Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-02

settled, but It is known that it will run up
into the millions. The land for Fort WASH
ington Park, where Lafayette boulevard Is,
also cost pretty million or two.
Though the dollars are being lavishly
poured out on the extension, some very
nice economy has been practiced in Its
building thus far. Much of the fill is earth
and rock eXcavated for the subway and
dumped along the line by the various con-
tractors at the direction of the city, even
before the work of building the retaining
walls was begun. Nearly all of the crushed
rock being used in the manufacture of the
necessary concrete came from the subway.
One of the contractors. who Is wealthy,
has bought up many plots of Manhattan
Island real estate and the rock that is be-
ing blasted off them, to bring them to the
various street levels, is being used as fill
on his section of the Improvement. Thus,
he is killing two birds with one stone, his
plots increasing greatly in value for build
ing purposes by reason of the Improvement
great dead of apartment house building
has been going on in the neghborhood for
two years past, and the city (only as
favor to the builders of courseD lets them
dump all the material excavated along the
line OF the driveway, topping the park ex-
tension of varying width running upward
from the railroads right of way.
An Oval Of Driveways.
Not only will the extension. when COM
pleted, make possible continuous drive OF
seven miles in full view Of river and Pal
isades; it will also bring nearer to realiza-
ton an oval Of park driveways incloslhg'
practically the whole upper part OF Man
haitian Island above 18th street. Where
the sole hiatus will occur parks can be
skirted, SO that in drive of over eighteen
miles one can obtain an excellent idea or
the city's magnificent park system and its
various residential sections, besides viewing
not a few of its noted show places, such as
Grants tomb High bridge, Washington
bridge, the Soldiers and Sailors monument
and the obellsk.
With the completion of the work now In
hand this drive will go through Central
Park from 5oth street to I'D street. along
I'D street, a parkway, TO Riverside drive.
along the Hudson to the northern terminus
of Lafayette boulevard, along Dyckman
street, a parkway TO the Speedway, ana
along the Speedway for two miles. Here
will come the one break of nearly mile
ending at Morningside drive, leading into
Central Park at 10th street, and then it's
choice of several picturesque driveways
past the parks best known features, Gown
to the starting point.
Could there be finer or more instructive
drive in the heart of a great city?
1t is peculiar that through all the years
of Manhattan park development this Oval
has been forming without any particular
plan for such thing on the part OF any
one administration concerned park Wa
laid out here, another there, ana aiter q
while # became apparent that the dlnerent
driveways connected very We'll indeed FOL
lowing the building of the Speedway along
the Harlem people began to speak of the
oval. the city OHlcldls tooh up tfle lerlii.
but strange to say no one after that maze
any particular effort to complete the oval
or mapped out any plan for 1t.
The Riverside drive extension WAS laid
out not to supply another link In the oval,
but TO extend the drive and connect st with
Lafayette boulevard hitherto inaccessible
except by driving up Broadway from 135th
to 15sth street.
When the link is finished and thrown
open the name Lafayette boulevard viii go
out of existence officially. and the entire
driveway will be known as Riverside drive,
making it one of the worlds longest and
costHest municipal pleasure drives skirtinS
a body OF water.