New-York tribune., 1905-01-23
IMPROVING PENIS CITY.
What Is Being Done to Beaatify
Philadelphia.
no the Editor Of Tho Tribune:

Sir: Since William Penn laid 1t out. two and a
quarter centuries ago. Philadelphia has pursued the
same system of streets. changing it occasionally
where old connecting links between outlying set
tlement were too much used to be obliterated. The
change, however, simply involved new bases for
new squares upon squares. This gridtron system
has been broken in upon In very few cases In
favor of system of streets following the contour
Of the land. I may cite Pelham, some portions OF
Chestnut Hill and Overlook. These resi-
Dental districts The relieving of the inconven-
ence os the gridiron system, an Inconvenience that
causes every citizen loss Of time because 1t Is
impossible to so directly. chief reason for
the publication by the City Parks Association three
years ago of a report the city plan of Phila-
delphia- Since that time the Bureau of Surveys,
which has great deal Of influence in regard 10
the method of extending streets. has become con-
vinced of the desirabiity OF diagonal streets. II
has not. however adopted the theory generally OF
following the contour Of the ground wherever 1t
is possible: it has not adopted that policy in
residential districts
1t is impossible to say at the present time that
the city officially has adopted consciously the pol
icy of beaudfying the city in general. because no
such definite announcement Of policy has been
made but it is likewise impossible to say that it
has not adopted such policy. Action speaks
somewhat louder than words, and within the last
year or two there have been four specific instances
of considerable magnitude looking toward the
Identification of tine city by means OF parks and
| parkways. These four follows:
way the city plan and the voting Of 100000 tow
ard Its construction This parkway VIII cohneGU
With ts SqF cy Hail the centre Of the city
Mayor Weaver on December 16. 1904 declared that
Fan Far@ount 3o @ PARK ana the City Hall Would be in
ferred to By the Mayor is to be 25O feet in width
The remaining portion, which is the shorter IN
provement that has been sought for ten years and
IS hO% %n Instance m Of central GK 9I
Second[A park approach to League Island Park. ark
apoa the c p Th RaF the line
Br9ad-st from point sbout mile n north t OF the
Island Navy Yard This approach consists of a
which plaza will cover four squares. or. roughly.
about eighteen acres; o and leading from It to the
Improvement SO far adopted for South Philadelphia.
Creek PARK Which will run along R the western
boundary Of the city for about two miles has been
approved Py the Mayor last summer,
an addition to Hunting Park, which is ninety acres
in extent and the third in size of Philadelphia's
Broad-st. just east of this park a parkway ten
niles niles in d length 9Th c4 and 100 300 feet in In %dth & has been
now under % construction a small portion Of the
enthusiastically to Torresdale.
1t will thus be seen that all quarters OF the city
are feeling the agitation for improvement in con-
crete results To further this movement for the
velopment Of the city by means OF parks. park
ways and a rational system Of streets alliance
of forty-five organizations has been formed. Not
only trade associations but educational institutions
philanthropc societies. neighborhood improvement
associations, art associations and betterment
ganizations OF various kinds, included. Under
the auspices Of this alliance fifteen twenty
! addresses have been given in the last year urging
the acquisition OF comprehensive park system for
Philadelphia. The alliance will issue report CIV
ing nineteen perhaps twenty maps of existing
and proposed park systems OF American cities. It
Will follow this with report on the possibilities
Of Philadelphia and this again with report on
particular features.
The principal objects OF the alliance may be stated
TO be the preservation Of the three stream valleys
| Of the Pennypack Tacony and Cobbs creeks; the
construction in South Philadelphia OF a series Of
diagonal streets leading from the plaza of which
I have spoken, making that focus somewhat like
the Place de PEtoe, IN the centre OF which IS the
Arc de Triomphe IN Paris the preservation of
some natural woodlands such as in the proposed
Sherwood Forest Park Wlster's Woods and Champ
lost Park; the acquisition of two large commons
near the manufacturing centres. in the centre
Of Frankford and the other not far from the heart
OF Richmond all OF these to be connected by park
ways into a co-ordinated system The localities Of
which have so far spoken in this paragraph all
| concern open ground.
The two objects which. when realized will per-
haps be the most famous because most central
are the FairmOunt Parkway, already mentioned,
and the Improvement Of both banks Of the Schuyl-
kill River. following the method that more than
seventy-fve cities Of Europe have already adopted
!
This city has not adopted the plan of condemn
Ing more land than the Improvement requires with
! the IDEA or recouping the expense through the
| selling Of the surplus land at an advanced price
siter the improvement has been made. 1t was
done TO small extent in one case. When Fair
mount Park secured. the commissioners there
OF were given authority to take the whole of
RaTce4 OF ground where q portion of 1t lay within
| the boundaries Of the park proposed and q por-
| ton outside. This power given them because
10 the owners is frequently given the value OF
entire tract by jury. The Park Commissioners
have the authority TO exchange this land for other
| land, but 1t is moot question whether they have
any other authority. 1t can scarcely be said how
ever. that this authority was given them in order
| to recoup the expense by reseng the surplus
! land at advanced prices. The idea Of giving the
city such authority has been advanced by men
| prominent in the park movement in Philadelphia.
| 1t may require q constitutional change. Appar-
emily the reason why tho authority was not given
to the city in the first place because such
! curious case Of cutting ones noss to spite ones
face 1t is probably true that such authority could
! the citys taxpayers is greater For instance, In
| the case OF the Farmount Parkway, It IS believed
uniform system OF building along the parkway
obtained II the city could condemn the ground for
Fifty feet each side of the parkway selling the
| ground at an advanced price purchasers, the
DEEDS containing building restrictions. This is the
method adopted in all European cities as for in
stance the Kingswey now being constructed be-
| tween the Strand and High H0l5orn. London. This
zens will have TO pay S. 900 600 for the con-
structlon OF the parkway II the city had the
parkway for the purpose OF resslling while there
would be possibility Of graft" the taxpayers
It is unfortunate that statistics have been
Kept or the Increase in real estate values due 70
that the existence of park does improve the sur
rounding real estate frequently to the point where
! The increased assessment and the increased tnxeS
resulting from the assessment are sufficient 10 nav
| the interest on the expended on the park
| Washington and Paris chow the power of attract
/