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The locality in question is an average distance of two miles in a 

 straight line from the several points named ; and it will be seen that 

 by existing streets the deviation is so slight that it would make no 

 appreciable difference in an ordinary carriage drive. 



Under these circumstances it was thought advisable first of all to 

 take measures to secure possession to the city of so much ground as 

 was necessary to be controlled in order to turn this advantage of the 

 locality to proper account. This having been done by the acquisi- 

 tion of the site of what is now called the Plaza, there could be no 

 question that any park intended to be formed in the vicinity for the 

 use of the people of all parts of the city should, if possible, be so 

 located as not in the least to neutralize this advantage. If placed 

 entirely within the two converging lines of Flatbush and Ninth 

 avenues, no street leading towards the locality would be in the least 

 interfered with, while, with hardly any change of the lines as they 

 then stood on the city map, twelve streets and avenues would open 

 on a spacious public place laid out in front of the natural entrance 

 to the park on the city side. 



It happened also that by pushing out a little into the country 

 within these two converging lines, there was found what was most 

 wanted in order to secure a suitable proportion and good general 

 relation one to another of the several chief topographical elements of 

 park scenery, in hill and dale, meadow, wood and water. It more- 

 over became evident that even if it had been found really desirable, 

 on account of greater convenience of access, these topographical 

 desiderata could not have been nearly as well secured in any other 

 direction. Accordingly, in forming the new plan for a park, it was 

 assumed that a certain piece of land on Ninth avenue, and another on 

 Franklin avenue, both within the before-mentioned converging lines, 

 would be added to that already in possession, and that a certain 

 other piece of land which had been secured entirely with reference 

 to the abandoned local pleasure-ground scheme, and which was 

 wholly undesirable to be regarded in the new plan, would be dis- 

 posed of in such a way as would most benefit the city. 



The object in view in the whole arrangement being simply to 

 secure the best park possible under the circumstances, and, at the 

 same time, to guard in every way against the unnecessary obstruc- 

 tion of important lines of communication through the city, it was 

 evident that the acquisition of the ground on Ninth and Franklin 

 avenues, and the abandonment of a large part of the ground on the 

 east side of Flatbush avenue, were alike logical and essential measures 

 for the accomplishment of this end. 



