September, 1912 
comes either from scattered old 
buildings whose pitch roofs, cov- 
ered with weather-green copper 
or decent slate or tiles, rejoice the 
eye, or else from structures of re- 
cent date where some regard for 
appearance from above _ has 
prompted a decorous treatment. 
One notable feature of these newer 
roofs is that the water tanks are 
not only not placed where they will 
be visible from the street, but they 
are enclosed in little house-like 
structures of suitable design so that 
they offer no oftence to the sight. 
Domes, towers and spires are all 
pleasant to look down upon, but on 
comparatively few buildings would 
this kind of embellishment be in 
keeping. We turn, then, to one 
other device that can be of almost 
universal application, the roof-gar- 
den. On the large hotels, roof- 
gardens by the score have flour- 
ished, and city houses and even 
country dwellings too are following 
the lead. 
not be other than agreeable. 
Illustrations, such 
In Summer the occupants of hostelry and dwell- 
ing alike find comfort and enjoyment amid growing things, 
high above the heated streets, while, for the aviator, the 
down-look upon these oases in a glare of heated roofs can- 
It would be an ideal condition 
AVE REGAN SHONMES AND GARDENS 
The aeroplane will give man a new view-point from 
cloud-height 
as this one of old St. Paul’s, New York, suggests the value in civic improvement of air views 
395 
if every roof, or nearly every roof, 
could be equipped with a garden 
over at least a part of its extent. 
Think of looking over a city clad 
in verdure! What a pleasant place 
over which to aviate must Babylon 
have been with its hanging gar- 
dens! 
It is not at all a Utopian scheme 
to suggest domestic roof-gardens, 
but, on the contrary, perfectly prac- 
ticable. We simply need the eye 
of the aviator to help us realize 
the waiting opportunities on our 
housetops and the possibility of 
making them attractive whether by 
the practice of aerial horticulture 
or by making them of such mate- 
rial and shape that they may be 
agreeable to behold. Provision 
will doubtless be made on some of 
the tallest buildings for landing 
stages and in time, too, we shall 
see hangars of many stories in 
height, treated architecturally as 
towers. By far the most important 
respect, however, in which aviation seems destined to influ- 
ence civic improvement, is the planning and remodeling of 
cities throughout their length and breadth upon lines that 
will give consistency and coherence along with a convenient 
economy of space that will conduce to inter-accessibility 
