Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1919 — DESIGNED FOR THE CURIOUS [ARTICLE]

DESIGNED FOR THE CURIOUS

Not Hard to Trace Origin arid Reason for the Gazebo in Architectural Designs. . . No name could be more descriptive than gazebo for a building, whether It assume the form of a tower or balcony. Which was erected for the purpose of enabling anyone to gaze about: anri -there is no need to hunt throughthe pages of a dictionary for the origin of so obvious a term. Curiosity is common to the race, and contrivances, of all kinds have been - called for throughout the r.ges. ami will continue to he. w enable penpfp to pry into their neighbors' affairs; and architeetural solutions of the problem nirnst always be as interesting as they have f r>~epienll y’ Proved most pi on;.re<<y; ( ■. Doubtless in the remotest ..antiquity, such mentis of prying were in vogue, and the hanging gardens of Babylon may have presvnted ? replicas of the -troverswvf-Rent* or . Chambers ; brrt we will go no further back for examples than Pliny's villfi at Laurentmti. The Plinys, as we know, were of a very inquiring turn of mind,' and are most appropriately comtnemorated at Como, their supposed birthplace, on the west front of the cathedral, by a sculptured representation of each engaged in looking out oFa wrindow. Thus it was That .when Pliny the Younger built his celebrated villa he gave it two towers, and as they could be used neither for defense in such a place nor for smoking, rooms at Sfieh -a period, we. can only suppose them to, have been erected to serve as gazbbos where he could IbblFlnt^(vThe'gfdutiTlsriif ami watch their incomings and outgoings.—J. Travenor Perry in Architect (England). ' .