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Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 7, no. 158: March 25, 1871

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Estate Record AND BUILDERS' GUIDE. Vol. YIL NEW YOEK, SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 18^1. No. 158. Published Weekly by THE REAL ESTATE RECORD ASSOCIATION. . TERMS. One year, in advance......................g6 00 All communications should be addressed to 106 Broadway, cob. of Pikk Street. * Entered according to Act of Congress, in the j'ear 1871, by C. W. SWEET, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. No receipt for money due the EEAL ESTATE Record will be acknowledged unless signed by one of our regular collectors, Hekry D. Smith or Thomas f. Cummings. All bills for collection wOl be sent from the office on a regu¬ larly printed form. PATENT binders for preserving the Record can be had at the office, or will be sent to any address in the city upon the receipt of one doUar. OUS NEW PAEKS. We believe that the gentlemen who formerly administered the affairs of the Central Park and upper Boulevards had under consideration plans for the improvement of the Momingside Park, based on the idea that the Commissioners who were appointed to take the land for the Park, and estimate the amounts of damage aud bene¬ fit, would have made their report in a reason¬ able period of time. Had they done so, the work on the Park could have been commenced nearly two years ago. Complaints , of want pf energy, and of too much of one man's control, and too much of one man's ideas, had become rife for two years preceding the period when these gentlemen were legislated out of office, and a small Com¬ mission of very prominent men formed, by which course it was stated that harmony of action and. greater speed would be given to the more rapid development of the city above Four¬ teenth street, the upper boundary of Ancient New Yo7'k. , The gentleman who was' selected by our tal¬ ented Mayor for the high honor of the Presi¬ dency of the new Department of Public Parks, was Petbb Babr Sweeny. This is the gentle¬ man to whom we are principally indebted for our present City Charter, which, taken all in all, is the best Charter to meet the require¬ ments of the times that our city has ever had. ' Mr. Sweeny has been so prominently before the public for years past, that it is simply suffi¬ cient to nanae him. He is a gentleman of a very high sense of -personal honor, of strict iategrity in money matters, and a distinguished scholar. He has most indomitable persistence, and is full of stratagems in carrying out his political plans, and is conceded by public repute to be the most influential man in the Democratic party in this State. He is said to be a warm¬ hearted man, and more attached to his personal friends than forgiving to" his political enemies. A requ(^st was made to him to name the four gentlemen it would give him pleasure to be as¬ sociated with in this Department. The names selected were— Robert James Dillon, a very distinguished non-practising lawyer, a scholar of fine culture and taste, overflowing with idle leisure, and one of the original members of the Central Park Commission. Henry Hilton, also distinguished as a jur¬ ist, a superior scholar, quick in discovering cha¬ racter, and of most exceUent taste in landscape gardening. This gentleman has also the honor of being selected by Alexander T. Stewart, a large owner of improved lots in the more an¬ cient part of our city, as his private counsel and Real Estate adviser. His course honors the con¬ fidence reposed in him, as Mr. Stewart's in¬ terests have in him a vigilant guardian. Thomas C. Fields comes next. He was a member of the former Central Park Commis¬ sion ; a great worker; a live man, equal to any emergency in politics ; of bold and comprehen¬ sive ideas of the value of property north of the Central Park ; said to be rather impetuous in manner. He does his ov?n thinking, and acts accordingly. Andrew H. Green, the last on the list, is too widely known for his varied acquire¬ ments, modest deportment, and liberal breadth of views, to render a description necessary. His, experience and judgment ought to be of great value to the Commission. In regard to the Momingside Park, we sub¬ mit that a plan for its improvement, combining a series of terraces, would probably be the most appropriate. In our opinion, it should be a grand flower garden, and no trees admitted that could be classed otherwise than as shrubbery. It could be made the Botanical Garden, On the westerly line, a high wrought-iron fence would be required to protect it from the carriage drive. As the narrowness of the Park, and its peculiar formation, wiU entirely exclude carriages, the winding walks to the respective terraces will be narrow, and adapted for the use of pedestri¬ ans only. In all its prominent features, its treatment should be different from that of the Central Park. It seems strange'that owners of prop¬ erty to let will permit the defacing, every year or two," of their houses by having the sign " to let" plastered upon the most conspicuous place onthe building. tTndoubtedly this serves as an advertisement, the profit of which though, to the owner, is very questionable. In many lo¬ calities where there are four or five houses near to each other on which this sign is displayed, its effect is the opposite of the intentions of the owner, as parties in search of a house im¬ mediately siispect there is something wrong about the neighborhood, and so avoid the lo¬ cality. MECHANICS' LIENS AGAINST BXTIIDINGS IN NEW YOKE CITY. March. 17 Amitx ST., K. s. (No. 123). Peter B. Fitzpatrick agt, P, M. Mittnacht.. $333 50 20 Centre st., e. s. (No. 168). Jere- mia T. and James B. Smith agt. Henry Erben, Jr................. 8,207 00 16 ElGaTY-SIXTH ST., N. s., 200 E. Sd av. J.