1 
417 P ARK AN D C EM ET ERY. 
UNDERGROUND STORAGE YARD, LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO. 
Showing Several Objects Made of Concrete. 
either by adhering to the usual mud- 
colored finish or by doing away with 
a few simple shadow lines which can 
The word suggests Coney Island. 
Coney Island suggests unrest, avarice, 
excitement, fraud. Most undesirable 
things even by suggestion in connec- 
tion with public parks. Why then 
allow such a suggestion? 
Why any concessions? 
Is the management of our parks 
incapable of operating a soda foun- 
tain? Is the public service so poor 
that it cannot keep clean table cloths 
on the refectory tables? Can park 
authorities employ no men who are 
capable of properly handling boats, 
ponies, skating houses, toboggan 
slides, and what not? 
Why concessions? 
Is it because it would add labor and 
responsibility to the already bowed 
shoulders of the over-burdened and 
unappre'ciated members of this organ- 
ization? 
No, it is simply because — well, be- 
cause. 
Sometimes we must resort to femi- 
nine methods of settling questions; 
their conclusiveness and brevity have 
so much to recommend them. 
But our fathers did their public 
business through concessions. 
Shall we continue to be guided by 
the tradition of our ancestors and 
like the Chinese decline to learn any- 
thing, or like the Japanese be quick 
to correct ancient error? 
The utilities or services usually 
handled by concessionaires in public 
parks are like the roads, walks, build- 
ings and other structures; added of- 
fensiveness to the olfactories. 
But people must be fed when hun- 
gry; given to drink when thirsty; to 
be used-' tb such advantage in giving 
character to the structure and lifting 
it out of the ordinary. 
ride when weary. So reflectorie.s, 
soda fountains, boats, ponies and per- 
haps other things must be provided. 
But these things are only incidents 
in a visit to the parks, and being such, 
the same care should be taken to 
make as little of them and render 
them as inconspicuous as is given by 
the designer of a park to make his 
roads, walks and buildings as few in 
number, and as unobstrusive as is 
consistent with a reasonable compli- 
ance with the demands. 
The appetites of the visitors to the 
parks should not be whetted by being 
constantly appealed to by the peanut 
and pop-corn stands at every crossing 
of walks where crowds of people pass. 
Yet, that is what the concessionaire 
does. 
Why? 
There’s money in it. 
He creates as far as he can the ap- 
petite which so far as possible should 
be suppressed, and with his stand he 
defaces the beautiful landscape, which 
should be, and is, the greatest attrac- 
tion to be found in the parks, the ap- 
preciation of which it should be the 
highest aim of park authorities to cul- 
tivate in the people. 
Why is he allowed to do it? 
Because to make it pay he must 
have these little hideous, unsanitary, 
untidy stands at the points of van- 
tage, and believing that because chil- 
dren buy large quantities of nuts, 
cream in cone, pop-corn and what not 
at some place where a stand is 
erected, there must be a demand for 
it. (A great error.) The park au- 
thorities authorize the location of 
many, many stands entirely unneces- 
sary and most undesirable. 
It must pay you know. 
So in all utilities let to conces- 
sionaires, the demand is excited, and 
because of want of sufficient profit, 
the service is most generally inefficient 
and unsatisfactory and the parks be- 
come, to a degree, business centers 
and traffic is in evidence at every 
turn. The last thing to be desired. 
Do not all park ordinances and reg- 
ulations prohibit traffic, and there- 
fore may we not assume that all con- 
sider it undesirable? That being so, 
should it not be reduced to the very | 
minimum consistent with the necess- 
ity? Let the cost be what it may. 
The South Park Commissioners of ! 
Chicago, during the 39 years of their ; 
existence have consistently held to the ■ 
belief that the people can through | 
their own agents, the Commissioners, j 
supply themselves with the accommo- 
dations requisite for the best enjoy- 
ment of a visit to the park, much bet- 
ter, more efficiently, and with less de- 
parture from the ideal park conditions 
than could possibly be the case with 
these utilities in the hands of con- 
cessionaires, and have during these 39 
years granted only one concession for 
one season. 
Beginning in 1875, with a small re- 
fectory, the utilities operated by the 
Commissioners have steadily increased 
to two large refectories, two soda 
fountains, eight lunch counters, four 
rowboat liveries, barges and launch- 
es. Not a very large number of busi- 
ness places, considering the fact that 
there are 1,950 acres under the con- 
trol of the Commissioners in eighteen 
separate parks which are improved 
and being used by the people, the ex- 
tremes being 1414 miles apart. 
The Commissioners have estab- 
lished only such trading places as in 
their judgment were necessary to 
meet the reasonable demands of the 
people and in giving careful consid- 
eration to this question have avoided 
placing many undersirable stands, and 
have satisfactorily met the require- 
ments of the people. 
The large refectories are located in 
the two largest parks; are placed in 
commodious buildings and are not 
operated as restaurants, but light re- 
freshments are served. 
Seven of the lunch counters are lo- 
cated in the recreation buildings in 
the play parks, serving the gymna- 
sium and playground frequenters, as 
well as the general public. 
The other lunch counter is at the 
Golf Shelter, in Jackson Park. The 
service required here is quite large, re- 
CONCESSIONS in PUBLIC PARKS 
Paper by J. F. Foster^ Supt. South Park System of Chi- 
cago, at Minneapolis Conveiition of Park Superintendents. 
