LESSON 25 
VILLAGE CENTER 
HE purpose of this exercise is to call attention to 
the very interesting, often very practical and 
sometimes beautiful arrangement which occurs 
in the unplanned growth of small villages, and 
to take up the study of similar civic foci where 
they can be found in the pupil’s own neighbor- 
hood. 
Description 
The plan here reproduced shows a village center at Weston, 
Mass. The principal feature is that of the beautiful stone church 
standing on a moderate rise of land at the junction of four streets. 
These streets enter the plaza of the town in a very irregular manner, 
but these very irregularities produce unusually attractive street 
vistas, as can be understood even from the plan. The pupil is 
urged to imagine what the views would be like from different points 
in these streets and what sort of photographs would be available from 
different points of view. 
It is a matter of interest to remember that the church grounds 
were laid out and planted by the late Charles Eliot, a famous land- 
scape gardener of a generation ago. 
This grouping constitutes in effect a civic center, though the 
only public buildings here are the church, the town hall, the store 
and post office. 
Study 
The pupil should copy this plan at a scale of 1” = 20’ though 
the teacher may omit the copying exercise if such a step seems 
necessary in saving time. 
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