The Park Governments of Chicago 153 



ways designed with well-arranged and orderly setting and approach, 

 and, where possible, combined with other important buildings essential 

 to the operation of the parks and enjoyment of them by the people in 

 as beautiful a manner as possible. 



"This building, we think, should not front on the stable or general 

 services, but on the formal garden already established and combine 

 with the conservatory and any future building of similar character to 

 make an harmonious group, concentrated on one spot in the park, and 

 thus avoid the error of dotting these buildings about the park in a hetero- 

 geneous manner. 



"We beg to remind you, in case you decide to proceed with the new 

 building, that the proper time for doing the best grade of concrete work 

 is getting very short and the matter should be decided as soon as possible. 

 "Yours very truly, 



"D. H. BURNHAM & Co." 



"Chicago, July 1., 1909. 

 "Henry G. Foreman, President. 



"To verify our estimate of $60,000 for the addition to the old Ad- 

 ministration Building, we asked Meiling & Walther, general contractors, 

 to make an estimate on the plans, and they estimate the addition to cost 

 $55,000. They, however, did not include all of the items to complete the 

 building, so you will see from this that our estimate of $60,000 is con- 

 servative. D. H. BURNHAM & Co." 



An examination by the Bureau of the files of the South Park 

 Board disclosed three sketch plans which had been made as a 

 basis for studies for a reconstruction of the old administration 

 building, and also a tentative plan for a new building. The char- 

 acter of the drawings does not indicate that any extended study 

 was made to produce a plan for reconstruction of the old build- 

 ing which would produce an harmonious architectural design. It 

 seems more apparent that the wish was father to the thought and 

 that an entire new building was favored from the start by certain 

 members of the Board and their advisors. 



NEW BUILDING ERECTED AT A TOTAL COST OF $173,418 



In the annual report for the year ending February 28, 1910, 



it is stated (page 14) : 



"After securing expert advice and obtaining estimates on the cost of 

 reconstructing the old building, the South Park Commissioners decided 

 the economical course was to build a new headquarters of substantial and 

 durable construction and of sufficient size to take care of imperatively 

 needed present requirements and of future development." 



The official minutes of the meeting of August 6, 1909, (book 



13, page 22) describes as follows the letting of the contract for 



the construction of a new building: 



