The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-04-18
CITY TO GET PRESENT
OF SS,OOO,OOO PARKS
Rich Donor Wants Name Kept
Secret. Says commits
>iOnCr StONrr.
PLANS TO BE PUBLIC soon
Land to Be scd for Play
oround>-I.argc>t Gift Of
It's Kind.

Land worth 81. 1000 900 WI u" given
to In. city soon by New Yorker who
is Interested in public playgrounds for
children
Park Commissioner Charles Il StoNcr
has Informed Or. Myron T. Scuddcr
and others who are working for COM
prehensivc system of municipal play
grounds and recreation centres that tho
gift will be available within short
time and that the tract Will bc devoted
to playsrounds Commissioner Stover
said that the donor wished To remain
anonymous
AN tha; can say now. said
Commissioner Stover. is that the tract
is valued at s3.oO0O0O and that ii is
in Greater New York The individual
who makes the offer believes in the idea
OF Fairgrounds and recreation centres
for the children Of this city. am
able 10 say that the tract will be- avail
able within short time
The first hint that ma gnifcent gift
Of land to the city was pending came
from Commissioner Stovor when he
spoke before meeting of the heads OF
Fairgrounds and recreation centres a.
Unity House. in Irving place near Gates
avenue. Brooklyn.
DR. Scudder who conducts q private
school a, 80 West Ninety-sixth street.
i. Clement Beyers of the Recreation
Alliance. Mrs Mabel T. Macombe, pres
ident of the City Playground League.
and others who believe that there is a
vital need for more Fairgrounds me;
in Unity House to hear talk from
lhe Park Commissioner.
Mr.. Stover, who has done more per
haps than any recent Park Comnis-
sioner to develop the Fairgrounds idea
made brief talk in which he ex-
plaincd that limited appropr lions re-
quired him to devote grea, dea, of
| time and care tn the playground. prob
lem Then he told them about the pend
ing gift
The Commissioner was unable 20 dis =
close the name Of the donor said on.
OF those who attended the Unity House
meeting. but we We're led to believe
that some of the land lies IN The Bronx
and that smaller tracts are located in
Manhattan and Brooklyn. some of us
were curious to know II Vincent Astor
was the anonymous donor. but Mr..
! Stover was obviously bound by a prom
| .sc not t, give the names'
| Or. SCudder said az his home last
night:
II Commissioner StuNer iuforma.
ton is correct--and | have no reason
( to think otherwlse-the gift OF $4,000, =
600 in land for Fairgrounds il one or
the finest things that could happen to
New York Any one who knows what
/ Fairgrounds and recreation centres have
accomplished for this city in the pas
few years understands the significance
OF such gift.
Commissioner Stovcr told TIE Sun
last night that 1t was impossible
for hlm To- discuss the pending s.ft at
this time.
The fact is said the tummissi sioner.
I have asked certain gentleman to
give us the land. Il" has my request
under consideration. Later on. no doubt.
| shall be able to tell you more.
We need more land for park pur-
poses Of all kinds. AT present the city
7 hasn't the money to devote ~ the pur-
pose. Therefore. being on the alert, /
hope for the Citys interests, went
to "a man Of wealth. hope to have an
, announcement later
| some of the Commissioner friends
felt sure, however. that III" gift has al
ready been made aud that all that re-
mains is the working out Of certain
/ details and conditions