single fountain jet, and on one side a casino to provide space for dining and dancing, indoor ice skating, indoor swimming, and salt baths. The casino was designed as a winter as well as a summer resort, so that the park could ultimately become a year round recreation center.
The amusement section was planned each side of a mall 1100 feet long, on one end the bathing beach, on the other the boating lake. The mall consisted of a wide turf panel flanked by rows of lights and trees. On each side were wide promenades flanked by the colonnades, the latter being one of the most important features in the design. At the
lake end of the mall a music tower 110 feet high was planned to dominate the entire scheme. Behind this the boat house colonnade connected the tower with the flanking colonnades of the mall.
The colonnade, besides partially screening from view the buildings housing the amusement devices, games, and concessions which, even though cleverly planned, would have presented a jumbled front, provided a shelter for the crowds in case of rain and encouraged them to remain after showers. Naturally this factor was an important one and helped materially to increase the revenue.
The important problem confronting the architects was to give to the design of the buildings a holiday spirit; they must be colorful, of simple
design yet interesting. Here we had a permanent exposition, yet a classic style of the copyist variety would not do — it must be expressive of play, for the park was to be known as “Playland. ” The theme for the design was somewhat modern, depending upon the use of color to brighten it and to make it amusing. The colonnade was decorated with a frieze depicting in a modern conventional way the devices or games behind it. In one section, in front of “Kiddieland, ” the theme was taken from Mother Goose Rhymes and in the section in front of the dance hall figures of dancers representing the nations were shown. The colonnade was
painted white, except for the colored frieze and colored mouldings on the cornice and the colored capitals of the columns. The dominant white was necessary in order to get the best results at night when there are more people in the park than during the day. The columns of the device buildings were of similar design to those of the colonnade, but the shafts were painted different colors on each separate structure. A conventional design for the frieze of each device building depicted the type of ride. The “Kentucky Derby, ” the Aeroplane Coaster, the Dodgem, all called forth the best that the imaginative mind could develop. The decorative painting was designed and executed by a group of women artists, directed by the architects and Mr. Darling.
DETAIL OF THE ARCHITECTURAL TREATMENT OF THE DANCE HALL
Photo by Van Anda
The amusement section was planned each side of a mall 1100 feet long, on one end the bathing beach, on the other the boating lake. The mall consisted of a wide turf panel flanked by rows of lights and trees. On each side were wide promenades flanked by the colonnades, the latter being one of the most important features in the design. At the
lake end of the mall a music tower 110 feet high was planned to dominate the entire scheme. Behind this the boat house colonnade connected the tower with the flanking colonnades of the mall.
The colonnade, besides partially screening from view the buildings housing the amusement devices, games, and concessions which, even though cleverly planned, would have presented a jumbled front, provided a shelter for the crowds in case of rain and encouraged them to remain after showers. Naturally this factor was an important one and helped materially to increase the revenue.
The important problem confronting the architects was to give to the design of the buildings a holiday spirit; they must be colorful, of simple
design yet interesting. Here we had a permanent exposition, yet a classic style of the copyist variety would not do — it must be expressive of play, for the park was to be known as “Playland. ” The theme for the design was somewhat modern, depending upon the use of color to brighten it and to make it amusing. The colonnade was decorated with a frieze depicting in a modern conventional way the devices or games behind it. In one section, in front of “Kiddieland, ” the theme was taken from Mother Goose Rhymes and in the section in front of the dance hall figures of dancers representing the nations were shown. The colonnade was
painted white, except for the colored frieze and colored mouldings on the cornice and the colored capitals of the columns. The dominant white was necessary in order to get the best results at night when there are more people in the park than during the day. The columns of the device buildings were of similar design to those of the colonnade, but the shafts were painted different colors on each separate structure. A conventional design for the frieze of each device building depicted the type of ride. The “Kentucky Derby, ” the Aeroplane Coaster, the Dodgem, all called forth the best that the imaginative mind could develop. The decorative painting was designed and executed by a group of women artists, directed by the architects and Mr. Darling.
DETAIL OF THE ARCHITECTURAL TREATMENT OF THE DANCE HALL
Photo by Van Anda