This was a sample piece of history research of landscape architecture on the connection of the City Beautiful Movement and Colorado Open Spaces.
Denver: A City Beautiful Movement Embraced Metropolis and it’s Influence on the Contemporary Open
This was a sample piece of history research of landscape architecture on the connection of the City Beautiful Movement and Colorado Open Spaces.
Under architect Daniel Burnham’s leadership, and with the participation of many design professionals, the fair presented the “classical ideal” as prescribed by the École des Beaux-Arts. This resulted in the City Beautiful movement (1893—1940), which encouraged classical revival architecture and planning...
Previously, American cities were unsanitary, coal-polluted places lacking public amenities or beauty.
To not only enhance the city’s appearance but also help the flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, the City Beautiful concept focused on incorporating a civic centre, parks, and grand boulevards. The holistic and multipurpose approach to urban planning that was championed by Burnham and displayed at the Columbian Exposition remained at the forefront of architecture, landscape architecture, and design for many years. Its impact is still visible in many cities throughout the United States.
Recurring themes were symmetry, order, grandeur, visual unity, monumentalism, and mannered self-consciousness.
“Mean streets make mean people,” wrote the movement’s publicist and leading theorist, Charles Mulford Robinson, encapsulating the belief in positive environmentalism that drove the movement.
Lynn Easton
LAR 241 2023
History and Theory of Landscape Architecture
Professor Lauri Macmillan Johnson
City Beautiful Denver: A modern design
City Beautiful Denver: A Grand Plan Parks
Speer spearheaded the building of several urban parks including Washington Park, additions to City Park, and Cheeseman Park.
Once again notable landscape architects were involved including the Olmsted Brothers, George Kessler. Principle Denver landscape architects include Henry Meryweather, Reinhard Schuetze, Saco Rienk DeBoer and Jules Jacques Benois Benedict.
City Park was designed to be linked to other parks around Denver, kind of like the Emerald Necklace park concept. This park also hosts the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Zoo.
Washington Park has a tree-line corridor that breaks in the middle to show off the front-range mountains.
“Unsinkable Molly” Brown donated buildings and money for enriching “Wash”ington Park.
Cheeseman Park is where the Denver Botanical Gardens (1951) are, but also is the site of a former cemetary and as recently as 2010 graves have been found when digging to fix or replace broken irrigation systems.
Speer also had a hands or should I say foot on approach to park manangement. Many park developers and governing agencies had a “Keep Off the Grass” and “No Wading” and no Public Display of Affection (PDA) mentality. Children and adults alike were encouraged to play on the grass and in the fountains. On a benches in a park in Colorado Springs had signs written on them saying things such as: “Lovers may find more pleasure, in a safer environment, than in five-cent theatres.”
Lynn Easton LAR 241 2023
History and Theory of Landscape Architecture
Professor Lauri Macmillan Johnson
City Beautiful Denver: A modern design
The Denver Mountain Park System was started in 1910 and was created “For the purpose of assuring perpetually to the residents of Denver the sublime scenery of the Rockies, the preservation of native forests and having for all timea pleasure ground in the mountains for the thousands of annual visitors to the city easily accessible.” From a 1913 Brochure.
John Brisben Walker was major promoter and businessman that got the public interested in the mountain parks and in particular Red Rocks, by writing in the Denver Post, “The most extensive and magnificent system of parks possessed by any city in the world.”
Mayor Robert Speer enlisted the aid of Fredrick Law Olmsted Jr. to plan the park system and Jacques Bendict to design most of the facilities.
Lynn Easton
LAR 241 2023
History and Theory of Landscape Architecture
Professor Lauri Macmillan Johnson
City Beautiful Denver: A modern design
City Beautiful Denver: A Grand Plan
Colorado Open Space a Modern Movement
Westminster Hills Open Space Westminster, Colorado
Open Space Pearls,
Boulder Open Space had been a thing even during the City Beautiful Movement, even though it wasn’t called that at the time. Chautauqua Park was the first in 1898 to create open space around it’s Texas and Colorado summer teachers campus.
The modern open space of Boulder County started in 1967 as the Boulderites knew they wanted to limit the size of the city and preserve nature. Open Space is a key part of what makes Boulder Boulder,” says Yates. Spoken like a true Boulderite.
Jefferson County had the same idea, but theirs was a bit different, they saw that the Denver Mountain Parks system in their county were in great disrepair due to budget cuts. They took over the parks in their county and created new parks in 1972. Funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax, Jeffco Open Space contributes to city and park districtprojects, has preserved more than 56,000 acres, and manages 27 open space parks, and 265+ miles oftrails in Jefferson County, Colorado.
Many more open space areas were created and still growing, in at least 11 counties and 19 cities.
Other places across the country, including Tucson has embraced the “Open Space Movement”.
Lynn Easton
LAR 241 2023
History and Theory of Landscape Architecture
Professor Lauri Macmillan Johnson
City Beautiful Denver: A modern design
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Yongli. “The City Beautiful Movement in Denver.” Articles | Colorado Encyclopedia, October 22, 2015. https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/city-beautiful-movement-denver
Lynn Easton
LAR 241 2023
History and Theory of Landscape Architecture
Professor Lauri Macmillan Johnson
City Beautiful Denver: A modern design
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Denver: A City Beautiful Movement Embraced Metropolis and it’s Influence on the Contemporary Open Space Spaces