Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-27
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
Case Of Gramercy Park. New York,
Suggests Similar Holdings in Phila.
delphia and All They Mean to
Growing City
BY SARAH d. LOWRIE

by SAhAH ID. LOWHlE
COME time ago wrote Of an experience
~ that had had of New York which was q
! new one to me-a visit in house on Ora
mercy Park and all that had been entailed BY
| a somewhat more finely distilled. quieter
social atmosphere than the ordinary tourist
version that had been my former fate.
Well. had two echoes only this week
from that recital Of pleasant happenings!
One was quizzing note from al habitue Of.
] think, the Players Club over there, call.
Ing my attention to the poetic license that
/ had INDUCED in when ! had described my
wakeful moments during the night OF my
visit as being punctuatcd by the mellow
chimes OF the Tower Of Madison Square
Garden.
He reminded me of the fact that those
chimes cease after 10 80 o'clock at night
and do not resume until morning!
The other return" that came my way
was just as informing. though. perhaps. less
''ramercy Park. done somewhat In the same
spirit ms that Of Cohen's on our Rittcnhouse
Square
FN11E name "Gramercy'' comes from the
Dutch name Of stream that once
was part bcs-and so along Twenty first
street through what is now the park. finally
making for the river. The name meant
little crooked knife which. in the then
Dutch, was Krom Messe or Crommessie,
which gradually worked down into Ora.
mercy.
The farm. Of which what IS now the little
park formed the outlying portion. was set
aside by its owner for n residential quarter
OF the rapidly approaching town, somewhere
about the year 1890. And. by. way of
making it more attractive this far seeing
gentleman. Samuel Rugglcs, made the park
the property of all the adjacent lot holders.
mat is, he gave section of his farm
forty-two lots in all-not to the city. but
to the owners and occupants Of the sixty
two surrounding lots. for the establishment
of an ornamental private square. The lots.
ms he sold them one by one, were of enhan, I'd
value because Of this open ~nace that was In
sense. their private front yard. and the city
received higher taxes because Of the
enhanced value of the lots, although the
been lately taxed.
There was an attempt to tax it, and, in
deed, for several years a collection # taxes
hut the matter went to the courts and there
tho city lost the case. and there was a refund
made.
THE matter is OF interest to us Phila.
delphinns because parks or squares were
part Of III" original planning Of this
town And at one time those parks OF ours
We're fenced as this one in New York is.
But ours were never. I think. only the
pIoPei,! VI 'ne surrounding householders.
Park except by q key.
Until lately there were very stringent
restrictions also as TO the tyne OF dwelling
permitted on the lots surrounding the park,
a,ns anu even now i Understand business houses.
,"'to, ts.,idI idJ.o''es ma pIaces or amusement
dwelling hoIse appearance Of the neighbor.
hood.
PARK j. IT, r ne tfustefshir OF three
rt.l@tns, 'e; VINO nave t'e power to till any
nu'"ii, Ies 'nat may Occur IN thelr ranks and
ii, "hu nc.ep' or REJECT suppose. proposed
"nt.ton1 .Lo no.1 W .np statues ana memorials IN
,ba ,ba ,"r genera. upk'r O.. No doubt one Of
o'' .''''nt lruS1erS was responsibie for
,n,. Ir'E "r,l""en'I' '''.P history that
Nv" "''"'' "'' LOT sec II IS dated l"2l.
T TITLE by little the lots were bouebt IN.
IL and little by ljttlc tho now families thai
occupied the houses became rho old families
bgrlows, 'Han"S such men as Peter
',""'ler' ,"' l""hIrr "t the institut': the
ie,I ~ am il'N'IIs l'"'lE i'"NI"y ana cyrus
T''", JH!ArI harper. OF me puhiishlng firm;
;ou'H "oI any ,nt",'ioru m'e' hehiy
ntat ,"J'r.Vr, nl.eTWarI H nrlShop OF ashlngton
iriS""p "Fs'r' pr, bello"s' or the nltarian
n"Fch OF All HouIS-hll 'hese made the
i'ounes ,nelr Ih". were oh'e 'he!r hoihes
"i'nI"rhS "l .nr Town
h", hS '"' lid" ,h"."d uptown what had
sontcd his bouse. No. 1G Cromnrrr por,,
to members Of his own and other artistic
,aIngs as n meeting place to promote social
Intercourse The players' club since that
dnv has made history Of n literary and dro.
matte and artistic kind.
The National Arts Club. the C,olumh,a
University Club. the Army and Novv Clnh
the Princeton. the United Service. the Moth.
erland and the Boston Tech CIuhs ssttIod
nearby one hy one Some have rone ,,nto,r,
since then. some have enlarged the;r ruor
ters and STAYED on. There ie a OnaIar
meeting house. there is the CeIvorv En;a"o'
nal Church and there is All SnI,Is Isn;
'arian Church iust off the sonoro onL
hotel for the women workers Of tho Ci,r
>,f,,;o, 81 IT,. G. Wv IH