# Terminating vista

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{{short description|Building or monument at the end of a view}}
{{refimprove|date=September 2013}}
[[File:Palacio3.JPG|thumb|270x270px|The [Legislative Palace of Uruguay](/source/Legislative_Palace_of_Uruguay) in [Montevideo](/source/Montevideo) completes the terminating vista of [Libertador Avenue](/source/Libertador_Avenue).]]
[[Image:Presidential Building, Taiwan (0747).JPG|thumb|right|The [Presidential Office Building](/source/Presidential_Office_Building%2C_Taipei) in [Taipei](/source/Taipei) serves as the terminating vista for [Ketagalan Boulevard](/source/Ketagalan_Boulevard).|270x270px]]
[[File:Bath House Rotorua 12 (31081869504).jpg|thumb|right|[Rotorua Museum](/source/Rotorua_Museum) is the terminating vista of the main walkway through [Government Gardens](/source/Government_Gardens) in [Rotorua](/source/Rotorua), New Zealand.|270x270px]]
[[File:St. Peter's Basilica (51188242904).jpg|thumb|right|Ground level view of the [Via della Conciliazione](/source/Via_della_Conciliazione) in Rome, of which [St. Peter's Square](/source/St._Peter's_Square) is both the terminating vista and the border with the [Vatican](/source/Vatican_City).|270x270px]]
In [urban design](/source/urban_design), a '''terminating vista''' is a [building](/source/building) or an object such as a [monument](/source/monument) that stands within view in the [sightline](/source/Sightline_(architecture)) or at the end or the middle of a [road](/source/road)<!-- , so that when one is looking up the street the view ends with the site -->.

==Function==
Terminating vistas are considered an important method of adding aesthetic appeal to a city, and to emphasize important structures or monuments.  Common terminating vistas include government buildings, [war memorial](/source/war_memorial)s, [courthouse](/source/courthouse)s and other important structures.  Standing at the end of a street adds grandeur to a structure, and legislature and palaces are thus often placed in such a locale. Also, especially on east–west streets, terminating vistas provide sunshade for pedestrians.

A notable disadvantage of terminating vistas is that they make [traffic](/source/traffic) more complicated and prevent a simple grid system of city blocks. To accommodate them, large [traffic circle](/source/traffic_circle)s or other techniques have to be employed to manage traffic around the monument.  Cities on a grid system such as [New York City](/source/New_York_City) thus have few terminating vistas. A prominent NYC exception is the controversial [MetLife Building](/source/MetLife_Building), which was built ''on top'' of [Park Avenue](/source/Park_Avenue_(Manhattan)).

==Examples of terminating vistas==
A city particularly known for its terminating vistas is [Paris](/source/Paris), where many of the largest streets end in monuments and structures such as the [Arc de Triomphe](/source/Arc_de_Triomphe), [Palais Garnier](/source/Palais_Garnier) or the [Panthéon](/source/Panth%C3%A9on%2C_Paris). Another well-known example is [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), where, most notably, the [United States Capitol](/source/United_States_Capitol) provides the terminating vista for [North](/source/North_Capitol_Street), [South](/source/South_Capitol_Street), and [East Capitol Street](/source/East_Capitol_Street)s, as well as the [National Mall](/source/National_Mall) and either side of Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and [Pennsylvania Avenue](/source/Pennsylvania_Avenue)s (which are all bisected by the Capitol, turning into pedestrian walkways around the edifice).<ref>[http://www.millenniumgate.net/DChistory.htm A Monumental Capital]</ref> Other notable terminating vistas include [Buckingham Palace](/source/Buckingham_Palace), located at the end of [The Mall](/source/The_Mall%2C_London), and [St. Peter's Square](/source/St._Peter's_Square), at the end of [Via della Conciliazione](/source/Via_della_Conciliazione).

[Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia)'s [City Hall](/source/Philadelphia_City_Hall) is another example,<ref>[http://zilbine1.weebly.com Terminating Vista – Strategic Location of Monument]</ref> situated on Penn Square where [Broad](/source/Broad_Street_(Philadelphia)) and [Market](/source/Market_Street_(Philadelphia)) Streets intersect. The two streets form the north–south and east–west axes of the city's core grid, leaving the large masonry structure visible from all sections of the city.

An unusual situation exists on [Bay Street](/source/Bay_Street) in [Toronto](/source/Toronto), where the [clock tower](/source/clock_tower) of [Old City Hall](/source/Old_City_Hall_(Toronto)) lies at the northern end of the segment south of [Queen Street West](/source/Queen_Street_(Toronto)). However, Bay Street is a through street that curves to the west, intersecting Queen Street West at a 45-degree angle before curving back north along the western edge of Old City Hall and continuing towards [Davenport Road](/source/Davenport_Road). In a similar manner, the Thomson Building and [Munich Re](/source/Munich_Re) Centre [office tower](/source/office_tower)s act as a vista for the northern section of Bay Street heading south.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Terminating vistas}}
*[http://www.urbanindy.com/2010/04/29/the-lost-art-of-the-terminated-vista "The lost art of the Terminated Vista"] - UrbanIndy description
*[http://www.placemakers.com/2012/04/12/get-to-know-the-awkwardly-named-terminated-vista "Get to Know the Awkwardly-Named 'Terminated Vista'"] - Placemakers

Category:Terminating vistas
Category:Urban studies and planning terminology

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Terminating vista](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminating_vista) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminating_vista?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.