16 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
THE CIVIC AWAKENING 
Plan Report for St. Louis City 
The Civic League of St. Louis has 
just issued a remarkable “City Plan” 
report that makes definite and far- 
reaching plans for every phase of civic 
beauty and will be an invaluable 
guide for the city’s future growth. It 
is embellished with many specially 
prepared maps and plans, and profuse- 
ly illustrated with photographs of lo- 
cal views and those showing what has 
been accomplished elsewhere. The 
book is handsomely printed, contains 
113 pages, and bears evidence of thor- 
ough and expert study of every phase 
of the situation. 
Improvements to cost not less than 
$25,000,00 are recommended, including - 
the grouping of public buildings, es- 
tablishment of civic centers, construc- 
tion of an esplanade along the river 
front, an outer and inner park belt 
system, and the supervision of the 
construction of public buildings by a 
municipal art commission. To accom- 
plish this work recommendations are 
made as to the system of taxation, 
payment, legislative action necessary, 
and other details. The five principal 
recommendations made in the report 
are : 
1. The grouping of public buildings, 
either along a central mall extending 
from the proposed public library at 
Thirteenth street and Clark avenue. 
or along Twelfth street, between 
Eleventh and Thirteenth. In either 
case it will require the condemnation 
or purchase of much property. 
2. The establishment of civic cen- 
ters, especially in the crowded por- 
tions of the city, by grouping minor 
public and quasi-public institutions 
about a central park, playground or 
open space; such institutions as pub- 
lic baths, branch libraries, public and 
parochial schools, churches, police sta- 
tions, fire engine houses, model tene- 
ments, social settlements and the 
headquarters for athletic, social, char- 
itable and political organizations. 
3. The improvement of the street 
plan of the city by the construction 
of any extensive esplanade along the 
river front, between the Eads bridge 
and Poplar street; the opening of a 
broad thoroughfare from Twelfth 
street to the Union Station; the wi- 
dening of Twelfth street, from Market 
street south to Mill creek valley, and 
the establishment of restricted drive- 
ways from the northern, western and 
southern portions of the city. 
4. The construction of an inner 
and outer system of parks and boule- 
vards containing some 5,000 acres of 
park land and more than forty miles 
of parkways, including the building 
of a riverside drive. 
5. The creation of a municipal art 
commission, which shall have general 
supervision over the designs of all 
public buildings and over all w'orks 
of art to be erected in the city. 
Two methods of raising the large 
amount of money necessary for the 
work are suggested. One is an in- 
crease of the tax rate for that portion 
of the municipal revenue devoted to 
improvements; second, an amendment 
to the state constitution authorizing 
St. Louis to increase its bonded in- 
debtedness. 
■ ^ 
Beautifying Capitol in St. Paul 
A bill has been introduced in the 
Minnesota Legislature authorizing the 
city of St. Paul to issue bonds to the 
amount of $2,000,000, the interest to 
be paid by the state of Minnesota. 
The purpose is to acquire the lands 
for Capitol approaches, as previously 
noced in these pages. It is reported 
that there has been considerable 
change in sentiment in the Legislature, 
especially among the country mem- 
bers, favoring this. Hennepin county 
(Minneapolis) favors the plan, for 
they realize now that what helps one 
city must inevitably be of value to the 
other. Quite a change from the sen- 
timent published in a Minneapolis pa- 
per some years ago: “What injures 
St. Paul helps Minneapolis.” 
MAP OF ST. LOUIS, SHOWING PRINCIPAL IMPROVEMENTS RECOMMENDED BY THE CIVIC LEAGUE. 
