54 



THE GRBBNING PICTORIAL SYSTEM OP LANDSCAPE GARDENING 



The Tuller Hotel Roof Garden, Detroit, Michigan 



Designed by CHAS. 



IN the cities space is very valuable. The people on the pavement 

 are in the prison-house of the panting populace — in the straight- 

 jacket of a congested crowd. God's great out-of-doors is on the 

 roof. Thank heaven for the roof ! 



During the early summer of the present year the Tuller Hotel, 

 of Detroit, Mich., installed a high-class cafe and assembly hall 

 on its roof, twelve stories above the din and dust and dirt of the 

 street, and at once drew unto itself a very select clientele. About 

 this time Mr. Tuller opened correspondence with me and, in ac- 

 cordance with his wishes, I prepared plans for a roof garden in 

 keeping with the sumptuous appointments of the cafe, of which 

 the above is a sectional view. 



It is curious to note the evolution of an idea. There was a 

 time when our hotel table decorations consisted of a few flowers; 

 indeed, many of the flower vases of the Barbizon period were made 

 to liold but a single bud. As time passed on and the appreciation 

 of flowers became more general, the vases were enlarged until they 

 were, in fact, miniature flower gardens — they contained huge 

 liouquels of flowers. Later, the custom arose of using living 



E. GREENING 



plants, and the Ferns and Azalias had a widely accepted vogue. 

 Still later, the Araucaria excelsa was used. Now the climax has 

 been reached in the building of huge garden cafes ; and the above 

 picture represents the best class of that type. 



It ^\'ill be noticed that the large plants are in tubs. Tliey 

 consist mostly of Bay Trees, several varieties of Thuya — Pyram- 

 idalis, Occidentalis, Hoveyii, Globosa, Chinese Compacta, etc.; a 

 few Palms were also used. The roof has a wide overhanging 

 cornice which is made attractive from the street by grouping the 

 larger Cedars at the corners and on the projecting buttresses over 

 the windows. 



The idea originated with Mr. Tuller, whose business initiative 

 has created one of the finest cafes on the American continent. 

 The credit of conceiving the plan is all his own : the only meagre 

 credit that is mine is in helping him work out the details. That 

 the Amel-ican people enjoy beautiful surroundings is evidenced by 

 the fact that the patronage of the hotel and cafe was doubled 

 within a short time after installing the garden. 



