The commission form of government has been adopted by Wichita, and one of the five commissioners is in charge of parks and public works. The park system is composed of nine parks, with shaded lawns, drives and winding streams. Riverside Park is the largest, with an area of 140 acres, and contains a zoological collection with buffalo, lions, deer, ostriches and other specimens.
A Bridge Spanning the Arkansas River, Wichita
In the construction of its public works and buildings Wichita has placed permanence first. A good example of this policy may be found in the reinforced concrete bridge crossing the Arkansas River, of great beauty in design, it is built to withstand the ages. The main roadway is 40 feet wide with two 8-foot walks. The seven spans have a total length of 550 feet.
A Residence Street, Wichita
It has been said of Wichita that its homes make it a city of genuine contentment. Its people are, as a rule, homeowners. The illustration is one of the newer residence streets and shows the simple graceful lines now most in vogue in the domestic architecture of the city. In some of the older residence sections, where the trees have had time for growth, the streets are arched by foliage—a cause of general comment from visitors who think of Kansas as a treeless prairie land.
The City Hall, Wichita
Almost twenty-five years ago the people of Wichita showed their confidence in the certain growth of their city by the building of a City Hall that would be a credit to any city of 200,000 population. Architecturally it is one of the most impressive structures in the city, and its size insures ample space for years to come. Until a few years ago the city government was conducted on the old plan of mayor, councilmen and other elective officials. Now a mayor commissioner and four other commissioners constitute the city government.