Fairmount Park

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	Park Origins What Would Have Been Transformation of the Landscape Diversity of Landscape Evolving Forms of Park Recreation Support for Public Use Citizen Involvement III. TRANSFORMATION OF THE LANDSCAPE Fairmount Park has always been a landscape in transition, from an unrealized civic dream in its early days to a 9,200-acre park system that continues to meet the ever-changing needs of today's diverse population. Several events, including the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 and the advent of the Schuylkill Expressway in 1957, have helped shape the present day park. More subtle transformations, such as removing or relocating buildings, planting hundreds of thousands of trees, and creating scenic roadways, have all gradually altered the land to what we see today. Park engineers and landscapers proposed various designs for Fairmount Park. Some designs were deemed expedient while others were too costly for the Fairmount Park Commission to undertake. Transformation of the landscape often occurs one wheelbarrowful of soil and one plant at a time. Fairmount Park continues to adapt to the needs of Philadelphians, but it will always be influenced by the Victorian ideals and energies which created it. Laurel Hill Cemetery John Notman, architect 1844 Courtesy of the Map Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia Before publicly owned parks became popular in the second half of the 19th century, people picnicked and relaxed in cemeteries. In Philadelphia, Laurel Hill Cemetery, built on the site of an estate overlooking the Schuylkill River, opened in 1836. Its curving walkways were imitated in future designs for Fairmount Park. "Plan of Fairmount - Park" Sidney & Adams, architects 1859 Record Series 120.80 Philadelphia City Archives The name "Fairmount Park" predates the establishment of the Fairmount Park Commission in 1867. The City Councils, who were responsible for all Philadelphia parks, selected the Sidney & Adams architectural plan (above) to landscape the initial park north of the Water Works. The implementation of this design was interrupted by the Civil War. After the war, city leaders realized the importance of creating green spaces not only to protect the water supply, but also to give all city residents, rich and poor, a break from the monotonous street grid pattern of the growing metropolis. Two Acts of Assembly of 1867 and 1868 greatly enlarged the early vision presented here into the current park along the Schuylkill and ordered the creation of the Fairmount Park Commission to manage it. Walkway to the Fairmount Water Works Reservoir James Cremer, photographer c. 1875 Fairmount Park Commission Plan of Ground Appropriated for Fairmount Park From "Map of Farms and Lots Embraced within the Limits of Fairmount Park" 1864 Negative #1648 Philadelphia City Archives The strip of land which stretches from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to Boathouse Row and the Reading Railroad was once known as the "Flat Iron." Houses and businesses which provided services to Lemon Hill and Fairmount Water Works visitors lined the streets. The Park Commission acquired the properties both as a natural extension to Fairmount Park and as a way to prevent the construction of water-threatening industries. The Flat Iron Prior to Park Development Photographer unknown Pre-1869 photograph of Landing Avenue (Fairmount Avenue today) Fairmount Park Commission Clearing the Flat Iron photographer unknown c. 1870 Fairmount Park Commission Many laborers were employed during post-Civil War Philadelphia to develop the park. In his May 1872 monthly report, Samuel Lightfoot Smedley, chief engineer for Fairmount Park, noted that "an average force of 147 men have been worked 21 days." Workers hauled wheelbarrows of silt from the Schuylkill River and slowly buried the rubble from demolished buildings in preparation for landscaping. Aerial View of the Fairmount Water Works from Lemon Hill Observatory c. 1876-1880 Fairmount Park Commission During this era the Flat Iron area had few trees and the Reservoir still provided water to Philadelphians. Promontory Rock and Railway Bridge from the North (stereoview) James Cremer, photographer c. 1875 Fairmount Park Commission After the Fairmount Park Commission acquired all the land on the east side of the Schuylkill River up to the Falls Bridge, park engineers encountered a problem as they planned roads, bridle paths and walkways. A large rock outcropping separated the "New Park" from the "Old Park." The Commission decided to create a tunnel, a feat of many months' duration, to connect the two areas. Thus the creation of an unique feature to the Park. Ground Plan of the International Exhibition of 1876 (New York: Institute for the Study of Universal History through Arts and Architects, 1973) The Centennial Exposition, held here in 1876, is and must always remain the most memorable incident associated with Fairmount Park." - Annual Report of the Commissioners of Fairmount Park, 1878 The decision by the Park Commission to allow the United States Centennial Commission to stage the Centennial Exhibition had a dual purpose: to assist with landscaping the park and to showcase its wonders to the world. Although some still objected to the park's existence, the hosting of the Centennial probably cemented once and for all Philadelphia's pride in the park. Although plans were developed to landscape West Park, they were abandoned with the advent of the Centennial. In fact, the landscape from the Centennial still dominates West Park today. Opening Day Ceremony at Memorial Hall Hermann J. Schwarzmann, architect May 10, 1876 Free Library of Philadelphia Herman J. Schwarzmann designed thirty-four structures for the Centennial, including Horticultural Hall and Memorial Hall. From its inception, Memorial Hall was intended as a permanent structure and became the City's first art museum. For the past fifty years it has housed the Fairmount Park Commission staff. Its new tenant, the Please Touch Museum, will occupy Memorial Hall in 2007. Centennial Grounds from the Reservoir Centennial Photographic Company, photographers 1876 Record Series #231.21 Philadelphia City Archives Letter from Frederic Auguste Bartholdi 15 March 1876 Record Group #230 Philadelphia City Archives Arm and Flame from "Liberty" Centennial Photographic Company, photographers Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor 1876 Record Series #321.21 Philadelphia City Archives In hindsight, Frederic A. Bartholdi's sculpture of Liberty's arm holding her flame over the fairgrounds symbolizes the impact that the Centennial was to have upon the western world. Centennial organizers ushered in technology and progress and set standards for a new generation of expositions in the United States. Philadelphia's exposition left a lasting impression on those who entered the Centennial gates and reached millions of others through mass produced publications. The 20th century revealed new roles for Fairmount Park as it continued to adjust to a changing Philadelphia. During this time, some of the Park buildings and grounds changed functions, while others entirely disappeared. In 1909 the Fairmount Water Works, a landmark for the century, ceased operation, freeing the reservoir site for transformation into the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The creation of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, extending from the Museum, realized a forty-year dream of connecting the Park to the heart of Center City, becoming Philadelphia's reflection of the City Beautiful movement. The Fairmount Park Commission Archives and the Philadelphia City Archives maintain records of all of these changes. Model of the Parkway Mayor's Reception Room, City Hall photographer unknown May 1911 Negative #4750 Philadelphia City Archives Cedar Grove Photographer unknown 1874 Fairmount Park Commission The historic houses of Fairmount Park are an important component of the Park. Many of the houses - Lemon Hill, Laurel Hill, Ormiston, Sweetbriar, Woodford, Strawberry Hill - are the original estate buildings appropriated by the Commission in the 1860s and 1870s. Others, like Cedar Grove and Letitia Street House, were moved into the Park to ensure their preservation. Cedar Grove, an eighteenth century country house, once stood isolated in Frankford. The two-and-a-half story, gambrel-roofed house was moved to its present location in the West Park in 1926 as a gift from Lydia T. Morris, one of the founders of the Morris Arboretum. Letitia Street House was originally built around 1715 on Letitia Street, an alley between Front and Second Streets in Old City. The house relocated to its current site in 1883.

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