The Portland daily press., 1885-07-31
RIVERSIDE PARK.
The Last Resting Place of Cen. Grant.
N. Y. Sun.

NJ l. Oulls
The site chosen is on a sort of promontory
on the Hudson River, and is the highest
point of land in Manhattanville. The out
ward swell Of the promOntory begins at 122d
street, and the river bank returns TO its reg
ular line at 10th street The summit Of this
elevation is an almost level plateau of little
more than twenty acres On the river side
the descent is abrupt. At its foot, 200 feet
below, are the tracks Of that branch of the
Hudson River Railroad which runs into the
West Thirtieth street depot From the edge
of the bluff stone could be flung down to
the tops of the cars. On the northwest Is the
ferry to Fort Lee and on the north and
northeast red brick houses, stores, and man
ufaetOries of Manhattanville cluster around
the base Of the hill. A steep foOtpath per
mits the pedestrian to shorten the road from
Manhattanyille up. The regular road is the
old Bloomingdale road, made long before the
Riverside Park was planned. It winds up
and around the base of the hill and reaches
the top to the south of the accepted site Of
the tomb.
If the observer on the summit of the hill
looks to the south, he has opened before him
the long vista of Riverside Park and its 1T
acres OF driyeways, hewn-stOne wall, and an
Client oaks and naples on the steep slopes Of
the Hudson river. On his right are the ever
widening surface of the Hudson and the dis
tant cities of the Hoboken and Jersey City,
and on the left the spires and tall buildings
OF New York city disappearing in haze
10 the east and southeast only pasture land
dotted with oaks can be seen. 1t is unim-
proved private property, and will, it is ex-
peeted, rise in value and become the site Of
handsome villas with lawns, walks and
shrubbery. Manhattanville, to the northeast,
lies IN the valley running northwest and
southeast between ClaremOnt and the high
land north of 10th street At the bottom Of
the valley Manhattan street leads to Fort
Lee Ferry.
The view up the Hudson to the north is
the finest view from Claremont All the wind
lngs OF both the east and the west shores Of
tne IN. river are as clearly revealed as in map
Tor twenty miles northward. On one side
are the Palisades, on the other the heights
which stretch from Spuyten Duyvil to Sing
Sing and beyond. A high and irregular line
OF hills makes the horizon. AS to the view
from below, the monument at Claremont, II
1t shall be at all massive and elevated, win
be prominent object in the landscape.
With glass travellers on steamships arriV-
in Hoboken can distinguish it. For many
miles navigators on the Hudson cannot miss
seeing it.
The spot suggests Revolutionary war mem
ories. Fort Lee is bold promontory on the
opposite side of the river, the old fort in Cen
tral Park is on the southeast, Fort Washing
ION is on tHe nOTCIl, ana Ine highlands near
West Point shut in the horizon beyond the
Tappan Zee 1t has also been pointed out
that the water front and the park, being the
property of the city, must remain undis-
turbed forever. No structures can be erect
ed to break the uniformity of the view from
above and from below. Furthermore, it is
said that the fact that the entire northern end
of Riverside Park is unimproved is rather an
advantage than adetriment to the building of
the tomb. The twenty acres to be occupied
are now like ploughed field. The only i'm
provements thereabouts are the smooth drive
way, the Claremont restaurant, and the old.
fashioned horse shed, with six divisions in
vitingly open toward the road.
The site is remote from lines Of travel,
and is nearly eight miles, air line, from the
City Hall, and six miles at least by any prac-
ticable route from the Grand Central Depot
To owners of carriages it is a twenty min
ntes drive from the north end of Central
Park. The restaurant, Mayor Grace said
yesterday, is on the site where the tomb will
be placed, and the old building will be razed
to the ground. The temporary tomb to re-
ceive the body of General Grant is to be built
of brick near the restaurant.