CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF Urban American Inc, FINE ARTS CITY PLAN AND IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION Cornell University Library NAC 6827 .D48A311 A center of arts and letters. 3 1924 024 414 801 A CENTER OF ARTS AND LETTERS DETROIT CITY PLAN AND IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION A Center of Arts and Letters DETROIT NOVEMBER 1B13 Reprinted By the City Flan' Commission June, 1921 I M I, /. I, \, '■ DETROIT CITY PLAN AND IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION CHARLES MOORE, President MAX BROOCK, Vice-President T. GLENN PHILLIPS, Secretary DR. CHARLES D. AARON DR. FRANK E. PILCHER WALTER E. CAMPBELL JOHN BORNMAN . FREDERICK T. BARCROFT HERMAN DARMSTAETTER THE COMMISSIONER OF PARKS AND BOULEVARDS THE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS THE CITY ENGINEER ?^<' Cornell University Library The original of tiiis 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/cu31924024414801 LETTER OF SUBMISSION Detroit, October 6th, 1913 To the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Detroit: Gentlemen: The City Plan and Improvement Commission have the honor to submit herewith the report of a Joint Committee con- sisting of representatives of the Detroit Museum of Art, the Detroit Library Commission, the Detroit School of Design, the Detroit Orchestral Association and the Michigan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects on a Center of Arts and Letters for the City of Detroit ; together with the plans for such a Center prepared by Edward H. Bennett, Architect, of Chicago ; and Frank Miles Day, Architect, of Philadelphia, who submit a report to accompany the plans. We respectfully recommend that the report be accepted, and that the additional lands. shown in the plans be acquired. By order of the Commission Very respectfully, THE CITY PLAN AND IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION CHARLES MOORE, President T. GLENN PHILLIPS, Secretary REPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON A CENTER OF ARTS AND LETTERS THE Joint Committee, consisting of representatives of the Trustees of the Museum of Art, the Public Library Com- mission, the Detroit School of Design, the Detroit Orchestral Association, the City Plan and Improvement Commission and the Michigan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, have had under consideration for several months the proper develop- ment of the proposed center of arts and letters on Woodward avenue. The land between Farnsworth and Kirby avenues was pur- chased as a site for the art museum at a cost of $216,400. This amount was raised by private subscription. It represents one of the largest gifts ever made to the city of Detroit. Mr. Andrew Carnegie has given $375,000 towards the erection of a central library building. The library commissioners appreciated the opportunity to join with the trustees of the art museum in the creation of a great center worthy of the dignity of this city and its standing among the cities of the country. With this end in view, they purchased as much land as their appropriations would permit, located directly opposite the art museum site. On this property a library building designed by Mr. Cass Gilbert, one of the leading architects of the country, is about to be erected. A discussion of the plans prepared for an art museum (for which $1,000,000 has been provided by the city) developed the fact that there is a public demand for a group of buildings to accommodate the School of Design, orchestral concerts, and other like public institutions. The various boards which have in charge the institutions named realized that harmonious and concerted action was impera- tive if Detroit is to realize the full benefit of the gifts and the appropriations already made. They felt also the responsibility of presenting to the people of Detroit a plan for the development of the new center, which not only should accommodate the build- ings now proposed, but which should also provide for the needs of a growing city. Moreover, they felt that buildings of the size and dignity of an art museum and a central library need adequate landscape settings. Monumental buildings should not be dis- turbed by the immediate proximity of business or residential structures. Then, too, the arrangement of the new center should be brought into vital relations with the general plan of the city. In order to develop a plan which should combine all the fore- going necessary features, the Michigan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the City Plan and Improvement Com- mission were asked to give their aid. As a result Mr. E. H. Bennett, of Chicago, and Mr. Frank Miles Day, of Philadelphia, were commissioned to make a study of the whole situation and to prepare a plan embodying the general ideas of the joint com- mittee. Both men have established reputations. The former has prepared a general plan for the development of Detroit; the latter acted as the architectural adviser of the board of public library commissioners in the recent successful competition to secure an architect for the public library. The report of these experts, together with the plans pre- pared by them, are submitted herewith. For the reasons set forth in their report they recommend that Putnam avenue on the south and Kirby avenue on the north be extended so as to form (with John R. street on the east and Cass avenue on the west), the boundaries of a square sufficient in area to provide for the needs of Detroit not only for the present, but also for the imme- diate future. Any other arrangement would present an irregular and therefore disturbing outline, and would subject the monu- mental buildings to encroachments that would detract seriously from their dignity and impressiveness. The experts further recommend that the height of private buildings surrounding the square be limited by ordinance. The necessity for such rectification of street lines is occa- sioned by the offsets in the thoroughfares opening on Woodward avenue. The misfortune caused by the lack of systematic plan- ning in the past becomes apparent whenever any considerable civic improvement is proposed; but the necessity of overcoming past mistakes is none the less imperative, and the sooner such action is taken the smaller will be the expense. The joint committee have accepted the report of the experts ; and they recommend that measures be taken at once to acquire the additional lands as shown on the plans submitted by Messrs. Bennett and Day. The committee believes that by carrying out these plans Detroit will take its place among the many communi- ties in this country which are now engaged in improving the physical condition of their cities in a manner commensurate with increase in wealth and taste. No large public improvement has been undertaken by Detroit since the creation of the Grand boulevard, a generation ago. It is believed that the city is now able and ready to add to its attrac- tions a feature which will stand with the island park and the boulevard in beauty and in usefulness to the entire body of citi- zens. Private generosity has already pointed out the way and has contributed largely to the accomplishment of the desired end. The committee believes the plan proposed is at once so desirable and so necessary as to commend itself to all who have a reason- able and proper pride in the advancement of Detroit. DEXTER M. FERRY, JR., ) ^ . ,, ^^ , ., ^. WILFRED C. LELAND, i ^^P'^'^^fS the Detroit Mu- RICHARD H. WEBBER, ) '^""^ °* ^'■*- DIVIE B. DUFFIELD, ) Representing the Detroit Public BERNARD GINSBERG, / Library. J. H. MAXWELL GRYLLS,] GEORGE G. BOOTH, WILLIAM C. WEBER, Representing the Detroit School of Design. ■) Representing the Detroit City CHARLES MOORE, ( Plan and Improvement Com- J mission. JOHN SCOTT, ] Representing the Michigan Chap- WILLIAM B. STRATTON, I ter of the American Institute JOHN W. CASE, J of Architects. NOTE: Mr. Scott, Mr. Leland and Mr. Moore also represented the Detroit Orchestral Association. A SITE FOR A CENTER OF ARTS AND LETTERS Report of Edward H. Bennett and Frank Miles Day, Architects. To the Joint Committee: Gentlemen — Pursuant to your instructions to study the ques- tion of the site for the proposed center of arts and letters and also its relation to the plan of the city of Detroit, and as an out- come of sundry meetings held with representatives of your com- mission, of the Trustees of the Art Museum, of the Detroit Library Commission, of the Directors of the School of Design and of the Michigan Chapter of the American Institute of Archi- tects, we have the honor to submit the following observations and recommendations : The location of the site for the important civic improvement known as the center of arts and letters is admirable. Its relation to the city in general and location with respect to the growth of the city is very satisfactory. The site itself is one of great beauty. After studying this site with regard to the sundry buildings of which the museum group will consist we have concluded that the area is not adequate for future expansions such as experience has shown that all public institutions in vigorous American cities undergo in the course of years and that the site of the library is somewhat irregular for monumental buildings. Our first recommendation therefore is that additional land be taken. This may be effected by cutting Putnam avenue through to the eastward as far as John R. street and adding to the museum site the land to the northwest of this extension. As. shown in the accompanying diagram this would afford a notable increase in the area of the museum site and would have the addi- tional advantage at the same time of rectifying the street system and improving the circulation of traffic. As the library site occupies only a portion of its block and does not extend fully to Putnam avenue and as there is danger of the erection upon the unsecured portion of the block of build- ings seriously out of harmony with the library itself and detri- Missing Page mental to the character and aim, not only of the library but of the whole center, we strongly recommend that the library site be extended to Putnam avenue. The ground thus accjuired would provide admirable sites for buildings of a public nature intended to house activities consonant with those of the museum and library. The inclusion of such buildings would greatly enhance the setting of the library and the artistic value of the whole group. As a natural sequence and in further rectification of the boundaries of the entire site and of the street system we recom- mend the extension of Kirby avenue westward one block, thus somewhat enlarging the library site to the northward and pro- viding land on which other buildings balancing those suggested at the Putnam avenue end might be placed, thus producing a com- plete group of buildings. While we regard the extension of the museum site to the southward as of the most immediate and pressing importance, we point out that it is only by prompt action in regard to all three of the proposed extensions that an assurance can be had of an area properly defended by surrounding avenues from objectionable encroachments. It is only by prompt action that any of this property may be acquired at reasonable prices, since the general advance of values in the neighborhood as well as the advance incident upon the museum and library improvements will soon render the acquisition of these needed additions almost impossible. If carried out, our recommendations should surround the center of arts and letters with broad and well planned avenues and would give the site with its surrounding avenues an area of approximately twenty-nine acres. The general plan herewith submitted shows the arrange- ment suggested for the buildings. It includes the plan of the winning design in the library competition, together with sub- sidiary buildings as already suggested; a main building for the art museum with extensions for the future, a school of design and a ball for music. An exact balance of the two groups fronting each other on Woodward avenue is in all probability not feasible with regard to the individual requirements. We regard, however, this composition in mass of both the museum group and the library group and the relation each to the other as extremely important and we look upon the preservation of a central open space between the two groups as shown on the 10 accompanying plan, and a general harmony of character of the buildings as a prime requisite to the ultimate artistic success of the entire center. The protection of the center of arts and letters from the con- struction immediately about it of buildings of a height unrelated to the modest heights of the monumental structures which will compose the group is of much importance. We recommend that steps be taken to place legal restrictions upon the height of such buildings. Such restrictions should not be out of harmony with modern conditions nor should they bear onerously on adjoining owners, therefore we suggest that structures even as high as eighty or one hundred feet might be permissible. Such limita- tions of height would be consonant with the practice in nearly all European cities and with a growing movement in America which already finds expression in legislation in Boston, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Portland, Rochester, Providence and San Francisco. The City Plan and Improvement Commission has had under consideration diagonal avenues leading from the center to the new Michigan Central station, and to the Belle Isle bridge. The beginning of such avenues at the center is shown on the accom- panying plan. We recommend that attention be given to this im- portant detail of the general plan of the city to the effect that obstacles to their realization may not be raised in the form of permanent buildings and that steps be taken to acquire the ground necessary to the accomplishment of certain sections of these ave- nues in the near future. EDWARD H. BENNETT. FRANK MILES DAY. October 6, 1913. 11 I