PARK SITES CHOSEN 



115 



bound District." A similar sentiment was reflected by other 

 editorial notes and published expressions of the opinions of 

 many persons entirely ontside the district immediately 

 affected. 



There was no adverse criticism that ever reached the com- 

 mission until the board declined to extend the lines of the 

 park as originally established. These objections were, how- 

 ever, confined to those more directly interested, and evi- 

 dently never got beyond the point of individual opinion. 

 The lines of the park were at first located at the limits that 

 it was desired should be placed in each direction. As soon 

 as the requisite property outside of the O'Brien purchase 

 could be acquired, the working plans were completed and 

 (the contracits, in August, 189 6, were let for practically all the 

 work for completing the park. This work, also undertaken 

 by the Messrs. Shanley, was pushed rapidly forward and 

 finally completed in 1897. It was the first of the county 

 parks to be turned over in a finished condition for public 

 use. The entire area was a level tract, and the landscape 

 treatment, with trees on the borders, walks, lawn, etc, simi- 

 lar to most city squares or parks of small acreage. The 

 park contains a little more than twelve acres, and has cost 

 upward of $160,000. 



THE WEST SIDE PARK. 



Although the decision to locate a park in the western por- 

 tion of Newark was not in the order following that for the 

 East Side, the conditions controlling the selection were so 

 directly the reverse of those in the other case as to make the 

 comparison of them quite apropos here. With the West 

 Side situation, inst©€id of the moving forces being from 

 within the commission, they were — at least during the early 

 stages of the discussion — wholly from without. The park 

 experts to the first commission had not made any special 

 recommendation for a park there, and none were included in 

 the plans of that board, as it was believed that a park of 

 creditable dimensions within the city limits there would in- 

 yolve. ill proportion, to its size too great cost. While other 



