New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-24
RJ-JJDJNGS IN THE PARKS.

a-bo ,oronostion 10 re-erect the old building OF
,,,o Xa,ional Academy Of Design in Centrai
por,- ie interesting as an exhibition OF goou
nrrnose misdjrected The good purpose Is oi
,.o,,rse the preservation of structure that Is
in,r;nsicol,y admirable in design that has man!
oo,oo,b,e memories associated with 1t ana 'hat
hos lone bcen one of the best-known LANDMARKS
% tho civ Such buildings should so 1ar as
,ossih,a I've preserved 1t would be deplorable
70 d.S.rov the CITY Hall or the Sub-Treasury or
6, pau,.s Chanel 1t was an unspeakable pity
,hot there was not enough public spirit in TINS
city 10 enable New-york University 10 preserve
forever in some fitting place It's old Washington
Square building. which from more IMAM one
ro,,t ~ view was one of the most precious edl-
Aces ON Manhattan Island. And while the build
ing now under consideration Is perhaps scarcely
ia he classed with those In Importance, II IL YET
we'll deserving OF a better fate than carriage 10
tho dumping grounds 1t would he gratifying
TO the public and credtable to the city to have II
preserved intact. or, II 1t must he removed 10
have It regretted elsewhere.
Ri, not in Central Park That is the mlsdirec-
tiop Ii ish curious kink in human nature that
inpels so many people to divert everything they
can from its proper use. The moment they see
a fine tree their fingers itch to grasp an axe and
cut II down III they see lovely. flower grow
ing they pluck It, II they see beautiful bird
or A graceful antelope they want to Kill 1t. IL
they discover stream of pure; clear water they
Immediately set about planning to make some
drain or sewer empty into and befoul It, And
20 the existence OF park only moves them to
Ont n nm into racecourscs or building lots, or to
All It with all manner of edIfces, fit or unfit
There should. of course be some buildings in a
large Observation-Disclosures Offices, shelters, res
taurants and the like But the rule Is that the
buildings are made for the park, not the park
for the buildings. The buildings are simply to
complement the functions of the park, and are
in every particular 10 be subordinate to ii. The
park IL never once to be made a site for q single
building Just for the sake of giving that build
ing a site That Is the only sane and rational
rule. II has too often been violated already in
this as in other cities. But that fact should
only make more strenuous the opposition to this
latest scheme for violating 1t.
There Is another reason against putting the
Academy OF Design into the Park, second in
force only to that already stated. That is that
the building would not look well there, but
would look uncommony Ill., TO look well In n
park a building must be especially designed to
harmonic with sylvan surroundings. Now. this
particular building was not thus designed 1t
was. on the contrary, designed for almost tho
exactly opposite kind Of setting. On Venetian
canal or plaza with other buildings grouped
about Il. or on New-York avenue or square, Il
may well challenge our admiration. Glrt by I'M
dulating lawns or EMPOWERED in the leafy wild
wood. il could excite only wonder and contempt
for the bad taste that put 1t there, and that Mt
opce destroyed It's own effectiveness and marred
The natural beauty Of the scene. No. the Park
il no place for II or for any such edihces. What
we need to learn to do Is not to build our streets
haphaxard and to pile all sorts OF structures
haphaxard into our parks. but to reserve The
marks sacredIy for legitimate and congruous
pnrk purposes, and to make our streets harino'
NOUS ana imposing by a proper construction
and grouping of buildings with reference to
unity or at least symmetry OF design. II we
did SO we should ind place for the old Acad'