john mclaren was contracted as commissioner to design golden gate park.
john mclaren was contracted as commissioner to design golden gate park.
who was contracted as commissioner to design golden gate park?
john mclaren
the conservatory of flowers opened in 1879 and stands today as the oldest building in golden gate park. the conservatory of flowers is one of the world's largest conservatories, as well as one of few large victorian greenhouses in the united states. built of traditional wood and glass panes, the conservatory stands at 12,000 square feet and houses 1,700 species of tropical, rare and aquatic plants. though it wasn't originally constructed, william hammond hall included the idea of a conservatory in his original concept for the design of the park. the idea was later realized with the help of twenty-seven of the wealthiest business owners in san francisco. the conservatory was originally prefabricated for local real estate entrepreneur james lick for his santa clara, california, estate but was still in its crates when he died in 1876. those 27 business owners purchased the conservatory and donated it to the city, it was erected in golden gate park and opened to the public in 1879.
golden gate park
the plan and planting were developed by hall and his assistant, john mclaren, who had apprenticed in scotland, home of many of the 19th-century's best professional gardeners. john mclaren, when asked by the park commission if he could make golden gate park "one of the beauty spots of the world," replied saying, "with your aid gentleman, and god be willing, that i shall do." he also promised that he'd "go out into the country and walk along a stream until he found a farm, and that he'd come back to the garden and recreate what nature had done." the initial plan called for grade separations of transverse roadways through the park, as frederick law olmsted had provided for central park, but budget constraints and the positioning of the arboretum and the concourse ended the plan. in 1876, the plan was almost replaced by one for a racetrack, favored by "the big four" millionaires: leland stanford, mark hopkins, collis p. huntington, and charles crocker. stanford, who was president of the southern pacific railroad, was also one of the owners of the ocean railroad company, which ran from haight street across the park to its south border, then out to the beach and north to a point near cliff house. it was gus mooney who claimed land adjacent to the park on ocean beach. many of mooney's friends also staked claims and built shanties on the beach to sell refreshments to the patrons of the park. hall resigned, and the remaining park commissioners followed. in 1882 governor george c. perkins appointed frank m. pixley, founder and editor of the argonaut, to the board of commissioners of san francisco's golden gate park. pixley was adamant that the mooney's shanties be eliminated, and he found support with the san francisco police for park security. pixley favored stanford's company by granting a fifty-year lease on the route that closed the park on three sides to competition. the original plan, however, was back on track by 1886, when streetcars delivered over 47,000 people to golden gate park on one weekend afternoon (out of a population of 250,000 in the city).
golden gate park