New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-05-12
PARK ON ASYLUM SITE
WILL CONSERVE TRACT
BOUGHT FROM STATE.
Successful End Of Wealthy Resi-
dents Struggle to Keep Insane
Hospital from GreenUdle, L. [.

Filed in the Office Of the Secretary Of State at
Albany are the articles of Incorporation Of the
Valley Land Company, which represent the end
Of al interesting struggle that has been going
on between the owners of private estates in the
township of Oyster Bay and the managers Of
the Long Island State Hospital.
Having checked the state in its purpose to use
500 acres Of land at Greenvale for the site OF
the Long Island State Hospital, now in Flatbush,
by quietly getting control of the parcel in the
centre of the property Mrs. Clarence H. Macksy
and other we'll known estate owners in the vicin-
ity we're forced to form a company and take
over the entire property from the state.
In order that they may be free from the dan
ger of having the land used for other purposes
that might affect their privacy or lessen the
value Of their estates. these persons have de-
cided to maintain the 500 acres as a private
park. It is the intention of the members of the
corporation to keep the tract in its natural state.
1t will be one of the largest private parks II
not the largest. Long Island.
There are some twenty persons interested In
the corporation among the more prominent be
ing the N1ackays. Harry Payne Whitney. Morti-
mer L Schif. Z D Morgan, Robert Bacon. for
ner Secretary of State; Charles NJ. Pratt. Of
the Standard Oil Company and Paul n Cravath.
Through the firm handling of the situation by
J. Edward Swanstrom. of the board Of managers
Of the Long Island State Hospital, the estate
owners were obliged TO organize the corporation.
which MAY 81 viii take over the states con-
tracts They have put themselves under obIiga-
tions to see that the state will be relieved OF
ali liability in connection with the property, and
they will reimburse the board OF managers for
all expenses in connection with the negotiations.
The board Of managers is considering other
sites among them one at Farmingdale. where
the board Of trade and the village president
have joined in extending an invitation 10 the in
stitutiop
" in February that the managers got
options on the tract ar Greenvale, which is east
Of Roslyn. north Of Wheatley Hills and south %
Glen cove According TO the agreement, con-
tracts for sale we're 70 be signed by the owners
Of the six parcels in the tract on April / In
the mean time Mrs. Clarence H. Mackay learned
r-hat vas going on Her protest with those of
other private estate owners was disregarded.
on the day for the signing OF the contracts
Mrs Mary Seaman. who owned about oue-siXth
If the entire tract was the only seller who failed
to come forward Her LAWYER announced that
she had agreed 20 sell her property 20 another
purchaser for $4,000, which was about $4,000
more than she had offered TO sell It 20 the state
Mr swanstrom suspected Mrs Mackay had
purchased Mrs Seamans property. but he could
not prove -. Moreover. he could not md Mrs
states purchase price. The estate owners we're
jubilant
But Mr.. Suanstrom was not At the end Of his
resources. At once he fled in Nassau County
summons and complaint IN action against
Mrs. Seaman FOR specific performance of her
contract. At the same time a lis pendens was
fled against the property preventing Mrs. Sea
man from closing her bargain with the others
Thus legally secured, Mr.. Swanstrom told the
owners Of the estates that sooner than have the
state lose anything on the deal the board would
condemn the land and put the asylum there
anyway. He gave them until certain time 70
arrange to take the contracts for sale Paul u.
Cravath. who managed the business for the
estate owners, finally organized the Valley Land
Company and they viii conserve the entire tract
as A private park thus heading off another
scheme to use the land a cemetery.
As a matter OF fact. the company has got valu-
{ ble property at a reasonable figure, as the
owners Of the six parcels had contracted TO sell
them TO the state for S413Oo0 average Of
little over $500 an acre. Even so. some mem
bers Of the syndicate were obliged to put up
much more than they had intended.