CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FINE ARTS LIBRARY . Cornell university Ubrary NAC 6827 .A32B89 Studles,for Aig,,,/ «lim««.Q24 411 914 .». m t^ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024411914 STVDIES FOR 1^6L>G,w^\ €mmll Uttivmitg 1 THE GIFT OF Sitatg solvn.ijf 97»4 .•^ *i \ 43 U STVDIES FOR ALBANY ARNOLD W BRVNNER ARCHITECT CHARLES DOWNING LAY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT MCMXIV E.V, aJAc Q^ Vrf O y •^ -v A.?,^^^^^* Plate 2. The original Coat of Arms of the City of Albany, made by Simeon De Witt in the year 1 790 Copyright, IQ14, by Arnold W. Brunner All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface .... PAGE II Introductory . Capitol Hill^ ... . . State Street K 15 21 25 The Plaza ^ . . 29 State Street Pier jT^ Water Front ^ . 35 39 City Entrance y . 47 Beaver Park V SI Market Place ^' . 61 Clinton Square . 65 Surroundings of Railroad Station 67 Approach to Soldiej-s and Sailors Monument Albany Streets '^ 69 73 Street System . . 77 Trees of Albany . . 83 Sheridan Park ■ / ■ ... Sunken Garden ..... Swinburne Park ^ / . . . . Park Extension . . . . 85 93 95 99 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE City Entrance . . • • Frontispiece 4 The Original Coat of Arms of the City of Albany 2 6 Albany Map of 1 794 . • • ■ 31° South End of State Street Pier 4 ^9 The Capitol seen through the elms 5 ^ i The City Hall . • 6 22 State Street looking towards the Capitol . 7 26' First Study for Plaza . . . • 8 27 State Street looking towards the River — as it is now . -9 28 Intersection of State Street and Broadway looking south . 10 30 Plan of New Plaza, foot of State Street ... 1 1 31 Foot of State Street looking east — as it will be . 12 32 Present condition of intersection of State Street and Broadway . 13 33 Sketch of State Street Pier . . . . 14 34 Part of State Street Pier . . 15 35 Present Bridge to State Street Pier 16 36 New Bridge to State Street Pier 17 37 Sketch of River Front showing Tower in Plaza ... 18 38 Present condition of Water Front, view from State Street Pier -19 40 Present condition of Water Front, view from Hudson Avenue . 20 40 Present condition of Water Front, foot of Division Street . 21 41 Present condition of Water Front, showing tracks on grade . 22 41 Present condition of Water Front opposite Albany Day Line 23 42 New Buildings on Water Front for Hudson Navigation Co. 24 43 Present condition of Water Front — Troy Line Dock . 25 44 Present condition of Water Front north of Rensselaer Bridge 26 46 Sketch for Bridge Pylons, City Entrance ... -27 48 Rensselaer Bridge ........ 28 49 Beaver Park, showing undeveloped portion . -29 52 Beaver Park, present condition looking northeast 30 52 Plan of Beaver Park . . 31 S3 Plan of Western Section Beaver Park . 32 54 Field House, overlooking Athletic Field, Beaver Park . 33 55 Old House in Beaver Park . ..... 34 56 Pergola and Pool in Children's Playground, Beaver Park 35 57 Band Stand, Beaver Park . ..... 36 58 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS — C^;^//;^?^^^' Market Place, showing present crowded condition Market Place — as it is now Plan of Market and proposed new Market Place Sketch for Market Clinton Square, photographed during the winter of 19 13 . Plan of Clinton Square ....... Proposed Plaza in front of Railroad Station New Soldiers and Sailors Monument ..... Present inadequate Approach to Soldiers and Sailors Monument Proposed Approach to Soldiers and Sailors Monument . Plan of Proposed Streets and Street Railway Tracks connecting Delaware and New Scotland Avenues .... End of Swan Street, showing position for a Monument North end of Eagle Street, present condition Terrace, Sheridan Park ..... Present condition of Sheridan Park — view from lower level . Present condition of Sheridan Park . . . . Plan of Sheridan Park ....... View from Terrace, Sheridan Park ..... Cross Sections, Sheridan Park, showing present and proposed grades .......... View from Sheridan Park ....... Proposed additions to Sheridan Park Study for PaviUon at end of Sunken Garden Plan for Sunken Garden ....... Sunken Garden, present condition ..... Sunken Garden, present condition ..... Band Stand, Swinburne Park Sketch Plan for Open-air Theatre and Band Stand, Swinburne Park Diagram showing main roads to Albany .... INSERTS Map of Albany Plan of State Street, showing New Plaza .... Water Front from Broadway to Rensselaer Bridge . Westerly Extension of the City of Albany .... PLATE 37 PAGE 60 38 61 39 62 40 63 41 64 42 64 43 67 44 69 45 70 46 71 47 78 48 79 49 80 50 85 SI 86 52 86 53 87 54 88 55 89 56 90 57 91 58 92 59 92 60 94 61 94 62 96 63 97 64 100 65 66 67 68 Plate 3. Albany Map of 1794 An interesting map of the city, with former names of streets, made for the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty, by Surveyor Simeon De Witt in 1794 PREFACE ON April 23d, 191 2, I was requested by the Hon. James B. McEwan, Mayor of the City of Albany, to prepare studies for the improvement of the city, and especially to suggest a scheme for the termination of State Street and the arrangement of the water front. These questions were then being agitated and an interesting report which had been prepared by the Albany Chamber of Commerce was under discussion. The following studies have been made in consultation with Mr. Arthur L. Andrews, Corporation Counsel; Mr. Wallace Greenalch, Commissioner of Public Works; and Mr. Frank R. Lanagan, City Engineer ; and many of the ideas here presented have been proposed by them. Some of the projects shown in the report have already been executed or are in course of execution and it gives me pleasure to extend my hearty thanks to these gentlemen for their constant co-operation and valuable counsel, and I have also to express my appreciation for the support and encouragement given by Mr. William Barnes, who initiated this movement. I have had the valuable assistance of Mr. Charles Downing Lay, who has designed the new parks and parkways and colaborated with me in many of the problems for which solutions are indicated in this report. No attempt has been made to prepare a City Planning survey of Albany nor to make a complete City Plan. Certain problems were of pressing importance and demanded immediate consideration, while others were evidently not so urgent and their solution could well be deferred. It would impose an unreasonable burden upon the city to carry out at once all the recommendations of this report, and, in fact, it would not be possible nor even desirable, but it must be remembered that in many cases delay will involve a larger cost and increased diflficulties when the improvements are made, and consequently it is wise to anticipate them as far as possible. A city is a living organization and must grow and develop naturally, and the basic principle of City Planning is to consider the plan merely as a program for its future development. The different items of the program are to be executed in the order of their importance when the conditions are favorable and the funds are at hand, thus preventing waste and extravagance. Consequently, many of the recommendations made in this report are in the nature of suggestions for the future of Albany and in making them the entire plan of the city has always been borne in mind. I have not considered it necessary to recapitulate the arguments in favor of City Planning. The citizens of Albany are deeply interested in their city and manifest the strongest desire to improve it. They are alive to their responsibilities and require no stimulus to arouse their civic pride. For this reason I have not attempted to create enthusiasm for the proposed improvements by reprinting photographs of Paris, Vienna, Budapest and other European cities which are conceded to be notable examples of successful planning and civic beauty. Comparisons drawn between our cities and those of the Old World are often misleading, as the conditions that obtain there are entirely different from those that exist here, and besides, there is another side of the question that is frequently overlooked. Dr. Werner Hegeman, of Berlin, a noted authority on the subject, says : " The admiring attitude of the American traveler for the splendor of famous cities like Paris, Berlin and Vienna might often be altered considerably if he clearly realized how many hundreds of thousands of the citizens of those much quoted capitals and supposed 'model cities' are suffering under the most inhuman conditions of overcrowding. Every big city in the world, without any exception, is full and overfull of conditions that seem like the result of madness, and that are recog- nized as great public calamities to be remedied only by the outlay of millions and billions and by the untiring labor of generations." And further, "All those supposed model cities, though they present most valuable material for study and suggestion, represent an old type; they are cities of buildings for joint dwellings and business purposes — a type that was developed in the ages before the introduction of omnibus, street cars and railways." The American city, considering all the circumstances, has made great and encouraging progress during the last few years. Our ideals are quite different from those of past centuries and our cities have not the freedom of action that is possessed by German cities which are practically little republics with power to do almost anything for the public good. The strong individualism that has characterized America has pre- vented the consummation of many schemes for the general welfare, and we are only now beginning to realize that while the rights of the individual must be preserved they should not be permitted to run counter to the rights of the community. However, the impressive beauty of these older cities and the wonderful practical results that they have achieved must always com- mand our respect and admiration. Their experience, after making due allowance for the difference in conditions, is of the greatest value to us and we are obliged constantly to turn to them for inspiration. It was with difficulty that I resisted the temptation to reproduce pictures of some of the European bridges, that are excellent pieces of engineering, and, at the same time, beautiful structures, as the three bridges that span the Hudson River at Albany are unnecessarily ugly, and it is not too much to predict that at some future time they will be replaced by others well designed and worthy of their important positions. I have not prepared a list of the street intersections that need im- provement, roadways to be widened and curb lines to be altered, etc., etc., as the present City Administration understands these details and is alive to their importance, and the errors, the inherited faults of Albany's plan, are now being rectified as rapidly as circumstances will permit. I have, however, included in this report, a number of photographs showing the present aspect of certain parts of Albany. Some of these conditions are already being corrected, but these pictures will serve as records of the neglected river front, the unpleasant tangle at the east end of State Street and other unfortunate situations that are soon to disappear but which it is well to register in our minds " lest we forget ". 13 INTRODUCTORY THE City of Albany is the oldest chartered city in the United States. It was first sighted by white men in the year 1540 and it was settled by the Dutch in 1624. Albany was the scene of the first Colonial Congress in 1754. It was the destination of the first steamboat that floated on the waters of this hemisphere. The first American passenger train was operated by steam between Albany and Schenectady in 1831, and the theory of the electric telegraph was first proved to be practical in the Albany Boys' Academy by Professor Henry. In an article published in Harper's magazine in April 1857 we find the statement that "Albany, the Beverwick, the Willemstadt, the Fort Orange of Colonial Times, has a claim to the reverence not only of every true-hearted Dutchman who loves his pipe, his krout and his freedom, but of the Universal Yankee Nation, which has no geo- graphical limit this side of Saturn's rings." This claim is no doubt well founded for Albany unquestionably asserted itself as a place of importance early in its history. In the journal of Richard Smith, of Burlington, New Jersey, which was published in 1769 under the title of "A Tour of Four Great Rivers", we find the following: "At Half after 10 oCloc we arrived at Albany estimated to be 164 Miles by Water from N. York and by Land 157. In the Afternoon we viewed the Town which contains according to several Gentlemen residing here, about 500 Dwelling Houses besides Stores and Out Houses. The Streets are irregular and badly laid out, some paved others not, Two or Three are broad the rest narrow & not straight. Most of the Buildings are pyramidically shaped like the old Dutch Houses in N York. We found Cartwright's a good Tavern tho his charges were exorbitant." Smith did not "note' any extraordinary Edifices in the Town" and said that " there was not a single Building facing Albany on the other Side of the River." He also observed that "Most of the Houses are built of Brick or faced with Brick and the Site of the Town is hilly «5 and the soil clay. There were pine Trees and Lime and Linden Trees as well as other Trees planted before the Doors as at N York." Old prints of the date of 1805 show substantial houses and every indication of a thriving community. It is noticeable that each house insisted upon its own individuality and that the gables, some of them plain and some " stepped up " are of different heights and angles. No two are alike. Some are parallel to the streets, others present their gables to it. Each owner exercised his own architectural rights and the only rule seemed to be an entire absence of rule. The city was most picturesque and the sky outline, while low, was constantly broken. Market Street, now Broadway, contained a row of houses in which not a single one conformed in any way to its neighbor. Even the trees seemed to be planted without any regard to lines of streets or other considerations of order. As the city has grown these peculiarities have not been lost and to-day Albany is essentially picturesque. Situated on hills on the west bank of the Hudson, its natural growth has been irregular and it pos- sesses an individuality among our cities that is most pronounced. It has progressed remarkably in every way and even Baedeker, whose descriptions are generally so terse and dry, is moved to say in his Handbook for the United States "that it is well built on the whole, with many fine buildings and retains much of the clean, comfortable and easy-going character of its original Dutch foundation." I have endeavored to take these characteristics into account in making the following studies. It would seem a calamity to attempt to formalize the City of Albany or to try to change its plan to make it resemble those stately cities where the architecture is formal and where the streets all cross each other at right angles and where steep hills do not exist. The series of hills on which Albany is built spring from the Hudson River and rise rather rapidly toward the west. State Street, for instance, in its stretch from Broadway to Eagle Street in front of the Capitol rises 90 feet in a distance of 1 500 feet. Further south on Hudson Avenue and again on Arch Street the grade is less steep, and to the north at Sheridan Avenue there is a gentle ascent from the river. 16 These streets with easy grades, which provide good roads for truck- ing from the water front, are in the valleys between the hills, while the streets that run over the crest of the hills are naturally much steeper. Some of the streets that are parallel to the river go up and down the hills and follow their grade and in three instances it was found necessary to construct viaducts to span the valleys with their streets and houses and to connect the high ground at the sides. One of the valleys, called Patroon's Creek, extends at a slight grade for a long distance and is bounded by very steep hills which rise from it to a height of 50 feet and in some parts even to 80 feet. It will be seen that these physical conditions have made it extremely difficult to secure a satisfactory street system. A formal treatment of streets with grades, such as exist in Albany, could not be successful, and I feel strongly that whatever changes are made in the future the spirit that originally dominated the city should be respected and that the future Albany should be a development and an intensification of itself. That certain changes and preparation for the future growth of the city are necessary is obvious. Albany to-day is not only a pleasant place to live in and contains many beautiful houses, but it is also a commercial city of great importance. The Albany Chamber of Commerce, a most active and efficient body, furnishes a list of the manufactures successfully carried on there and the list is not only very long but it is surprisingly varied. We find that there are six railroads entering the city with 380 passenger trains and over 300 freight trains per day. Albany is at the head of navigation on the Hudson River and the steamers of the various lines between New York and Albany are famous. It is the center of a convenient trolley system and is the third largest mail transfer station in the United States. It is also the terminal of the Erie Canal and a terminal of the new Barge Canal. Albany is a great educational center and the State Educational Building is situated there and contains the offices of the Board of Regents and Department of Education and the State Library and Museum. Besides all this it has been the capital of the State ever since 1797. Accordingly, it is safe to assume that the increase of population 17 and the growth of wealth and manufactures that have occurred in the last ten years will continue and probably this rate of growth will be greatly exceeded. \/ To accommodate an enlarged population, an increase in the number of inhabitants and visitors, and to provide facilities for a larger com- merce, certain provisions must be made and Albany has already taken great strides in this direction. The public demand for a better and more livable city has been fairly met by the authorities. Albany now owns its own water front, or the greater part of it, and I cannot do better than to quote Mr. Arthur L. Andrews, the Corporation Counsel, who personally has been untiring in his efforts to secure better con- ditions : " The development of the river front in order to afford better facilities for the transaction of business and at the same time improve its appearance, attracted the attention of the city authorities as early as 1900. Inasmuch as a considerable portion of the docks and lands adjacent thereto belonged to the railroad companies, it was impossible to acquire the docks and lands, except with their consent. Riverside Park was acquired and a concrete dock constructed, partly with a view of showing the people what could be done in the line of river improvement. Public opinion was slow to crystallize on the subject. The fear that the railroad companies would acquire some advantage surpassed the desire for the good of the city. After 'a campaign of education extending over several years, the people at last came to realize the immense advantages to be derived by increased transporta- tion facilities and an attractive river front, and since that time) fhere has been no difficulty in obtaining such financial and other support as the project demanded. Partly in return for transportation facilities af- forded to rail and water lines, and partly by purchase, the city has acquired and now owns a very considerable portion of its water front and the docks and structures erected to be used in connection there- with. The work has now so far progressed that the people can see what was in the minds of the city authorities at the beginning and appreciate the great advantages accruing to the city." This wise policy of the city is to be continued, new streets are to be planned, some of the present ones enlarged and extended, thoroughfares 18 provided to outlying districts, streets are to be repaved, new parks and parkways constructed. The new water front is to be made worthy of the city and State Street will be made adequate for its important function as a great avenue leading to the Capitol. Some of these improvements are indicated on the large map, Plate 65. Plate 4. South end of State Street Pier 19 CAPITOL HILL THE State Capitol occupies a commanding position on what is known as Capitol Hill. In front of it there is a small park with winding paths, lawns and a large number of beautiful elm trees. The extension of this park and the creation of proper surroundings for the Capitol have long been discussed and in 191 1 Mr. Franklin B. Ware, who was then State Architect, suggested a plan which in principle seems to be excellent. He proposed that the plot of ground west of the Capitol be acquired by the State, also a plot of ground to the south upon which buildings could be placed to balance the Educational Building on the north. The park in front of the Capitol was to be extended on the north of Wash- ington Avenue and on the south of State Street, and the whole project when matured will result in a series of buildings formally grouped around the west end of the Capitol. There seems every reason to believe that this scheme will be adopted in the future and that the impressiveness of the Capitol will undoubtedly be much enhanced by its larger and more beautiful setting. An application was made to the last Legislature to enact a law limiting the height of build- ings on the streets surrounding the Capitol group to 80 feet. Unfortunately this law was not enacted, but it is most necessary to secure legislation to preserve the dignity and appearance of the Plate S- The Capitol seen through the elms group of buildings by the maintenance of a skyline that shall be regular and unbroken by skyscrapers. Formal architecture demands a formal frame, and an irregular border of buildings, lacking uniformity, will greatly mar the effect of the most important feature of the City of Albany. The Capitol itself has had a troublous history and the careful observer will note traces of this history on its exterior. Originally it was designed by Mr. Thomas Fuller, but as it stands to-day, with the exception of the exaggerated front steps, Messrs. H. H. Richardson, Leopold Eidlitz and Frederick Law Olmsted are responsible for it. Its great roof with huge stone dormers and its flanking towers covered with red tiles rising high above the city, form an imposing mass and present a fine silhouette when seen from the river. The architecture found ii;i Albany is interesting and varied in character. The City Hall is one of Richardson's most beauti- ful buildings. It is constructed of the materials that he always preferred, a warm granite com- bined with brown sandstone and the composition is unugjially charming. The corner tower is an exceptionally fine piece of design and the entire building possesses a picturesque charm to an unusual degree. The Albany Academy is an illustration of graceful Georgian architecture, and while it suffers perhaps from the sombre color of the stone of which it is built, it is extremely Plate 6. The City Hall satisfactory in proportion and in general effect. The State House is a white marble building designed in severe Classic style with a fa9ade broken by a portico of six Ionic columns supporting a pediment, the entire effect being one of dignity and simplicity. Immediately adjoining the State House there is to be a new Court House of modern Renaissance architecture built of gray limestone. The Educational Building, with its imposing colonnade, shields the Albany Cathedral, which is of English Gothic, and there are dwelling houses on each side of Capitol Park, many of them good examples of Colonial style, and all of these are within a stone's throw of each other. Greater variety could not be desired and here is well exemplified the hereditary desire for individuality that has always characterized Albany. The only possibility for successful formal treatment is in the group to the west of the Capitol ; everything else is naturally irregular and picturesque. Even the Capitol is not on the axis of State Street but is placed without any regard to its splendid site and stately approach. 23 STATE STREET STATE STREET is one of the most important and impressive > streets in the State of New York and it leads from Capitol Hill down to the river?\/ There, unfortunately, it literally goes to pieces in a tangle of mean streets and wretched buildings. Its outline is irregular and its grade is steep. State Street has had an interesting history. It was always a wide space, more like a long park or common than a street. The Dutch Church was originally built at the intersection of Broadway and State Street, and the fort and the English Church were built further north, and between these churches the market wagons congregated so that it became the public market place of Albany. State Street is now 145 feet wide at Pearl Street and 156 feet where it meets Eagle Street. From Pearl Street it narrows until it reaches Broadway, its narrowest point, where it is 100 feet in width. The sidewalks are approximately 25 feet wide. Its exceptional size may be realized when we compare it with certain noted streets of Europe as shown in the following table : Unter den Linden, Berlin . . . . .190 feet Ring Strasse, Vienna . 185 feet Belle Alliance Strasse, Berlin . . .160 feet Andrassy, Budapest . . 145 feet Avenue Henri Martin, Paris . .130 feet Avenue de I'Opera and Parisian Boulevards . 98 feet Whitehall, London ... . 120-145 feet Victoria Embankment . . 120 feet Holborn Viaduct ... 90 feet Regent Street Quadrant . 85 feet Picadilly 75 feet To-day State Street, notwithstanding its size, is unsatisfactory and many propositions have been made for its improvement, but after trying various schemes for parking in the middle and at the sides, and making designs based on the motifs of other large and famous streets, I have abandoned them all, feeling that it was essential to preserve the character of the street as it is and simply improve it. 25 Plate 7. State Street looking towards the Capitol Its individuality would be entirely altered by strips of parking and there seems but small chance of success in this treatment, considering the steep grade that exists. Accordingly, as will be seen by Plate 66, I have merely suggested a change of the curb lines on the south side so as to widen the sidewalk and a continuation of the beautiful elm trees of Capitol Park down both sides of the street as far as Pearl Street. Lining State Street with the picturesque elms, which grow so well in the clay soil of Albany, will, I believe, emphasize its present expression and properly connect it with Capitol Hill. A street of this width needs trees and in Albany the climate demands them, and the new sidewalks will be amply wide for the purpose. One of the survivors of the row of noble trees that once existed and which should be replanted may be seen in photograph, Plate 7. 26 As we have before noted, State Street is not on the axis of the Capitol and looking up to the hill we see not the center of the building, but one of the interesting corner towers with its roof peering above the mass of foliage forming a charming vista. The plan also indicates the position of additional electroliers, the present number being doubled. A street of this importance cannot be too well lighted and it should declare its character by brilliant illumi- nation which would be inappropriate in residential districts. A new pavement for State Street is contemplated this year and it will be wise/ to put electric conduits in place so that when additional electroliers are erected the pavement need not be disturbed. In the numerous discussions that have been held about the treat- ment of the east end of State Street I found that there was a strong and perfectly natural desire to secure a view of the Hudson River, but upon investigation it appeared that this would not be a view of the Hudson at all. The view in reality would be one of a large railroad yard with passenger and freight trains, some on grade and others elevated, the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Co.'s bridge and the unfortunate Round House on the other side of the river. Accordingly, it seemed much better to obliterate this so-called "view" -H^ sr\ 1)1 I i LAZA Plate 8. First Study for Plaza 27 and create a Plaza surrounded by buildings that would effectually screen these activities from sight. My first study for the Plaza, shown in Plate 8, was made in June, 191 2, and seemed to meet with general approval at a public hearing that was called to elicit the opinions of the citizens. The type of build- ing indicated in the sketch for the east side of the new open space has steep roofs with dormer windows and was designed so as to accom- modate itself to the form of the Plaza and harmonize to some extent with the United States Post Office. A picturesque tower placed on the axis of State Street was the most important feature of the design and this is intended to form a termination to State Street and close its vista at its eastern end in character with the beautiful prospect at the other end. Plate g. State Street looking towards the river — as it is now 28 THE PLAZA THE admirable report prepared by the Committee of the Albany Chamber of Commerce, which was published November 14th, 191 1, contained many valuable recommendations. A new Quay Street was to be formed by filling in as far out in the river as the official bulkhead line. A large amount of property at the foot of State Street was to be acquired by the city, either by exchange or purchase. The positions of the new Freight House for the New York Central Railroad, and Freight Yard for the Delaware & Hudson Co. were indicated and their tracks located, those for the passenger trains for the Delaware & Hudson Co. to be elevated so as to connect with the Union Station. The report was accompanied by a careful study of the railway situation and of property lines made by Mr. Greenalch and on this I based my first sketch which has since been developed into the plan shown in Plate 11. This open space that will be created by the acquisition of the various plots of ground I have called The Plaza for want of a better name, but it is to be hoped that a name will be officially adopted that will be distinctly Albanian and intimately related to the city's history. The outline of The Plaza is to a certain extent determined by the position of the United States Post Office and the necessities of the trackage of the Delaware & Hudson Co.'s Freight Yard and other practical considerations. It is 350 feet in width in its greatest dimen- sion and approximately 580 feet long, and this provides ample space for a street 100 feet wide enclosing a small park which is 320 feet long and 60 feet wide. The roadway of this street that encloses the park is 60 feet wide and the sidewalks are 20 feet in width. In the open space at the southern end there is an isle of safety, circular in form, with a large electrolier in the center. The park is divided, as the plan indi- cates, by paths 20 feet in width, which is sufficient to permit benches being placed at the sides without interfering with pedestrians. The central circle in which a fountain may be placed is 75 feet in diameter. The plots of grass are to have shrubs and flowers in places and the 29 Plate lo. Intersection of State Street and Broadway looking south principal walks and sidewalks are to be bordered with trees. A small park in this part of the city will be in many ways a public benefit and not only a spot of beauty, and it will also provide an opportunity for a loop for the trolleys from Schenectady, Hudson and Troy, which; will prevent congestion and prove a great convenience. The buildings on the east side of The Plaza, as finally designed by Mr. Marcus T. Reynolds, will present an extremely pleasing effect. The first floor is to be arcaded, the steep roof is broken by dormers and a high tower with corner turrets is placed on the axis of State Street forming an interesting monument when seen from the land or from the river. An opening in the tower will provide access to the river front at this point and by means of a subway pedestrians will be able to reach Quay Street without being 3° obliged to cross any tracks at grade and there is to be a similar subway at Division Street. ^ To secure this result the City of Albany and the railroads have combined, the Delaware & Hudson Co. securing an adequate railroad yard screened by a large building which they need for their own uses and the city securing The Plaza and the architectural effect that is desired at the termination of State Street. The present attitude of the city to the railroads, and the railroads to the city, is of a piece with the change of method that is becoming evident throughout the country. Publicity has done much to clear the air and negotiations are now conducted in a business-like manner. The city needs the railroads just as much as the railroads need the city, and it being admitted that their prosperity is of mutual concern, a spirit of fairness has arisen in their relations to each other. Albany wishes to give the railroads every facility necessary to extend their business and to carry it on successfully, but it demands Plate 1 1. Plan of New Plaza foot of State Street Plate 1 2. Foot of State Street looking east — as it will be 32 that due consideration be paid to the desire of the city for an orderly and unobjectionable arrangement that will not destroy values and produce ugliness and positive disgrace. On the other hand, the rail- roads are beginning to understand that this demand is reasonable, that it is backed by public opinion, and further, that the approbation and goodwill of the public constitute a real asset in their business. The policy of Albany is declared, grade crossings are to be abolished, railroad facilities, both for freight and for passengers, are to be greatly increased, and the order, dignity and beauty of the city enormously enhanced. Plate 13. Present condition of Intersection of State Street and Broadway 33 4 ■fe- %l- i>\ m"^ TV 'rsT^ c™^-* Plate 14. Sketch of State Street Pier 34 STATE STREET PIER THE State Street Pier, as shown on the map accompanying the report of the Chamber of Commerce and there called " The Recreation Pier ", was not well adapted for its purpose. The Albany Yacht Club building appeared to be isolated and too large for its surroundings. The smaller buildings were unpleasantly scattered about and the Pier was so designed as to limit the available space for those that were to use it. Accordingly, to rectify these defects I have redesigned the Pier and placed two shelters, one on each side Plate 15. Part of State Street Pier 35 Plate i6. Present Bridge to State Street Pier of the Yacht Club, so that they form a group and serve to diminish the apparent size of the central building. A Public Comfort Station is placed at the north end of the Pier and a Music Pavilion on the south. Instead of grass plots, as originally contemplated, the entire Pier is now paved and this will greatly in- crease its usefulness and capacity. Spaces containing sufficient soil and protected with iron gratings have been left for trees. Oriental plane trees are probably the best that can be selected for these locations and their shade will afford a'welcome relief. The little buildings on the Pier are all constructed of rough brick with wide white mortar joints and the balustrades and the capitals of piers are of moulded concrete. The roofs are covered with red tiles and have broad overhanging eaves for additional protection from sun and rain. This Pier will serve a very useful purpose and while its appeal to the public was at first somewhat questionable its success as a breathing 36 Plate 17. New Bridge to State Street Pier space and pleasure ground is now assured. Besides being a most unusual river park it provides a harbor and landing place for the numerous motor boats and other small craft that cluster around it. The old bridge that connected the Pier with Quay Street had long outlived its usefulness and is now being replaced by a new one con- structed of concrete. This consists simply of three segmental arches springing from rusticated piers. The balustrade is solid and broken by panels. On it are electroliers of the same character as those used on the Pier. Care has been taken to provide sufficient light on the Pier and especially to illuminate brilliantly the landing places for boats. Additional access to the Pier can be secured by the construction of a stairway in connection with the foot path on the north side of the New York Central bridge and this will prove a great convenience. 37 Plate 1 8. Sketch of River Front showing Tower in Plaza THE WATER FRONT THE Albany water front had long been given up to commerce. Railways, steamships, factories and warehouses had seized it and ruined it. Their activities were carried on in a slipshod manner without order or system, as may be seen in the accompanying photographs. The devastating ugliness of the old water front can no longer be endured. The demands for commercial efficiency combined with a growing pride in the appearance of the city have dictated a new order of things. The rights of the community are now being recognized as not subservient to the claims, or whims, of the individual, and the individual or corporation now appreciates that order, regularity and even a certain amount of beauty are of absolute advantage to success in business. Dr. Frederic C. Howe, in his " European Cities at Work " referring to Germany, says : " Provision had to be made for the mill and the factory, for the railway and for terminals The art of town planning had its birth in these necessities. It was a protest against the threatened destruction of the old towns and the speculative building of the new. Men saw that the city was a permanent thing rather than a fugitive expression. They realized that cities would grow in the future as they had in the past; and realizing these things, Germany determined that the city should be built with an eye to the needs of all its people as well as its highest industrial efificiency. And in a comparatively short time Germany has built industrial communities as beautiful as Washington. There are factory towns as full of the joy of living as Paris. There are cities whose business is conducted with more scientific efficiency and more devoted pride than that which the average business corporation in America commands. There is order and completeness." The new water front will possess " order and completeness " and the beauty that arises therefrom, the beauty that is the result of success- fully designing a thing to suit its purpose. Quay Street will be broad. The various buildings for the freight and passenger service of the Steamboat Companies will be orderly and well designed. The railroad 39 Plate 19. Present condition of Water Front, view from State Street Pier Plate 20. Present condition of Water Front, view from Hudson Avenue 40 Plate 21. Present condition of Water Front, foot of Division Street Plate 22. Present condition of Water Front, showing tracks on grade 41 Plate 23. Present condition of Water Front opposite Albany Day Line tracks will be elevated and the railroad yards concealed from vi^w. Pedestrians and the vehicular traffic are to be provided for by new roads and sidewalks. Grade crossings will be abolished. As Mr. Andrews has explained the city will actually own its own water front and further will reclaim a part of the Hudson River which will be dredged so that the harbor will contain deeper water than at the present time and all of it will be navigable for large boats. An intercepting sewer and disposal plant are being constructed so that the water of the Hudson will be kept clean, and in doing this Albany is setting an excellent example to other river towns. Broadway connects the new Plaza directly with Quay Street. It is to be made 100 feet wide, the roadway 60 feet and the sidewalks 20 42 feet, and where it reaches the water front it is to be spanned by a bridge which will carry the railroad tracks overhead. This bridge should be designed with the greatest care as the juncture of Broadway and the water front is a most conspicuous position and the whole effect of the improvements may be ruined by an unsightly bridge. The spans are probably too great and the headroom not sufficient for masonry arches, but a bridge can be designed that will be attractive and at the same time perfectly fulfill its practical uses. There are many examples of bridges and viaducts by which we may be guided in this case and the city should demand the best design obtainable for this important structure. The concrete walls can be made interesting by rusticated piers and simple panels and appropriate mouldings. In other words they must be designed and not left to chance. A wall of this sort can be made quite decorative but not necessarily expensive by the exercise of skill and thought in its design. The freight trains and yard in connection with the Hudson Naviga^ tion Co. are to be screened from view by a covered passage that will provide a platform for shipping and at the same time present a pleasing appearance from Broadway. This is to be built in the same manner as all the buildings for the Steamship Lines on Quay Street, which are to conform as much a possible to the architecture of the small structures on the State Street Pier. Plate 24. New Buildings on Water Front for Hudson Navigation Co. 43- Plate 25. Present condition of Water Front — Troy Line Dock The same materials and the same red tile roofs are to be used^ so that while a symmetrical arrangement is unnecessary, and in fact impossible on account of the line of the water front and the varied uses to which these buildings are to be put, there will be a general uni- formity of effect. The present condition of the water front from Madison Avenue to the Rensselaer Bridge is shown on Plate 26, and it cannot be doubted that radical improvement is necessary. Plate 67 indicates the treatment suggested and the amount of property that the citji, should acquire in addition to the present park. The large area for the waterside park is arranged so that it provides fine, shaded walks parallel to the river and an adequate playground for children, which 44 may contain a wading pool, swings, sand piles, etc., and a shelter or pavilion. This park will prove to be a most unusual feature as it has ad- vantages that can seldom be found. It has a splendid frontage on the river and it is shielded from the railroads by a concrete or masonry wall on the land side so that it can be made an agreeable recreation ground, not only for children but for adults. A small portion of ground is indicated for a park on the south side of Rensselaer Bridge so that the approach to the city will be among trees and grass and not shut in between factories and warehouses. It seemed at first as if the excellent treatment of the water front of Budapest might serve as an example to be followed in Albany. The river traffic on the Danube is taken care of by broad stone platforms and docks which are lined with warehouses, the roofs of which form the roadbed for the trolley cars, and back of this there is a beautiful avenue lined with trees and bordered by attractive buildings. The conditions that exist in Albany made a similar treatment impossible but most of the desirable elements of the Budapest river front have been borne in mind and an attempt has been made to reconcile the requirements of commerce, traffic and beauty. 45 hid m Pi o 46 CITY ENTRANCE WHILE the Railroad Station has generally taken the place of the City Gate, and is usually the only approach to the modern city, Albany possesses not only a splendid water front but a real city entrance. The bridge from Rensselaer is the natural approach from the Albany Post Road. This is said to be the most heavily traveled road in the State, perhaps in the Union, and will undoubtedly be made a State Highway. Accordingly, the entrance to Albany by automobile or carriage should be worthy of the State Highway and worthy of the city that it approaches. Albany has no great water gate and perhaps it cannot have one although it seems as if some recognition of its superb frontage on the Hudson might be made. We recall the two handsome stone columns in Bordeaux with the carved galley prows and other symbols of the sea, and the similar ones in Barcelona, which mark the water entrance to these cities. Decorative compositions of this kind may not be appropriate here, but there is no doubt that the approach by bridge can be made attractive and impos- ing. The present iron bridge is awkward and aggressively ugly and public opinion will soon demand a better and more agreeable looking structure. As we cross the bridge from Rensselaer we find the most deplorable state of affairs on reaching the Albany side, and we receive the worst impression of a neglected neighborhood. There is a dangerous grade crossing, bad roads and a complication of tracks, freight cars and unsightly warehouses. Nothing could be more shabby and unpleasant. As Albany continues to embody its ideals in fine streets, handsome buildings, parks and monuments, the rapidly growing demand for municipal beauty will compel a rearrangement of all this and the con- struction of a dignified entrance to the city. Plate 67 provides a wide roadway dividing into two parts after it leaves the bridge. The road to the north skirts the masonry wall screening and supporting the railroad tracks and passes by the new Riverside Park until it reaches Broadway without crossing any railroad 47 ^•*.u Plate 27. Sketch for Bridge Pylons, City Entrance Plate 28. Rensselaer Bridge tracks. The part that turns south leads to Arch Street passing under a bridge carrying the Delaware & Hudson Co.'s tracks and so connects with Beaver Park. The alignment and grades of the roads are easy and suitable for motor trafific and in this way connection is readily made with both the business section of the city and the park system. All this is practical engineering and road making but I have also made a rough study — a suggestion — for a possible bridge termination with great stone pylons surmounted by groups of sculpture (Plate 27 and , frontispiece). ' While this is in violent contrast to the dreary waste that now con- fronts us it seems as if this important position warrants an ambitious treatment. The stone pylons, are combined with the bridge and with the archway below which will permit the continuation of Quay Street and its further development southward as this development is un- questionably only a matter of years and must be anticipated. 49 The Riverside Park is slightly raised on a terrace on which is a light iron balustrade so that the view from the river is not obstructed. The park with the trees and lawns is thus separated from the commer- cial activities of Quay Street which always interest spectators. The wall supporting the railroad tracks is to be built of concrete and should be designed so as to form a suitable background for the park foliage. We are now beginning to understand how to treat concrete and how to secure a good surface and texture. This embank- ment can be made most attractive if we avoid the effect of the unpleasant glaring expanse of ugly cement that is now so common along the lines of our railroads. Concrete requires not alone design suitable to its nature but a high degree of finish or the results are always unsatisfactory. The portion of wall that is opposite the bridge is to be raised high enough to screen the trains entirely from sight, and the architectural treatment should be emphasized so that the most important feature of the design will be on the axis of the bridge. A great group of memo- rial sculpture, properly framed with arches and columns, would be appropriate here and would suitably mark the entrance to the city. The City of Cologne has solved a similar problem and is well described by Dr. Howe : " The new HohenzoUern Bridge across the Rhine at Cologne has commanded something of the thought that inspired the architects who spent centuries on the building of the Cologne Cathedral. It is typical of the care shown railway and pas- senger bridges all over Europe. The approaches are adorned with massive towers and statuary, while the lines of the bridge add greatly to the beauty of the city. The same concern is manifested in the railway approaches. The railway is an incident. It does not ravage whole sections of the city, its water fronts and dwelling areas. There are no grade crossings. The overhead work is inconspicuous and is designed for beauty. The sides of the tracks are sodded with grass. There is every possible protection against danger." It is not too much to hope that some day, not very far in the future, a splendid monument, a combination of architecture, sculpture and engineer- ing will be erected at the City Gate to typify the Albany of To-morrow. 5° BEAVER PARK BEAVER PARK lies partly in the valley of the old Beaver Creek. The portion east of Swan Street is in a deep bowl or what is practically a natural amphitheatre with steeply sloping sides. The plan for the improvement of this undeveloped portion of the park was made with the intention of utilizing the elements of design provided by the natural condition of the ground. This is not an ordinary park with trees and lawns, hills and meadows, roads and paths. It includes them all but besides this it is endowed with the possibilities of a great athletic field which can be one of the most attractive in the country. In other words, the two methods of treatment, the formal and the natural, are blended in one design, each being used where the conditions demand. The plan, Plate 31, shows the athletic field, running tracks, swim- ming pool, children's playground and the treatment of the park generally. The field is of standard size including a quarter-mile running track inside of which there is space for a regulation baseball diamond, or for a football field. To the east of this there is a larger area which contains space suflficient for a full size baseball diamond, or several small ones, or two football gridirons. The important games will probably take place in the field enclosed by the running track as this is surrounded on three sides by a sloping bank on which people can sit in comfort, and also by a walk and a drive which provide further accommodations for spectators. The broad flight of steps leading from the track to the top of the terrace will serve as a grand stand. In the course of time it may be thought desirable to continue the steps all around the field. The pavilion which will contain the dressing rooms, baths, etc., is easily reached from the field and a subway from its base- ment could connect with it directly and obviate the necessity of crossing the road 'to reach the dressing rooms. It will be seen that the athletic field is large enough for pageants, out-of-door performances and public gatherings of many kinds and it should soon become the open-air amusement center of the city. In cold weather, portions of the field can be flooded and the sheet of ice Plate 29. Beaver Park, showing undeveloped portion Plate 30. Beaver Park, present condition looking northeast 52 ,)i,v, ry^ .^ , •k' |i«A ■^ .,® #^ *^t* 5 Ij ^,0 A, LB." Plate 32. Plan of Western Section Beaver Park S4 cq 3 o 55 At the lower end of the park a children's playground is to be installed with wading pool, sand piles, slides, swings, and a babies' lawn in front of a shady pergola for the mothers, Plate 35. This pergola is designed to be partly open to the air and partly closed so that it can include all the necessary accommodations, and a comfort station in connection with it is to have separate divisions for men, women and children. This playground is easily reached from the surrounding neighborhood without the necessity of going up or down steps and by providing amusement for the younger children it should reduce their temptation to invade the athletic field. The trees around the athletic field are planted in formal rows, but on the undulating parts beyond the planting becomes informal and merges into the older portion of the park. There is a steep slope facing north that can easily be used for coasting and by closing the roads and Plate 34. Old House in Beaver Park 56 Hi Oh m IS a 3 o >-, cii J3 u o o Ph o O- ■S E 57 paths on this slope a long and safe hill can be made that will be a delight to young and adventurous spirits. The most pressing work to be undertaken is the construction of the running track and the field which it encloses. After this the play- ground should be graded and finished and the pavilion erected and the rest will follow naturally. Numerous sites occur in the design of the park that are excellent places for memorial statues, flagstaffs, drinking fountains, etc., and the rond-point at the south end of Swan Street provides a worthy setting for an important memorial. The western section of Beaver Park which has been in use for a number of years is to be improved by rearranging the children's play- ground and by designing a new band stand for a different position as F-- fcff; Plate 36. Band Stand, Beaver Park 58 the present one is not well placed. The picturesque old house in this portion of the park, which was once the home of Dr. James Hall, a noted geologist, is to be remodeled and be used for children's recreation in bad weather. The large room will serve very well for meetings for mothers' clubs and similar purposes. A terrace at the end of the building where the ground now slopes away from it will greatly improve the effect and provide a proper setting. The proportions of this build- ing are so graceful that it is well worth while to give it the surroundings that it needs, and with flowers on the terrace and a slight readjustment of paths and lawns it will make a very attractive spot in the park. A wading pool with pergola on one side, and shelter, etc., are also suggested. As this part of the park is on high ground and commands an extensive view it seems worth while to rearrange it for the greatest possible use. Fifteen new tennis courts are provided and some slight rearrangement of the paths and roads. The roadway through the ravine is too crooked and steep for automobiles and should be made into a walk, which with proper planting will make it one of the most picturesque features of the Albany Parks. 59 Plate 37. Market Place, showing present crowded condition 60 A MARKET PLACE MARKET was originally constructed in what was then Market Street and which is now Broadway, but was soon found to be inadequate and was removed. Then the farmers brought their wares from the country and spread their wagons along the middle of State Street until it could no longer contain them. They became so numerous that a market place along the west side of Grand Street, between Beaver Street and Hudson Avenue, was opened in 1889. That this market place is now overcrowded may be seen by Plates 37 and 38, which clearly show the lack of system and convenience that prevail and naturally there is again a pressing demand for more orderly and spacious accommodations. Accordingly, it is proposed to add to the present market place the plot of ground immediately to the east as far as William Street, thus adding 30,000 square feet of available space. Plate 38. Market Place — as it is now 61 ^ Plate 39. Plan of Market and proposed new Market Place Plate 39 shows the type of market suggested which is arrangecLso that the traffic from Grand to Lodge Streets will not be interrupted: Shelter from the sun and rain is obviously desirable and the erection of a light covered structure, the floor of which is raised from the ground so that the wagons may back up to it and be protected by overhanging eaves of the roof, will permit purchasers to go froni wagon to wagon under cover. The market is intended to be built of iron and the design is adapted to this form of construction, which is the most durable for the purpose and may be made ornamental without great expense. Some of the small rooms in the angles of the building are to be used for public comfort and some for storage space, while others may be utilized for various administrative purposes. Watering troughs and drinking fountains are placed where they can be readily used by all and the entire market place should be well paved and very carefully drained. The bordering streets are to be planted with trees and the market place can well become one of the most interesting sights in Albany. The present position seems well adapted for its purpose and it is undoubtedly advisable to extend the existing market rather than secure another in a different part of the city. — p^ " Plate 40. Sketch for Market 63 plate 41. Clinton Square, photographed during the winter of 19 13 Plate 42. Plan of Clinton Square 64 CLINTON SQUARE IN 1829 the Common Council of Albany decided that " North Pearl Street between Orange Street and Clinton Avenue (then Pat- roon Street) was to be opened and widened and that the space thus formed be known and distinguished by the name and style of Clinton Square." During the past few years there were constant objections to the condition of Clinton Square. It was urged that it was useless as a park and a distinct detriment to the property on the west side which was not accessible and consequently its value impaired for business purposes. These criticisms seemed reasonable as the Square was covered with grass through which ran a single diagonal path. The few trees that remained were in very poor condition and generally the Square presented a sad and neglected appearance. Accordingly, after consultation with Mr. Greenalch and Mr. Lanagan I suggested a new arrangement (Plate 42) which would provide easy access to the build- ings on all the surrounding streets. The Square was to be paved and the plots of grass enclosed by a narrow coping and bordered with shrubs and flowers. The central circular flower bed may be replaced in the future by a fountain or it may become the site of a monument of some kind. Pedestrians can easily cross in any direction and maple trees are so placed that while not interfering with the cross view they will provide the necessary shade and be in scale with their surroundings. The boundaries of the little park have been slightly changed and the Clinton Avenue end is considerably shortened. The sidewalk line on one side of North Pearl Street and the corners at Clinton Avenue have been moved in order to provide an increased roadway and relieve the congestion of vehicular traffic. 6} SURROUNDINGS OF RAILROAD STATION WHEN we enter Albany by rail the feeling experienced on leaving the Union Station is one of distinct disappoint- ment. The surroundings are shabby and the approaches inadequate. It is highly important that the first impression the traveler receives, which is generally a lasting one, should be favorable and if not the best at least a fair expression of the city should be apparent at first view. The handsome approaches to Railway Stations that are found throughout Europe always excite our admiration and in every city of importance in the United States an effort is now being made to secure the effect of spaciousness and hospitality. The Railroad Station is the modern city gate, the entrance and vestibule of the town, and a certain amount of dignity in its surroundings is appropriate. 11 -Fs'OLn w h^vi^s'i; Plate 43. Proposed Plaza in front of Railroad Station 67 From a practical point of view the necessity of space around the Station becomes more evident year after year, and this is illustrated by the history of the Grand Central Station in New York. Plate 43 indicates the treatment of a Plaza in front of the Union Station. The dotted lines show the present property lines and it is proposed to widen Steuben Street from Broadway to North Pearl Street and also to cut the corner of Columbia Street and widen Broadway between the two. The slight grade from Broadway to James Street gives the opportunity for constructing balustrades on three sides of the Plaza and positions are indicated for large lamp posts so that the entire square may be brilliantly lighted. The Square is so divided that there will be broad walks, plots of grass bordered by shrubs and spaces for a large number of trees. The trees indicated will provide the necessary shade and it will be readily seen that an improve- ment of this sort will greatly enhance the value of the property on the west side of James Street. This is all rather formally designed with a certain regularity as it appears to be the logical system of planning city squares and small municipal gardens that are surrounded by buildings and border on busy streets. A similar system has been followed in the new Plaza which is divided into geometrical forms, as it also has a rigid architectural environment. This in no way precludes the possibility of securing all the beauty of foliage and flowers, grass and flowing water. These open spaces in a city may be spots of great beauty but they must« be consistently designed to suit their positions. 68 APPROACH TO SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT THE Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the City of Albany is among the best and is perhaps the very finest in the United States. Its dignity and charm, the beauty of its sculpture and simplicity of its design are recognized by all. It is well placed at the northerly side of Washington Park and the splendid alleys of elm trees form an exceptionally good background, The approach from Central Avenue and the viaduct, however, is most disappointing. Every work of art requires a proper frame and monumental sculpture demands not alone a well chosen site but adequate approaches. Plate 44. New Soldiers and Sailors Monument Mr. Hermon A. MacNeil, Sculptor. Messrs. Lord & Hewlett, Architects 69 Plate 45. Present inadequate Approach to Soldiers and Sailors Monument When seen from a distance the monument loses its importance ^nd accordingly a rearrangement of the approach is suggested in Plate 46. The telegraph poles should be removed and a row of small clipped trees planted on each side of the street. Small and formal trees will not interfere with the view but will lead up to the monument in an agreeable manner and will contrast both in form and color with the elms in the park. A new plan for Townsend Park and a change in its northern boundary are also advisable. In its present condition the park is of very little use, but a slight alteration of the paths and planting will make it of the greatest value as a small city park. The replotting of the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Washington Avenue is 70 also proposed as the triangular piece of ground between Washington Avenue and Central Avenue ends in a very narrow frontage on the Boulevard and is not in good relation to any of the streets. By chang- ing the roadway as indicated on the plan a fine building site is created on the axis of Townsend Park. This change in street and building lines will greatly improve what is now a neglected corner and not cause an interruption in the approach to the monument. 5TVDY roR APPROACH TO 50LDIER5 AND .SAIir-RS MONVMENT KEAR-RANCEMrNT Cr TOWNSEND P,\RK AIR\N\ NY Plate 46. Proposed Approach to Soldiers and Sailors Monument 71 ALBANY STREETS IT is to be noticed that many of the streets in Albany are named after birds and animals. Swallow, Snipe, Pigeon and Turkey Streets have disappeared, and Buffalo, Tiger, Wolf, Deer, Lion and Cow Streets have also undergone a change in name. Many of the names were in memory of noted men and reminiscences of Albany's past history. Howard Street, was originally Lutheran Street and we can understand why it was considered desirable to change the name of Rum Street, although it is not obvious why it was rechristened Maiden Lane. When new streets are planned and constructed, the habit of naming them in 'honor of statesmen, generals or poets, such as now obtains in Paris for instance, may be revived, but the compliment must not be a doubtful one and - the new thoroughfares must be worthy of their namesakes. There are many attractive boulevards in Albany that are fine specimens of roadmakirig. Some of them have strips of parking in the center' and others have grass and trees at the sides. A large number pf the residential streets in Albany possess a reserve and character that are delightful and contain houses which are good examples of Colonial architecture. Some of the older residences still remain intact and it is gratifying to. note that many of the new ones are designed in the same style. -. This is. most desirable. . The expression of the residential part of the. city will be entirely changed by departing from a type of archi- tecture ■ that is well adapted to all practical needs and which may be considered a part of Albany's heritage. The Rensselaer Manor, althpugh now removed and rebuilt in Williamstown, is not forgotten and it will be the part of wisdom in those who build new houses to conform to the architectural spirit that dominated its early citizens. Some of the streets in the older part of the city possess, aside from the architecture, the picturesque quality that we admire in medieval towns, and there are examples of many of the bits of informal planning usually described in treatises on the subject. We find streets curiously curved, streets , with closed vistas, streets with a little square on one side, streets of varying widths and many streets with surprisingly 73 irregular profiles; some of them end suddenly and are continued by long flights of steps. The principal business streets of Albany are now being much im- proved by readjustment of the curb lines and by new pavements. The clay soil of Albany and the steep grades make it difficult to lay, and more difficult to maintain, a satisfactory pavement, but the problem has been well met and the specifications for proposed new work, issued by the- Bureau of Engineering and the Department of Public Works, may be taken as a model of excellence. The telegraph and telephone poles have been removed from the entire district east of Eagle Street to the river, and from Madison Avenue on the south to Clinton Avenue on the north. It is only a matter of time that public sentiment will demand that all the poles be removed. The first step to be taken is to remove them on the main thoroughfares and traffic arteries. The trolley poles on Pearl Street have been taken down and the wires are strung from the abutting buildings, producing a great improvement as the wires are hardly per- ceptible and the overhead trolley system is quite unobjectionable. To preserve the streets a law regulating the height of buildings is absolutely necessary. It seems obvious that buildings should be pro- portioned to the width of the street upon which they are built. The streets belong to the citizens and no individual should be allowed to ruin them. One of the greatest elements of beauty in the most noted streets of Europe is due to the fact that the height of the buildings is restricted. Several American cities have already pa*^sed laws to this effect and these laws have been found to be constitutional by the courts. Boston, for instance, has different limits in different parts of the city varying from 80 to 125 feet, and New York City has just passed a law which is extremely liberal but is a long step in the right direction. Albany at present has not been spoiled by groups of skyscrapers, a fact that makes it comparatively easy now for it to pass laws limiting the height of new buildings. In New York it has been shown that the skyscrapers are not good investments and that the lack of regulation, allowing the investors to build as they pleased, not only produced 74 serious congestion, and in some cases intolerable conditions, but that the investors themselves, being uncontrolled, suffered serious loss. As Dr. Hegeman has said: " The modern system of decentralization in city building spreads city land values over much wider areas than can be made use of in connection with the congested type, and at the same time prevents the coming into existence of those unwholesomely high values of land for dwellings, which necessitate tenements and crowding." Districting a city, or dividing it into classified zones, so that factories, etc., are restricted to certain sections, will soon be considered as indis- pensable to orderly growth. Albany has no slums in the accepted sense of the word. This is no " City of wealth and want Of pitiless extremes ". There is no tenement house problem. Naturally there are houses for the poorer classes, in many cases in a very bad condition, much too close to each other and lacking the decencies. But as a rule " conges- tion" as it is known in other cities is not yet a serious problem here and it can be prevented and the evil averted by forestalling it. Proper building regulations, laws limiting the height of buildings, opening up streets now becoming too crowded and the creation of small parks in clofeely built up districts are among the accepted cures for what are known as " blighted districts ". '; If a street is to be more than a mere thoroughfare, a passageway for pedestrians and vehicles, it must have a definite expression of its- own, and this is secured not only by well laid pavements (kept clean) and by fine trees (kept in good condition) but by giving thought to what are called the street furnishings. Necessary evils such as trolley poles may be inoffensive or they may be violently objectionable. Letter boxes, fire hydrants and the like may be inconspicuous or glaringly evident. Street signs may be posi- tive annoyances or examples of excellent lettering. The electroliers of all things must be well designed or they may exercise a direful influence on their surroundings. A good electrolier costs no more to make than 75 an ugly one and the expense of securing an appropriate design is not great and is surely justified. There is a great difference of opinion about the best system for street lighting. It has generally been believed that high power lamps on high posts spaced at long intervals are more economical than less powerful lights on lower lamp posts placed nearer to each other, but it seems now as if the latter method is gaining in favor. Undoubtedly it produces the most pleasing and decorative result as the lights, not being so brilliant, do not dazzle the eye and the continuity of effect is much better. In streets where there are trees the lights are below the foliage so that they do not cast disturbing shadows on the sidewalks and roadways. This method has always been employed in Paris and it has lately been adopted in Washington. I believe that the only point in doubt is the quality and intensity of the electric lamp that is to be used and this can readily be adjusted to the conditions. In the new Plaza I have indicated this type of lighting which practi- cally outlines the design and it is to be hoped that by degrees its use will spread to other parts of the city. No city and no street is free from the advertising nuisance. Great efforts are now being made in many parts of the country to limit and restrict advertising so that the most beautiful buildings and parks shall not be spoiled. Legitimate advertising is often so exaggerated that the insistence of the business of the individual at the expense of the rights and feelings of the public has become a scandal. The billboard, unless kept within careful bounds, has become a public enemy'and every means should be taken to suppress it. 76 STREET SYSTEM THE map of Albany, published in 1794, shows the streets in the older part of the city very much as they are to-day. It is not known how or why these streets were laid out in this way, but they were generous in size and the long, narrow park that is now State Street is indicated as extending towards the west, far beyond the position occupied later by a square or common and which has since been enlarged to form the Capitol grounds. As early as the year 181 3 Evert Van Alen prepared an elaborate city map which provided for a rectangular system of streets with two radial avenues which may have been in existence at the time, but this is not certain. While this is what is generally known as the gridiron or checkerboard plan, it is not so monotonous as usual, as the units of blocks and distances apart of streets vary greatly in different sections of the city and these sections did not join each other with any regularity It was, however, a plan that had absolutely no relation to the topography or needs of the city and its adoption was a distinct misfortune. It extended about four miles back from the river and approximately two miles north and south and it became the basis of a wild speculation in town lots in the middle of the last century. This map was prepared about the time when a " Board of Commis- sioners of Streets and Roads" was appointed in New York City to "lay out roads, streets and public squares of such width and extent as to them should seem most conducive to the public good." This Board produced the uninspired and faulty plan that is the cause of so many of the troubles of the Metropolis to-day. Apparently Mr. Van Alen was strongly influenced by the New York plan for he attempted to adopt its worst features, which were bad enough in themselves but were especially unsuited to the hills and valleys of Albany. This was most deplorable and the consequences are unexpectedly serious, for now, a century after the adoption of the plan, it is nearly impossible to change it, so uncertain are the titles to many of the lots and parcels of ground: This 1 81 3 map, which on account of its extent and scope, doubtless seemed far sighted at the time, has been a constant expense and 77 78 annoyance to the city and must have hampered its growth. It will continue to be an embarrassment for some years to come as the city streets do not now cover the entire area of the map. Fortunately, as we have already seen, the older part of the town was then built and its picturesque quaUty assured so that only those portions that were undeveloped suffered from the infliction of the rectangular system of planning. There are portions of Albany that are now wholly undeveloped, partly on account of the topographic conditions, partly because of difficulty of access, and partly because there has not yet been pressing need of their use. The valley of Patroon's Creek, for instance, is practically given up to the New York Central Railroad and no other use has been made of it, but it is quite possible that in time the city will find it necessary to locate a thoroughfare there, which, with the Tivoli Lakes, will connect a fine chain of parks extending as far as Rensselaer Lake. Plate 48. End of Swan Street, showing position for a monument 79 Plate 49. North end of Eagle Street, present condition There are other portions of the city in which streets should be opened and a plan for streets connecting Delaware and New Scotland Avenues is shown in Plate 47 of a type suited to Albany. There is no reason for extending the rectangular, or gridiron plan, and every reason for designing streets to fit the natural contour of the land. From considerations of economy and beauty the interesting curved streets, the unexpected vistas and effects, are infinitely pleasanter than, the succession of squares, and the elimination of steep grades that this method of planning makes possible is a great advantage from every point of view. One of the many objectioiis to the gridiron plan of streets is that it precludes the possibility of special sites for monumental buildings and even of monuments themselves. In New York City, which, as we know, possesses the most pernicious rectangular plan, it is always diffi- cult to find a suitable position for a monument or for a memorial, whether of sculpture or of architecture. Notwithstanding the steep grades and irregularities of some of the older streets, very few advantageous sites for monuments have been 80 created and in these studies it has been my endeavor to make such positions. The central portion, for instance, of Clinton Square, or of the new Plaza and the end of Swan Street, are admirable positions for statues or memorial fountains. The new Railroad Plaza suggests at once similar sites and little Townsend Park provides a good opportunity of this kind. City streets have their own expression which may be hard and forbidding, dull and uninteresting, or cheerful and attractive. Nothing adds more to the interest of a street than an unexpected vista closed by a monument and many a long straight thoroughfare is saved from monotony by the interruption of a fountain or piece of sculpture. The termination of South Hawk Street presents an opportunity for a memorial of some sort and the north end of Eagle Street could well be opened up and finished in a semi-circular terrace on which would be a good location for a monument. Unexpected bits of sculpture, and even simple and unobtrusive monuments, produce delightful effects such as we find in many Italian towns. A TREES OF ALBANY LB ANY is fortunate in possessing very beautiful trees and some of them have even been connected with its past history. The northwest corner of State and Pearl Streets was known as "Elm Street Corner" on account of a stately elm that existed there and was supposed to have been planted by Philip Livingston in 1735. According to an old print the tree flourished sadly out of all bounds and having no regard for street lines had to be cut down in 1877 to permit of paving. The graceful elms of Albany to-day form an essential part of the city and more of them should be planted on the wider streets. As Mr. Charles Mulford Robinson says: "In the mental picture of a beautiful city or village, the tree has an inseparable part. Tree- lined avenues, tree-arched streets, the background of foliage to well- placed sculpture, the softening of stern fa9ades, the play of light and shadow on the pavement, the screening of the sun's glare upon walk and window, the lovely chronicle of the season's progress as it is written on the tree where all can read it — these are factors of beauty thrusting themselves at once upon the mind as requisite to success. They are universal in appeal." Happily we now find throughout the country a great desire for more trees in our city streets. Their value is becoming recognized even by those who only a few years ago objected to them. The American elm is the tree of Albany and it can hardly be equaled in grace and beauty. It requires ample space and wide sidewalks to attain its full splendor and in many parts of the city these conditions are easily assured. With modern high power spraying machines the elm beetle need not be feared and the elm suffers no more from other pests than less desirable trees. Perhaps it is not well for the city to depend too much upon one kind of tree, which, like the chestnut, may be attacked by a new disease that we cannot cure, and a variety of trees on successive streets produces a very pleasing effect. In such positions as Clinton Square, the proposed Railroad Plaza, the approach to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and similar places, Norway Maples, Lindens and Oriental 83 Plane trees are appropriate as they may be clipped and kept low so as to be in scale with their surroundings. Tree planting cannot safely be left to individual enterprise for a tree out of place is just as objectionable as any other misplaced object. Trees must be properly~spaced, properly selected, properly planted, and, furthermore, properly protected and maintained. This must be done by the city authorities and the Commissioner of Public Works should be allowed a sufficient annual appropriation in order to secure the services of a trained aboriculturist and defray expenses necessary for the proper maintenance of city trees. The other method has been tried, that is to say, the trees have been considered as part of the property in front of which they stand and their care has been left to the householder, but under these conditions trees have languished and disappeared. There was no unity of action and no scientific care bestowed upon the trees, and apparently the only way to keep them in good condition and make them an ornament to the city is to put them under the care of some city department with ample funds to give the trees the care that they deserve. In the City of Washington there are about 80,000 trees which are in the care of a City Commission having charge of this special work. Sometimes the Park Department, as in New York City, assumes this care. The excellent results already secured by the Commissioner of Public Works in Albany will be better if he is granted the necessary funds. 84 SHERIDAN PARK THE peculiarity of Sheridan Park, which extends from Dove to Swan Streets and from Elk Street to loo feet from Sheridan Avenue, is that it is nearly loo feet higher at Elk and Dove Streets than at Road Street, It is also a perfect illustration of the axiom that the property of least value for buildings may be the most valuable for parks, as it was acquired because the land was considered to be too steep for building and part of it had begun to slide. Its de- velopment is therefore very closely limited by the natural conditions. There is to be a wide terrace with two walks and a central grass plot lo feet below Elk Street with which it is connected by steps and ramps. The central portion of the terrace is extended and provides a fine esplanade and also an excellent site for a future monument. Beyond this the ground slopes steeply to the line of Spruce Street where there is a walk shaded by two rows of trees on the other side of which are to be playgrounds for boys and girls. Elm Street is widened Plate 50. Terrace, Sheridan Park 85 Plate 51. Present condition of Sheridan Park — view from lower level ; ^f^ Plate 52. Present condition of Sheridan Park 86 I i J f 1 J i Pi T3 ji w Ph 87 88 So o a, o ft o J3 e rt .u to provide an overlook so that vehicles stopping to permit their occu- pants to enjoy the view will not interfere with the through traffic of the street. The effect of this from the terrace is shown in Plate 50, which indicates the different levels and ramps. The plan of the park, Plate 53, and the sketch, Plate 54, clearly present the scheme of treatment proposed. The lines in general are formal and even architectural but they are dictated by the conditions as we find them and the contour map, Plate 55, on which are shown the present and the proposed grades, also shows that the design demands the minimum amount of excavation and filling. Some parks are enclosed by heavy foliage so as to shut out the surroundings that might be incongruous and mar their beauty. Others are intended to look out from and in this case, as the view from Sheridan Park is unusually attractive, the park is designed so as to afford every op- portunity for its enjoyment. The terraces are to have stone balustrades, or these may be provided later and less expensive walls used for the present. The site for a monument on the terrace should make a strong appeal to the public and there is another site for a memorial of a different sW Plate 56. View from Sheridan Park 90 character found at the termination of Swan Street. It has been sug- gested that a public or semi-public building be placed at the end of Dove Street and this is an admirable location for one, as it not only centers on Dove Street but another fagade faces the long terrace on a lower level, thus providing a fine opportunity for a charming piece of architecture. It is strongly recommended that the city acquire the property be- tween the present park boundary and Sheridan Avenue, and also that the park be extended as shown on the map, Plate 57. Sheridan Park will be large enough for some time, but in the future its extension will be necessary as it is in the center of a thickly populated district. This can be realized by standing on the Hawk Street viaduct and noting the spread of the city toward the north. The property suggested for additional park purposes is not of great value, and on account of its position, partly under the viaduct, is not likely to improve but it will serve admirably as a larger park and this will enhance the value of the surrounding property. At the foot of Eagle Street there can be an overlook with a com- position of sculpture and architecture to close fittingly the vista of this important street, which should be considered as a parkway connecting Sheridan Park with Capitol Park. PR0P05ED ADDITIONS TO 5HEK.IDAN PARK ALBANY NY- acALi, t— 122 2£S S" Plate 57 91 Plate 58. Study for Pavilion at end of Sunken Garden Plate 59. Plan for Sunken Garden 92 SUNKEN GARDEN THE three blocks between Lancaster and Chestnut Streets, from Main Avenue to Ontario Street, have been acquired by the city for the construction of a Sunken Garden. The present condition of the property is shown in Plates 60 and 61 and unquestionably it demands improvement of some kind The rectangular form of this piece of land seems to dictate a formal treatment. Erie and Partridge Streets should be continued and this will result in the formation of three plots of ground, each one of which is approximately four times longer than it is wide. A suggestion for paths, planting and flower beds is indicated on Plate 59. The idea of a Sunken Garden, which is apparently generally accepted, is carried out by the sloping sides which are to be covered with grass. Access is given to the paths surrounding the central lawns and flower beds by steps from the two cross streets and a pavilion is shown on either end of the composition. The design is perhaps unnecessarily ambitious and ornate for the present state of the surrounding property, but the scheme may be much simplified and the main characteristics still be retained. As the cost of maintenance of flowers, paths and streets in a city is considerable, some of the details and sub-divisions may be omitted and an expression of a Sunken Garden secured by the sloping sides and lawns at a level lower than the streets. The spot in the center may well be occupied by a fountain and the paths made wide enough for park benches at intervals. The fountain may be an elaborate memorial, or a simple basin with a jet of water spouting from it such as we find in many Italian gardens and which are so delightful. The pavilions can be built in the character of the shelters on the State Street Pier and serve their purpose until the funds become available for more expensive ones. The proportion and general attractiveness of this strip of land will be much improved if trees are planted on Chestnut Street and Lancaster Street. 93 Plate 60. Sunken Garden, present condition Plate 61. Sunken Garden, present condition 94 SWINBURNE PARK THIS is one of Albany's small parks that is pleasant and much frequented. It contains not only the usual playground acces- sories but the band concerts that have been given there have proved so popular that a new band stand is to be constructed. The site chosen is approximately in the center of the park at the intersection of the two diagonal paths. This is a good selection as a low wooded hill will form a background for the little building and the necessary rearrangement of this portion of the park is slight. The space for the public is made by a low retaining wall and there is plenty of room further back for a fair sized crowd. The stand is designed so that it may be used not only for concerts but for moving picture shows and even minor theatrical performances. Accordingly, the back wall is not curved in the usual manner but is kept flat with a sounding board above. The platform can readily be extended' if more space for musicians or performers is required. It would be an interesting experiment to establish an open-air theatre in an Albany Park. Many travelers will recall the little Green Theatre in the park at St. Cloud, near Paris, where delightful comedies are staged and where the entrance fee is almost nominal. The tree branches form the roof and the simplicity of the arrangements and the natural character of the surroundings constitute the charm of the scene. An intelligent public of small means patronize these performances which are often of real merit but which do not attract the more boisterous element of the crowds that frequent the park. Percy Mackaye, the poet, and a pioneer in the work of popularizing the idea of the Civic Theatre, says "the use of a nation's leisure is the test of its civilization." Public pageants and performances in the open air are rapidly rising in favor and it seems wise for Albany to provide as far as possible for the people's amusement. 95 .LEVATJON \ /r\C7~<^ "■, PL/, N CHARLES BOWNNG LAY LANI)!CAPE ARCHITCrr Plate 62. Band Stand, Swinburne Park 96 AHNOLD W. BRl'KNtR ARCHITECT Plate 63. Sketch Plan for Open-air Theatre and Band Stand, Swinburne Park 97 PARK EXTENSION WHEN Beaver, Sheridan, Swinburne and Riverside Parks are completed Albany will unquestionably possess a most beautiful and unusual chain of parks. In addition to Washington Park, which is now in excellent condition and is a de- lightful piece of landscape design, the city will be well provided with open spaces sufficient for its present needs. There are some districts in the city, however, where an increase in population will demand that park property now lying idle be developed. Dudley Park is an instance of this and a development of it may be expected to stimulate building in the vicinity and improve the neighborhood. Dudley Park is on a high, flat-topped hill overlooking the Hudson with fine views up and down the valley, a most advantageous location. The old Dudley observatory stands on the summit of the rising ground and is now used for a shelter and there are many pleasing features in the combination of the plateau and the sloping sides of the hills. Dudley Park is at the beginning of the Manning Boulevard, which, running by the Tivoli Lakes to Swinburne Park, makes a circuit of the westerly portion of the city and ends now at Western Avenue. (See City Map.) This should be extended through Hawkins Avenue to New Scotland Avenue and eventually to Delaware Avenue to connect with the Southern Boulevard, making a parkway connecting with Washington Park and Beaver Park, and from Beaver Park one can go through Warren and Arch Streets to Broadway. It will thus be seen that this circumferential drive, beginning on North Pearl Street at Van Woort Street, connects five parks and ends on South Broadway. Tivoli Lake Park possesses great possibilities. It is disappointing in its present state as it is sadly in need of planting and the roads turn too sharply for automobile traffic, but with some study and rearrange- ment it can be made very attractive. Although the present need for parks is so well supplied it is evident that property will be needed and should soon be acquired for future demands. Thus in the northerly part of the city north of Patroon's Creek there is a large area without provision for parks. In the region south 99 Plate 64. Diagram showing main roads to Albany of Second Avenue there should be a park reservation, and south of New Scotland Avenue and west of Delaware is another district which promises to grow rapidly and in which the securing of suitable park areas should not be delayed too long. We have the opinion of Mr. Nelson P. Lewis, Chief Engineer of the New York City Board of Estimate and Apportionment, to confirm our belief that the acquirement of park property far in advance of its needs costs no more because of interest and carrying charges than its later acquirement at an advanced price, and there is the immeasur- able advantage that parks acquired far in advance are sure to be of suflficient size and well located, whereas if the acquirement is delayed the choice of sites is likely to be much restricted and the area reduced on account of the great cost. It is generally admitted that the cost of small parks always returns to the city on account of the increase in value of the surrounding lots. The map of the westerly extension of Albany, Plate 68, shows the city property around Rensselaer Lake and the area that it is suggested be acquired and added to it. This will make a beautiful natural park of over I coo acres. It is a region full of subtle beauties because of its softly modeled little hills, its tangle of shrubbery and its patches of pine and hardwood trees. From the tops of the ridges the rugged H elder- bergs are seen outlined against the horizon, and at the south, the foot hills of the Catskills. The character of the country is wild and un- spoiled and almost nothing is necessary except to provide and maintain a few paths and roads. In fact the less done to it the better. Connecting parkways are also indicated joining city streets with this park and with the westerly corners. A strip of parkway reserva- tion, about 200 feet wide, is proposed and within this the roadway, which will probably not be more than 50 feet wide, may curve and wind as the conformation of the ground demands. There is great relief in leaving the straight highway with its trolley tracks and finding a gently curved road winding through the hills, shaded by trees, and offering the con- trasts of view that are possible in this beautiful strip of land. The map only indicates the general location of the proposed parkway which cannot be more carefully shown without the preparation of a topographic map and a detailed study of the ground. Plate 6=; Plate 66 Plate 66 HUDSON RIVER Plate 67 SSELAER BI CHARLE5 DOWNING LAY LANDiCAPE ARCHlTtCT ARNOLD W. BRUNNER ARCHITECT RIVER SCALE Of FEET 40 60 120 160 Plate 67 Plate 68 m^