OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS 47 



was, of course, felt to be extremely objectionable by the New York landscape architect, 

 and he set himself the problem of devising some modification of it which, while answering 

 fairly well the engineering requirements of the case, would appear natural and beautiful. 

 A basin at a low elevation was taken for granted. It was assumed, too, that some sacrifice 

 of area could be made for the sake of securing irregular shores and varying slopes such 

 as would look natural and agreeable. The difficulty was to protect these banks from 

 wash when they were partly submerged by floods and when violent storms would create 

 considerable waves. The idea was then adopted of dividing the basin by curving across 

 drives (which would eventually be much needed by the dense population which is expected 

 to surround the park) and to still further diversify the water-suface by small, irregular 

 islets. As a still further deterrent of destructive waves, a large portion of the surface 

 was planned to be kept in salt marsh-grass but at a level two feet below the natural level, 

 which is everywhere close to the elevation of mean high water. In figures the existing 

 salt marsh was at elevation 10.5, and it was to be lowered to elevation 8.5. 



The City Engineer, after this scheme had been pleasantly explained and discussed, 

 gave it his approval, in spite of the reduction of storage capacity of storm-water which 

 it involved; and the Park Commission, impressed by the ingenious marriage of engineer- 

 ing requirements and park landscape beauty, employed its author to make plans for carry- 

 ing it out. The preliminary plans were presented and approved in 1878, and published , 

 later in the annual report for that year. The working drawing included a grading plan 

 with one foot contours, which showed every irregularity of the surface desired to simulate 

 a natural appearance, and which was implicitly and mechanically followed by the engineers 

 of the City Engineer's office in setting stakes for the guidance of the foremen in charge 

 of the distributing of the filling. The portion of Commonwealth Avenue from Massachusetts 

 Avenue to Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street had been turned over to the Park Com- 

 mission for improvement; consequently its driveway was planned with long, sweeping 

 curves to harmonize with and lead into the Fenway. The two driveways of Common- 

 wealth Avenue were extended on curves and brought together with one driveway at Charles- 

 gate, thus enabling the waterway of that extension of the Fens to be crossed by a single 

 bridge instead of two bridges or one bridge 200 feet wide, either of which would have 

 greatly diminished the landscape value of the waterway. The point between the two 

 driveways has been used for an ideal statue of Leif Ericson, by Miss Anne Whitney. The 

 curvilinear driveway west of Charlesgate to Brookline Avenue, designed at that time 

 and completely improved, was later torn up by direction of Mayor Matthews to satisfy 

 the demands of land speculators owning land on the south side of Commonwealth Avenue, 

 who objected to having the main driveway swing toward the north side, leaving their 

 land on a narrower and less direct driveway. The change greatly diminished the lawn 

 area and increased the area of ugly macadam. 



The bridge over the waterway at Commonwealth Avenue had to be kept closely 

 down to the standard elevation of the city streets which closely adjoin it; but the main 

 drive thence southward had to rise rapidly to the elevation required for a bridge over 

 the Boston and Albany Railroad, which, to gain distance, was placed on the westerly 

 boundary road of Charlesgate. It was not thought worth what it would cost to carry 

 the easterly boundary road over this railroad by a bridge. 



Boylston Bridge was designed with a much wider and higher span than the engineer- 

 ing requirements called for, especially in order to afford a particularly attractive view 



