New Britain herald., 1926-09-07
MEMORIAL ON TOP
WALNUT HILL PARK
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Mr.. Magonigle submitted tentative
figures OF the cost of construction
amounting to $4,000, plus 1919
per cent to cover cost of surveys and
other expenses. He suggested that an
appropriation of s165,00o be made
the balance to be used for incidental
EXPENSES and a permanent fund for
the maintenance and repair of the
monument.
Committees Report to Mayor and
Council.
The report of the memorial COM
mittee to the mayor and common
council follows:
To His Honor Gardner c. Weld,
Mayor of the City Of New Britain,
and the City Common Council.
The letter of June IA, 1926, of
the MAYOR requesting the soldiers
memorial committee to present re-
port to the common council has been
received and the committee has
again carefully considered the me-
mortal project.
TT is we'll at this point to recall
to your attention that when your
committee was originally formed 1t
first considered the perpetuation OF
the present temporary memorial IN
Walnut Hill park but was con-
fronted by construction difficulties
Of such a serious nature as to make
them insurmountable except at a
cost so prohibitive as to make the
necessary appropriation beyond the
city's means or its legal power to
finance.
proposals were secured In the
Form of models and drawings from
five different artists. Without excep-
ton all of those who competed Sc
lected the same site at the north
side of the wading pool on the top
OF Walnut Hill park as being for
every reason the most appropriate
for such a memorial. After consid-
Grafton of all the proposals submit
ted YOUR committee UNANIMOUSLY
chose the design submitted by Mr.
Magonigle-
Mr.. Magonigle, the designer OF
the memorial, has been severa
times in New Britain to meet VIII
members of the committee and WIFE
tie mayor and as a result OF these
conferences several changes zhaVe
BEEN made in the original plan. Al
in all it is the belief of the COM
mittee that the memorial as changed
will be nobler and more beautiful
than before. The report of MIR. Ma
eonigle to the committee is SUB
mitted herewith with its accom-
panying illustrations as the repor
of this committee.
Soldiers Memorial Committee.
Mr.. Magonigle's report referred
to above. under date of August y
1926, follows:
Statement by Magonigle
Gentlemen:
Il have the honor to report thai
in compliance with your request
have made new studies of the pro
posed War Memorial for your city
and present them herewith for YOU
consideration.
Before discussing them in de
tail it would be we'll I think, II
view of the time that has elapAee
between my last report and the
present, to review briefly the Step
heretofore taken.
"On July 31st. 1928 l was called
in consultation by you to report up
on several sites that had been sug
gested from time to time for per
manent memorial to those sons o
New Britain who laid down thei
lives in the World war AS resul
of careful study Of all factors o
availa bility, location, cost of con
struction on each site, and the like
l reported to you in part as fol
lows Speaking of the site on top o
Walnut hill to the north of Thu
wading pool, I said, Here, EN-
phaticaliy. is the best site in New
Britain for this purpose. 1t is s.
magnificent that l hesitate to Civ
full rein to my enthusiasm. In
view from this hill is one of tn
most beautiful in the Easter
States, and memorial place.
here would not only be seen TO
miles around. but would attrac
visitor to the hilltop who woul'
not otherwise come.
LAS a site it has the advantag
of being already we'll laid out AM
the pool and its setting would form
a. beautiful foreground to tn
south. The landscape setting so in
dispensable to any memorial is thu
already provided, and a consider
able outlay for landscaping there
70 fore be saved . For these an
many other reasons that may b
advanced in detail I therefor
recommend in the strongest term
that this be adopted as the site o
the New Britain War memorial
Reviewing this recommendatio
in the light of the knowledge gaine'
by repeated visits to this site, l an
strongly confirmed in this opinion
This hill commands one OF tn
loveliest valleys ! have ever seen il
the course of a widely travelled life
ringed about by chains of hills
graceful outline.
Your committee has fully grasp
the possibilities of this location a
the one above all others that fits
to be the scene of such civic func
lions as Memorial day or the Fourt
OF July. when oratory is a featur
Of the occasion. About the rostrur
now provided at the foot of tn
shaft and close by can gather sew
eral thousand people, well With
the range of a speakers voice. 1t
an ideal spot for such uses, remoy
ed completely as it is from tn
noise of the city traffic, and fror
the danger of accident that alway
attends a gathering in crowde
locality. And yet 1t is easily acces
sible by motor and afoot froI
o-arx, Jtroc4ion and q crowd ma