The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-12-28
The Proposed Invaaion OF the Park by th
Post OMcc-Rcasons Why It Should Z
RAaisfed.

| Resistod.
| Although the tabling Of the resolutions in
the Board of Aldermen for the sale of the pro-
posed Post Office site in the Park has tempo
rarily postponed the ratification of that Esau
like bargain, the public must not be thrown off
their guard by it. The present Board, II Is
true, goes out of Office next week, but renewed
efforts will be made to have the sale confirmed
before their term expires, and there Is no know
ing what influences may be brought to bear
upon the majority in the meanwhile. There
are interests at work in this matter which will
spare neither money nor pains to carry the mea-
sure through, and it is therefore important that
no time should be lost in securing strong and
immediate expression of public opinion upon
the subject.
In order that there may be no misapprehen-
sion as to the importance Of the considerations
involved In this question, let us just state what
they are In the first place, we are asked to
give up to the Post Office Department one of
the few green spots-oases in the midst of a
brick wilderness-left to us at this end of the
city. Constituting, as it does, one Of the lungs
! of our population and forming also one of the
great centred of traffic, it is obvious that
every thing that tends to cucumber and
choke it up must have an injurious
influence not merely on the public health, but
on the public convenience. Instead of placing
additional buildings in the Park, the experience
of all large communities teaches us that we
should endesvor, if possible, to increase its
area and that, costly as it would be, it would
be even expedient, as regards the future, to re-
move the edifices that are already upon it.
| The value Of centres of ventilation like this,
in crowded city, is too clearly demonstrated
| to admit of contradiction, even from the most
ardent advocates of the proposed site. Subor-
dinating, however, these sanitary conadera-
tions to the question of general convenience,
how does this scheme recommend itself? Ad-
hitting, for argument sake, that the site would
| be a central one, has it never, we will ask,
struck its partizans that it may be too much so,
and that the endorsements to which it would
| lead might soon render it q nuisance? Situated
at the point of conveyance between two of the
| greatest thoroughfares of the city-the throat,
as itwere, of Broadway and of the Bowery-and
| which is already too narrow for he immense
traffic that pours through it, what will
| it be, when to this accumulation of
vehicles and passengers are added the
crowds that the Post Office necessarily
will attract? 1t is evident that it must bring
the whole living stream that pours along these
channels to dead lock, and occasion accidents
innumerable. AS to females approaching the
Post Office from either Park row or Broadway,
IL ~ he svrx tha;r Iro
Of course can be no chance whatever.
There is another question which has been lost
sight of in the discussion of this matter, which
II seems to us should have been the first taken
into consideration. Is tho situation itself
adapted to the internal necessities Of the Post
Office? We are satisfied that it is moi. In
public department like this, where economy of
time is Of the first Importance, IL is essential
that all the Offices should be on the ground floor.
The ascending and descending of stairs occa-
sion delays, which are, to say the least Of them
desirable to be avoided. This consideration
has been carefully consulted in the construction
Of all the great central Post Offices abroad, as,
for instance, in those of London, Paris Berlin
| and Vienna The ground covered by all
these buildings is Of wide extent, whilst their
| elevation is low. Now, the site pro-
posed to be alocated to our new Post Office
forms a cone, the base Of which IL not half wide
enough to supply the space required for such an
| edi6ce. The building must either be made to
| front on Broadway or on Park row, to comply
with the condition just specified, and even then
the area would not be large enough for the
| purpose. Ii should be recollected, besides, that
| in the construction of q new Post Office for our
city, provision must be made for a quadrangle
lar court in it's Interior to serve for the reception
of the mail carts. II is obvious that 1t would
neither be convenient nor safe for them to load
in Broadway, and as soon rs a general city post
comes into operation the necessity of such an
arrangement will be at once felt
Since the plans Of the proposed site have
been before the department In Washington, an
alteration has been made in them, the advan-
tage Of which we do not very clearly perceive.
The original proposition was, IL will be remem-
bcred, to run thoroughfare through the Park
in straight line from Park place TO Beekman
street, and TO appropriate to the Post Office all
the ground south of this line. Under the pur-
chase deed, as IL now stands, this new street
takes more slanting direction north
ward, directly connecting Park place
and Spruce street The effect of
this would be not only to cut up and dis6gure
what would remain of the Park, but also to
add to the Post Once site sharp angle, which
would be Of no use, unless the building we're
Ito be made to run obliquely from Broadway to-
wards the Bowery, which is not possible. II
will be seen from these facts that In no possible
way could the new Post Office be rendered
either convenient or ornamental on the pro-
posed site, but that, on the contrary, il must be-
come, in the course Of time, source Of the
greatest embarrassment and difficulty TO the
traffic Of our principal thoroughfares