New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-12
A NEI0HBORHOOD PARK.

How can citizen Of moderate means but OF Guilt
waited rural taste, secure country homo in region
where Land Ia dear, and where the purchase and the
improvement and the care of anything beyond very
few acres are If rot above his ambition at least far
beyond his reach This question, interesting to 80
many who now pine within the psntup confines Of city
Streets and who long for the pure air and ennobng in
fuences Of country hfe while they fear to make the
sIps rnert Of qusrerscre in some suburban village,
or two-acre lot little further country ward, is in
fair way of finding satisfactory solution at Orange,
n. j., by the construction Of a NEIGHBoRHooD PARK.
Tie ides it is true is not altogether q one. The
laying out Of tract of land with walks and drives, to
be used by joint propnetos was to some extent realized
in the Victoria Park, near Birmingham, England. In
that block of houses |, erected in the center OF do
main and the surrounding grounds laid out to suit
the common taste. Our private city parks are made
on similar plan the househodsrs st. Johns and
Gianercy Parks having the exclusive right Of using
them snd paying regular annual sssessmsnt for their
maintenance. But LleweDyn Park on the south east
ery slope of Orange mountains has this claim TO or
isDsty that il Is IN application Of the idea to conn-
Try plsces Of ten twenty acres instead OF to three
story houses in the city.
Some three years since Mr.. l.. 3. HSkel OF TINS
City, merchant Of ample fortune and cultivated rural
tastss in connection with several other gentlemen
purchased tract Of I've Elk hundred acres. with the
understanding that portion of il should be converted
into park and the sinder made into villa stes
TIE site they selected is on the ssstsry slope Of the
Orange mountains, which here forms inclined plane
starting from an elevated plateau which is the vii
lsee of Orsrge and scening westerly At moderate
made for about mile, until surnountsd by rugged
bfob thA If tha nj
Ly1 opposite to wgvsm Valley the view is not shut
in BY hills 40 at points above and below but from the
higher points the spectator spresd out beneath him
landscape Of one hundred and twenty miles Of coun
.ry, including the Cities of Ne vYork Brooklyn, New
AK, and Elizabeth; the yi.gss Of Orange, Railway,
Bloomfield, ard Esgl.toni the bays Of New York and
Newark the NaroEs, the Ocean beyond, the Pail
ssdes and the Hudson River.
Ater ride Of one mile from the railway station we
con to the quaint lodge at the entrance to the Park
which IL eel back tso hundred and fifty feet from the
public road. Two curved avenues, which leave the
public read at points three hundred apart meet at
tte rustic gate, and merge into one broad sPprosch.
The lodge circular in form made Of boulder' Of trap,
ard covered With bell-shsped roof which at ia apex
IL pierced By chimney Of red sandstone. The ate
po.s are made In the Same style az the lodge, and Of
unequal hight the ooe reIt the lodge being very tai
and COM ecsd with by porch, supported BY rough
poets and rooted with bark. The entrance roads are
bordeted By Hateful rustic fence, behind which
planted sroups of Norway spruce, hemlocks, Gbor-
vita, pIus punelio, and white and Austrian pines 80
arranged a. to hide the adjacent places and tue village.
On the souttsrIy side Of the entrance two at6 dsi
ponds bordered by slopng banks. On the further side
Of the frst one IL rustic kiosk, whose msnygsblsd
roof surniOunted BY Large oak knot. TIE knoll 90
which Il stands n planted With evergreens aud decd
uous trees and Of the waters edge rnododendrons,
holly busb.s, and sures Further back, brook PUSHES
in milky rapids from under al sched stoos bridge,
After which il collected INTO brosd srnooth pond,
end Asn snryiry BY . vs.srfsu into another and