665 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
Extensive improvements are being 
made in Winchester Square, Springfield, 
JNlass., which will make it much more 
attractive. New paving has been laid 
and the fountain removed to the cen- 
ter of the square. Unsightly and inap- 
propriate trees have also been set out. 
Contracts have been awarded to the 
Ransome-Crummey Company for the 
construction of two tennis courts in 
Mosswood Park, Oakland, Cal. A con- 
tract to the Oakland Paving Company 
for sidewalking the north side of 
Twelfth street at the dam has also been 
awarded. The park commission has au- 
thorized the preparation of plans and 
specifications for an aviary and a bear- 
pit for Mosswood Park, as pheasants 
and other birds have been promised by 
the Fish and Game Commission. 
The work of reconstructing and im- 
proving San Pedro Park, San Pedro, 
Cal., has ben begun under direction of 
Laurie D. Cox. It was the original in- 
tention of the park commission to spend 
only $.3,500 on this work, but the neces- 
sity for a substantial improvement at the 
harbor end of the city and the great 
natural possibilities of the San Pedro 
Park led the commissioners to double 
the amount. ■ The park consists of a 
narrow strip extending nearly 1,800 ft. 
along the edge of the bluff. . 
Half a million dollars is to be ex- 
pended in improving the District of Co- 
lumbia parkways during the fiscal year 
of 1913, if Congress approves. Four 
big projects are contemplated. The 
construction of a highway from Lovers’ 
Lane to Rock Creek Park, the exten- 
sion of Piney Branch parkway, the ac- 
quisition of Mount Hamilton, opposite 
Mount Olivet Cemetery, as a park, and 
the widening of the road between Fort 
Davis and Fort Dupont. 
For a small town, Virginia, Minn., 
is very active in park work, and ex- 
pects to ha^’e an appropriation of $25,000 
for the maintenance of the city parks 
next year. It is hoped to be able to 
use $5,000 in South Park, a tract of 17 
acres, bought this year, and the plant- 
ing of city trees and care of those al- 
ready planted will use up $2,500. This 
year the park board had about $43,000 
at its disposal for the development of 
the park system. Much more work is 
to be undertaken on improvement lines. 
The work of cleaning up and improv- 
ing Bayliss Park, Council Bluffs, la., 
has been begun in earnest, a job much 
needed since the carnival. A large area 
of low ground is to be filled. 
The superintendent of Fairmont 
Park, Pueblo, Colo., the only subur- 
ban park of the city reached by street 
car service, recommends that a large 
portion of its area be turned into a 
wdld flower garden, including the in- 
troduction of a plantation of native 
evergreens. Several improvements 
are also proposed. 
Hermann Park, Cincinnati, O., which 
surrounds the new waterworks at 
California avenue, will be further im- 
proved. The city council has voted 
to spend $6,000 on the work. 
.The park commission of Los An- 
geles, Cal., has approved plans for a 
lath house for plants at Exposition 
park. Usually lath houses where ten- 
der young growths are nurtured are 
eyesores, but this one will be an ex- 
ception and will cost about $4,000. 
The house will have three compart- 
ments, and at one end of it wall be a 
tall lath tower. The structure will 
be 150 feet in length and will be the 
largest building of its kind in Cali- 
fornia. It was designed by Engineer 
Cox of the park commission. 
Action has been taken to secure a 
forty-acre addition to Eastlake Park, 
Los Angeles, Cal. 
So great has been the popularity of 
Riverside Park at the northwestern 
corner of Buffalo, N. Y., that many 
improvement features are being con- 
sidered b 3 ^ the Park Commission. 
Cottages are to be erected in Syca- 
more and Trinity Parks, Fort Worth, 
Texas, for custodian’s residences. Ac- 
cording to the report of Mr. Vin- 
nedge, park superintendent, .$99.- 
298.38 has been expended on the park 
system during the past two years. 
The Park Board of Duluth, Minn., 
has apportioned $56,251 for expendi- 
tures on the parks and playgrounds 
of the city. 
The State House Commission of 
Trenton, N. J., has adopted what are 
known as the Olmsted plans for es- 
tablishing a public park along the 
Delaware River in the rear of the 
State house and adjacent property. 
The plans provide for a sea wall 
twelve feet in height and extending 
a considerable distance into the river. 
Morrisville, Pa., on the opposite 
bank of the river, may oppose the 
plan. 
Wichita, Kas., has received a dona- 
tion of a strip of land to enlarge 
North Riverside Park along the bank 
of the Little Arkansas river. 
The City Council of Cincinnati, O., 
has passed the following ordinances 
authorizing the board of park com- 
missioners to make contracts for the 
construction of a comfort station and 
wading pool at Young and Ringgold 
streets, to cost $10,000; for grading 
park property at Burnet avenue and 
Reading road, to cost $8,000; for 
grading at Woodward park, to cost 
$2,200; for the purchase of 114 acres 
of land known as the Blachly farm, 
for park purposes, at $82,000; for the 
purchase of certain real estate at 
Western and McLean avenues. Bank 
and Division streets, for playground 
purposes, at $3,800; for the purchase 
of real estate adjoining Vine and Hol- 
lister Street park, for park purposes 
at $3,150. An ordinance was also 
passed to appropriate property south 
of Des Moines street, adjoining the 
Hunt athletic park, for park purposes. 
A new elephant house is to be con- 
structed at the Zoo in Buffalo, N. Y. 
The sum of $1,500,000 is at present 
available for the beginning of the 
work of constructing the new Con- 
vention Hall in Fairmount Park, 
Philadelphia, but between $3,000,000 
and $4,000,000 will be required to 
complete the job. The structure, 
which will have a seating capacity of 
20,000, must be finished within ten 
months. 
A pavilion, to cost some $12,000, 
has been provided by the Park Board 
of Peoria, 111., for South Park. 
Plans for the improvement of Eden 
park, Cincinnati, O., particularly with 
reference to a new band stand and 
amphitheater, have been outlined by 
Mr. Geo. E. Kessler, landscape archi- 
tect. 
PARK REPORTS 
The Board of Park and Cemetery 
Commissioners of the City of Sag- 
inaw, Mich., has recently issued its 
report for the years, 1908, 1909 and 
1910. Saginaw now possesses 14 
parks ranging in area from a fraction 
of an acre to 136 acres, in all an 
acreage of 219.6. Among the larger 
parks are: Hoyt Park, 27 acres; Ezra 
Rust Park, 136.5 acres; Bliss Park, 
13.3 acres, and Linton Park, 20 acres. 
Ezra Rust Park was named after a 
well-known philanthropic citizen, who 
contributed the land and $50,000, one- 
half the cost of improving the prop- 
erty. Saginaw has been the recipient 
of m.uch of her park and improve- 
ment properties from interested citi- 
zens. The report of Mr. Daniel H. 
Ellis, superintendent of the parks and 
cemeteries, is a history of the work 
so far done in improving the public 
grounds, and there is yet much to be 
done, for the system is young. Sag- 
inaw has three public cemeteries also 
under the control of the Board of 
Park and Cemetery Commissioners, 
Brady Hill, Forest Lawn and Oak- 
wood. 
