Year: 1868

course at its intersections with the avenues will be
located its most Immediately valuable points, In
connection with these points projects to widen and
ornament the intersecting streets have been pro-
posed and ventilated. As thoroughfare OF
fashion the most important OF these will be l0Gth
street. which leads directly from the Riverside Park
to the most slightly poiat of the Central Park


viz, the great hill. The project of widening this


street and treating it as part of the Boulevard


has been mooted (and win no doubt be adopted


before the street is built up) as also has been that


opening a new gate into the Park in front


of the intersection of the street with Eighth


avenue, to receive some name indicative


OF the elite which is hereafter to throng


its sidewalks and pave. This Park entrance, if


agreed upon, should be highly ornamental, form


ing appropriate structural ending for the street


in question, hereafter to be the most celebrated


transverse thoroughfsre between Fifty.ninth and
10th streets. At present. in fact, aud more


especially as the city develops, the number of


Park gates will be found quite insulic lent, and
their increase is question which should be held


open and subject to the public demand. By all


means there should be a gate opening directly at


the base of the great hill opposite l06th street.


Since the most commanding deviation of


the whole Park is here located and


ought to be rendered easy Of access


from this thoroughfare. This hill will be


terraced in due season also, and the natural OPEN


ing Of this terrace will be upon Eighth avenue, at


the foot of it. This project is under considera


ton and cannot but secure attention and active


work at some time not long in the future. 1t


would be well, in fact, to open new gates opposite


every one of the thoroughfares indicated by the


junction of the Boulevard with the several avenues


and no doubt the feasibility Of doing this has


already occurred to the Commissioners. The


Park was laid out before the Boule-


ward, and its gates, for want of data, have
been rather arbitrarily disposed than otherwise;
and, though none of them should be closed, others
accommodated to the wants Of the existing plan
should be opened from time to time as public de-
mand may indicate or public convenience require.


In fact the gates the west side ought to be more
numerous than those on the east, since the great
upper thoroughiares of the city will be located on
this tract; and within the next ten years two-
thirds of all the visitors thercat will
really enter from thoroughfares Of the western
tract, pouring from every point of intersec-
ton heretofore indicated into the great pleasure
ground OF the city. No more far-sghted measure,


in fact, could be adopted than the anticipation of
this want before it is seriously felt and the re-
spending to it in advance OF any agitation. The
expense wonld be at present comparatively small
and the opening Of these gates would secure a
complete unison Of the Park with the just
completed plan of the western tract, and tend to
develop with greater rapdty its ing trans.
verse thoroughfares. The drive along the Boule
ward must otherwise, in order to gain the great


hill, be turned at llOth street, instead of passing
down to l0Gth street, which is opposite the


hill; and thus the pleasure seeker is forced to the
Harlem flats to gain access instead of continuing


on the high ground along the line Of the Boulevard
to the ornamented junction of the Boulevard with
lO6th street, and across highly ornamcnted


street to the great hill. The proposition to extend
the number of gates on the western boundary needs


further discussion however. and may be left for
five years; though it is sure to become serious
question within that time and to have its way
finally. The opening at l06th street has, in fact
already received considerable attention, and viii
| no doubt be carried into effect at an early day.
| THE EAST SIDE


| ia also beginning to demand an ornamental


thoroughfare, which in due season will be needed
and must be rendered. Fifth avenue is by nj
means available for this purpose and attention
has been turned to Madison avenue, now opened


as far as Eighty-sxth street and just about to be
opened to the Harlem river, as supplying the
means to attain this desidcratum. Property along
this line has not attained that inordinate figure


which renders widening impracticable, SO far as il


relates to the Fifth avenue and others; and if, in
connection with its opening, its widening were
| ordered, the ornamental thoroughfares on both
| sides Of the Park might be considered as COM
plete. 1t has been proposed, therefore, to widen
| this avenue to the breadth of 100 feet from
| from Fifty ninth street to the Harlem river, TO
| which point it will soon be opened, and to orna-
| ment it with trees and carriage ways after the
| model OF the Boulevard. The favorable consider


alton of this project by the authorities will secure
| another great longitudinal thoroughfare, which
will be needed OH the east side almost imme-
| diatey and should therefore, be decided upon
| with promp.ness and opened for grading and it


is to be hoped that the city authorities will not be
| so short.sighted as to reject it. And with this
| suggestion, leaving the Fors Washington tract
| to be hereafter discussed, this paper may be APP
| proprately though rather abruptly concluded.
| other details of the west side having been ex-
| hausted in previous article.