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Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 7, no. 168: June 3, 1871

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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,