The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-21
roUNDrNo or oRANERCY PARK.
The site, Tssatiop. AND Early improvements,
and the CUSTOMS IN Ste Use.


When Samuel b. Rugglss proposed In 1881
TO make over what IL now Gramercy Park to
the owners OF sixty surrounding lots he sug-
gested according to the report OF special
COMMITTEES appointed by the Board OF Alder
men 10 look into tho question. that whatever
taxes would naturally be assessed upon the
ground thus reserved for park. should IN
stead be assessed upon the surrounding lota
According TO this report the land that MIR.
Ruegles Intended to give to the lot owners
was $40 feet long and its width was the dis
lance between Twentieth and Twenty-nrst
streets. Mr.. Rugeles seems to have believed
that he was comforting n public rather than
private benefit. for his petition to the Board Of
Assistant Aldermen declared that although
there were l9l 900 souls" below Fourteenth
street. there were My five parks in that area.
and OF these one was private. lie estimated
at 20. Og3 the number Of building lots below
Fourteenth. and at j.Ul4. the number between
Fourteenth and Twpnty.n first streets. Taking
the average, q, Inhabitants ner lot Tor the
lower part ~ the town. he estimated that by
1910 the 5,jI4 lots between Fourteenth and
Twenty-nrst streets would have population
Of I3,lS souls, lie noted. too. perhaps as an
square from taxation that whereas lots about
Washington SQUARE had neen assessed II iSSo
Nobody realized tho magnitude ~ Mr.. Rug
Eles,s gift to the lot owners: partly because
most persons. and partly from the fact that
the ground itself was unnttractive. IL had
none OF the trees that now ndnrn IT, and II was
wet from the draining Of Murray Hill the
lnkleherg or Beacon NM ~ earlier times
The ground had once formed part OF James
DuNne's farm. though douhtless an uncuti-
waited part. for the stream formed from the
drainage OF the lnkleherg had always spread
out into lake or marshy pond that covered
much of Gramercy square. and oven back up
To the land now occupied ny Madison square.
The Dutch called this unsightlv pond Der
krumme Zee. the cracked sea. and 1t Ia said
that the elegant tiramercy II only q corruption
OF this old Dutch name. An early chrnnicler
speaks Of tho trummasrie Hill near Stuyve-
SAINT q BOwery or farm. not far from the Bow
cry lane. \ man bearing date 1867 shows tho
'InrlenhorR" on Euheft MuTray's estate. and
nearby body OF water doubtless the hrumme
lee
charles 4. Davis. it IL said. planted trees in
Grtmercy Park In 1897. but II was not fully
laid out until 1870. A fountain that cost 50 900
was erected in ISJl. strangers in those DAYS
were admitted to tho park on application to
any Of the lot owners. The area was then lie
clared to be one acre two rods thirty perches
of life IA New York became more and more
artificial and the population for many blocks
about the square became denser and denser
the primitive nelghboriy custom of admitting
any stranger who applied was discontinued,
and the privileges of the square were restricted
TO the persons resident upon the surrounding
lots and a few once there resident. As 20 the
pending proposition to tax the square Mr..
I,ugglp original suggestion OF assessing the
value ~ the park land upon the abutting lots
has certainly not been fuly carried out though
doubtless their assessment. as well as their
their position with reference to the pleasure
nj