Parkway

“ The principles of parkway design—the wide park-like right-of-way, control of access, elimination of grade crossings with other highways, fitting of the alinement and grade to the natural contours of the ground without using excessive cuts and fills, shaping and rounding slopes to merge them into the adjacent natural land forms, restoring natural vegetation to protect parkway surfaces from erosion, and preserving a high standard of architectural excellence for bridges and other structures—were all developed and proved out in practice before 1926. ”

“ This section of Parkway through lower Virginia is notable for its pictures of mountain farming. The Blue Ridge here is a high rolling plateau which breaks in a sharp escarpment toward the east and the lower Piedmont. The Parkway generally follows the crest, which is the water divide between Atlantic and Gulf drainage, affording occasional fine views over the low country. In other places the Parkway recedes into wooded and pastoral valleys of quiet charm. ”

“ Where the expected traffic volume justifies the construction of more than two traffic lanes, four lanes built in pairs, the pairs separated by a parkway strip at least 20 feet wide in suburban areas and 40 feet wide in rural areas, would be provided. These widths of medial parkway strips are ample and may, in exceptional cases, be reduced, since the separation of grades at intersections obviates need of the parkway for protection of crossing vehicles. Sections of the selected routes on which two- and four-lane pavements would be required are shown on plate 29. ”

“ Winter sometimes comes suddenly to the Blue Ridge. Travel then becomes uncertain at best. Ice storms, persistent fogs, and blustery winds make it so. There are many times when the mountains are clear and beautiful, but we advise local inquiry about travel conditions during the winter months before venturing on to the Parkway.
5 What to Do and Where Motoring.
Blue Ridge Parkway is meant to serve this American pleasure. In the course of a motor trip along the Parkway, plans should include a stop at one of the several recreational areas for a picnic lunch. ”

“ Eastern Parkway and Ocean Parkway, in Brooklyn, are instances of liberal and complete boulevards, in which there is a broad central drive devoted exclusively to pleasure driving and a narrower drive on each side intended for access to adjoining private properties as well as for ordinary street traffic and separated from the middle drive by double rows of trees with promenades between them. ”

“ If the city can do nothing else in the way of acquiring parkways, it should at least secure the land needed for the eventual construction of this hillside drive, for in proportion to its cost it would be far more valuable than any other parkway possible to be laid out in the city, because of the views which it would command and the romantic local scenery which could be associated with it, and because it would be so characteristic and so conveniently accessible. ”

“ Considering that both sides of the boulevard would offer most excellent house frontages, it is obvious that the whole cost of such a parkway ought not to be considered as a matter of luxury, so that even if it should prove a disappointment for many years to come in the way of increasing the value of land fronting upon it to a sufficient degree to equal or more than equal its excess of cost over that of an ordinary street, no serious loss would have been incurred. ”

“ Perhaps the most important is the opportunity for a parkway, like the Bronx Parkway, between Washington and Baltimore, following up the Anacostia Valley, Northwest Branch, and Indian Creek.
The recommendations of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission as to parks were given legislative sanction by the act approved May 29, 1930, and are being carried out as fast as funds are made available. The opportunities here for a nearly ideal park and playground system are so unusual that the entire country must be interested in seeing their early completion. ”

“ The establishing of any building line outside of any park, parkway, or boulevard, as herein provided, in connection with the condemnation of the land for the same, shall be understood to be condemnation and the perpetual annihilation of all rights of the owners of property which shall front on such park, parkway or boulevard, or across which such building line shall run, to erect any building or structure whatever or any part thereof between such building line and such boulevard, park or parkway ”

“ The Westchester Parkway used many stone-faced reinforced concrete arches and frames for the Bronx River, Cross County, Saw Mill, and Taconic Parkways. Arthur Hayden was the bridge engineer at Westchester, and his book on the Rigid Frame Bridge has become a classic. The parkway and freeway concept spread to Connecticut where the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways were built, again with emphasis on esthetics. Every bridge on the Merritt Parkway is different. This road is still one of the most delightful and scenic in the United States. ”

“ Among the national parks in the East are Shenandoah, in northern Virginia, and Great Smoky Mountains, in North Carolina and Tennessee. One of the purposes of the Parkway is to connect these wilderness areas over a mountainous distance of nearly 500 miles. The Parkway, about two-thirds completed, leads through an “elongated park” which protects a roadside of varied highland character. The roadway slopes are naturalistically planted in many places with rhododendron, azalea, white pine, and other native species. Parking overlooks to the side are convenient balconies. ”

“ Influence of the Parkway Concept on Highway Design
Parkways, designed and operated essentially as commuter arteries, were tangible challenges to the dogma expressed by Upham that there are two kinds of highways—scenic and commercial. Here were highways that were essentially commercial, transporting workers to and from their offices, and also scenic or at least attractive. The fallacy of the old position was aptly expressed in 1932 by a distinguished committee of architects, engineers and planners:
Highways traverse varied landscapes and should differ accordingly. ”

“ There is so much open land between Sellwood and the Southern Pacific car shops, and from this district all the way to the south end of Mount Tabor, that there seems to be nothing to prevent the laying out of a broad and handsome boulevard on good grades connecting the proposed river bluff parkway with Mount Tabor. The value of this boulevard would depend largely upon the accomplishment of the river bluff parkway, to connect it with Grand avenue, and the bridge at Fulton would connect it with the proposed hillside parkway west of the river. ”

“ If the owners of the greater part of the land through which this boulevard would be carried do not think that the time has arrived for its opening, implying as it would a rise in value of the lands adjoining, with increased taxes, it nevertheless would be wise for them to unite in dedicating the necessary land to the parkway, so that at any time in the future that it might be thought desirable and profitable, its construction could be undertaken. ”

“ Tourist facilities along the Parkway are being planned only where accommodations are not reasonably convenient in the towns and cities nearby. For information about accommodations and points of interest in the Blue Ridge Parkway vicinity, write to the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce, Richmond 19, Va., or the State News Bureau, Raleigh, N. C.
Picnic Grounds, Cumberland Knob, North Carolina. ”

“ From "Smith's View Point" the parkway could be made to bend along the hillside forming the southeast wall of the canyon of Tanner Creek. The hillside is exceedingly steep, and some special devices might be required, such as retaining walls and splitting the drive into two narrow drives at different levels. ”

“ All rural sections of the system carrying traffic of 10,000 or more vehicles daily are located within zones of traffic influence of cities. The above view of Northern State Parkway at Westbury, Long Island, is fairly representative of the type of construction proposed. ”

“ Because of the high class residential character of Westchester County, the Commissioners were careful to retain for the new parkways the high esthetic standards that had been established on the Bronx River Parkway, as well as the wide right-of-way and access control features. Their principal change in policy was to flatten curvature somewhat to permit higher operating speeds.
Commuter and recreational parkways spread rapidly throughout the New York metropolitan area and, to some extent, in and near Washington, D.C., but did not become popular elsewhere. ”

“ Although the population is not dense in this neighborhood, it is evidently destined to become so, as the car shops of the O. R. & N. Company are located here, and are likely to be extended so that a great many workmen will be employed. If the suggested river bluff parkway along the east side of the river below the center of the city is carried out, this little park with a view-commanding carriage concourse in it would form a worthy terminus. ”

“ It seems very desirable that these portions of Butler Street, instead of being widened merely enough for traffic accommodation, be developed as a picturesque riverside parkway—a fitting approach to Highland Park and a continuation of Beechwood Boulevard. This involves the control of the narrow strip of property between Butler Street and the railroad; though occasional houses might be allowed to remain therein without detriment to the effect as a whole. ”

“ CO-OPERATION OF LAND OWNERS. Owing to the location of the topographical features which it is designed to take advantage of and owing to the large amount of territory already subdivided, or made valuable by the rapid growth of population, the system of parks suggested is necessarily unusually spread out, and therefore involves unusually long parkways and boulevards. ”

“ In the case of the hillside parkways, of course the essential thing is to obtain a continuous drive. It cannot be considered absolutely essential nor always desirable to secure all of the steep slope above and below this drive. ”

“ Unless there is some fine outlook to which it is desirable to lead people in carriages, as in the case of The Front, in Buffalo, or some bluff or river bank or lake or other landscape feature which cannot be viewed from carriages in adjoining streets, or unless there is a concert grove at which it is desired to provide for visitors in carriages, or unless the local park be part of a continuous chain of parks and parkways, or unless there is some other good reason, a drive is an undesirable intrusion in a local park. ”

“ The most expensive large parks, Central Park and Prospect Park, were located without taking advantage of the magnificent natural landscapes of the rivers and bays which distinguish New York and Brooklyn. There are many similar cases. Formerly people built with the backs of their houses upon the rivers and lakes, thus not only excluding the public from continuous access to them but ruining their beauty. Where land along the banks of rivers or along the shores of a lake can, in a city, be fairly well spared from commercial uses, public squares, parks and parkways should be located upon them. ”

“ A pleasure drive should extend from one end of this valley to the other. The route of this drive has not been studied. At the northern end, however, there is no apparent obstacle to reaching any of the important thoroughfares, such as Penn Avenue or Forbes Street. At the other end there is a good chance to extend a parkway down the river as a riverside drive, [27] connecting at the Glenwood bridge with a proposed boulevard thoroughfare to the down town district. ”

“ A connected system of parks and parkways is manifestly far more complete and useful than a series of isolated parks. Delaware Park, in Buffalo, is an example of a park with handsome boulevards forming approaches from the city and connecting it with Humboldt Park in one direction, Gates Circle in another, and Delaware Avenue and The Front in another. ”

“ In order to determine upon a comprehensive system of parks it is first necessary to define and classify the various units of which the system is to be composed, even though it may not be practicable to carry out these ideas in all cases. The units of a park system generally recognized are city squares, play grounds, small or neighborhood parks, large or suburban parks, scenic reservations, boulevards and parkways. ”

“ STEEP LANDS UNDESIRABLE FOR SMALL LOTS. Having pointed out the extraordinary opportunities possessed by your city for picturesque parks and parkways, and having indicated other possibilities as to pleasure grounds, parkways and boulevards needed to complete a proper and comprehensive system of parks, some comment may be worth while on the peculiar conditions which make it desirable to take for park purposes a much larger amount of land in narrow strips and small pieces along the western hilly margin of the city than would be desirable in most other cities. ”

“ It is particularly urgent that a city having beautiful local scenery adapted for parks and parkways should secure the land betimes lest these natural advantages he destroyed or irreparably injured by the owners. ”

“ The value of public gardens, places, place parks, and parkways, in distinction from parks and “woods,” is dependent less on the extent of their sylvan elements than on the degree of convenience with which they may be used; those being the most valuable, other things being equal, through which the greatest number of people may be induced to pass while following their ordinary occupations and without serious hindrance or inconvenience. ”