon the
death of their Philadelphia owners.
natural inheritance il will quickly
take rank as one Of the worlds great
est art centres.
The art museum is designed TO be
the first ediflce in great parkway
group. The parkway Itself is q mag
nlficent boulevard designed to reach
from the City Hall. in the centre OF
the city, to Paramount Park. To
prepare the way for this improvement
it was felt that the city should have
power to control abutting property to
the depth of 200 feet, laterally beyond
the avenues, so as to assure the cree
ton of stately and attractive build
ings along its whole length. With
certain restrictions, this right is now
possessed by the city. Already con-
tracts for the razing of 222 buildings
have been awarded and many of them
have already been removed. There
remain 2i9 buildings, with an as
sessed value of less than 100000, to
be acquired west of Eighteenth street.
With the money now in hand and the
amount already authorized by an
approved loan, the parkway is as
sured and should be quickly rushed
to completion. Little progress has
yet been made, however, In the vicin-
ity of the City Hall. AS corollary,
the planning of proper buildings at
the park terminals of the highway,
to be commensurate In dignity and
beauty with the City Hall, the down
town terminus, has been upperfnost
in the minds of those who have been
working for the project as whole.
On Elevated site.
1t is for this reason that the Mu-
scum of Art has been assigned site
of unequaled advantage. High above
the river on one side, elevated above
the lovely green stretches of Fair
mount park on another on an acrop-
oils above the plaza that will term
mate the parkway on a third side,
the museum will at once command at
tention. It will dominate the park
way from end to end and be visible
from all directions. Its centre VIII
be the centre of the great thorough
fare, while the centre of the Western
Pavilion, the dominating unit of the
western end of the building, Will be
an exact axis of Spring Garden street
The Eastern Pavilion will be the
exact axis of Schuykill avenue. These
three axes meet in a common point
on one side of the plaza which is to
be located at the foot of Paramount
hill, forty-six feet below the first floor
of the musuem. The building is
planned to contain galleries in suites,
readily adaptable for preserving In
divldual collections as units.
SO fearful have Philadelphians
been that some of the great private
collections of the city would be sent
to New York or elsewhere upon the
death of their owners, that the City
Parks Association. in its latest re-
port, makes a particular appeal for
the museum. "The art interests of
philadelphia and America stand to
gain much by It's prompt construction
and stand to lose terribly by delay in
its completion. Failure to secure
funds to proceed with the work on
this museum without delay will be
crime against this generation and
against posterity. 1t Is submitted
that there Is no duty confronting the
finance committee of councils and
the Mayor which compares In any
way in Importance with the duty to
provide the money Immediately for
the construction of the museum. The
transit plans, the South Philadelphia
protocol, the port, the general park
system, are in no such peril OF ire
trievable disaster from delay, as is
the project for the Philadelphia Mi
scum of Art. Upon condition that a
suitable resting place for them is
promptly furnished, the securing of
a number of the greatest collections
of art is possible for Philadelphia to-
day"
Fear for Collections.
This report was issued on January
II. Agitation last fall had failed to
secure for the project any enthusi-
astic support in the organization
councils and little hope of II from the
newly elected councils was expected.
Indeed. II is we'll known that two or
three of the greatest collections were
in peril of transfer to other cities.
Their retention In Philadelphia de-
pended entirely on the lives of their
owners, whose wills made no pro-
vision for gifts of art to a munich
pality which so grossly neglected to
provide for their housing.
1t is grewsome thing, perhaps. to
speculate on public benefits to result
from the death OF living men. Never
theless, ii is generally understood
that one great collection Is sure to
come to the city upon the expiration
of life interest. There are at least
three others, the least of which Is
worth more than one million dollars,
which will be given to Philadelphia
eventually. if not Immediately. one
of them takes high rank by compari-
son with any private collection in the
world. 1t may be housed in private
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