The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-14
Plans to Take in Public
Lands Near City.
A FAMOUS GARDENER
Mr.. friedrich Law OImstead, Jr., son
of Man Who Made Central Park
in New York to Make Plot
OF a Great and Beauti-
full Park.

will be projected movement that
will inaugurate in Raleigh what will
ultimately become by far the most
extensive and artistic park in the
State or, for that matter, in the South.
Mr.. Olmstead. who is the son of
the designing engineer in charge of
the laying out of Central Park in
New York city, is one of the famous
landscape gardeners of the world He
is regularly employed by Mr.. George
Vanderbilt and has had much to do
with the magical Transformation of
the rough country roads and the
broken mountains originally compos-
ing the BiltmOrc estate into the mag
nficent private park which they now
constitute.
Mr.. Olmstead comes to Raleigh,
stopping here on one of his semi-an-
nual trips to Biltmore, at the instance
of DR.. George T. Winston, president of
the A. and NJ. College and the Board
of Trustees of that institution. His
purpose is to make the college COM
plete plot of all the college lands, con-
Sldered as a park. In pursuance of
this plan. he will thoroughly make
out the extensive holdings of the in
stitution, indicating forests, cleared
lands, lawns, orchards, vineyards, ar
tificial lakes, etc. with eXpertly en-
gineered roads. drives and walks. the
whole to comprise a complete and har-
moniOuSly artistic park.
1t is also suggested that in addition
to plotting the lands of the A. and M.
College, Mr.. Olmstead will be asked
to lay off and put in the
lands held by the hospital for the In
sane, and by the penitentiary. both
of which are contiguous to those held
by the college-the idea being that
the lands of the three institutions,
while remaining under their separate
arrangements, shall be considered for
park purposes an undivided whole
and so laid off and arranged without
references, artistically, to their indi-
Vidual ownership.
All those who are familiar with the
situation of those lands will see at
once the advantage of the scheme pro-
posed. The A. and M. College owns
lands abutting on Pullen Park and
extending for part of the way on both
sides of the North Carolina railroad,
for more than a mile west, or beyond
the town of Method. It's holdings also
enclose Pullen Park on the South and
adjoining the lands of the Catholic
Orphanage and the State Hospital;
include all the line of the highest
ridge of land adjacent to the city--a
point from which the Capitol of the
State will spread out before the eye,
amid the dotting of it's oaks pano-
rama wise. Stretching further to the
south in tho lands of the State Hos
pital, cut with flashing streams hedged
about by green, grass covered hills
adorned with luxirOuS forest trees,
while adjoining these lands and ada
cent to the Pullen Park, in the undis-
turbed woods of oak that encircle the
penitentiary and extend over to the
Hillsboro road.
1t will be seen to what advantage
these lands may be laid out as a whole
by an expert. They comprise almost
every natural advantage of a park;
there are hills and valleys, woods and
lawns. Rocky branch and other
streams babble their noisy way
through their confines, affording every
opportunity for beautiful and cheaply
constructed lakes. One lilly-padded
sheet of water already lies snuggled
between two high hills on the college
land. The plan is both comprehen-
sive and practicable and the authori-
ties are proceeding in the right way.
Said DR.. Winston, who was seen
and asked for an interview yesterday.
Eyes, Mr.. Olmstead is coming and
will go over the ground thoroughly.
He is very capable man who stands
at the head of his profession. We are
fortunate in getting him and were en-
abled' to do so since he is employed
by Mr.. Vanderbilt and may thus stop
off here at Raleigh. We Will have
prepared for him a map showing the
entire ground in detail-the elevation
of every ten foot of it and what is on
it. Then, after going over the land
hurriedly, Mr. Olmstead will take this
map and make a complete plot, lay
ing out roads, indicating forests,
streams, lakes, ETC., as well as the
proper positions for buildings. 1t
must be remembered that his plans
will contemplate a development for
fifty or one hundred years. His faith
er made fifty years ago a similar plot
for the Agricultural and Mechanical
College of Michigan, at Lansing, be-
fore building was erected. Today
the lands he laid out make the most
beautiful spot IN America.
"While it is not possible that the
proposed park will be completed in
this generation, it is gratifying that
the plans will be so we'll considered,
and p beginning will doubtless soon
be made which will add greatly to
the pleasure of the people of the city
in their suburbs. For instance, among
the first things provided VIII no
doubt be a well engineered and we'll
constructed road leading through the
lands of the asylum, through the A.