The Art of the Exposition | Page 7

Fine Arts, on the shores of the bay, the
monumental tower of the California building fits well into the scheme
of things. Seen from a distance, from numerous points across the
lagoon, it offers a great many effective compositions in connection
with some very decorative groups of old acacia trees, the legacy of an
old amusement park of the bygone days of San Francisco - the old
Harbor View Gardens. In the shade of these old trees a fine old formal
garden of exquisite charm, screened from the eyes of the intruder by an
old clipped Monterey cypress hedge, really constitutes the unique note
of this typically Mission building. The architect, Mr. Burditt, deserves
great credit for an unusually respectful treatment of a very fine

architectural asset. This very enchanting old flower garden, with its
sundial and cozy nooks, has an intimate feeling throughout, and it
furnishes the delightful suggestive note of old age, of historical interest,
without which it would never have been convincing.
Aside from the outdoor features, the building, exclusive of the county
annex, discloses a very fine talent in a very happy combination of
classic tradition and modern tendencies. The building is altogether very
successful, in a style which is so much made use of but which is really
devoid of any distinct artistic merit. Most of the examples of the
so-called "Mission style" in California are very uninteresting in their
decorative motives, however big their ground plans may be in their
liberal use of space.
The Oregon building is just across the way from the California building,
and as an object of artistic analysis it is a most interesting single unit.
Personally, I am not enthusiastic over it. It was most decidedly a very
illogical idea to select a building to represent Oregon from a country
which has nothing whatever in common with this northern state. One
could hardly discover a more arid country, devoid of vegetation,
particularly of trees, than Greece; and to compare it with the apparently
inexhaustible wealth of virgin forests of Oregon makes the contrast
almost grotesque. Besides, a building like the Parthenon, designed to
grace and terminate the top of a hill, is surely not adapted for a flat
piece of ground like the Exposition field. And in the choice of material
used in its construction it shows a lack of appreciation for the fitness of
things generally. The Parthenon was designed to be made in stone, as
much for the construction as for the light color effect of the marble.
Only the light color play of its exterior would do against a placid blue
sky to relieve the otherwise exceedingly simple rigidity of its massive
forms of construction. To make an imitation of this great building in
uncouth, somber, almost black pine logs of dubious proportions is
hardly an artistically inspired accomplishment.
There must always be a certain regard for the use of the right material
in the right place. A wooden bridge will disclose its material even to
the uninitiated at a very great distance, because everybody knows that
certain things can be done only in wood. A stone, concrete, iron, or
cable bridge, for example, will each always look its part, out of sheer
material and structural necessity. A log house would have been far

better and more successful than this pseudo Parthenon. It is in the same
class with the statues of Liberty made from walnuts that are the great
attractions in our autumnal agricultural shows. The State of Oregon,
however, is well represented by a fine immense flagpole, which could
hardly have been cut anywhere else than on the Pacific Coast.
Of other state buildings in this neighborhood, a number are impressive
by their cost, like the New York building; others, again, by historical
suggestions of great charm. There are several which reflect in a very
interesting way the Colonial days of early American history; and
buildings like those of New Jersey and Virginia, in spite of their
unpretentiousness, are very successful. Nobody would take them for
anything else but what they represent.
The Pennsylvania building shows a very fine combination of the classic
and of the modern. It was originally designed to hold the Liberty Bell.
In order to avoid the necessity of building a fireproof building, the open
hail was adopted, with its inviting spaciousness, and two lower
enclosing wings at the side. The arrangement of the Pennsylvania
building is formal, owing to its symmetry, but not at all heavy. Its
decorative detail is full of interest, and to discover Hornbostel of New
York, the designer of the Oakland City Hall, as the author of this
building, is a pleasant surprise.
Of most of the other state buildings, really nothing original could be
claimed. They are, on the whole, dignified in their classic motives, and