PRACTICAL BOOK OF GARDEN ARCHITECTURE 



name indicates, it is most appropriately placed not 

 only on an elevated situation but also where it can 

 command a good view of well-planned grounds. It 

 must have a beautiful "sight," as well as a prom- 

 inent "site," as the name comes from the Italian 

 bello, Itelj meaning beautiful, and vedere to see. The 

 name originally applied to a small open building or 

 view tower erected on the top of another building, 

 like the belvedere of the Vatican at Eome. But 

 finally it extended to the summer-house, pavilion, or 

 temple on the hill slope or terrace of the Italian 

 garden. 



The majority of the temples erected in American 

 gardens to-day, whether merely copies of old-world 

 types or the original marble structures, carefully 

 taken apart and shipped across the water to be re- 

 erected on the bank of a garden lake or a prominent 

 terrace of an American country seat, show the same 

 general characteristics, with four, six, or eight huge 

 supporting columns, an eave finish of deep mouldings 

 or beautiful carving, and a domed roof of stately 

 simplicity. Although they stand out prominently on 

 their commanding situations, they seldom show any 

 railing, balustrade, or enclosure about the base of 

 the structure. 



When situated on the bank of a garden lake like 

 the beautiful temple at "Compton," the Chestnut 



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