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Show ColMmlbMs Bang 1952 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON gj fj& H A OLUMBUS DAY this year finds a 4 R I I iM&fi ff long-discussed memorial to tha jfr wSJiSmj M Sfljf 3 great navigator' nearer reality than faiV ttf fJf - ever before, for an international feyf fffl WS' (FfSS& Jury of architects has announced wJr1r!$y '&y v3 ITrj its selection of the prize-winning jiiMrf m W , M"')?T VftVSN ViWII 111 design for the monumental light- ti ' A'? 4 LK fc' f SSmV V Mil VJ house which is to stand facing tha Yf , i"i 'A .. yffr'-'-'V &Ja "A''r;A j harbor of the City of Santo Do- ylT r'ik i'i fQ ' l U N .UJJ mingo in the Republic of Santo i l'i m J ' f IV lH i A"' &1&sW t Domingo in the West Indies. PJrSJ J&&Lltf- A YVTfy) The prize-winning design, a lighthouse in tha "i"'liiV Vl T S ff a (.. form of a cross, Is the work of an English archi- fKfStiHv JVvL''' w4l t V tect, twenty-four-year-old J. L. Greave of Not- wJliSW ')4lfe5W4r' la2s 4 tingham, and when the lighthouse is completed V4,PPi SN? F It will be unique among memorial structures efeiitVW Cf'P5 throughout the world. And certainly it will be YS$fi22sP IPt J&) tha kind of memorial which Columbus himself tfc&T x lV would have most desired this great beacon F'C-!r1',f " .aF" J wci .u. which shall safely guide the sailors of both tha v"yv?v vfeif '? Bea and the air who follow him to his last rest- F 'cJ" s. , & structeJ the great monument that now holds lng place in Santo Domingo. &iL.-v J the remalns of the discoverer and placed it in The prize design, according to Frank Lloyd rSfM'S'ltSsiSF3 the cathedral there- tneir hope was later to Wright, the Chicago architect and a member of S3 'PrT&' move this tomb t0 an aPPrPriate structure, the international jury, not only reflects a monu- wM3?j. " -r-v crowned by a lighthouse. Lack of funds made ment of distinguished and impressive simplicity, ftfeSsC M thiS lmPosslble' and lt was not UDt11 1914 that but It presents a memorial form with a purpose. ESS MS WTjR 3l 'A TeaU systematic labors were begun to bring "Anything in the nature of a monument," said PW& ! vffft about the builalDg of the memorial lighthouse Mr. Wright, "is today somewhat old-fashioned i TTTTfr v'Sv l'1 to be participated in by aU America, in thought. This happens to be more a memo- Lf" s t'n!?S'sC$('wQ ' Tue 'e!lder in this work was William E. Pul- rial than a monument in that it serves a use- ttii (l Yl llaa' aQ American tuen receiver of Dominican ful purpose. Through its radiated lighting, the ffit-J 4itM $! ' customs, whose labors resulted In enlisting the Columbus Cross will serve as both a good air &?''l JSwSI interest of editors and publicists throughout beacon and a good lighthouse. As a navigators' ferH-3 4'n'&' i North and South America. Mr. Pulllan also was and aviators' beacon it has, unlike many other fcJ, ''T'C T - W "le rst t0 aPPear before the house committee monuments, some reason for existence. The his- S1 0Q foreisn affairs, where he explained the pre- toric spot chosen for the memorial on Santo Do- Jfi "''.'t?!r' " ' Jpi-i-iri jected memorial and urged the United States mingo harbor, not far from the ruins of what V oX " government to participate in the proposal to was once the palace of Columbus' brother, Bar- rrstvV H" ""-vwrrr- make this testimonial of gratitude of all the tholomew, js an appropriate site for this endur- : V (''WPit WWi Americas to Columbus an assured fact, ing symbol 'of friendship between North and ij Jy4rK '1 Ll I'G But international support of the long-sought South America." J? . .V"ky memorial failed to crystallize until 1923 when From its harbor side the lighthouse will be AaC!j'ga.JLgC.&&a:ji. ("Ml the fifth international conference of American reached by a flight of broad low steps. Accord- states met at Santiago de Chile. Here a reso- iner to the desitrn the mnin entrnnpp parries lutlon. nronnspd hv the Dominican rtelpfntp. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON OLUMBUS DAY this year finds a long-discussed memorial to tha fa great navigator' nearer reality than , ever before, for an international ff a?y ur ' arch'tecl:3 nas announced 'Tj?rWnf 1 its selection of the prize-winning vAul II II deslSn fr tQe monumental light-Vl light-Vl yj house which is to stand facing tha i-5-t harbor of the City of Santo Do- mtmm. u' mingo in the Republic of Santo 4 Domingo in the West Indies. The prize-winning design, a lighthouse in tha form of a cross, Is the work of an English architect, archi-tect, twenty-four-year-old J. L. Greave of Nottingham, Not-tingham, and when the lighthouse is completed lt will be unique among memorial structures throughout the world. And certainly it will ba tha kind of memorial which Columbus himself would have most desired this great beacon which shall safely guide the sailors of both tha Bea and the air who follow him to his last resting rest-ing place In Santo Domingo. The prize design, according to Frank Lloyd Wright, the Chicago architect and a member of the international jury, not only reflects a monument monu-ment of distinguished and impressive simplicity, but it presents a memorial form with a purpose. "Anything in the nature of a monument," said Mr. Wright, "is today somewhat old-fashioned In thought. This happens to be more a memorial memo-rial than a monument in that it serves a useful use-ful purpose. Through its radiated lighting, the Columbus Cross will serve as both a good air beacon and a good lighthouse. As a navigators' and aviators' beacon it has, unlike many other monuments, some reason for existence. The historic his-toric spot chosen for the memorial on Santo Domingo Do-mingo harbor, not far from the ruins of what was once the palace of Columbus' brother, Bartholomew, Bar-tholomew, js an appropriate site for this enduring endur-ing symbol 'of friendship between North and South America." From its harbor side the lighthouse will be reached by a flight of broad low steps. According Accord-ing to the design the main entrance carries into a building which, as described by Mr. Wright, becomes a series of high cool canyons, the walls bearing sculptured motifs. Standing in the center of the largest canyon are six small altars. From these altars light is radiated upward up-ward through clefts (In the mass of the structure) struc-ture) in the pattern of a cross. It Is this lighting light-ing system that forms the air beacon. The revolving re-volving navigators' beacon (a horizontal beam) will be mounted at the center and highest part of the cross. In its memorial chapel there will be a tomb where the bones of Columbus, which some students believe to be in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, will be laid. While the harbor portal may be called the main entrance, there are two others almost as Impressive. They also form part of the setback design of the pyramidal pattern. There is a fourth portal at the diminishing point of the cross, affording a view of Santo Domingo's aviation avia-tion field. A vfoitor may enter at the harbor side, and after traversing the several canyons leave by a rear door. A terrace on top of the structure, struc-ture, also open to visitors, commands' a fine view of the harbor and city. The altars, which stand free nnd clear down the center of the major canyon, will tell through bas-reliefs the story of Columbus and his journey of discovery to a strange land. That there Is no Idea of height In the memorial me-morial structure, Mr. Wright considers an impressive im-pressive feature of the design. "Here is something some-thing finer In the Idea," said Mr. Wright, "something "some-thing a little more natural, a little more organic, a little more a part of the historic plot It is to commemorate. The simple thing, when you want to mark a spot, is to drive In a post, and in the case of most present-day monuments and skyscrapers sky-scrapers the higher the post the lietter. This memorial Is more like making a symbol (in this Instance a cross) on the ground and giving it architectural character that will endure for centuries. cen-turies. It Is earthquake-proof. In time, the Jungle may grow over it, it may disappear from sight, it may be rediscovered. But it will still j be a worthy symbol suitably commemorating a great discovery." More than$SOO,000 has already been contributed contrib-uted by this country for the monument, which will cost In the neigiinorhod of $l.r00,000. Santo Domingo and several South American cities have appropriated several hundred thousand dollars for the project, which is in charge of a committee com-mittee of the Tan American Union. So after more than half a century of persevering persever-ing effort, during which the idea of building a tilting memorial to the man who Is universally hailed as the discoverer of America was kept alive by a few enthusiastic Latin-Americans, the dream is nearer reality than ever before in this four hundred and fortieth year since Columbus Co-lumbus made his first epochal voyage. The honor of first suggesting the erection of a groat memorial lighthouse to the eternal glory ef Columbus belongs to a son of Santo Domingo, Do-mingo, whose people have for many generations, despite their small numbers and limited means, done so much to honor the name of the great navigator. Don Antonio de Monte y Tejada of Santo Domingo, the spot Columbus loved above 1. Christopher Columbus After an engraving by T. Johnson from the Lotto portrait owned by James W. Ellsworth of Chicago. 2. The Landing of Columbus in America. Painting by John Vanderlyn in the rotunda of the United States Capitoi at Washington, D. C. 3. Queen Isabella of Spain, who provided the money for Columbus' expedition. 4. The Caravels of Columbus at sea. 5. The Earliest Picture of the Landing of Columbus. Co-lumbus. A unique engraving made to illustrate an Italian poem by Guiliano Datl, printed In Florence In 1493, shortly after Columbus' return. This is from a facsimile of the original in the British museum and is reproduced here by courtesy cour-tesy of the Yale University Press, which secured it for an Illustration in the volume, "Adventurers "Adventur-ers in the Wilderness," In the Pageant of America Amer-ica series. s all other lands be discovered, wrote In 1SR2: "The time has arrived . . . when the verdict ver-dict of posterity should be proclaimed. This verdict ver-dict must be as noble, generous, memorable and eternal as his deeds. Let America proclaim it In unison, and let her acknowledge by all means that the honor of the discovery belongs to Columbus; Co-lumbus; that to him as the initiator of such great exploits are due the many discoveries that have been made by others to this day . . . and In order that this acknowledgment may be worthy of the New World, let us erect In the most visible and notable place in America, In a central point nnd where It may be visited by travelers as they approach her shores, the statue that his greatness and remembrance demand. "I designate as such a place, Cape Isabella, on the Island of Hispaniola. because there the first city in America was founded, and let It be designed by the best sculptor and paid with funds raised by popular subscription in all the cities of Europe and America. In order that this symbol may carry within itself all the attributes of perpetuity, let thpre be established in this statue a lighthouse so travelers from the Old and New Worlds may look full of gratitude and emotion toward that venerable Image, when they sight the first land from the sea." Nearly .".0 years after these stirring words were penned, another Dominican asked the nations na-tions of America to co-operate with ancient Llispaniola to the end that a fittine memorial be reared to Columbus on the spnt where he first stepped ashore on American soil. This man was Gen Grcgorin I.uperon, Panto Domingo's greatest great-est hero in her war against Spain in lSOIS-Or,. Although many statues have been dedicated in different lands to the honor of Columbus one of the most notable being erected in the Plaza of Santo Domingo City which has since been called the I'hi-a de Colon and his ashes have been enshrined in the cathedral in the city of Panto Dmningo, yet the idea of a monumental memorial conceived and built by all the people of America, would mt die. At the time (October 12, l'.C the feur hundredth hun-dredth anniversary of the discovery of America) Amer-ica) that the Santo Domingo government con structed the great monument that now holds the remains of the discoverer and placed it in the cathedral there, their hope was later to move this tomb to an appropriate structure, crowned by a lighthouse. Lack of funds made this Impossible, and lt was not until 1914 that really systematic labors were begun to bring about the building of the memorial lighthouse to be participated in by all America. The leader in this work was William E. Pulllan, Pul-llan, an American, then receiver of Dominican customs, whose labors resulted In enlisting the interest of editors and publicists throughout North and South America. Mr. Pulllan also was the first to appear before the house committee on foreign affairs, where he explained the projected pro-jected memorial and urged the United States government to participate In the proposal to make this testimonial of gratitude of all the Americas to Columbus an assured fact. But international support of the long-sought memorial failed to crystallize until 1923 when the fifth international conference of American states met at Santiago de Chile, Here a resolution, reso-lution, proposed by the Dcyninlcan delegate, Julio M. Cestero, and unanimously adopted, resolved, re-solved, "To recommend that all the American republics unite to honor the memory of Christopher Chris-topher Columbus by the erection of a monumental monumen-tal lighthouse, which will bear his name on the coast of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Domini-can republic, and which shall be built with the co-operation of the governments and people of America and any others who may so desire." On June 27, 1927, the congress of the United States ratified the action, resolving, "that the several states be notified of the desire of the people of the United States to participate In this movement to honor the memory of the great navigator and discoverer." Meanwhile the governing committee of the Pan-American Union, having taken steps to secure se-cure Pan-American co-operation, resolved In April, 1927, "that the Columbus lighthouse be erected on the coast of Santo Domingo, since this site is the most appropriate one for rendering ren-dering homage to the memory of the great navigator. navi-gator. This coast was the first land touched In the journey which discovered the continent; lt was there that the vision of the New World, given to civilization by the genius of Columbus and the zeal of Spain, assumed reality; it was in Ilispaniola that Columbus wishes his ashes to rest and there receive the veneration of America, and it is but just that the monument to his glory should be erected on the scene of bis fortunes and misfortunes, near the site of the first colonial city nnd near the tomb where the piety of a nation has for centuries done reverence rev-erence to his remains. "And in order that the offering may be more nearly perfect and more genuinely expressive of the significance of the discovery, of the measure meas-ure of progress and well being brought to humanity hu-manity by the store of natural wealth on the continent discovered by Columbus, and of the contribution of culture brought to civilization by the intellectual labor of America, the committee commit-tee believes it would be fitting for each American Amer-ican nation to send in addition to pecuniary contribution, con-tribution, a portion of earth from its soil to be deposited at the base of the monument and a product of its art or Industry to be used In the building, thereby giving real symbolic significance signifi-cance of what is most fundamental and most sacred in the national existence of each country." coun-try." The unanimity of thought, labor and expense that animates all the 21 states of North, South and Central America in bringing about the design de-sign and construction of this great memorial Is one more proof and the greatest that Columbus Co-lumbus holds first place in the hearts of all men. Of almost equal significance to the United States is the further concrete evidence that In building this memorial the Pan-American Union has actually become something more than a paper union held together by on Imposing building build-ing In Washington. Further links in the tl-os which bind Pan-Ameriea may in oonsefpjenee from this unity of effort be expected In the coming com-ing years and these links may well he of the greatest Importance to the integrity of this nation. na-tion. by Western Nfcwapal.tr Union.) |