City Gardens 
THE CITY DESERT—CONDITIONS 
cinder concrete, and square red tiles. This floor now 
presents an ideal surface for treatment in connection 
with the dining-room. 
Let us imagine a sultry evening in town, with very 
little air stirring, and let us walk through the tall 
French windows at the back of the dining-room into 
the extension garden. Through dinner the musical 
plashing of a small fountain might have been heard 
from somewhere outside, and] coffee and cigars are 
served outdoors. One walks out into a large garden¬ 
like enclosure with the privacy ot the vacated dining¬ 
room, and the freedom of out-of-doors. Underfoot 
are cool red or green tiles, covered here and there with 
rugs. In the center a small fountain plays in a basin 
of aquatic plants, presided over by a statue of Pan 
or Narcissus, and all around are tall privet hedges, 
clipped box-trees and palms. Perhaps a garden 
pergola runs across one end, with stone settles, and 
everywhere are wicker chairs and tables. 
In the winter, this might all be transformed into a 
glass sun parlor, with sectional panels of glass, and 
bolted T irons of light steel, which have been 
stowed below in the extension. In the meantime, 
beneath all this, has been added a spacious laundry 
and drying-room, and if there were not light enough, 
a heavy plate of glass let in here and there among 
the tiles would admit an ample amount. These 
ideas, with developments and alterations to suit 
conditions, apply to all forms of the city house, and 
where, as is often enough the case, a flat roofed 
extension lower than the main house exists, its roof 
may. be strengthened, tiles laid and the extension 
garden built with access through an upstairs room or 
hall. Still further up, the great area of the roof pre¬ 
sents itself, with infinite possibility for city gardening. 
A city doctor, aware that his profession would keep 
hitrrin town for the greatest part of the summer, de¬ 
cided to mitigate his stay by building a roof garden, 
and asked for a design. It appeared that he had 
just put in his house a small automatic elevator, 
which gave upon the roof as well as upon the various 
floors. Upon investigation, the roof fulfilled condi¬ 
tions of strength, and other existing conditions pre¬ 
sented only a parapet with decorative iron grilles 
overlooking the street, a few chimneys, unused in the 
summer, the bold and unpromising elevator shaft, 
and a considerable pitch in level from front to back. 
Further, it was proposed to use only that part of the 
roof between the elevator shaft and the front of the 
house, and to screen off the rest. 
The first step was to make, in the over-flooring, a 
terrace, which should give two levels, in place of a 
general slant, and which should afford possibilities 
for further development. The upper terrace should 
be treated as the “garden,” the lower level, reached 
upon stepping from the elevator, should be tbe ap¬ 
proach or “ parterre.” With this in view as a general 
scheme, privacy was first to be obtained before the 
THE CITY GARDEN—POSSIBILITIES 
