The New York herald., 1921-01-23
Gerry Gardens, Turtle
Bay Gardens, Beck
man Place and Pros
pect Place Are
Beauty Spots Hold
ing Old New York S
Typical Charm

Queensporo Bridge and runs four blocks
along what would be Avenue A. Its south
ern end Is unsightly, for it is made into
cnI de sac by coal yard. To the north there
Is fine chance Of continued Improvement
The wide avenue unobstpucted by street
cars and strangely neglected by motorists,
Is practically vacant on the river side. "A
somnolent brewery or two, q couple of ugly
gas tanks. and dock of a traction company
are about all that would have to be removed
before residential improvements might be
made as far north as the handsome build
ings and grounds of the Rockefeller Insti-
tute for Medical Research.
On the west side Of the avenue, going
north from the bridge. is an equal chance
So forgotten by builders has been this Sec
ton that entire block frontages stand as
they did when the Indians trailed Manhat-
tan. Some even have the old trees still
standing. jte
approaches to the Neighborhood
BY No Means Undesirable
The approaches to this desirable residence
section are not bad. Sensible persons, with
out waiting for others of social prominence
to lead the way. have built homes for them
selves In the East Sixties that are clean,
pleasant and modest. First avenue is COM
monplace, of course, but not sordid The
New York Trade School buildings are on It
between Sixty-seventh and Sixty-eighth
streets, and opposite Is half a block Of play
ground. presenting a fine hard field that
would make excellent tennis courts.
In this pretty neighborhood an interest
ing housing plan, begun in October, 1919, is
approaching completion. This is the Gerry
Gardens. or English Gardens, a section Of
the Gerry estate, made up of Nos. 157 to
l67. inclusive, on Sixty-fifth street and
i54 to l64, inclusive. on Sixty-sixth street.
syndicate bought these houses and pro-
ceeded, under the direction Of e. s. Hewitt.
to reconstruct them to form a high grade
dwelling colony copied after one that the
architect had seen in London.
Several OF the houses have already found
owners, and the work has so far progressed
that the first comers have been able to 20 i
to live there In comfort. New facades and
other structural changes have given the
houses individuality and the yard space is
being rapidly transformed into an Italian
garden All the work has gone forward so
quietly that to stumble upon this charming
residential section naturally evokes surprise
But II the stumbler has gone east fromH
Third avenue by either Sixty-second orI|
Sixty-third street his surprise will be less
because here and there in these streets he
has seen similar individual improvements.
These are separate houses bought by the
architect Frederic Sterner and so entirely
metamorphosed both exteriorly and in
teriorly that the persons who lived in them
under their old incarnation, SO to speak.
would never believe that they were the same.
Among the new residents who are lavish of
praise of these homes are Mrs BENJAMIN
Wood and Edward s. Shepard
Pleasant 1t is to record the fact that good
things as well bad command imitators
The English or Gerry Gardens. the Turtle
Pay Gardens and Sutton place are bound to
find many. In fact, there are plans being
drawn for changing unattractive neighbor-
hoods in this fashion or In even more gram
dose proportions. Little is to be said OF
these while they still exist only on paper.
but they are certainly due. and one which
is perhaps overdue may just be mentioned
This Is an Improvement similar to those de-
scribed but covering larger territory on
East Fifty-fifth street. to be known as the
Court Gardens The names of Mrs. Nina
Duryea and Oliver Hartman are associated
with this plan.
Beginning as a sort Of a1legory. projec-
tion of mind into the future. this account
OF what may happen-due to what has been
done--assumes n greater tincture of fact
There are people who doubt IL any part Of
Manhattan Island will be permitted to re-
main residential in the year 1000. Perhaps
not. but IL the visitor from New Zealand
would but hasten his coming he would see
homes enough on the shore of the East
River to justify what in the first part OF
this discursive story he has been made b
say.