AND   BUILDERS*   GUIDE.





Vol. YII.





NEW YOETC, SATUP.DAY, JUNE 3, 1871.





No. 168.





Piiblished Weekly by

THE REAL ESTATE RECORD ASSOCIATION.

TERMS.

One year, in advance......................$6 00

All communications should be addressed to

7 AND 9 Warken Street,





Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by

C. W. SWEEX,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.





A PULii file of the Eeal Estate Eecord, fi-om the
commencement, for sale. Address, T. C, Eeal Estate
Eecord office.





PARK MATTERS.

The report of the Commissioiiers in tlie mat¬
ter of the Eiverside Park, whicli will come up
for confirmation on the 10th of June, wiU un¬
doubtedly be approved. It is the intention of
the Department of Parks, immediateljr after
the confirmation, to commence active opera¬
tions on that important work, and all fears in
regard to any change in the outliues of this
park, as shown now on the map of the Com¬
missioners, may be set at re,st. In less than
two years our citizens wUl be enjoyiug the beau¬
ties of this park, the ornamentation of which
wiU probably surpass anything of the kiad yet
seen in New Tork.

By an act of the Legislature passed April 5,
1871, the Comptroller of the city of New York
is authorized to issue bonds to the amount of
$3,000,000, said bonds or funded stock to be
denominated "The City Park Improvement
Fund," for the redemption of which the public
parks, squares, and places of the city of New
York stand pledged. The money obtained by
the sale of these bonds is to be expended on
the improvement and regulation (as named in
the law) of the Central Park, City HaU Park,
Momingside Park, Riverside Park, Madison
Square, Reservoir Square, Washington Square,
and the several parks and places which by law
now are or may be under control of the De¬
partment of Parks.

During the coming season it is the intention
of the Commissioners to commence the erection
of two magnificent buildings, One of which
wiU. probably be located upon that part of
Central Park formerly known as the Manhat¬
tan Square, and will be maintained as a Mu¬
seum and Gallery of-Art; and the other build¬
ing, which will be located in some other part of
the Park, as a Museum of Natural History.

The Metropolitan MusoTim of Art and the
American Museum of -Natural History are both
incorporated companies, and will occupy these





two buildings, under the control and regula¬
tions of the Department of Parks.

The authority of the'Park Board has been
extended to," all that portion of Battery, place
lying south of the south line of the south side
of Pier one, North River, and west of the easter¬
ly line of West street extended in a southerly
direction, and also over the waters of the North
River in front of said portion of Battery place
to the extent of 200 feet westerly from the
west end of said Battery place; and the Board
of Commissioners have power to construct im¬
provements to consist of suitable buildings,
docks, piers, or basins for the accommodation
of small boats that may be engaged in the busi¬
ness of attending to the shipping lying in the
river or bay; said small boats to be under the
control and govemment of the Commissioners.

The public squares or places laid out by reso-
ution adopted on the 15th day of November,
1867, in the foUowing "words," and also the
public square or place bounded easterly by the
road or pubhc drive ; northerly by the division
Une between land now or late of John A. Haven,
and land now or late of------ConnoUy; south¬
erly by the street before described, extending
from the Kingsbridge road to the North or Hud¬
son River, and including the road now known
as Fort Washington Depot road, and westerly by
a line drawn paraUel to the centre line of the
Hudson River Railroad, and twenty feet easterly
therefrom; and also the public square or place
bounded easterly by a liae drawn paraUel to the
centre line of the Hudson River Railroad, and
twenty feet westerly therefrom; southerly by
the street last above mentioned, and westerly
and northwardly by the North or Hudson River,
are hereby discontinued on the map showing
the same filed pursuant to section two, chapter
five hundred and sixty-five, laws of eighteen
hundred and sixty-five, and shaU not be shown
on the maps hereafter to be filed on the com¬
pletion of the whole work to be performed un¬
der said chapter five hundred and sixty-five.

The foUowing is section 10 of the Act passed
April 5, 1871.

§ 10. The street or avenue laid out by the
Commissioners of the Central Park, lying inter¬
mediate the Avenue St. Nicholas and the Tenth
avenue, and extending from the northerly side
of One Hundred and Twenty-sixth street to the
southerly side of One Hundred and Thirty-sev¬
enth street, is hereby discontinued on the maps
showing, the same, filed pursuant to chapter six
hundred and ninety-seven, of laws of eighteen
hundred and sixty-seven, and shaU not be shown
on the maps hereafter to be filed on the comple¬
tion of the whole work, to be performed under
said chapter six hundred and ninety-seven; but
the Board of Commissioners of the Department
of PubUc Parks shall have and possess exclusive
power to lay out and establish a new street or
avenue, and the grades therefor, intermediate
the said avenue St. Nicholas and the said Tenth
avenue, and between the northerly side of said
One Hmidred and Twenty-sixth street and the





southerly side of said One Hundred and Thirty-
seventh street, of such width, extent, and direc¬
tion as to them shaU seem most conducive to
pubUc good, and shaU show said new street or
avenue on the final maps hereafter to be filed on
the completion of the whole work, to be per¬
formed under said chapter six hundred and
ninety-seven, and the new street or avenue so
laid out shaU be considered one of the streets or
avenues, with the same intent and effect, as if
the same had been laid out and established by
the Commissioners appointed in and by the act
entitled "An Act relative to Improvements
touching the laying out of streets and roads in
the cityof New York, and for other purposes,"
passed AprU third, eighteen hundred and seven.





THE BROADWAY IMPROVEMENT.

Mb. a, T. Stewaet has forwarded the foUow¬
ing letter to the Corporation Counsel resigning
his position as one of the Commissioners of
Estimate and Assessment in the matter of the
widening and straightening of Broadway from
Thirty-fourth to Fifty-ninth street, and giving
his reasons therefor :—

New Toek, May 29,1871.
To BicTia/rd O^Goitnan, Corporation Counsd.

My Deae Sie: I regret to say-that Ijfeel
constrained to resign my office of commissioner
in the matter of widening and improving Broad¬
way from Thirty-fourth street to Fifty-ninth
street.

The reason for this is, I cannot consistently
with my ideas of right and justice lay assess¬
ments for the proposed improvement upon a
large portion of the property within the area
that my colleagues have decided to be speciaUy-
benefited by it.

The district they have determined upon for
this purpose begins at the comer of Carmine
and Bedford streets, thence to and through
Houston street, First, Second, and Thfid
avenues, to Thirtieth street, etc., covering an
extent of space in its southerly boundary far
beyond any line which, in my opinion, can be
considered as specially benefited in any just
sense; while, on the contrary, I believe it in¬
cludes property which may with propriety be
regarded as injured in some degree at least by
estabUshing the great business thoroughfare of
the city over and along the westerly side of the
island.

Fourteenth street on the south, and Fourth
and Sixth avenues for limited distances north¬
wardly therefrom I beUeve to be the extreme
southerly limit of the district which can be re¬
garded as speciaUy benefited by the proposed
improvement.                                                 .

Permit me also to ask your attention to an¬
other difficulty which this extended area of
assessment must produce, and which is of a
practical value. I refer to the possibiUty of
having the assessment maps prepared within
what remains of the six months aUowed by
law for the commissioners to make their final
report, and which, deducting the forty days; of
the period required for hearing objections, prac-
ticaUy limits their time to less than five months
for doing the work, and of which about one-
third has already elapsed.

The area-or Umit of assessment fixed by
statute under which the former commissioners
acted embraced 11,488 lots of land, and the
assessment maps thereof, as I am informed,