OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS 51 



Lad to be filled to afford room for a shore walk below the steep banks where most visitors 

 like to go. The only house originally on the park which was retained was Pinebanks. 

 This house was burned out after the land was acquired, but its walls were so well built 

 that it was remodeled for a public shelter and for the business offices of the Park System. 

 It would have been a satisfaction to have preserved also the home of Francis Parkman, 

 the historian, which stood on the opposite side of Jamaica Pond; but its rooms were small, 

 the construction was of wood and not of the best, so it was decided to tear it down and 

 to have a commemorative monument on its site. An interesting fact about Jamaica Pond 

 is that it is so deep that at one spot its bottom is actually several feet below sea-IeveL 



THE ARBORWAY 



This parkway was designed to connect Jamaica Pond, the Arnold Arboretum, and 

 Franklin Park. The land where it had to run, being already in the main provided with 

 streets, was expensive, so it was limited to a uniform width of 200 feet. It is an excellent 

 example of what seems to be the best way to utilize that width where the main object 

 is to provide a through line of pleasure driving, walking, and riding between parks where 

 there is no brook or other interesting natural feature to be preserved. 



The private property is given frontage on side roads as commodious as is customary 

 in the neighborhood. There is a wide pleasure drive in the center of the parkway, and 

 on one side of it a bridle-path with a wide promenade on the other. Both bridle-path 

 and promenade are separated from the roadways on each side of them by tree-planting 

 strips of liberal width, and these are further planted with shrubs forming a mixed and 

 informal hedge. These hedges relieve the effect of flatness and extreme simplicity common 

 in similar parkways, besides affording much enrichment and beauty of foliage, flowers, 

 fruit and, in winter, color of twigs. Moreover, they conceal the ugly macadam strips 

 to a considerable extent, while permitting views to and from the houses below the foliage 

 of the trees. 



It is true that many people, especially owners of abutting real estate, prefer that 

 a parkway 200 feet wide should have only two driveways instead of three, and there is 

 much to be said in favor of that arrangement, especially if abutting private land is restricted 

 against buildings less than 50 feet or so from the parkway; but the first question for the 

 Park Commission to decide is whether they are expending the money the parkway cost 

 primarily for the benefit of those who are using the parkway to get pleasantly from one 

 park to another; that is, for the greatest good of the greatest number, or, primarily, for 

 the benefit of abutting real estate. If the land-owners are fully compensated for the land 

 taken for the parkway, and are not assessed more than half the cost of the parkway, 

 justice to them would warrant, in most cases, denying their demand for limiting the 

 driveways to two only; but if land-owners give the land for the parkway and make a 

 considerable contribution voluntarily, or through assessment, toward the cost of con- 

 struction, it might be just to heed their preference in the matter. 



Incidentally it may be mentioned that the idea of laying the dust and preserving 

 the bond by means of crude petroleum was tried on this parkway a few years ago; but, 

 although a saving in expense of watering, the scheme was objected to because the oily 

 clots picked up more or less on wheels and horses' feet and were thrown on people's clothes. 

 The experiment has not been repeated. 



