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living at too great a distance from the park, to habitually resort to-- 

 it with ease and frequency. The residents of the Ninth and Twen- 

 tieth Wards can hardly claim to be in this condition, and the sup- 

 position is a mistaken one that they would experience any serious 

 additional difficulty in reaching a pleasure ground, if the site which 

 the Commission proposes to discard is laid out with a view to an im- 

 provement of the general approaches to the park, instead of to any 

 purpose which would involve its enclosure. The additional distance 

 to be traveled over from all the house lots in the Ninth Ward to the 

 entrances of the present park, and to those which were planned under 

 the old scheme, east of Flatbush avenue, will be crossed by a car- 

 riage driven at the rate of six miles an hour, in seventy-five seconds. 

 The difference to those approaching on foot, considering the reservoir 

 grounds as a part of the park, will be less than that. From all the 

 house lots of the Twentieth Ward the present park will, on an aver- 

 age, be entered sooner than the park as formerly planned, east of 

 Flatbush avenue, could have been. 



The principal reasons which have led to the preference of other 

 ground for the park over that east of the Plaza have now been given, 

 and we may add, in a few words, the reason for the arrangement 

 recommended for the laying out of the discarded ground. As the 

 street lines had been originally established, those on the east side ap- 

 peared to approach the park less advantageously than those on the 

 west. In the plans which we have from time to time submitted for 

 your consideration, our main object has been to counteract this ap- 

 parent misfortune of the east side. 



No one who has examined the plan before the Board can have 

 failed to recognize, we think, that under it an approach to the park 

 through either of the confluents of the Plaza is calculated to pro- 

 duce a decided effect of dignity, stateliness and fitness of position. 

 An expenditure of millions could not be made to give the same 

 especial advantage to the New York park. According to our plans 

 there are six approaches of this character opening upon the Plaza 

 from the west, and six from the east, which is a fair and equitable 

 arrangement, as well as an artistically complete and well-balanced 

 one ; but if the ground north of the reservoir should be appropriated 

 to a garden, it is evident that while the six approaches on the west 

 side would remain in tact there would be but two on the east side, 

 neither of which would lead fairly toward the eastern part of the 

 city. 



We have considered it an object to secure not only fine ap- 

 proaches, but to so arrange the vacant ground in the immediate 



