33 



chards and villa gardens, on the east of the drive, near the music 

 concourse, admit of a narrower margin than would otherwise answer. 

 The fronts of these valuable grounds near the park are nol likely to 

 be built u | m >i i before its border her-; will have become well grown, 

 nor until a street has been opened along the boundary line. Am 

 buildings then likely to be erected here will consequently lie placed 

 ;ii such ;i distance ;is not to be conspicuous from the park, while the 

 arrangeinenl enables the city to avoid the purchase of any land 

 having special value from it> association with liighly improved 

 resilience,-. 



By adopting the line of Franklin Avenue for the boundary on the 

 south, aboul half the space between an observer standing on Look- 

 out Hill and the horizon, will seem to be occupied by the lake and 

 the park. This eli'ect will of course be merely an optical one. hut 

 a visit to the site will show at once that it will he all-sufficient to 

 divert the attention of the visitor from the land occupied for agri- 

 cultural purposes, and will serve to render the sea view more at 

 tractive. This advantage will he considerably increased, if the 

 ground immediately beyond Franklin avenue should be appropriated 

 lor a parade ground, or any other public purpose which will prevent 

 it from being occupied by tall buildings. A nearer boundary than 

 Franklin avenue would probably fail to realize the effect desired in 

 this particular. 



It is proposed to widen Vanderbilt avenue to one hundred feet. 

 as far as the limits of the property at present owned l>y the Com 

 missioners; also to widen Ninth avenue to one hundred feet, as far 

 as the limits of the park are proposed to extend; also to widen Fif- 

 teenth street, the Coney Island road and Franklin avenue, as shown 

 on the plan, wherever they connect with the proposed boundary 

 lines. In all these eases, the additional width is proposed to be 

 added on the side of the road next to the park, leaving the lines on 

 the opposite of the road as already laid down on the city map. 



On the additional ground thus obtained, it is proposed to con- 

 strue! a thirty-feet sidewalk, shaded by a double row of trees, so 

 that an ample gas-lighted and umbrageous promenade will he ot- 

 tered to the public in the immediate vicinity of the park, after the 

 gates are closed at night. The comparatively close planting of these 

 avenue tree- will moreover help to shut out the houses thai will be 

 built on the opposite side of the street from the view of the visitors 

 who may he in the interior of the park. 



