City beautiful movement
:
historical context
inspiration
ideology
1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago
Beaux-Arts and neoclassical architectures, which emphasized the necessity of order, dignity, and harmony
cities should aspire to aesthetic value for their residents
Organizations
Places
Public Policy
1890s
beautification and monumental grandeur in cities
Advocates of the philosophy believed that such beautification could promote a harmonious social order that would increase the quality of life
design could not be separated from social issues and should encourage civic pride and engagemen
critics
improvement of the physical city without addressing social and economic issues would not substantively improve urban life
Research questions
personal ideas and views;
— intellectual, ideological, political, social, technological, other contexts;
— architecture and urban theory and practice;
— urban context;
— technologies;
— impact/heritage.
people
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- William Vanderbilt Allen
- Albert S. Bard
- Evageline Blashfield
- Daniel Burnham
- Robert G. Cooke
- Augustus Saint-Gaudens
- Pierre L’Enfant
- Richard Morris Hunt
- Charles F. McKim
- Frederick Law Olmsted
- Jr., Jacob Riis
- Louis Sullivan
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- American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society
- Municipal Art Society
- Mayor’s Billboard Advertising Commission
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- Jefferson Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- National Mall
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- Bard Act (1956)
- McMillan Plan
- New York City Landmarks Law
How each of the mentioned people influenced the movement?
How mentioned people's opinion changed (or not) upon the movement?
coordinated the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago
deeply impacted the way that Americans saw the urban landscape
brought the United States to the level of its European predecessors in terms of architectural design
prerequisites
During the height of the Industrial Revolution, technological advancement paid little attention to the visual elements of urban cities
Smoke billowed from factories, soot covered buildings, and streets were merely symbols of progress
Washington, D.C.
the first governmental plan to regulate aesthetics
behind the planning of the McMillan Plan
behind the planning of the McMillan Plan
behind the planning of the McMillan Plan
behind the planning of the McMillan Plan
original city design plans for Washington, D.C
led to construction of
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- tree-lined National Mall
- the Jefferson Memorial
- the Lincoln Memorial
influence of 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago
influence of Industrial Revolution
NY
works to promote public art in the City
led to the development of legislative means for the City to control its physical environment
what laws were enacted?
what organizations were found?
idea that art was not just for the elite but was to be shared with the public
formed by William Vanderbilt Allen and Evageline Blashfield
formed Municipal Art Society
formed Municipal Art Society
a lawyer with an affinity for the arts
idea that a city could be regulated for aesthetic purposes
President of Municipal Art Society since 1917
enabled municipalities to pass laws for aesthetic regulation of private property
Bard Act (1956)
results
urban problems the movement acknowledged
large billboard advertising signs
inspired residents of New York City to fight for the regulation of billboard advertisements
New York City at the turn of the century had no laws protecting the physical fabric of the City. By the 1870s, large billboard advertising signs dotted the urban landscape.12 There were some nascent efforts to control billboard signage. In 1896, for instance, the Parks Commissioner passed a law removing billboards from public parks.13 However, by 1911, New York City was reported to have 3.8 million square feet of billboard advertisements.14 Art societies, including the Municipal Art Society and the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, began to use billboard regulation as a way to beautify the City. The Municipal Art Society, along with Albert Bard, worked on legislative measures to regulate the billboard placement in the City.15 In 1913, the Mayor set up a commission to find methods for billboard regulation called the Mayor's Billboard Advertising Commission of the City of New York. Robert G. Cooke, head of the commission, claimed that the advertisements "rob the people of their rightful heritage of natural beauty."16 Eventually the 1916 zoning resolution, which divided the City into specific areas or zones, worked to set up rules for billboard signage on public property
regulation of private property for aesthetic reasons for the benefit of the public
The initial efforts waged by Bard and the Municipal Art Society served as a "progenitor" of the Bard Act eventually leading to the passage of the Landmarks Law.
permitted local municipalities enabling legislation to pass laws that regulate the aesthetics of the city. The "police powers" were extended to mean that the regulation of the physical environment promoted the health, safety, and welfare of the people.
the passing of the Bard Act paved the way for the New York City Landmarks Law because it gave the power of the City to pass legislation for aesthetic regulation. Historic buildings were now seen as enhancing city blocks and promoting a charming feel to neighborhoods. Preserving historic structures would soon be included in these aesthetic regulations when the New York City Landmarks Law was passed. This idea was predicated on the "police powers" in which preserving structures of cultural and historic significance was providing a service to the public by enhancing the aesthetic environment of the City.
how urban theory was changed by development of the movement?
what pieces of architecture the movement provided?
were new technologies created?
what pieces of architecture the movement provided?
cooperation