USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Chicago, the Garden city. Its magnificent parks, boulevards and cemeteries. Together with other descriptive views and sketches > Part 3
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The night-blooming water lilies-seven kinds-open their flowers after dark, beginning at about six o'clock and remaining expanded until about the same time next morning. The flowers appear on stalks elevated ten or twelve inches above the surface of the water. The Nymphæa Devoniensis is one of the choicest of the night-blooming lilies. In one season a single plant will cover a circle twenty feet across, with leaves twenty-five inches in diameter and flowers that are a foot from tip to tip of petals The Nymphæa Devon- iensis can be successfully dwarfed, if it is desired. The leaves are green with serrated edges. The blossoms, rose red with scarlet stamens, appear to great advantage by artificial light. We see here the Nymphaea Tuberosa and the Odorata Rosa, whose home is in North America; the lotus plants are of Egyp- tian origin, the Nymphaea Candidissima is of English origin, the Flava came from Florida, the dwarf water lily from China, the N. Devoniensis from India, the Zanzibarensis and Dentata from Africa. The N. Sturtevanti, a new semi- double, red water lily, is a very fine plant. Its foliage is of a light bronze color, approaching crimson. The N. Rubra is also a native of India and it somewhat resembles the N. Devoniensis.
It must not be supposed that all the beauties of the lily ponds, with their abundance of glorious water plants, can be seen at one visit. Frequent trips must be made, including night excursions, when electric lights will shed their lustre on the night blooming lilies. Many other plants besides water lilies are grown in and around the ponds. Water Hyacinths, Sagittarias, ornamental rushes and grasses, with the curious floating Stratoitis and other interesting forms of plant life, fill up the spaces not covered by the shield-like leaves of the Nymphaea's, making altogether a grand display either by day or under the electric lights.
Another delightful spot is the "mall," north of the Lincoln monument, which extends for a quarter of a mile in a northerly direction and terminates in the lower artificial park lake. Here the pedestrian rules supreme. Bor- dered with beds of flowers, beyond which extend lawns of velvety softness, the
Lincoln Park .- Flower-Parterre, showing Old Palm House.
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mall offers as enjoyable a promenade as could be wished. Here, as in the space between the greenhouses and the Schiller statue, the gardener's art is seen at its best. Carefully trimmed and well cared for beds of flowers lend color to the view as they shed fragrance abroad. Viewed from the mall, the lower lake presents on a bright summer day an animated scene. Pleasure boats ply here and there, laden with happy oarsmen and their friends. The Swans have chosen for their home an island in the lower lake. Their graceful forms, as they float about in the water, are a pleasure to the eye.
Before we turn away from the floral displays of Mr. Stromback to other spots of interest and delight, we will take a walk through the palm house just lately finished. This floral palace has, with the exception of the horticultural hall at the World's Fair grounds, no peer in this entire land of ours. It is of imposing dimensions, with its mighty arched glass roof and its gigantic pro- portions throughout. The palm house proper is 156 feet long and 90 feet wide; its height is 50 feet. The conservatory, connected with the main build- ing, is 96 feet long, 31 feet wide and 21 feet high, and the other addition, ex- tending north from the paim house proper, giving shelter to a rare collection of orchids, measures 100 feet in length and 30 feet in width. To this complex of buildings another, a fernery, was added at the northeast corner. With the exception of the foundation walls, none of these buildings contain any other material than glass and steel, so that the light of day has full sway.
In the heating of this fine building some comparatively new features are introduced. The hot water method has been adopted, radiating coils of one and a quarter inch pipes will be concealed in chambers behind rock work. The radiating pipe service is arranged in independent sections and each sec- tion controlled by an automatic heat regulating device. The boilers being distant from the palm house about 350 feet, leave the palm house range in its beautiful lines clear from suggestion of shed or factory. The floor grade of the house is established at a point six and one-half feet above the lawn surface. Broad terraces surround the building on three sides. The front terraces com- mand a good view of the flower garden, a broad handsome walk and stairways lead the visitor from the flower garden up the slopes of the terraces to the front entrance of the palm house; the plants are arranged in natural positions, branches, flower pots and tubs are banished. A winding path leads round a rocky point, then again across an open space, every turn revealing some new beauty, while from certain points the whole may be taken in at a general view. By planting out in the soil bed greater luxuriance of growth will be obtained. the plants will the sooner produce an effect proportional to the magnificence of their home. Harmonious arrangements of rocks were introduced to give character to the surface of the soil. Tall palms, cyeads, tree-ferns and bam- boos rear aloft their heads, while below are seen the shade loving ferns, mosses and other beautiful forms of plant life, and from truss and column hang climb- ers of many kinds, some of beautiful foliage, and others covered with flowers, twining among the iron of the structure and covering it with a luxuriant tropi- cal growth, blending the whole into a natural grouping of Nature's loveliest forms.
The conservatory will be used for exhibition of plants from temperate climes, or of plants of beautiful foliage or graceful habit of growth, requiring temperate conditions of heat. The fernery is striking and effective in some of its features; the design for the interior takes the form of a rocky dell with a glass roof. A cascade was introduced, the water tumbling from rock to rock into a pool at the bottom, while on ledges, in fissures, or on the faces of the moss covered rocks, are planted the various beautiful forms of the fern family.
And now we will take a glance at some of the most important improve- ments accomplished within the last few years, namely the extensive work along the lake shore, consisting of nothing less than the building of a sea wall and beach, which has been carried forward under the efficient supervision of the park Superintendent, J. A. Pettigrew. This improvement became necessary to protect the shore along the park against the inroads of Lake Michigan. The Fitz Simons and Connell Company, in 1874. built the first substantial break- water, commencing at Oak Street and running to North Avenue. Upon this
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structure, cut down (at the suggestion of General Fitz Simons to Commissioner Adams in 1886), the present sea wall was built. The breakwater running north from North Avenue, the present new beach improvement, was con- structed by the above named firm in conjunction with the Green Dredging Co. and the Chicago Dredging and Dock Co.
Commeneing with a break water at Bellevue Place and running north ward. a large tract was taken from Lake Michigan, making possible the extension of the Lake Shore Drive south to Oak Street; at North Ave. the scope of the work was extended, the breakwater was curved further out into the lake, until the plan as at present outlined, embraces on a frontage included within the park the reclamation from Lake Michigan of about 140 acres.
In 1886 the work of construction of the sea wall began, according to the plans of Major T. II. Handbury, Engineer Corps, U. S. A. The piling of the breakwater was sawn off below water line, a platform of three inch oak plank was laid across from front to back, and the work of casting the huge blocks of concrete commenced: the magnificent blocks, each weighing nearly ten tons, and formed out of the "Germania" brand of Portland cement, were added one to the other, until in the fall of 1888 there stood on the breakwater an unbroken line (extending from Bellevne to Burton Place), 2,889 feet long and 10 feet high, presenting a massive front to the storms of Lake Michigan.
The paved beach work commences at North Ave. and is constructed from designs by Capt. W. H. Marshall, Engineer Corps, U. S. A .: excepting the dredging and pile driving, all the work has been done by park employees. The breakwater facing this improvement seaward is constructed of two rows of close pile work. 10 feet in width from outside to outside. The lakeward row is faced to land ward with close 3 inch oak-sheeting bolted to a 12x4 oak wale, and the land ward side of the landward row of piles faced land ward with Wakefield patent sheet piling, the breakwater being filled with stone and sawn off to a point 10 inches above lake level. Land ward from the breakwater rises the paved beach 48 feet wide, rising 1 foot in 8. then rising by two steps of one foot each to a promenade of 16 feet in width, which is further flanked on the landward side by a parapet of two steps rising from each side, the base being four feet six inches wide and the top two feet wide; landward of the promenade and parallel with it is a driveway 45 feet in width, and from thence to the inner lake or rowing course a sloping turf-covered bank planted with trees and shrubs. The character of the work is of the most substantial descrip- tion, the pavement of the beach being composed of granite blocks eight inches in depth, laid on a bed of concrete six inches in depth, while the joints are run with Portland cement grouting. The promenade and parapets are of the finest grade of granite beton on Portland cement concrete base. The driveway is granite faced with granite block and granite beton curbs and gutters. For connection across the inlet a swing or drawbridge was built, so that after con- verting Fullerton Ave. pier into a bridge connecting with the park. the drive from North Ave. along the beach to the park at Fullerton Ave. becomes con- tinuous and uninterrupted.
The zoological garden forms one of the most attractive features the park possesses, and the mecca during each returning season of many thousands of children and adults. At the present writing it numbers among its numerous inhabitants the following: 2 African lions, 1 flying fox, 5 monkeys, 2 tigers. 2 leopards, 5 pumas. 2 wild cats, 1 lynx, 3 wolf-hounds. 2 wolfs, 22 foxes, 1 ferret, 1 wild-cat. 4 badgers. 1 otter. 13 bears, among which are 2 brown, 7 black, 2 grey and 2 cinnamon-colored. 12 coons, 143 squirrels, 4 opossums. 1 sea-lion, 22 white rats, 5 beavers, 2 porcupines, 10 wood-cocks, 20 guinea-pigs, 24 rabbits and hares, 50 prairie dogs, 10 buffaloes, 1 wild goat. 15 cashmere goats, ? mooses or elks, 1 fallow-deer, 11 Virginia roes, 1 lama, 1 elephant. 1 elk. 1 jaguar, 1 Turkish eagle, 17 eagles, 7 buzzards, 18 owls. 3 magpies, 4 parrots, 3 cockatoos, 12 ring-doves, 19 peacocks, 3 pheasants. 4 quails, ? cranes, 3 hawks. 11 white geese, ? white swans, 3 pelicans, 20 turtles. 15 crocodiles, 2 lizards, 3 rattle snakes and 1 land turtle.
During the Spring of 1878 the Board converted the pier at North Avenue to the uses of a Floating Hospital; constructing proper guards and appropriate
Indian Group in Lincoln Park.
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shelter for little children. Upwards of five thousand ailing children visited this resort annually and found health in the refreshing breezes from the lake. In some instances mothers have come with their babes at sunrise and tarried all day. A steamer made regular trips between the city and the pier during the season. Medical attendance, competent nurses and pure milk were furnished by the Floating Hospital Association. This floating hospital was abandoned some years ago, but since that time a much larger and more useful one has been established by the managers of the "Daily News" Fresh Air Fund. This sani- tarium can be found near the lake shore at the foot of Belden Avenue. The present Commissioners of Lincoln Park are: Wm. C. Goudy, President; Charles S. Kirk, John V. Clark, jr., R. A. Waller and August Heuer; E. S. Taylor, is the Secretary and C. J. Blair, Treasurer.
New Palm House in Lincoln Park.
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THE SOUTH PARK SYSTEM.
In the year 1865 there was some talk of establishing a public Park some- where in the South Division of Chicago, but the proposition did not assume definite shape till the Autumn of 1866. Prior to the meeting of the General Assembly several meetings were held at which the question was discussed. It was thought advisable to make the effort. The City had no old Cemetery to donate, and the land for the Park would have to be purchased outright. The gentlemen most prominent at that time in the agitation of the question were Thomas Hoyne, Governor William Bross, J. Y. Scammon, H. II, Honoré. Paul Cornell, J. Irving Pierce, L. B. sidway, Chauncey T. Bowen, Judge John M. Wilson, John D. Jennings.
Governor Bross was very enthusiastic about it. He had made the ac- quaintance of Fred Law Olmsted, the great American landscape artist, who had made a wonderful success of Central Park, New York, and the "Deacon", as he was then called infused much sentiment into the scheme. There was a beautiful tract of land known as Egandale, lying west of Cottage Grove Ave- nue, and north of 55th St. which through the sentiment and enterprise of the late Dr. William B. Egan had become almost a perfected Park. It was planted abundantly with evergreens and other trees, was laid out with beanti- ful drives and in a general way was looked upon by the public as a desirable "catch" for Park purposes. Ezra B. MeCagg, partner of Mr. Scammon, pre- " Egandale." pared a bill for the establishment of a Park, which substantially absorbed The 25th General Assembly convened in January, 1867, and the bill was duly introduced. But opposition was manifested at once. The estate of Dr. Egan had by foreclosures, substantially passed into the control of the Smith's of Chicago and the Drexel's of Philadelphia, and accordingly there appeared on the scene as representatives of those interested, Mr. Norman Williams and Mr. Norman C. Perkins, gentlemen well selected to protect their clients' interests. The Egandale interests wanted a Park, but wanted no part of Egandale taken. They wanted Egandale to front on the Park, all around, or on as many sides as possible. The outsiders did not want their land taken, but were very desirous Egandale should be, for as they said, it was already a Park. The general public looked on with various degrees of interest. Some favored Egandale, some opposed any park scheme. Some said Egandale was too far away from the city (!) The Press expressed all kinds of opinions-there were many battles fought, all harmless, but there was sufficient confusion and quarreling to bring matters to a dead-lock. At last a conference was held at the Leland House one Saturday evening. It was a circus. Besides the curious lookers-on, there were present Chauncey Bowen, S. S. Hayes, II. H. Honore, James P. Root, Gen. George W. Smith, Gov. Bross, Melville W. Fuller, J. Irving Pierce, Norman C. Perkins, Norman Williams, J. K. C. Forrest, Paul Cornell, John C. Dore and Frank Eastman, both senators, the members of the House from the south side, and others whose names do not now occur to the writer. It was a stormy meeting. Everybody tried to be wise and amiable,
and everybody had a mad fit. At last the bill was passed around for amend- ment and a compromise was affected. Egandale consented to the taking of a strip from the west side along Cottage Grove Avenue, and a strip from the south side along 55th street. It was deemed advisable to get to the lake, so it was agreed that there should be a strip to Lake Michigan. Mr. Root agreed to the arrangement provided he could locate the south line of the strip, which he did as it gave him three hundred feet front on the strip. Others fixed lines with reference to their own property, and everybody became hilariously happy-the whole matter was referred to George W. Smith and James P. Root, to prepare a satisfactory bill. No one ever saw the bill after it left their hands until it was introduced in the legislature. The account of that meeting was written by Mr. Forrest, and by Melville W. Fuller, which ap-
Grant Monument in Lincoln Park.
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peared in the "Chicago Times" the following Monday. While the authors of the report adhered to the fact, they let nothing of a Pickwickian character escape them. The Bill became a law. It was required to be submitted to the people at the annual Town Meeting in South Chicago, Hyde Park and Lake. Many of the people who had not been educated up to a high apprecia- tion of the benefits of a grand Park, voted against it, and were joined by others who thought the whole thing was a real estate steal. The election was close, and the scheme probably carried in fact, but by reason of some confus- ion as to the ballot the result was declared against the Park. Mr. Thomas Hoyne, then an earnest advocate of a park system, contested the matter in the Courts, but the result finally was a miscarriage.
In 1868, the question of a park was again agitated. The same gentlemen and others interested met often, sometimes in secret, and once in a while in public. The matter was discussed in every real estate office in Chicago. All kinds of parks were marked out on the maps. The papers would announce that a park had been agreed on, and when the public became advised of the location, a howl would go up all along the line. The promoters of the park, however, substantially agreed on the location, and the ground was designated in the act, which was prepared by Judge Beckwith, About the time the Gen- eral Assembly convened, the question was discussed as to who should intro- duce the Bill. As the park was on the south side, it was appropriate that it should be a south side member, and as the land was nearly, if not all, in Mr. Francis Munson's district, he was selected. There was no particular opposition to the bill. James P. Root was Clerk of the House, and he saw to it, that there was no unnecessary delay. It passed, became a law, was submitted to the people, and carried by a good substantial majority.
No one person has ever claimed to be the discoverer of the South Park system, but each has ever been ready to accord to the other his full mead of praise.
The West and North sides were out in force looking after their park in- terests, and when the General Assembly adjourned, three park systems were provided for. At the same session ( 1869) the " Lake Front " Bill was intro- duced. The public is too well advised of its purport to give here any details concerning it, but it may be well to consider, what connection there was be- tween the park bills and the lake front bill.
As has been seen, the park interests from the three divisions of the city were in Springfield in force. They had prearranged their various interests, and of course were patent factors in the matter of legislation. The promoters of the lake front interest understood this very well, and either to secure the co-operation of the Park interest, or at least not to antagonize it, shrewdly provided that, when what remained as the property of the city after the Illi- nois Central Co. had taken what it wanted, should be sold, the proceeds should be divided among the several parks in proportion to the assessed value of prop- erty in the respective divisions of the city. The lake front bill became a law, and its subsequent history is known to all. None of the parks ever derived any benefit from it.
By the way, the land was not purchased any too soon, for at present prices a park would have been impossible. Some of the prices at the time seemed extravagant. By the push, the enterprise, the public spirit of Chicago's cit- izens, we have an estate, whose value financially, aesthetically and sanitarily can never be estimated.
The selection of these lands was made within the time specified by the act establishing the South Park. Immediately thereafter the lands were examined and diligent inquiry was made in relation to their value. The probable cost of the lands was estimated at $1,865,740 and an application was made to the Circuit Court for the appointment of three assessors to assess the amount npon the property benefited. This application was refused and then the Supreme Court was asked for a mandamus, which was granted. Thereupon the Circuit Court appointed assessors who entered, immediately, upon the performance of their duties. About this time a nursery was established containing about five acres and over 60,000 trees, from 1 to 4 inches in diameter, were set out. They consisted of Maple, Elm, Sycamore,
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Beach, Butternut, Cherry, Balsam, Linden, Ash, Birch, Arbor Vitæ, Pine and Hemlock and besides these there were purchased over 6,000 choice Evergreens from three to seven feet high. This nursery for the future sup- ply of trees and shrubs and the work performed therein proved very inter- esting to many of the visitors and for that reason it was made accessible to the public, but it is now a thing of the past, for it had to make room for the World's Fair Buildings along Midway Plaisance, and only a small portion of this tree school could be preserved.
The South Park system embraces the World's Fair site and contains much more territory than all the other parks put together. Like the Com- missions of Lincoln Park and the West Parks, the Board of South Park Commissioners was organized in 1869, by authority of an act of the Legisla- ture, approved April 16th, of that year.
To defray the cost of acquiring the private property within the limits named in the act, a special assessment was levied upon all real property in the South Town of Chicago, Village of Hyde Park and Town of Lake, propor- tioned according to benefits to the property on account of the location of the Parks and Boulevards. The assessment was divided into eight annual install- ments. For improvement and maintenance an annual levy is made upon all property assessed in the three towns named, which is collected with the annual State and County Tax.
The management of the Parks is vested in five Commissioners appointed by the judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County; the term of office is five years, one Commissioner being appointed each year. The Commissioners constitute a municipal corporation, having exclusive jurisdiction over the Parks and Boulevards.
In April 1869 Governor Palmer appointed as Commissioners the follow- ing gentlemen : John M. Wilson, George W. Gage, Chauncey T. Bowen, L. B. Sidway and Paul Cornell. This Commission commenced its labors by selecting the land designated by the act and the cost of which was at first estimated at $1,865,750. After the appointment of assessors, however, it was found that the land required would cost a sum much larger than the original estimate. Thereupon it was decided to increase the assessment to $3,320,- 000, and to issue bonds for the full amount of $2 000,000. The majority of the bonds were sold in New York and from them together with those that were used in part payment for the acquired land, the Board realized $1,827 399.
In 1869 the landscape gardeners Olmstead & Vaux, of New York, were employed to furnish plans and specifications for improvement of the park grounds. Then work was begun in earnest and carried on with great vigor, when the great fire of 1871 put a stop to the operations. The headquarters of the Commission were burned and with them all the original plans and specifications, the records, atlases of the towns of Hyde Park and Lake, vouchers, contracts, estimates, assessment rolls, etc. Actual work had, how- ever, progressed too far to allow a long interruption of the undertaking. In the year following new boulevards were laid out and graded, and in Sep- tember 1872 H. W. S. Cleveland was appointed landscape gardener. To the plans furnished by Messrs. Olmstead & Vaux there was this objection raised, that the expense of constructing the Parks and Boulevards in the manner they had indicated, would involve an outlay far beyond the means at com- mand; so it was decided to retain the main features of their plans modified, however, so as to produce the best possible effects by judiciously arranging and planting trees and shrubs and making the least expensive lakes and water-ways, without the use of statuary, stonework or costly buildings. While public parks are intended to afford the means of pleasant and healthful re- creation to all classes and conditions of people, it was considered of the ut- most importance that all improvements should be made with the especial view of affording the greatest facilities for their use, by persons who are compelled to spend the whole year in the city, and to whom extensive groves and lawns are of far more value than expensive drives, which cannot be used
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