The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-03-04
An Improvement tina, is Necessary,

A discussion is now going on In Brooklyn
over the terminal facilities Of the Brooklyn
bridge on that side Of the river. but a much
more important subject for consideration Is
the imperative need OF improving the facill-
ties AT the New York end Of the structure.
Since the opening Of the elevated road on
Third avenue and Of the Brooklyn bridge, by
fur the most crowded ~thoroughfare In town
Is Park row In the vicinity Of the railroad
station at the entrance to the bridge. At the
hours OF the morning and evening when the
travel over these structures Is greatest, and
when everybody is most In a hurry to get to
his destination. the approach to them Is pro-
voliingly slow and tedious. Besides the Jam
on the sidewalks, the street oars and the
vehicles tending to and from the bridge offer
constant distractions to locomoton and thus
vastly increase the discomforts Of the thou
sands of impatient pedestrians. The stairs
leading to the elevated station are also utter
ly inadequate as a means Of approach to the
railroad and the bridge, those on the e~asterly
side of the street being shamefully steep and
narrow, and those on the other side not very
much better.
Yet this Is ono OF the most f~requented rail-
way stations In the world. and the number OF
people seeking it's facilities, already go enor-
nous. is steadily and rapidly increasing. be-
cause OF the growth of New York and the ex-
tension of the rapid transit system OF Brook
Ign. At best, md even when the elevated
railway was In It's infancy. and before the
bridge was opened for traffic, the terminal
facilities at the City Hall Park were poor and
! mean, Inadequate, and i'll adapted to the ne
IL " t,-.,I No,, -1.Ne tho Thtel
avenue trains and the bridge trains both re-
ceivc and unload their multitudes at this
point, they are outrageously insufficient, and
a positive hindrance to the development Of
the two cities.
1t Is therefore manifest that q radical
change In the terminal facilities Of both the
bridge and the railroad has become impera-
tive, and what that Improvement should DO
is obvious. AS was suggested In a plan pre-
pared by Mr. SIMON STEVENS, and published
in TIE SUN of Jan. %, and which We repro
duce to-day. the terminus Of the bridge
should be In a structure 90 the site Of the
present French's Hotel ut the corner Of Frank
fort street, and the terminus OF the Manhat-
tan Company's railroad In Q station to DO
built ON the triangle to the north Of tho
| bridge between Park row and William street.
The bridge trustees have full power 10 con-
denim the land between Park row, Frankfort
street, and william street, and thereon they
could erect a building which, besides provid-
ing ample and suitable terminal facilities,
could be made profitable as q municipal
building, or by renting the upper stories.
The entrances to the bridge cars would then
be by broad stairways through the building
from the street, and they would be adequate
for their uses.
The triangle We have mentioned al fur
nishing o proper site for tho elevated rail-
road station might DO acquired by purchase.
and connections far better than the
present could be established with tho
bridge station to the southwark. Park row
would also be greatly relieved II it were
widencd on the westerly side by taking a
narrow strip OF fifteen or twenty feet
from the City Hall Park, 80 that the street
cars might be confined to that side OF the
street and the space directly In front Of the
new bridge terminus kept free from them.
Some such plan az this must be adopted, or
before long the approaches to the bridge and
the elevated road will be choked beyond en-
dursnce and the usefulness Of these struo-
lures will DO seriously impaired.