The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-30
PARKS OF NEW YORK CITY.
THEIR SCOPE. dsIEssYBTLTTy. iSD
GREAT NtTtRiE IIfIRBS.
For Extent Those ~ No other american
thy Are tompnrah c--Tbrir Arra aud
Thnt Of the paIA. of IurOnenn tnpitnl..


thy Are Comparahic-rhrir Area aud
That Of the para- of European tnp,tnir
Only little moro than tive years ago Ncw
YORK was less Adequately provided with pub.
lie paras than almost any largo European or
American city. Now. however, the ",ty ranks
FIRST among American towns in nrtnal lark
sron. and is exceeded 10y only four great Euro
pean citics Mt ,aost. and possibly by two
American cities. in The proportion 81 Inrl<
area to population. IL proportion "i PARK
area to municipal area New York IL exceeded
by Paris alone amIng great ci;ics anil
there are scarcely more than hail u
dozen public parks In tho world chat exceed
the area of Pelham Fay park. London alone
has such n great public pleasure ground as
Central Park within the heart Of the city and
only the large rark areas without tho walls Of
Paris have sIch stretches Of natural scenery
untouched by the landscape gardeners art as
one finds In Van Courtandt Park. Bronx River
Park. and Pelham Eav Park. Again. no truly
urban park in the world has such an area Of
fns woodland as that lying westward OF Tiar-
lem Moro in Central Park, no rGrS Of any sort
in Europe or America has such n coast line Is
Pelham Bay Park POSSESSES, and scarcely any
parkway in tho world reveals from sinrt TO
hnish so fine river Wow as riverside Drive.
When tho movement for ratks In American
cities began to gather strength in the decade
between 1880 and 1870. ruhlc. spirited Sew
iorkcrs heartily gave II support. and when at
length in 1897 Central Park began to boa lie.
Ality. the raplty with witch all un-isltir
waste was developed into seemingly natural
lovelincss was oIuallrd on!y by tho progress OF
great public works in Paris under Ma, oiron
III. As the park movement went on. New
York was gradually outstrirpci nv several
American cities. and whom the agitation for
the purchase Of park lands beyond the llar-
lem began ten or twoIvc years ago. Now Yorl;
was far behind most other great cities in the
matter Of public ilcasure grounds. 1t was
then shown that while New York had tu, one
mere Of park to about LOO Inhabitants, iar,s
had one to IL London one TO 700. Vi
emma one TO 100. Berlin one to 80. Tuk!o ono
to 800. Chicago one to 200, Philadelphia one to
about 80. Boston one 10 100 and baltimore
one TO so. Five years later New York had
added nearly $500 acres to l"r Iayk area OF
about LOO acres and not only surpassed all
other considerable American cities IT. actual
area. hut most others in Proportion Of acreage
to population.
New iork's area Of parks. rarhwa}s and
public squares i no% almost 1000 acres
one to "A! inhabitants. IN laieuiia has
one acre to 800 inha'ttaits. Chicago on" 20
2 R5tn ana AL f r. ,yn on" t" about So" ony
L"nhon and fariS rXaeel '% New S"rS in ac
tual park ACREAGE and n proportion Of park
actually within the city limits, but at dis
t. VARYING from lsss t!,Hn half !, mil. to
Tho forest OF Font ainet leaW cvntnirs II greater
area than tho PARKS If ncg"ly all tho ether
Partisan pleasure grounds from une-half IA
hour TO an hours ride by rail from ;nr city are
S g greater area than any PARK II the nIet
ti2nnl Park, and PERHAPS Paramount.
London hn ms. greater number of parks.
nut ic spaces than any other city in the world
Tho County County Council controls between twenty
parks Of Nicnm@n,i WindsSr. and La iIamr ,t
Buy fa fE. pu fs'r a !.n how s,a
Is superior in natural beauty to Van Court. !
lan nst FaT r, and parts Of Bronx River Park;
som distance h from grea, centres Honalas
criticised Keep OH the grass sign. AMI ina
conscientious public, spirt OF New YORK
ilner lawns in Central Park than in the most
freIuentra London PARKS although III. eli
that OF New York to the development Of lawns.
only two or nth three tontinental cities have
outside the city limits. is one Of tho largest
European parks. but it lacks natural beauty:
purkA Both Berlin and Vienna have a larger
Yarf II Hall d1@sn o.RSr titan
capitals have parks Of great interest and |!
h,a a1s hn' Icarrsiy any exceed Central Park
Paris alone. nmons great European cities. |
Ia n greater park area in Proportion to mu- |
Only a, small ,nrrccn'H-c Of = mo Inr-s.
i'm park area IS Within tine city limits
Whep the EsrkS in the annexed district w,re
al a sa o. nsary t. that Of the whole
nearly SnoR :" the cit S a n""' Tha .'p parSs
Of Of chicago are rather more than, one sixtieth
OF the citys area. and in scarcely any other |
American city i tho park acreage more than /
with municipal area Of & e "cres ." Ian
acres acre n snTks. New trlcann1 with municipal
f benv 81 Nil, a9rs ht n4 "i1fs 4 nas
has n. 49, acres r." in park ,m .,-.---
ground III any American city that approaches !
IN the briilancy and inter.s, OF it, crowds the !
parks Of tw" or three great European capitals
me centre OF population. is easily accessible. !
has eomp"iT1tHiX i fey visitors save holt
tttul pleasure grounds IN America Is almost
deserted on working days. and at its livnliest |
fre1uented parts Of Central Park o., any W treht
DAY IN snring summer. or autumn, The."x-
f is1st to Wh En- parks are sei furnishes fir
in small ones much 2equsnte rI"i by e, tasrs 9
On working days. The, succession Of tro fG,i
to be seen between ] and 9 o'clock in tho |
morning from tn" porches Of Mctowan's Park
Tavern. the procession of handsome equip
ages that passes any one OF hafa dozen FONTS
in Central Park In the fashionable drivinc
hours, nni the myriad of children with nurses
on tho FIFTH avenue side of the Park, are to De
matched in no other. American city
New York's example in tho matter OF parks.
as OF many other things. has been inflated by
q score OF American cities, The sudden crea-
ton Of Central Park out Of nothing gave an
impetus, t9 the park movement il America
that could have come only from some such
aston lshing example. and New York's acGuisi.
ton OF the parks IN the annexed district again
aroused smaller cities to the need of public
pleasure grounds. Several Of tho smaller
t have so since the agitation for further park
CURED beautiful tracts that must soon lave
a;,n1 honeiess'y de'aced. Wilmington. Del.
use OF a beautiful piece Of private prop.
esrty. at length ACQUIRED 1t for u pub
lc park This tract is UNIQUE among
city park, In that 1t begins within one hun.
dred Yards OF the main business street. and
almost Immediately pIunees into scene OF
natural wildness. The park runs for quite n