415 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
GREAT VARIETY of USES for CONCRETE in PARKS 
The question as to whether con- 
crete is a suitable material to be used 
in the construction of park furniture 
has been brought to the front many 
times b}^ landscape men, and notwith- 
standing some objectionable features 
h.ave been presented, the use of con- - 
Crete is being taken up more and 
more b}^ park men on account of its 
well-known unlimited possibilities 
from both a structural and artistic 
standpoint. By the careful selection 
and blending of materials, and by the 
BY M. H. WEST 
Superintendent Lincoln Park, Chicago 
During the past two seasons con- 
siderable work has been accomplished 
by the Lincoln Park system in special 
concrete construction. Besides sev- 
eral structures of more or less unique 
and pretentious character numerous 
smaller articles, such as drinking foun- 
tains, electroliers, settees, garbage 
boxes, fence and gate posts, and the 
like, have been designed and con- 
made very dry so that the surface 
presented a uniform appearance after 
the forms were withdrawn. In most 
cases bush-hammering was accom- 
plished by means of a tool worked 
by compressed air. After a uniform 
rough finish had been obtained by the 
bush-hammering the surface was 
treated with muriatic acid of ordinary 
commercial strength until the cement 
was eaten away from the surface, and 
partially from around each piece of 
stone so that its natural color would 
Toilet of Concrete and Slate partly underground. Concrete Drinking Fountain and Viaduct. 
CONCRETE STRUCTURES IN LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO. 
proper use of reinforcements, concrete 
becomes a material second to none in 
durability, while by the adoption of 
various aggregate and by skillful sur- 
face treatment, the material can be 
made to assume a real beauty of indi- 
vidualitj’ which, while it does not al- 
ways strive to imitate cut stone, nor 
enter its rightful domain, it neverthe- 
less has in many ways advantages 
over the latter in cost, ease of manip- 
ulation, and in the production of color 
and surface effects. 
structed in nearly all cases by mem- 
bers of the park force. In most in- 
stances the work has been finished 
with a veneer of usually two inches in 
thickness of various colored aggregate 
and special cements. In placing this 
veneer coat, facing plates were em- 
ployed often times, which when with- 
drawn allowed the outer finish to 
blend with the ordinary concrete 
backing, forming one homogeneous 
mass, and preventing any chance of 
peeling. The mixture was usually 
show to advantage. In order to coun- 
teract the further action of the acid 
and prevent excessive etching, the 
surface was then washed with a 10 
per cent solution of sodium carbonate, 
the article afterwards being rinsed 
with water. Good surface results 
have been obtained by the use of the 
dark red Montello granite of Wiscon- 
sin crushed to particles ranging from 
one-ciuarter inch in diameter to dust. 
In some of the larger pieces of work, 
the facing material included stone as 
I.^nderground Concrete Boat House Under Construction ’ Re-enforced Concrete Bridge, 100 ft. Span 
CONCRETE STRUCTURES IN LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO. 
