The New York herald., 1877-02-28
OUR PUBLIC PARKS
The Morningside, Riverside and
East River Parks.
COMMISSIONERS MARTINS REPORT.
HOW These City Lungs Can
Be Made Available.
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ADVANTAGES

-%
Tho report Of President William r. Martin, of ths
Department Of Public Parks nearly al Of which viii
be found below, contains an amount Of Information
and data that will be interesting to the taxpayers anC
the general public OF New York This report, al
though submitted TO the Park Commissioners long
ago as the month OF May last, ordcred to be
printed only days ago. has not been until now
gwen to the public.
The parks now treated OF are tho Morningsde,
Riverside the East River and the two tranges at the
intersections OF the Boulevard aud Ninth avenue al
Sixty third and Sixty-sixih streets-
President Martin states that the contract for the
Riverside Park was given last year Messrs. N. II.
Decker Il Co. for the sum OF $3.50 600. This, 1t il
claimed, Is about onethird OF tho sum which under
Mr. Green's management estn ated Tor the work.
Besldes the new plan, in addition to supplying the
want OF an avenue, also furnishes paths and drives
throughout tho entire park. The first plan OF the
Riverside Park avenue would have, according TO Mr..
Green's calculations, tho city ST. 500 0OO-so Mr..
Martin Is understood to state.
There arc at present about 500 men employed the
Riverside Park improvements under tho contractors
whose names have already been gwen above and IN
the course of three four weeks, when the frost
shall have left the ground SO that mason work may be
carried on, double this number Will be set TO work
ADVANTAGES or THE NEW PARKS.
These have been by the city for park pur
should be done bring their great natural advantages Into
use ana TO make then contoute 70 the pubic
.hi slight
II had be e,e.t"d and the expense wa. very
ns small ss Which esa to e aaea and
planted The Moningsde Riverside and East River Parks
% d sy IN The
Ssn g. tor s M md o o n the
lawns groves and single trees ana o. M points OF extended
psrss Ps o anything Ina" mas ever boo"
Ths Mon,nssias Park Is steep, rocky docivity the
that bounds 1t the with rough natural surface
capable of nn effective park treatment
The East River PARK though but Of small has
good surface and "a u h, hae prospect ,,pN .,,,,.
condition, are % nI available for sas rs
twenty Of cultivation and heavy expenditure. All
that they need is TO BE- laid open to the public by snale
They be made In three months more servceabe to the
THE RIVERSIDE PARK.
from ssvon,y-sesona g, 70 iso.h street and contain:
aa map ss the M.p a
on March 1865 under the provisions Of chapter 6s
o""sr%Ato" % nj ton of the report commissioners Est,
mate - ana 81 % on the "a of AuSu s2 81 T rAs
ss srsa i' om DAi hshiH .Senut Hudson Ksss
s s@a msss .s% pase park was
which S ss saSs
the law of 1907 sloped from the Eighth avenue down to
the banks Of the river known Riverside Park
required BY those grades 70 be cut down from 50 TO ioo
Under of the Legislature the exterior
finally little ~sss about 800 feet @ from the
Twelfth This cut the grades Of the streets as then
edge, and rendered the grades impracticabe. -
They were rendered mpr"cticaoe also oy the enormous
country which required the cutting down Of the hills
TIMES the 'o.. value Of the property and be wo.e
si s Tsf
be treated table land and the top and sides q the bluff
useless Tor other purposes and this reatment saved an
b sS bse
pied the lawns and grounds in front Of the
Under the law Of 1867 an avenue was laid out of even
border and park occupied the slope toward the river
park into and estimate of It's
was made 1t was aseertained that separate
which would have to .e sustained it's
srs"s height .ha. the park would be dwarIsd and
inaccessible and shs. the expense WSa would be very
Of 1878 chapter $50. new plan was adopted rhe
Ss ses IS 1875 I'M S g.
r PJ The feature of this plan was to state briefly that
system paths adopted which satisfied the
% Of ss oa ana s pspt s w' s
avenue alone To tis the line Of
the westward and OF the park surface was included in
As Il now nds therefore. the Riverside territory in
cudns both park and avenue comes under method Of
treatment The avenue Is not level within
parallel lines of width OF 100 feet bordering the
park and separated om the Finn Avenu. 4 from ihs
with the Riverside series of drives and paths laid
through it, II also the OF avenue and
to the houses on the property lnc The ad
this =, the ey ns to the the public !" E that T.
mrnt, and the property that their front
unique in this respect that they border directly the
park and overlook II with splendid river views.
Topography of Me Ierfiory
This Riverside territory extends from to
l3Oth street. along the banks OF the Hudson River 1t Is
three miles long, and from 100 500 feet wide ls west
edge is the Twelfth at the river level Its
erly the upper slopes OF the bun
eray 10 la feet above the river This Intervening
space covered with sloping lawns we'll rounded hills
steep decvities The elevations command ne views
anywhere the banks OF the Hudson II is
mentcd with OF lofty trees and with and
single OF great size. vauc and rarity There Is
nothing along the whole stretch OF the Hudson pic
turesaue and beautiful.
Increased Tnr Vdiurtioa
This land taken for the bile and the
confirmed the I'd day Of August, 1872 and
iolows:-
On private property ................. 3,lO4.479