St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-08
The Park Commission, After Long De-
bate, Goes Against the Thirty-Fourth
Street Boulevard.
Gilmore Arrives in the City, and Two
Concerts are Given to Large
Audiences.
Arguments at Length Completed in
the Much Discussed Regents
Railroad Case.
Special Term at Court--The Realty
Trade Last Week--A Failure--
General Briefs.
BOULEVARD ABANDONED.
The Park Commission Throws up
the Lower Line.

The Park Commission ThToNs up
the Lower Line.
The park commission yesterday DECIDED
to abandon the boulevard connecting the
Mississippi and Lake Harriet and artlculat-
ing the Summit avenue boulevard Ill d.
Paul. This was the result OF long us
cusson, in which the expense OF the pro
posed boulevard, whether on lnlrIy-lo'tltn
or Thirty-eighth streets. would De Wntn
completed not less than soVo'oOo 1he
question came up on motion 10 pay Iof
small piece of land near Bloomington aV-
enue on the line laid out.
Mr.. Oswald said there was entirely too
mnch confusion and delay in the boulevard
matter and moved to abandon the entire
nroiect. Mr.. Bracket said that was his idea,
If the entire connection was to be abandoned
and Col. King concurred, if it meant the
whole boulevard between the Mississippi
river and Lake Harriet. Gov. Pillsbury
thought too much money had now been eX-
pended to permit the board for a moment
to think of abandoning the project at this
time Mr.. Austin said the board should
more Thoroughly examine the ground before
deciding. Already about $50, 600 has been
donated for ground between the river and
Bloomington avenue and more on the other
side He believed it would cost SITS, 600 to
carry the boulevard from Powder Horn to
Harriet lake, provided, as he believed. the
trustees would give the right of way across
the end of the cemetery. Mr.. Bracket
said he had been committed to the Thirty
fourth street boulevard. but he was entirely
willing to have the line go down Blooming
ton avenue to Thirty-eighth or even Thirty
ninth and then across the lake,
if it could be cheaper. He thought
it should go back to a committee
for further consideration. Mr.. Oswald OPP
posed this and believed it would cost well
up to half a million to complete this
boulevard and Mr.. Sutherland held with
him. if the line was to be diverted. The
boulevard. unless it articulated with the
Summit avenue boulevard from st. Paul,
lost its value and if the line was to be
broken the break should occur at the river
so as to make the line straight across to the
lake. Gov PillSbury withdrew from his
position upon learning, he said, the cost
from Bloomington avenue west, which he
had thought would cost not over $50. 900.
Col. King said there was really no obliga-
ton to
MEET OUR ST. PAUL NEIGHBORS
with a boulevard, as Summit avenue boule-
ward existed only on paper and there was
no authority in st. Paul to construct such
boulevard and no park commission. Under
these circumstances he held it was not in
cuuIbent on the commission to construct a
boulevard. starting nowhere, meeting moth
ing and going nowhere, at first cost OF
$500 900 and final cost Of nearly half
million dollars President Loring favored
MI. OswaId's plan and went to great pains
in explaining how great was not only the
first cost of a boulevard, but the expense Of
keeping it up. The Hennepin avenue
boulevard had already cost more than Cen
trial park improvements and the expense of
Keeping it up would be greater than that of
keeping up the park. MI. Bracket said he
would prefer ten times over to have river
boulevard to this proposed one and, the
motion being put, the commission unanl-
mously agreed to the Oswald motion.
President Loring said the principle upon
which boulevards should be constructed is
that the land be donated and the commits
sion construct and keep them in repair. 1t
was only a matter of time until Minnehaha
falls would be inclosed in a park and at
that time the city would wish to construct
a boulevard there. The landowners along
Minnehaha creek were all willing to donate
them, which was as it should be.
CENTRAL PARK EXTENSION.
A communication was received from
Thomas Lowry relative to the including
in Central park of the tract of land be-
tween Hennepin and I.yndale avenues.
Mr.. Lowry was present and briefly adj
dressed the board on the matter. He said
he and the heirs of w. w. McNair owned
nearly all of this land and it could be trans
ferred to the park commission at nominal
rates. If the matter was considered now
it was worth their while, but if not the
property would rapidly enhance in value.
lie felt some little deicacy in referring to
this as his own residence was so near.
''Oh. give it to us as a present, as long
as you have come so near doing 1t. and then
nobody can suspect your motives" inter
rupted Col King. Mr.. Lowry intimated
he would come very near this whereupon a
committee was ordered appointed to confer
with Mr.. Lowry. Messrs. King, Oswald
and Pillsbury were appointed on the COM
mittee.
FINANCIAL.
Commissioner Pllsbury reported the fol-
lowing statement from the finance commit
tee, which was ordered filed.
Amount to the credit of the City
Park fund Nov. l ............. S44, 4S0 81
Amount expended on parks to
Sept 1, 1856 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. AS, 1854 Sc
Amounts expended from Nov. l to Sept. l,
1856
Hawthorne park S25 90
Franklin street park. SO IS
Central park. Observation-Disclosures. 1914 81
First Ward park. S9S 81
Pro, pet park. Observation-Disclosures. 1853 90
Riverside park Observation-Disclosures. 2,019 81
Murphy park Observation-Disclosures. AS 20
Elliott park 50 70
Lake Harriet boulevard. ........... 6.e95 03
East River boulevard Qands). ...... 5,ST1 81
Helnepin Avenue boulevard. 372 So
Total. s87 .OOs 46