A wise man teaches, be not angry; from untrodden ways turn aside.--Phra
Ruang.
Palace of Transportation
In the Corinthian Colonnade
This promenade, formed by the vast portico of the Palace of Agriculture,
is in harmony with the architectural scheme of the Court of the
Universe. It is the eastern wall of the aisle leading from the the main
court to the Column of Progress.
The shafts of the pillars are fluted and capped after the Corinthian
order. Terra cotta, mellow in tone, is the color which has been used
upon the travertine material of the columns, and the walls flanking the
majestic array of pillars are painted a warm pink. The height of the
ceiling is intensified by its deep blue, which seems to blend with the
azure of the sky, as one glimpses it through the far opening of the
corridor. Masked lanterns adorn the arched ceiling; on the columns are
shell-screened lamps and at night the sweep of the promenade is
magnified by the indirect lighting effects.
Venetian Court
Palace of Agriculture
The great triumphal arches of the Central Court dominate the connecting
aisles on either side, the Arch of the Rising Sun forming the west side
of the Florentine Court and the Arch of the Setting Sun the east side of
the Venetian Court. All the splendor and dignity of architectural
treatment and decorative ornament that enrich the arches as they face
toward the Court of the Universe are repeated on the reverse sides.
The treatment of the side walls in the Florentine and Venetian Courts is
identical, displaying some of the most delightful features of the
Italian Renaissance, with marked richness in the use of both color and
ornament. The walls are covered with a diaper pattern in pink and warm
ivory. Bright blue and deep orange stain the overhanging cornice. The
great windows are latticed and bound with green, the keystone of their
arches being a quaint figure with folded wings. Between the arches are
inset blue Italian medallions. Between the windows are coupled
Corinthian columns, their shafts richly overlaid with ornament after
patterns suggested by the churches and palaces of southern Italy. The
planting is profuse, with masses of green against the walls and a wealth
of bloom, pink predominating in the Florentine Court and yellow in the
Venetian.
Court of the Four Seasons
The Night Illumination
The Court of the Four Seasons is the most restful, the most intimate and
the most harmonious of the three main courts, an effect produced by its
classic simplicity and the charm of its architecture, sculpture and
planting.
The long approach of the north court, which is entered from the
Esplanade, is bordered by the stately colonnades of the Palace of
Agriculture on the east and the Palace of Food Products on the west. The
columns are Ionic, the decorative treatment of their capitals, and of
the frieze above, being in fruits and grains, happily conventionalized.
The green sward of the avenue is set, here and there, with fine yew
trees, while tall, slim eucalypti flank the entrance to the Court.
The Fountain of Ceres designed by Evelyn Beatrice Longman, by the poise
of its crowning figure and by the grace and dignity of its entire
outline, no less than by its classic conception and fine architectural
feeling, enhances the chaste beauty of the long vista whether seen by
day outlined against the misty bay and the sweep of hills beyond, or by
night, silhouetted against the white rays of the scintillators which are
placed on the harbor's edge.
Court of the Four Seasons
The Great Half Dome
The theme of the Court, the fruitfulness of the changing seasons, is
sympathetically rendered by architecture, sculpture and painting in
happy combination. The decorative forms all employ agricultural motives,
and the sculptured groups or figures and the mural paintings are
variations of the same thought.
In architecture, the Court, which was designed by Henry Bacon of New
York, is almost severely classic, enriched in its minor details by
touches of the Italian Renaissance. The Half Dome, which lies directly
opposite the long northern approach, is modeled after Hadrian's villa
near Rome. The decoration of the vault of the dome is influenced by the
richer coloring of the Court of Palms into which it opens on its inner
side, while the archway softens into lighter tones in harmony with the
more delicate coloring of the Court of the Four Seasons.
The fine balance of line and proportion which characterizes the Court is
shown in the three sculptured figures by Albert Jaegers,--"Harvest,"
the seated figure which fitly crowns the half dome, blending finely with
its nobility and strength of outline, and "Rain" and "Sunshine," which
surmount the splendid columns of Sienna marble on either side of the
dome.
Court of the Four Seasons
The Western Archway
The east and west entrances to the Court are massive archways, most
satisfying in their purity and dignity of architectural form and
treatment, as well as in the superb outlook which they give on either
hand. The arches are divided by Corinthian pilasters of Sienna marble.
Within, their vaulted ceilings are delicately colored and modeled in
faint relief after ancient classic designs, suggesting harvest scenes.
The spandrels in the triangles over the curve of the arch and the four
times repeated figures which serve as pilasters in the paneled attic
space above, are by August Jaegers. All are gracefully molded women's
figures, and all alike are emblematic of the richness of the harvest.
The signs of the zodiac letter the cornice between the arches and the
attic. The inscription above the eastern gateway is from Spenser's
"Faerie Queene," and that over the western from "The Triumph of Bohemia"
by George Sterling.
The serenity and intimate seclusion of the Court are due perhaps more
than to any other single feature, to the quiet, circular pool in its
center, shut in by banks of shrubbery and bare of sculptured ornament.
Court of the Four Seasons
One of the Colonnade Murals
The Court is octagonal in shape, by reason of the fountains, screened by
stately rows of columns, which fill its cornet recesses. These corner
fountains are distinctly Roman in inspiration, the detail being
suggested by the baths of Caracalla. Between the double rows of massive
Ionic columns runs the colonnade. The capitals of the columns are
enriched by pendant ears of corn, surmounted by a single open flower.
Above the severely treated doorways, in each recess, are two mural
paintings by Milton Bancroft, picturing alternately the seasonal
pleasures and pastimes and their activities or industries. The murals,
with the two in the half-dome, also by Milton Bancroft, are all
conventionally classic, in keeping with the spirit and atmosphere of the
Court.
Within the sheltered niches are the fountains of the four seasons, where
the water, rose-tinted by day and a luminous green by night, slips
softly and musically over three broadening semicircular terraces to the
cool, green pool beneath. The sculptured groups, surmounting the
terraced fountains, are by Furio Piccirilli of New York. The enclosing
walls are soft pink, the line where they join the blue vault of the sky
charmingly broken by the living green of luxuriant, trailing vines.
Court of the Four Seasons
The Ionic Columns
Through the columns is a glimpse of the Eastern Gateway where, carved in
three panels over the entrance, is the following inscription:
So forth issew'd the seasons of the yeare,
First lusty spring all dight in leaves and flowres.
Then came the jolly sommer being dight
In a thin cassock coloured greene,
Then came the autumne all in yellow clad,
Lastly came winter, cloathed all in frize,
Chattering his teeth, for cold that did him chill.
--Spenser.
The triple panel in the attic of the Western Gateway reads:
For lasting happiness we turn our eyes to one alone,
And she surrounds you now.
Great nature, refuge of the weary heart, and only balm to breasts that
have been bruised.
She hath cool hands for every fevered brow
And gentlest silence for the troubled soul.
--Sterling.
Court of the Four Seasons
The Colonnade and Lawn
The harmonious impression of the Court of the Four Seasons is due
largely to the faithfulness with which classic influences have
controlled every detail, both in architecture and in ornament. The
bulls' heads between festoons of flowers which decorate the base of the
entrances into the north court, the eagles at the corners of the pylons
above, and the vases repeated on the balustrade about the Court are all
Roman in design. Thoroughly classic also are the wreaths of fruits and
grains on the panel of the cornice and the lions' heads above. While
"The Feast of Sacrifice," the superb groups by Albert Jaegers, crowning
the pylons at either side of the entrance to the north court, recall the
ancient custom of celebrating the close of harvest by the sacrifice of
flower-garlanded bulls.
The planting of the court is quiet and stately, and notably carries out
its spirit, with the gray-green of foliage plants and eucalyptus trees
and the gnarled stems of gray old olive trees. In its vistas from any
angle or point of view, the Court is peculiarly satisfying and
beautiful.
Court of the Four Seasons
The North Colonnade by Night
To stand in the midst of this curving octagonal court and hear, above
the whisper of the trees, the murmur of the four hidden fountains that
gush unseen from the base of allegorical groups of statuary, glimpsed
through colonnades, is to stand in Hadrian's villa of old, where we hear
"Fitly the fountains of silver leap,
Whose sound is as soft as the listless flow
Of streams that forever linger and go
Down delicate, dream-far valleys of sleep."
As in a dream, one looks down the last vista to the open rotunda and
crescent hemicycle of the Palace of Fine Arts beyond a lagoon that
mirrors them on its surface. Rising from the rich, green massing of
shrubbery and mossy banks, the rotunda lifts its proud head, encircled
with garlands of symbolical figures, as above a grove of Academe. Behind
it the soft red walls of the place glow like the fading embers of
sunset. These courts, strung like a rope of pearls between the two poles
of man's achievement--mechanics and art--are the heart of the
Exposition, and in them are treasures of color and form untold.
--Edwin Markham
Palace of Food Products
The Portal from the Gardens
The north facade of the Palaces which line the Marina is bare almost to
severity, except for the rich adornment of the portals, the same detail
being repeated for each palace. Spanish models served as the patterns
for these handsome doorways, the three fine arches, with their
supporting columns, suggesting the earlier Spanish Gothic, while the
decorative features reflect the Moorish influence of a later period.
The motif is appropriate for the waterfront, reminiscent as it is of the
epoch of the Spanish Main. This hint is carried out in the sculptured
figures in the alcoves above each arch. Allen Newman modeled them,
giving to his work the dash and daring of the domineering conquistadors
and piratical deckhands of those stirring days. The portal here pictured
leads directly to the Esplanade near the Gardens adjoining the
California Building.
Palace of Food Products
A Detail of the Main Portal
It requires several visits to the Exposition to become accustomed to the
stupendous scale which has been followed, not only in the expansive
landscape gardening, but in the architectural plans.
In this illustration, a faint conception is afforded of the proportions
of the main entrance to the Palace of Food Products. The doors
themselves are of ample size, yet are dwarfed to insignificance by the
lofty columns and vaulted ceiling of this delightful portal, which is a
reproduction from the Spanish Cathedral of Salamanca. The great arches
are decorated after the plateresque style, and the spandrels abound in
garlands, horns of plenty and other goodly tokens. A Moorish note is
detected in the lacy network of the latticed windows. The domed ceilings
are painted blue and tints of pink and dull orange are used on the walls
and columns of the portal.
The Esplanade
North Facade, Column of Progress
The Esplanade is bounded on the north by the Marina and the sparkling
waters of the Bay: The boundary line on the south is the imposing
frontage formed by the north facade of the four palaces, broken by the
inviting entrances to the Court of Ages, the Court of the Universe and
the Court of the Four Seasons.
The domes which mark these entrances loom up in fine proportions, and
the entrances to the various palaces are particularly well done. Against
the old ivory of the massive walls are clustering thickets of cedar,
spruce, eucalyptus and clumps of low-growing shrubs.
It is a rare combination--the view one has from the Esplanade. Across
the Bay are the inviting hills of Marin County and equally enticing are
the vistas stretching through colonnades and arches formed by the courts
and palaces of the Exposition. The Column of Progress, surmounted by the
"Adventurous Bowman", holds the most noticeable position on the
Esplanade.
North Facade
A View from the Bay
The Esplanade extends westward from the ferry slip, along the north
facade of the main group of buildings, past the massive walls of the
California building and through the States' section to the Massachusetts
building.
From the Bay, the dominating center of the Esplanade is the splendid
Column of Progress, on either side of which lies the Spanish wall of the
north facade broken only by the four magnificent and identical
sixteenth-century Renaissance portals which open into the Palaces of
Mines, of Transportation, of Agriculture and of Food Products. From the
base of the Column of Progress, the vista stretches away, through the
Forecourt of the Stars and the Court of the Universe, to the Tower of
Jewels, which dominates the southern approach to the grounds. Against
the sky-line are outlined the lesser spires of the Italian towers, the
heavy bulk of the sculptured groups crowning the arches of the Rising
and the Setting Sun, the square summit of the Tower of the Ages and the
round domes of the palaces.
Palace of Food Products
A View from the Fine Arts Laguna
The impression of unity of design in the main group of buildings is
heightened by certain distinctive features which characterize all of
them in common. On all, there is the central dome, which, with the
repeated smaller domes on the corners, is the chief source of charm in
the pronounced Oriental or Moorish effect when seen from a distance. The
long, unbroken lines and wall spaces give a sense of repose and
restraint and emphasize the richness and beauty of the entrances where
the decoration is massed. The Palace of Food Products occupies the
north-west corner of the main group of buildings. Its western exposure
is Roman in design to harmonize with the Palace of Fine Arts on the
opposite side of the laguna. Its dominant feature is the great
half-dome, officially called "The Half Dome of Physical Vigor," which
forms its west entrance. The tall Corinthian columns on either side
support Ralph Stackpole's figure of "Youth" and crowning the smaller
columns which line the dome are the repeated statues by Earl Cummings,
portraying "Physical Vigor," from which the dome takes its name.
Palace of Education
A View from the Fine Arts Laguna
The western exposure of the Palace of Education duplicates the same wall
of the Palace of Food Products and the entire facade along the laguna is
called the Roman wall, by reason of the thoroughly classic spirit in
which it is conceived.
The half-dome here, as there, forms the architectural keystone, and in
both buildings, the three niches on either side hold the same
alternating figures. While the half dome, with its entire decorative
treatment, belongs more fittingly to the Palace of Education, the
sculptured figures in the alcoves, by Charles R. Harley, representing
alternately "Abundance" and "The Triumph of the Fields," are more in
keeping with the Palace of Food Products.
The north face of the Palace of Education, which opens on the Court of
the Sunset, connecting Administration Avenue with the Court of the Four
Seasons, duplicates the three Spanish doorways of its south facade; and
in harmony with these doorways, those on the south wall of the Palace of
Food Products, which look out upon the same avenue, are similar in
treatment.
Palace of Education
The Half Dome of Philosophy
The two magnificent Roman half-domes which give character to the
otherwise long and bare wall space of the western facade are called in
the Palace of Food Products "The Half Dome of Physical Vigor" and in the
Palace of Education "The Half Dome of Philosophy." In dignity and
nobility, due to massive size and strength of treatment, in beauty of
modeling and restraint of decoration, this effective use of the
half-dome is one of the finest architectural achievements on the
grounds.
The fine, strong figure by Ralph Stackpole, which surmounts the giant
Corinthian columns on either side of the opening is used also at the
entrance of the Palace of Food Products and here, as there, it is called
"Youth," the repeated figure evidently signifying in the mind of the
artist the union of intellectual and physical vigor which exemplifies
the finest type of manhood. The dome takes its name from the eight times
repeated female figure, representing Education, which crowns the
Corinthian columns lining its inner curve.
Palace of Education
The Fountain in the Portal
The central decorative feature within the half-domes which form the
western portals of the Palaces of Education and of Food Products is, in
each case, a fountain, architectural in character and of great dignity
of line and beauty of modeling; Both were designed by W. B. Faville from
old Italian models found in Sienna and Ravenna. Both are circular in
form and built up in successive tiers, the one at the entrance to the
Palace of Education being the simplest in construction and gaining more
in charm and grace from the flow of the water.
The interior treatment of the domes furnishes an effective background
for the fountains. The vault of the ceiling is a richly colored
conventionalized pattern in orange, pompeiian red and blue. The repeated
Corinthian columns lining the curve are of Sienna marble. The doorways
between them, with the Moorish grill above the doors, are in green,
while back of the lattice work is set stained glass in deep amber.
Administration Avenue
The Fine Arts Laguna
The Baker Street Entrance to the Exposition leads directly into
Administration Avenue. The Horticultural Gardens first attract attention
by their kaleidoscopic patches of blooming flowers. Then the eye travels
on past the Palace of Horticulture to the massive bulwark of the Palaces
of Education and Food Products in the walls of which two great
half-domed portals form the principal points of interest. Across the way
lies the Laguna with its reflected image of the Palace of Fine Arts,
perhaps the loveliest spot in the Exposition grounds. Plants grow in the
pool and the shores are lined with iris, primroses, periwinkles, pampas
grass and, overtopping these, weeping willows mingled with other lovely
trees and shrubs.
Towards the end of the Avenue is the small but attractive Hawaiian
pavilion. The tower of the California building is silhouetted against
the background of the Marin hills. Administration Avenue receives its
name from the fact that it leads directly to the administrative
headquarters of the Exposition, located in the California building.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Rotunda and Laguna
The Palace of Fine Arts has the finest natural setting on the Exposition
grounds. Consummate skill in planning the entire architectural ensemble
gave it a commanding position, at the extreme west of the group of
exhibit palaces. The architect, Bernard. R. Maybeck of San Francisco,
found as an asset on beginning his work, a small natural lake and a
fine group of Monterey cypress. With this foundation he has created a
temple of supreme loveliness, thoroughly original in conception, yet
classic in its elemental simplicity and in its appeal to the highest and
noblest traditions of beauty and art, revealing the imagination of a
poet, the fine sense of color and harmony of an artist, and the sure
hand of a master-architect in his confident control of architectural
forms, of decorative detail and of the contributing landscape elements.
The conception of the rotunda is said to have been suggested to the
architect by Becklin's painting "The Island of the Dead" and that of the
peristyle by Gerome's "Chariot Race."
Across the Laguna from the Palace of Fine Arts runs Administration
Avenue and the magnificent Roman wall which forms the western facade of
the main group of palaces.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Rotunda and Peristyle
The Palace of Fine Arts is, in reality, not one complete building, but
four separate and distinct elements. The rotunda, an octagonal
structure, forms the center of the composition. On either side is a
detached peristyle which follows the curve of the gallery itself, as it
describes an arc about the western shore of the Laguna, yet so
successfully are they all bound together by the encircling green wall
and by the other landscape elements, that an impression of satisfying
unity results.
The architecture, as a whole, is early Roman, with traces of the finer
Greek influences. In general treatment, there is a suggestion of the
Temple of the Sun at Athens, while much of the detail was inspired by
the Choragic monument of Lysicrates, also at Athens.
The rotunda is Roman in conception, Greek in decorative treatment. By
its sheer nobility of form and of proportion, and by its enchantment of
color and sculptured ornament, it dominates the entire landscape. The
high spiritual quality of the architect's conception culminates in the
Shrine of Inspiration, directly in front of the rotunda, as seen from
across the laguna, where kneels Ralph Stackpole's lovely figure of "Art
Tending the Fires of Inspiration," exquisite in its simplicity and
delicate charm.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Peristyle and Laguna
On either side of the central rotunda the peristyle of the Palace of
Fine Arts encircles the shore of the laguna in a long semi-circle,
formed of a row of Corinthian columns their pale green simulating
age-stained marble. At each extremity of the colonnade and at intervals
throughout its length are groups of four larger columns, in ochre, each
group surmounted by a great box, designed to hold flowers and vines.
Panels simulating pale green, veined marble are inset in these
receptacles and at their corners are drooping women's figures by Ulric
H. Ellerhusen representing Contemplation. Between the columns, at their
bases, are also set receptacles for growing plants.
In its pervading dignity, in the strength of the columns, in the rich
beauty of the capitals and in the chaste refinement of the cornice, the
colonnade is essentially Greek.
Palace of Fine Arts
In the Peristyle Walk
Between the Palace of Fine Arts itself and its bordering colonnade of
massive Corinthian columns runs a broad promenade which, while binding
the two together, receives a sense of freedom and serenity from the open
sky above.
The wall of the gallery is interrupted only by the simple entrances at
intervals. It is low and intimate in comparison with the great
proportions of the other exhibit palaces and its height is further
broken by a terrace midway, set with growing plants and shrubs. The
whole effect desired by the architect is of an ancient ruin, overgrown
through the centuries with vegetation. Along the edge of the roof runs a
latticed Pompeiian pergola, hung with trailing vines, and the wall of
the building is colored a deep pompeiian red.
The immense flower urns, banded with classic figures in deep relief,
bearing heavy swinging garlands, are by Ulric H. Ellerhusen. Alternating
with the massed green of shrubs and plants against the wall are niches
holding sculptured groups. The Roman urns which crown the square pillars
marking the doors and which, in varying size, are repeated here and
there about the building, are by William G. Merchant.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Rotunda from the Peristyle
From any point in the peristyle of the Palace of Fine Arts and under any
atmospheric conditions, either by day or by night; the vistas are
peculiarly satisfying and charming. About the columns of the stately
colonnade are blooming plants in simple, natural groups. And at
intervals between the columns under the rotunda or along either end of
the laguna, the outdoor gallery of sculpture finds a sympathetic
background and setting.
The great dome of the rotunda which crowns so many of the vistas, is
stained a velvety burnt orange, with a turquoise blue-green border.
Beneath, are eight panels in low relief by Bruno L. Zimm, symbolizing
Greek culture and its desire for poetic and artistic expression,
conceived in a deeply classic vein and executed with spirit and grace.
Below the panels is an attic of pale-green marble.
Flanking each pier of the rotunda are two Corinthian columns in Sienna
marble, within the arches are corresponding Corinthian pilasters, and
within the dome against each pier is another massive Corinthian column
in marble, each one crowned with the serene and noble "Priestess of
Culture" by Herbert Adams of New York.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Peristyle Walk by Night
Of all the wonderful night effects of the Exposition grounds none are so
full of haunting beauty as the vistas afforded by the Palace of Fine
Arts and its surroundings. By the indirect system of illumination, an
effect as of strong moonlight is produced and from concealed sources,
under cornices or behind columns, a soft reflected radiance pervades
peristyle and rotunda. The trees, shrubs and columns cast long, intense
shadows. Through the columns may be seen the long line of the Roman wall
across the laguna, its great, half-domes suffused with a mellow, golden
light and in the everchanging waters between, it gleams again.
From the other side of the laguna, the rotunda and the long crescent of
the colonnade are seen reflected as in a mirror, and when flooded with
the white radiance of the searchlights, their majestic beauty is
indescribable.
Palace of Fine Arts
A Fountain in the Laguna
Beautiful as the Palace of Fine Arts is from any viewpoint, its
simplicity and noble strength are at their best when seen with a
foreground of trees and water. The landscape, in its simple naturalness,
is in feeling an intimate part of the building itself and so perfectly
do they blend that they seem to have grown together through quiet,
serene centuries.
Between the columns and along the wall of the building are blooming
plants and shrubs, groups of Monterey cypress and eucalyptus trees. The
shores of the laguna are banked with shrubs, loosely massed, and groups
of evergreens and weeping willows bend over the lake. Outlining its
irregular border, broken by small promontories and inlets, thousands of
blooming plants creep down to the water's edge and venture out into its
placid depths--periwinkles, primroses, daffodils, heliotrope, pampas
grass, white and yellow callas, Spanish and Japanese iris and myriads of
others whose names and gay, nodding blossoms are more or less familiar.
Fountains play in the edge of the lake, the charming spirited group here
illustrated being "Wind and Spray" by Anna Coleman Ladd.
Palace of Fine Arts
A Picturesque Garden Fountain
The graceful garden fountain shown is the work of Anna Coleman Ladd. It
is located toward the north end of the building near the entrance to the
peristyle. Of the general effect of the Palace of Fine Arts and of its
deeper meaning, the architect, Bernard R. Maybeck, says:
"There is a succession of impressions produced as one walks through the
different parts of the grounds that play on the feeling and the mind,
each part having its own peculiar influence on the sentiment. Along the
main axis, for example, the Machinery Hall and neighborhood suggest a
mixture of the classic and romantic, as you understand the terms in
literature."
"The Court of Ages suggests the medieval with all its rising power of
idealism in conflict with the physical. The Court of the Universe
suggests Rome, inhabited by some unknown placid people. The Court of the
Four Seasons suggests the grace, the beauty and the peace in the land
where the souls of philosophers and poets dwell."
"The Fine Arts Palace suggests the romantic of the period after the
classic Renaissance, and the keynote is one of sadness modified by the
feeling that beauty has a soothing influence."
Palace of Fine Arts
The Garden and Fountain of Time
In the foreground of this poetic garden scene is the foremost figure of
Lorado Taft's "Fountain of Time." In sympathy with the atmospheric
influence of such a vista, Bernard R. Maybeck, the architect, continues
the thought of the preceding page:
"To make a Fine Arts composition that will fit this modified melancholy,
we must use those forms in architecture and gardening that will affect
the emotions in such a way as to produce on the individual the same
modified sadness as the galleries do. Suppose you were to put a Greek
temple in the middle of a small mountain lake surrounded by dark, deep
rocky cliffs, with the white foam dashing over the marble temple floor,
you would have a sense of mysterious fear and even terror, as of
something uncanny. If the same temple, pure and beautiful in lines and
color, were placed on the face of a placid lake, surrounded by high
trees and lit up by a glorious full moon, you would recall the days when
your mother pressed you to her bosom and your final sob was hushed by a
protecting spirit hovering over you, warm and large. You have there the
point of transition from sadness to content, which comes pretty near to
the total impression that galleries have and that the Fine Arts Palace
and Lake are supposed to have."
California Building
Bell Tower and Forbidden Garden
The California Building is the result of perhaps the most interesting
combination of requirements that could be imagined--to provide a host
building for the home State of a great Exposition where welcome could
warmly and generously be extended to the millions of visitors, where the
officials could have suitable quarters and where the fifty-two counties
of the State could have their exhibits. The location set aside for the
concrete development of these requirements was most stimulating. An
edifice to terminate the vista looking north over a laguna of silent
water flanked by the wonderful Palace of Fine Arts, and just beyond, the
beautiful Bay of San Francisco with a background formed by distant
Tamalpais.
No style of architecture could be more appropriate to these needs than
that which exists in California--an architecture romantic, peaceful,
subtle and charming in its proportions. The task of adapting the Mission
architecture to the requirements was given Thomas H. F. Burditt. He
entered into the spirit of the old Padre builders with rare intuition,
and he designed a building of impressive dignity and hospitality.
California Building
The Arches of the Colonnade
The Mission Padres had built neither in magnificence nor in magnitude,
and as both of these were requisite qualities in the construction of the
California Building, they presented peculiar problems, and were treated
with the thought of what one of the old Padres with a limited knowledge
of architecture would have done if presented with the larger problem. So
it seemed that the entrance foyer should be quiet, and massive and
should form a nucleus to all parts of the building. The magnitude of the
edifice was so great that all the existing Missions of California could
be housed therein, and in order to show the largeness of its proportions
and varied functions, each part was designed as a motif in itself and
closely related to that part by which it stood.
From the forecourt in replica of the Forbidden Garden of Santa Barbara,
surrounded by old cypress hedges, by driveways, and walled in by
cloistered arches, one can find the principal entrances to all the main
divisions of the building, and also to the administrative portion which
contains the executive offices of the Exposition and the official
reception and banquet rooms.
California Building
A Vista in the Colonnade
The cloistered colonnades so intimately associated with Mission
architecture have been successfully handled in the Court of the
California Building. The molds for the columns of the arches were made
by the architect himself, to give the semblance of age and that each
should differ from the other. It was most necessary to avoid mechanical
regularity in any feature of the building, and in consequence all the
details vary, so that no two that are exactly similar are placed near
each other. The arches are made of slightly different radii, and the
bells vary both in size and design. There are ten main groups of
entrances, but no two of them are in any way similar, and it was through
these means that the attempt was made to obtain a varied change of
interest in plan, mass, silhouette and detail and the lack of precision
which must have existed at the time when the old California Missions
grew into being.
California Building
The Forbidden Garden
There had grown on this location for forty odd years, a hedge of
cypress, weary with its age, and groups of trees forming wonderful
masses of foliage to charm the eye. This happy circumstance was cleverly
utilized by the architect in designing the court of the California
Building. A replica of the enclosed Garden of Mission Santa Barbara was
laid out within the boundary of this old hedge and planted with
old-fashioned flowers such as would have delighted the Mission Fathers.
In the center is a fountain similar to that at Santa Barbara, and the
quiet splash of its water adds a touch of charm and romance. The bell
tower of the building throws an afternoon shadow over the garden, and
within a niche in the tower stands the statue of Padre Serra overlooking
this peaceful nook.
California Building
The Semi-Tropical Garden
To the south of the California Building, off the Esplanade, lies an
interesting garden filled with various species of cacti and unusual
semi-tropical plants. Interspersed among these are masses of brightly
blossoming dainty flowers--baby blue eyes in the spring and others,
equally lovely, as the seasons change. In a sheltered nook rise the tall
slender stalks of rare bamboo, sent from a private garden in
Bakersfield.
The massive walls of the building form a rich background. Their
appearance of stability, enhanced by a slight batter--that is a slight
receding from the perpendicular--is shown by a least visible thickness
of three feet. These features are evident in every wall throughout the
exterior of the building. Within the corridors, the floors appropriately
are paved with red brick, and the ceilings are beamed and roughly
finished.
Netherlands Pavilion
As Seen from the Laguna
The Pavilion of the Netherlands is located sufficiently near the Laguna
to be reflected within the pool. The high dome is adorned with four
clock towers and a forest of flagstaffs and spires. K. Kromhout, who
designed the building, followed the modern ideas of the present-day
school of architects in Holland. The ultra style of the Pavilion fails
to recall the staunch and dignified brick structures for which the Dutch
are famous, but it is a striking edifice. The tiled panels are lovely
and the warm colors used in the exterior decorations most attractive.
When viewed from Administration Avenue, the numerous towers, fluttering
pennants and harmonious colors are set oft to best advantage by the
trees along the Laguna. About the building, the Hollander's love of
flowers is strongly in evidence. Ten carloads of bulbs and shrubs were
imported for the horticultural display.
Italian Pavilion
The Piazzetta Venetia
The Italian Pavilion consists of a group of eight buildings, combining
architectural styles of the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. The main entrance to the pavilion is on the west, and a
broad, low flight of steps leads into the Piazza Grande, graced by a
fountain by Tacca and pieces of Italian sculpture. On the left is the
medieval palace, containing authentic works of art of many ages. Facing
this is the Lombard palace, of the period of fourteen-hundred, used by
the Italian Commissioners as a reception hall. The Royal Salon and Casa
Italiana form the east wall of the main court. The inner courts are
beautified with fountains and statuary groups. Covered passageways,
supported by slender pillars, extend around three sides of the
piazzetta, and add a delicate charm to the enclosure. The Venetian Well
in the center is a characteristic note, and the stairways leading to the
upper verandas, and the niches about this court, are delightful in
design. The outer elevation of the main building is of the sixteenth
century. Within the Casa Italiana there is an exact reproduction of the
library of the S. Maria delle Grazie, Milan.
Italian Pavilion
In the Court Verrochio
The arcade which connects the Etruscan Tower with the Bargello Hall
separates the smaller court of the Italian Pavilion from the Piazza
Grande. The most attractive feature in this ideal court is the staircase
and balcony, done in the period of the fourteenth century, with a most
interesting composition of the flat walls, pierced by a graceful double
arch, attractively spotted with plaques and brightened by the color of
the Della Robias and the geraniums blossoming through the balustrade. A
delicate touch is given by the Fountain of the Winged Boy with the Fish,
by Verrocchio, which occupies the center of the stone-flagged court. To
the left of the staircase is a mural fresco depicting the "Return from
the Crusade."
Old iron-framed lanterns hang from the gray-toned ceilings of the
arcades. The coloring of the walls and pillars is stone gray blended
with shades of brown and grayish-blue. The vivid green of the sun-lit
grass within the Piazzetta Venetia relieves the sober color scheme of
this court. The balconies are lined with blooming flowers, and shrubs
and plants in artistic receptacles add to its attractiveness.
Avenue of the Nations
Tower of Sweden's Pavilion
The Avenue of the Nations extends from the Exposition group of Palaces
in a diagonal direction westward to the Marina, and is lined on either
side with the pavilions of the Foreign Nations. In the picture there is
a glimpse of the Canadian Building to the left, and prominent in the
view is the characteristic Swedish tower, typically northern, and
interesting in detail.
Immediately beyond is Bolivia's Palace, to an equal degree typical of
the south, followed by the pinkish-toned building erected by Cuba.
Denmark's Pavilion, on the left of the Avenue adjoining the Palace of
Fine Arts, is distinctly individual, marked by its towers which
reproduce several historic towers in Denmark, and the moat in which
frogs croak at night. The interior is arranged to represent the rooms of
a gentleman's country home. On the hillside to the south are several
avenues about which are grouped others of the Foreign Pavilions--the
picturesque gardens of Japan, the open court of France, with its Rodin
bronze, and the dignified pavilions of Australia, Norway, Greece and
many other nations.
The Esplanade
A View of the Foreign Pavilions
The pavilions of the Foreign Nations are on the south side of the
Esplanade, westward from the group of Exposition Palaces. In the
foreground of this view is seen Canada's stately building, guarded by
the massive British lions. The admirable and comprehensive exhibit
within has aroused great admiration and established a standard for such
displays. Beyond is the pagoda of the Chinese gardens, and the tea
houses, with their roofs colored in the wonderful yellow which occurs so
often in the old Chinese rugs.
The slate-colored dome of Argentina's ornate Palace precedes the
pinkish-toned Netherlands building seen in the distance--the rather
whimsical style of the latter adding a distinct note to that section of
the grounds. The park to the south is distinguished by two Oriental
buildings erected respectively by Siam and Turkey. The first is an exact
copy of a royal pavilion in the Garden of Maha Chakkri Palace, at
Bangkok. The latter is equally typical of the East, marked with dome,
minarets and spires, and includes the main pavilion and a near-by mosque
and prayer tower, connected with it by a corridor.
The Esplanade
A View of the State Buildings
The buildings erected by California's sister Commonwealths occupy the
district west of the California Building, and the north line of the
Esplanade to the Marina. Designed in various individual and dignified
styles, surrounded with handsome lawns and beautiful gardens, they have
formed a most important and interesting feature of the Exposition
grounds. Many of the buildings reproduce historic landmarks. The golden
dome of the Massachusetts State House is as dominant a feature at the
head of the Esplanade as is the original on Beacon Street in Boston. The
loggia of Independence Hall is familiar enough to bring a patriotic
thrill to the heart of the loyal American, even were not the cherished
Liberty Bell on view. Another Colonial feature is the Trenton Barracks,
Washington's headquarters in New Jersey; and "Homewood" takes one back
to Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, and Baltimore in 1802. The massive
log building from Oregon is fairly representative of that state of
virgin forests, notwithstanding the mistaken attempt to reproduce the
classic Parthenon in such a crude medium. In this view the magnificent
building for New York is in the foreground. Beyond, in the order named,
are the buildings for Pennsylvania, New York City, Illinois, Ohio, Utah
and Massachusetts.
The Zone
A Holiday Gathering
The Zone, while providing excellent entertainment and relaxation, is
above the standard established by the amusement sections of former
expositions, many of its concessions being of an educational nature.
This is notably true of the Panama Canal, which appears on the left of
this picture. Because of its value as a faithful reproduction of the
great work which the Exposition commemorates, many consider it as
deserving a place in the main grounds. Almost equal to this in
educational interest and quite ranking it in beauty are the
reproductions of the Grand Canyon with its Hopi and Navajo Indians, and
Yellowstone Park. Old Faithful Inn in the latter is a favorite place for
social gatherings.
For pure fun and gaiety, Toyland Grown Up, that whimsical conceit
especially built for youngsters, old and young, has provided merriment
for thousands. Of thrillers that raise the hair and make the heart beat
high and without which no amusement section would be complete, the Zone
announces its full quota with much rattling of machinery and many
shrieks of joy.
And the presence of strange peoples, one of the recognized features of
these places, is also noticeable along the Zone. A Maori tribe from New
Zealand, Samoans, Hawaiians, Aztecs from Old Tehauntepec, and others
bring their customs and costumes from unfamiliar lands.
The Zone
The Bizarre Decorations
There is something naive about the Zone. It presents its colossal
grotesques--its gargantuan Uncle Sam, its monstrous elephants--rather
with an air of acknowledging that it cannot compete with the beauty one
leaves behind when one turns in under its gay flags ad lanterns. Here is
frankly the spirit of abandon. To the right and left the bawling barkers
shout their enticements, begging one's patronage. Up and down the street
the endless patter of the feet of men and women, the wheeze of the
little electrics and the blare of brassy music ebb and flow. Here and
there is the dominant note of the Exposition, its pastel shades of burnt
orange and red, and its indefinable blue. They flutter forth, hooped
about the flagpoles with Oriental effect. Those wonderful lanterns, that
delightful medieval touch which one finds through the grounds, are here
employed with great effect.
When one is tired of gigantic horses with ever-impending hoofs, tired of
large plaster ladies whose complete poise does not entirely atone for a
rather excess of buxomness, one can always turn to these reminders of
the beauty that is the essential characteristic of the Exposition
itself.
The Fireworks
Star Shells and Steam Battery
Notwithstanding the excellence attained by the Exposition in the beauty
of its coloring, the poetry in its courts and architecture, the mystery
and glamour of its illuminations, the spectacular element could not be
overlooked. This finds expression in the fireworks that are let loose on
the Marina several evenings each week. Here, however, a distinct advance
has been made upon the familiar pyrotechnic display of former events.
The use of powerful scintillators with their colored rays playing upon
smoke clouds and flying devices from exploded bombs high in the air, or
upon weird shapes of steam sent out by the engine on the border of the
yacht harbor, lends infinite variety and beauty. In several of the
numbers the scintillators secure the effects unaided, their lights
making strange figures in the heavens. "Spooks' Parade," "Aurora
Borealis," "Devil's Fan," are some of the ideas suggested.
Zone Salvo
The Final "Big Noise"
The Exposition Fireworks are under the direction of William D'A. Ryan,
Chief of Illumination. On each occasion a set program is followed
consisting of twenty-four numbers. At the opening, a salute of ten
detonating bombs and a large rocket announce the event. This is followed
by features of the scintillator lights, combinations of these with
steam, with smoke bombs and with orange showers and Japanese daylight
shells, and by fancy star shells, festoon rockets and candle fountains.
The climax is reached in the Zone Salvo when a tremendous explosion of
hundreds of detonating devices occurs, with rockets and star shells
exploding in the air, the rays of the scintillator coloring the smoke
clouds in brilliant hues; and amidst it all, high above, suddenly
appears a beautiful American flag caught and followed by the ray of a
powerful white searchlight as it floats away from sight.
Here ends The Architecture and Landscape Gardening of the Exposition,
with an introduction by Louis Christian Mullgardt. The descriptive
titles have been written by Maud Wotring Raymond and John Hamlin.
Edited by Paul Elder. Published by Paul Elder and Company and seen
through their Tomoye Press under the typographical direction of H.
A. Funke in the city of San Francisco during the month of September,
Nineteen Hundred and Fifteen.