New-York tribune., 1883-12-21

taste would use. The worst that can De said,
however, about these houses, II they arc pun
somewhere out of sight, is that they are useless
and wasteful. Not so with several other proJects
of the Board Mr.. Wales in one OF his frequeht
commentaries on the rather obscure text Oh tne
budget invites attention to work winch Il
consummated will be the most glaring disiigure-
ment of the Park since Mr. Sweeny dug out
collars and laid foundations for his bear stables
in the North Meadow This is the so-called
- Queen Anne cottage and stables on the crest
of Mt. st. Vincent.
Mr.. Wales asserts that petition for the tav-
ern and stables signed by 500 people has Deen
handed to him. petition with 5000 slgners
could be had any day in the week asking lor
bowling alley or beer saloon on the green buC
ritter all, if it is granted that house OF retresh
mentn the North Park is desirable, there GER
tainy is critical question about its location. All
artificial structures in park designed In the
natural manner should be introduced only In
tho most cautious way. 1t is plain that a build
ing unskilfully planned or placed can ruin the
landscape effects of the Park-that is, the Park
itself. Did the eight hundred petitioners de-
sign this cottage or mark its place on the map
If not, who did 1t is the duty of the Com
missioncrs TO sec that the completed design OF
the Park shall be preserved. Hero Is a work
entirely out of harmony with the simple motive
of the pleasure ground 1t stands as VOciier-
GUS denial Of what the Park as whole asserts.
1t destroys the unity of the work, and violates
every canon of good taste. Mr.. Wales mas
often declared his admiration for the ability OF
Mr. Olmsted as a landscape architect. IL Is
TO be presumed that in a matter OF such import
once he would have asked Mr.. Olmsted's ad-
vice. Has he done so? Has any one whose
Judgment stands as worth something in the re-
public of art given any Endorsement 10 thlS
scheme, or have the Commissioners themselves
assumed to alter the design of the Park and
murder its finest effects by journey work OF TINS
sort
The old restaurant building was standing
when the Park ground was bought 1t did not
belong there. 1t was tolerated for time ana
the fire gave an opportunity to treat the emil
ncnce-onc of the kcypOints for landscape effect
AS it deserved. Instead of this, however,
S25. 900 has already been spent in blasting
down the summit of the hill and $4,000 more
is asked for its further Disagreement. Money
is actually spent to destroy what Nature mas
furnished and which other parks would give
hundreds of thousands of dollars to possess.
Instead of emphasizing this point and making
the most of it, it is blasted down and an lncon-
gruous building is thrust out upon the wheel
way to dissipatc all thought of the country and
force the city upon the visitor who is trying to
escape from it. II the tavern was necessity II
could have been inconspicuously placed. Tree
masked and cosey, ifwcll planned for varied use,
it could have done little harm and perhaps some
good. But now it Is an abomination. The work
should be arrested before itprocccds iurthcrand
the natural beauty of the hill should be restored.