The sun., 1897-12-05
ASPHALTINGAPARK LAWN
rDr11< 1<TfoE or TEE ENTRhE0E ar
EaTU STREET AND STH AVENUE

u.. o-,or, nave usen TryfnE fsr Years
.. 1., II Done, ana the Expiring Park
ao,rd B.sins tho work - $500 Square
1cet orLawn snCrinced and Trees Removed.
Al, of tho established features Of land
acnpe effect now existing In Central Park will
reuret the work which Is now being carried on
rna.r tb. direction of the Park Board. The
official life Of Commissioners Mcmillan. Cruger,
Ely and Mitchell will end on Jan. l. Instead OF
following the example OF the Dock Board, which
IA goinu To erect monument to itself, they will
mari their retirement by Cprooting trees, up
turning soil and eifaoing scenic lines marked
ont and established years ago by exports In land
scapo gardening.
Tb. .ccne OF this despollment 10 the entrance
tn the Park at Eighth avenue and Flfty.ninth
street. which has always beon prominent
point OF assault by those who wished to sacri.
nee it's beauty to the comfort of IA few owners OF
horses. Many petitions have been presented In
tho past five year,, asking Park boards to slter
the southwest entrance 30 that persons driving
into tho Park from tho neighborng avenues
would not hayo to slow up before striking either
Of tho two drives which begin there; but the
Commissioners set their faces steadily against
the scheme until few months ago, when a plea
for the change was mado by certain owners of
horses and keepers of hotels In the noiGhborhood.
s5. 600, 900 worth OF property in the city were
on the petition seemed to have great weight
with the board. 1nat point was brought out
ana strongly emphasized by President McMil-
Ian. But the fact that tho petition did not hear
tho name OF a single citizen qualified to judge
whether or not the change suggested would mar
or add to the beauty of the Park was passed
over without comment.
A hasty Inspection of tho ground was made by
the Commissioners. and NJ. A. Kellogg, the En-.
gineer OF Construction. was ordered TO prepare
plans for the alterat ion. Commissioner Mitchell
was not then member OF the board. Mr.. Stiles,
whom he succeeded. fought the change. and 1t
was due to his efforts alone that the original
intention of the board to cut out n
wide gap in the Park sat Eighth avenue
and F1fty-nnth street, which would change
the Circle into an irregular ellipse, was
ed calls for the despcilment OF large grass
plot within the Park and the sacrifice Of sew
orsl beautiful shade trees. The change will also
leave another fine tree standing In the middle of
all asphalt or macadam roadway. Just inside
the Eighth avenue entrance a road going east
branches from the main West Drive at an easy
angle. and the Intervening space forms tho end
Of the lawn, which is the present point OF as
sRult. For Il distance of seventy.hve feet the
grass and trees will be torn up and the space
paved. The operation will entail the loss of
about 300 square feet of lawn and the removal
OF the quaint summer house which now sta ds
near the entrance. The effect will be to Deepen
all occur In the Park proper. The object
cordfng to President Mcmillan is to mako tho
Park more accessible to rsons driving in from
either Broadway or Eighth avenue by doing
away almost entirely with the easy turns now
leading to both the West Drive and the branch
road going east. The symmetry Of the Circle
will be ruined and the grass plot involved, be-
in curve instead Of tho natural blunt angle OF
the branching roads.