Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-18
SOUTH PARK FIGHT
MAY SPLIT WARD 6
WANT STRIP OF LAND ADDED
TO DISTRICT
Property Owners Declare 1t Was Orig
inal Intention to Use Entire Two
Blocks as Breathing
Place

Two efforts have been made to add
Burton's South Park Front tract to
South park under the new law permit
ting the condemnation of lands Tor
public parks and the matter seems
likely to rent the Sixth ward in two
before it is concluded. The matter is
now before the council on petition
presented by a number of property
owners who favor the project.
Victor Johnson. 465 East Forty-ninth
street one of those who are anxious
that the strip of land shall be included
in the park, said yesterdays
"The facts concerning the South PARK
addition have not been correctly stat
ed in the public press. When south
park was laid out it was the intention
of the persons owning the land to de-
vote two entire blocks for park pur-
poses, extending from Forty-nnth
street to Fifty-first street, between
South Park avenue and san Pedro
by the park belonged to H. Boettcher,
while the strip in controversy belonged
to another party and could have been
purchased at that time for S2500, but
the councilman from that ward de-
clined to present the matter to the
council, inasmuch as South park was
being purchased by the city in order
to secure the votes of that ward to AID
the passage of the ordinance for the
Third street tunnel.
object to Contract
For this reason the strip in contro-
versy was not included in the purchase
by the city, the councilman from that
ward believing that this strip could be
purchased by the city at later date
for the same price. Later, when the
property adjoining the park on Forty
ninth street was being subdivided, the
parties owning the strip on the south
side of Forty-ninth street and adjoin-
ing the park declined to help pay for
any of the improvements.
still later the parties owning the
strip sold it to a Mr.. Burton, real
estate agent, who subdivided the land
and entered into a contract with the
park commissioners whereby he agreed
to place restrictions in the deeds re-
curing all houses thereafter built on
the said property to front the park and
whereby he was granted the privilege
of laying a 10-foot sidewalk in front
of said property, five feet of which was
along the north part of the park and
five feet of which was on the south SIDE
of the said property, making the park
appear to be a part of said property
and serving as. front yard to the
said property and making Forty
ninth street an alley. 1t is the opinion
of the city attorney that this contract
entered into by Mr.. Burton with the
park commissioners is not binding in
any respect. All of Forty-ninth street
abutting the said property was donat-
ed by the parties owning property
fronting Forty-ninth street on the
north side.
Streets on Three Sides
This leaves the park with a street
on three sides. while this strip borders
it on the north. There are twenty-eight
lots in this strip, worth about $1,000
lot. because the lots on the opposite
side of the street will not sell for more
than that sum. These lots will prob
ably sell for $1,000 or $1,000 a lot be-
cause they front on the park; whereas
they would not sell for more than $1,000
if they did not front on the park.
"Tbere are seven houses on the lots,
and the city can purchase the prop
erty now for less than it will ever be
able to purchase it hereafter The con-
dition is one that should be righted.
inasmuch as the park should front the
street in every direction, and the prop
erty owners in that locality desire that
this condition be corrected, both in
order to beautify the city and because
their property on Forty ninth street is
injured by this strip of land remaining
in it's present condition"