The City Beautiful Movement and the Karl G. Maeser Building
September 5, 2012 During the 1890s and early 1900s architects
and city planners developed a philosophy aimed at improving
American cities through the use of grandeur and beautification.
The City Beautiful Movement renewed appreciation for neo-
classical and beaux-art asthetics and their emphasis on the
necessity of order, dignity, and harmony in architecture. It
also called for the elimination of urban slums and the
beautification of cities in order to create moral and civic
virtue among urban populations. This movement greatly influenced
city planning and architecture across the country. The Karl G.
Maeser Memorial Building’s neoclassical architecture and
beautiful location on the brow of the hill overlooking Provo are
clear indications of the impact that the City Beautiful Movement
had on the architectural firm responsible for its
construction–Ware and Treganza. Brad Westwood, an expert on the
history of the Maeser Building, has argued that Ware and