Chauncey Hurlbut Memorial Gate
East Jefferson at the intersection of Cadillac Boulevard just northeast
of
Gabriel Richard Park and the Brodhead Naval Armory
This impressive gate reminds us of the architectural
beliefs that guided the use of urban public spaces in the late 19th century.
In that era of horse-drawn transportation and smoky bituminous coal,
cities
were extremely densely packed and dirty places, so cemeteries, parks and
waterworks provided open and clean spaces. The architectural philosophies
of that time
called for the erection of impressive gates as openings to these public spaces
separating the tranquility of a park or cemetery from the congested
and dirty
city. An excellent example of this in Detroit is the Gothic arch portal that
Gordon Lloyd designed for Elmwood Cemetery in 1882. Perhaps the nation's
most
magnificent illustration of using a monument to distinguish a park from the
city is the beautiful and massive arch in the Grand Army Plaza entrance
to
Prospect Park on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn designed by Sanford White.
Chauncey Hurlbut served on the Detroit Board of Water Commissioners in the late 19th century and willed his wealth to beautify the 110-acre waterworks on East Jefferson. Herman Brede, who was born in Copenhagen, came to Detroit as an infant, and Gustave Mueller, who was born in Germany but migrated to Detroit after architectural training in France and service with the French company that attempted to construct a Panama Canal, were chosen to design a formal gate for Detroit's waterworks. Using Bedford limestone, they produced the elaborate three tiered triumphal arch that you see today. It is 132 feet in length and more than 50 feet high. Carved garlands, water fonts and roundels decorating the gate reflect the tastes of the Victorian Age. It also reminds us that patriotism is not just a post 9-11 phenomenon since the American eagle with its outstretched wings soars about this Brede-Mueller masterpiece.
Some restoration work was accomplished in the 1990s, but more is needed. The stairways are closed, the two small fountains on the front no longer spout water, and the statue of Chauncey Hurlbut that once stood inside the attractive dome is missing. The architects designed an ornamental iron gate for vehicle entry, but this is no long evident. In addition, a light pole of Jefferson interrupts appreciation of this monument.
There is another important story embodied in Waterworks Park. In the 1830s, early public health studies demonstrated that purified city water could drastically reduce the spread of many contagious diseases. One of the early leaders of the public health movement, John Snow, convincingly demonstrated that London residents who used purified city water did not get cholera and other such diseases while those who relied on wells did. This is one of the clearest examples of how scholarly findings can greatly change public policies to improve the welfare of citizens. At that time, most city residents depended upon wells or polluted streams, ponds and rivers. Cities—as soon as their resources permitted—began constructing municipal water and sewer systems, but this was a slow and expensive process. Detroit began its city water system with a waterworks at the foot of Orleans in 1836. Two years later the city began laying iron—not wooden—water pipes. The prosperity of Detroit after the post-Civil War era allowed it to develop a municipal water system, thereby greatly reducing death rates. In 1868, the city began building Waterworks Park at the corner of Cadillac and Jefferson and, by 1900, it was the second most used park in the city. Indeed, the city's substantial investments in its water system were so extensive that, early in the 21st century, residents from Port Huron to Ypsilanti are drinking water they purchase from the city of Detroit.
Architects: Herman A. Brede and Gustave Mueller
Date of Completion: 1894
Architectural Style: Beaux Arts
State Historical Register: Listed July 26, 1974
National Register of Historical Sites: Listed March 27, 1975
Photo: Andrew Chandler; July, 2004
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