, 1874-06-21

zog 1eet. lie had studied the subject ia Paris
| ano "1tn wlse forethought OF the future h,
tr1ea - secure width OF 400 feet for these ave
nuea, n1e succeeded only in getting 200, ant
ana1 Win difficulty. The construction OF
TIE GRAND And DRE1H. poU1EyARDs,
however, has been Of more value Is lesson K
on our he S,sseqs than any amount Of talk or writing
unnn lsited, and affording only 3 suggestion oj
the beauty they will attain hereafter, when tht
tfees snail have assumed their full proportions
Eng me nnest specimens Of private and public
oul1oines IN the city shalt line their sides, they
are ALREADY source Of pride and pleasure to ou1
citizens. as is amply evinced by the multitude OF
visitors By whom they are thronged in eYery
saflety Of elegant aquipage on every pleasant
deir.a day. Yet these beautiful and attractive
uf19ee tinpe - are ~ remote from the central por-
weary and dusty drive Of 3 miles through
monotonouH businesB or residence streets that
their nearest point Is reached.
LEI ns Try to imagine now what would be tho
elect ii these avenues had their starting Doint
from the heart OF the city, and
OTHERS OF CORRESPONDING ELEdANcE
radiated from the same central point to the sar-
rounding parks and adjacent suburbs. Is it not
obvious that property on the lines OF such are
nues would be increased in value to degree
sufficient At least to balance the amount thus
appropflated7 Is it not equally obyious TINT
the division OF the city into sections, separated
from each other BY avenues OF such breadth,
PAotAEIA HasL1 EOulHuOuH TCHS O1 Trees. ToulQ
nish the best possible safeguard against vide
spread contagrations, Of which we are today in
Little less danger than before tho experience
which las cost us 50 dearly7
Ard finally, is there ary possible means by
which the beauty, health, md attractive interest
OF the city In the eyes Of citizens aud strangers
could have bcen promoted to such degree AZ By
thus providing such gardens as the ornamental
grounds Of these bouleyards would afford. With
EASY ACCESS OF EVERY MANS DOOR ?
Only few years since, these avenues might
nave taken their starting point ut Twelfth street
with no more difficulty than mas experienced
afterward i'll securing them two ual|es further
SOUTH. But Twelfth street was then far out in
the country. and Penny-Wisa aaanciers could not
be- made to believe that the city would extend
miles beyond it before single generation had
passed away- Is it yet m i1nposBiDiuty to extend
Dre1el Boulevard to Tweuty-second street By
widening Cottage Grove avenue throughout its
whole length It is worth tho consideration OF
property-owners as a means of increasing tho
value OF real estate on both sides. II Grand
Boulevard were also extended by widening South
Park aTenne to its junction with Cottage Grove
avenue,-lt ts safe to say that nothing in this
country could compare in extent and rnarpid~
cence With the circuit thus incloscd. 1t Is idle
to "look mourufully into the past except
that it may help us s'wlsely to improve the
present"
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO-DAY TO PRESERVE
oHA DtaAatl9 tuH pTG6euL bkfE6L6, &1u the areas
which yet remain unoccupied, OF may be se-
cured for public use within easy access OF the
buslress cen1Te OF the city?
Wabash avenue ID probably doomed to he sac-
Thced to the necessities OF the public ty the in
PRODUCTION Of horse-cale. which will involve the
widening OF the roadway and tho removal OF
many OF the tees which line it's sides. Many
tine avenues will still be left, though Michigan
il the only one extending north OF Sixteenth
street which is at present available for orua-
mental use, and even Michigan suffers very
serious injury and deterioration of value OF
property between Sixteenth and Fourteenth
streets, by the vicinity OF the plague spot,
known IS - The Patch (which renders Indiana
avenue uninhabitab]e for the same distance.
II the whole of that delcctable region wero 1
secured by the city aud converted into public
ornamental ground, the increased taxable value
of all the adjacent property would render the
improvement
4 PROFITABLE INVESTMENT.
The opportunities for such improvements ara
comparatively rare near the central part of the
city, but vast region which ia still in q tran
each OF the three great dlyisiops, and extends
from it with an annually increasing radius in
which Improvements are still possible. which
would add intellectually to the future beauty aud
elegance Of the city, but the opportunity for
which will soon be lost forever. When We think
with sigh Of what our city might have been to-
day had we improved the opportunities OF yes-
tefday, can ne suffer ourselves to repeat the sin
II omission for which VIC lare no longer the ex-
,use OF inexperiencs7 H. W. S. CLEVELAND.