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 LAN FOR A PARK 
 
 
 
 FOB THE 
 
 
 
 
 
 CITY OF ALBANY. 
 
 
 
 
 
 BY 
 
 
 
 
 
 DAVID MURRAY, A. M. 
 
 
 
 
 
 ALBANY : 
 
 
 
 
 
 J. MUNSELL, 78 STATE STREET. 
 
 
 
 
 
 18G3. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 UCSB LIBRARY 
 
 PLAN FOR A PARK 
 
 CITY OF ALBAI^Y 
 
 DAVID MURRAY, A. M. 
 
 ALBANY : 
 J. MUNSELL, 78 STATE STREET. 
 
 1803.
 
 To the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Albany : 
 
 The undersigned were appointed a committee by the 
 Albany Institute to lay before your body the accompanying 
 paper, which was read at a meeting of the Institute, held 
 June 3, 1863, and to request your attention to the subject 
 therein discussed, as one of vital importance to the city 
 over which you preside. 
 
 The duty of providing an ample park for the city of 
 Albany, is one that, of course, can not have escaped your 
 consideration. Of the importance of this step there can be 
 but little doubt, and nearly as little doubt that the step 
 ought to be taken without longer delay. 
 
 The committe in laying before your honorable body the 
 present plan for a park, have no wish to urge it as the 
 only feasible one, nor to insist upon the adoption of this 
 particular locality. If the suggestions of this paper shall 
 serve to direct attention to the subject, and demonstrate 
 the practicability of securing for the perpetual use of the 
 city, large and beautiful public grounds, the committee 
 will feel themselves abundantly satisfied. 
 
 JOHN Y. L. PRUYN, 
 
 President of the Institute, 
 ANDREW E. BROWN, Treasurer, 
 
 DAVID MURRAY, Secretary. 
 Albany, June, 1863.
 
 PLAN FOR A CITY PARK. 
 
 No city government is wise which neglects to provide 
 suitable and ample pleasure grounds for its citizens. Such 
 a proposition would scarcely need enforcement, if we did 
 not know that there are those who think that the duty of 
 men called to preside over the interests of the city has no- 
 thing to do with the pleasures and amusements of citizens. 
 To provide and keep in order streets and wharves for the 
 transaction of business, to secure the safety of person and 
 property, to enforce laws as to the order and peaceableness 
 of public resorts, to guard against pestilence ; such many 
 would claim to be the only and the legitimate spheres in 
 which the functions of city rulers may be employed. But 
 to furnish delights to eye and ear, to provide holiday shows, 
 to spend money merelj' to amuse ; these belong to private 
 taste and enterprise, but do not come within the scope of 
 municipal supervision and government. 
 
 Views, as narrow and illiberal as these, are fortunately 1 't 
 rare. There are not many men who would deny to a ci 
 government a very liberal exercise of its authority 
 ornamenting as well as governing their city — in seeing th 
 taste as well as usefulness should be consulted in pub! 
 buildings — in employing the water which serves the p' - 
 poses of health and cleanliness, for the embellishment f 
 public grounds, and in furnishing with a free and lib al 
 hand the facilities for sports by land and water. Y' it 
 would not be hard to prove even to such that the eftab b- 
 ment of suitable pleasure grounds — and the pro^ linf )r 
 the cultivation and gratification of public tasi sver> >n 
 themselves so strictly requisite for the health, ord , gro :h
 
 and prosperity of a city, that their own practical princi- 
 ples would countenance and require them. 
 
 Cleanliness, fresh air, the presence of vegetation are 
 essential to health. How can a sufficiency of these be 
 obtained in crowded towns, unless by the action of city 
 governments.'* Private enterprise even where aided by in- 
 telligence and wealth can not always in large cities obtain 
 these. It requires the interference of public authority to 
 provide open and accessible public grounds for the enjoy- 
 ment of these luxuries. A beautiful park in any city is a great 
 moral power. It does more than criminal courts or police- 
 men to repress crime. The feverish, restless brain is cooled 
 and soothed by the fresh breeze and the cooling shade. Shak- 
 speare makes Falstaff, the debauchee and drunkard, when 
 dying, go back in thought, to his earlier and happier and 
 more innocent days and " babble of green fields." Men are 
 wiser, better, more temperate, more loving, when they have 
 wandered amid trees and by water falls, and heard birds 
 sing and children laugh and play. The slovenliness and 
 filth, which sometimes unnecessarily disgrace the tenements 
 of the poor in cities, are put to shame by the sight of the 
 beauty and freshness of nature. 
 
 The children who are compelled to live in narrow streets 
 and crowded houses, grow up happier, more healthful and 
 more virtuous, if now and then they can leave behind their 
 hot and unventilated dwellings and find solace and bounti- 
 ful joy in a well appointed park. When the laborer gets a 
 half holiday, how much more vigorously and contentedly 
 he will recommence his work, if instead of wasting its hours 
 in steaming bar rooms, he can find the accessible and at- 
 tractive walks of a park in which to find refreshment. 
 
 Nor are the advantages to be derived from such a source 
 restricted to the poor. Nature has implanted the same 
 natural wants and longings in all. The rich man and the 
 poor must breathe the same air. The same sights of na- 
 tural beauty — the mountains and the valleys — the trees and
 
 water are common sources of enjoyment to both. It does 
 not destroy our appreciation or enjoyment of a scene to 
 know that thousands of eyes besides our own are feasting 
 upon it. Nature does not become unlovely by becoming 
 common. 
 
 Who needs rest and refreshment as much as the man of 
 business, or the professional man, whose thoughts and ener- 
 gies have been taxed to their utmost bent, b}^ the work of 
 the day ? Men die every year by thousands, whom an hour's 
 walk or drive every day after their work is over, would 
 save for long years of usefulness. I know scores of pro- 
 fessional men and merchants who are absolutely committing 
 self-murder, because they think they can not spare the time 
 to see the sights and breathe the air which God has given 
 them. 
 
 Unfortunately men are not always aware of what is for 
 their good. Ignorance or apathy often deprives us of 
 blessings which hang clustering within our reach. The man 
 who has lived all his days in an unventilated, filthy house, 
 does not appreciate the necessity of good air and cleanli- 
 ness, although himself and children are suffering every day 
 from the want of them. It is the duty of the enlightened 
 and generous to see that these public blessings, so far as 
 they can be provided by public means, are put within the 
 reach of all. It is necessary sometimes to force men to 
 live decently. It is proper sometimes to thrust unappreci- 
 ated and neglected means of enjoyment, under the very 
 noses of men in order that they may be compelled to obtain 
 from these sources that good which nature designed for 
 them. 
 
 Any such project as that which I am about to submit, will 
 meet with abundant neglect and opposition. It will cost 
 money ; therefore many who have the real good of the city 
 at heart, and desire economy and providence in expen- 
 ditures will cry out against it. It will be pronounced un- 
 necessary and extravagant by man}'- who do not appreciate
 
 before liand tbo advantages to be derived from it. For 
 these very reasons, it devolves, as a public duty on those 
 who are enlightened enough to see and magnanimous 
 enough to act, to undertake such a design even in spite of 
 the apathy or opposition of many good men. The reward 
 for such a course will be found in the assurance that these 
 labors will be honored and appreciated after their results are 
 witnessed. The very mouths that will now cry out against 
 a city park, will when it is provided, be the loudest to 
 award credit to those who did them a good in spite of them- 
 selves. It was precisely such an experience that those en- 
 countered who projected and executed the city water works 
 of Albany. Men protested against the work as unneces- 
 sary. There was water enough. There were good wells, 
 which the city fathers had dug. There was a stone reser- 
 voir already in Eagle street. There was the river, not likely 
 soon to go dry. Careful and economical men who did not 
 look to the future growth and wants of the city, abused 
 and protested. But the work was done. A great fire which 
 consumed a large portion of the city perhaps may be cre- 
 dited fordoing something to convince the public mind that 
 pumps can not be depended on to supply a city with water. 
 
 The magnificent Central Park of New York was under- 
 taken in the face of just such an opposition. And yet, now 
 that the work is fairly initiated, and some of the results be- 
 gin to show themselves, nobody opposes the most liberal 
 and generous provision for carrying out the designs of the 
 Park Commissioners. 
 
 I repeat then that it devolves upon those who appreciate 
 the necessity of providing a park adequate to the present 
 and future wants of this city, to initiate the enterprise even 
 in spite of the neglect or opposition of those who are to be 
 chiefly benefitted. 
 
 City governments almost always labor under great disad- 
 vantages in securing, when it becomes necessary, grounds 
 sufficiently extensive for public parks. In the early settle-
 
 ment of a city these are not thought of, because they have 
 not become necessary. The future of any city is so uncertain 
 that but few men are found far-sighted enough to foresee 
 and provide for its future greatness. So it almost always 
 happens that the business of obtaining grounds for exten- 
 sive public parks must be undertaken when the grounds 
 which would be suitable for such purposes have been 
 appropriated to other purposes, and have, therefore, be- 
 come too valuable to be purchased. This has been the 
 case in the Central Park of New York. The leading ex- 
 pense there as in almost all cases has been encountered 
 in extinguishing the titles of the land to be covered by 
 it. The city of Paris and the city of London, and indeed 
 almost all the great European towns have provided them- 
 selves with ample parks at an enormous cost, because they 
 were obliged to use lands that had already become valuable. 
 The leading features of a park suitable for such a city as 
 this, seem to be the following : 
 
 1. It should be, not very far removed from the central 
 part of the city and readily accessible. 
 
 2. It should be liberal in size ; calculations being made 
 not merely for the present but for the future, remember- 
 ing that it is much easier to secure land when such an im- 
 provement is being made, than afterward to add to what 
 has already been obtained, when the value of adjacent pro- 
 perty has been greatly enhanced by the very improvement 
 itself. When I speak of a liberal size, I mean a park where 
 accommodations may be provided for driving, walking, 
 games and sports, skating, ball-playing, cricketing, &c. 
 
 All this could not be easily comprehended in a few acres. 
 The drives through it, ought not to be less than three miles 
 and the walks five or six. For a city like Albany, with its 
 present condition and future prospects, 250 acres would not 
 be too much to provide in a liberal way for these purposes. 
 
 The parks of the city of London are as follows :
 
 262 
 
 acres. 
 
 389 
 
 a 
 
 55 
 
 
 59 
 
 
 473 
 
 
 248 
 
 
 185 
 
 
 35 
 
 
 1,200 
 
 
 3,800 
 
 acres, 
 
 1,842 
 
 (( 
 
 2,468 
 
 (C 
 
 684 
 
 il 
 
 Kensinp;ton Garden:?, 
 Hyde Park, _ . - . 
 
 Green Park, - - - - 
 St. Jaines Park, - - - _ 
 Reji^ents Park, . - _ 
 
 Victoria Park, _ - . _ 
 Greenwich Park, - - _ 
 Kensington Park, - _ _ 
 
 Other smaller parks, 
 
 Total, 2,906 " 
 
 In addition to these parks within the bounds of the city, 
 there are extensive suburban grounds within easy distance 
 such as : 
 
 Windsor Park, - _ _ 
 Hampton Court, - - . - 
 Richmond Park, - - - 
 Kew, ------ 
 
 Total, 8,794 " 
 
 Thus there are of open public grounds for the city of 
 London not less than 10,000 acres ; a magnificent public 
 heritage, and yet not one whit too large for that monster 
 town. 
 
 Dublin (population 260,000) has a park of 1,752 acres. 
 
 Almost all European cities have in like manner, generally 
 at immense cost, provided themselves with driving and 
 pleasure grounds. The Boulevards of Paris, the most mag- 
 nificent drive in the world, is located on the ground formerly 
 occupied by the wall and ditch which surrounded the old 
 town for its protection. The interior Boulevards is a con- 
 tinuous drive of three miles, and some parts of it are the 
 most attractive of all Paris. The great Bois de Boulogne, in 
 the vicinity of Paris, comprises 2,158 acres. It was little 
 better than one of our own sandy plains, until the magic 
 hand of the present Napoleon transformed it into a garden 
 of deliccht.
 
 American cities are just waking up to the necessity of 
 providing themselves, before it is too late, with parks. 
 Boston is the only city that, until lately, has taken any 
 important step in this direction. Boston Common has long 
 justly been the pride of the " hub of the universe." It 
 contains 48 acres ; it is devoted to the use of pedestrians, 
 and is not of sufficient size to be used for driving. 
 
 New York City has taken the lead of all other American 
 cities. The Central Park, although as yet only in the 
 infancy of its beauty, is already the pride of New Yorkers. 
 
 It contains 776 acres, 9 miles of carriage road, 5 miles of 
 bridle path, and 20 miles of walks. 
 
 Philadelphia has quite recently laid out a large park on 
 the banks of the Schuylkill, near Fairmount waterworks. 
 It contains 128 acres on one side of the river, and 80 acres 
 on the other. 
 
 Hartford has also by a timely liberality turned one of 
 the most disagreeable of her suburbs into a large and beau- 
 tiful park. 
 
 In Baltimore a beautiful old private park is being con- 
 verted into public grounds of more than ordinary extent and 
 elegance. 
 
 I give these details in order to show that the idea of 250 
 acres for a park for Albany is not extravagant. It is to be 
 a provision, not for the present merely, but for the future. 
 At the present time it ma}^ be obtained with comparative 
 ease ; whereas, the city government of 100 years hence will 
 seek in vain for an opportunity such as ofiters itself now. 
 
 3, A park should be diversified in its surface, especially 
 when the area is large. A mere flat plane does not please 
 or satisfy the eye. In an area of 250 acres, we ought to 
 have hill and valley, running water, winding roads, and 
 pretty, picturesque bits of landscape. Pleasant surprises 
 must be arranged for the eye. Some piece of beauty, be- 
 fore concealed, must break upon us suddenly. A clump of 
 
 2
 
 10 
 
 trees, or a turu in the road must reveal to us unexpectedly 
 some new scene. Water in ponds, cascades and fountains 
 is a delightful, almost an essential feature in such a park. 
 The Albany Rural Cemetery is a model piece of ground for 
 its adaptation to purposes of pleasure. The deep gorges, 
 the steep hillsides, the streams of water, the level plateaus, 
 are precisely the features in a piece of ground which would 
 adapt it for a park. 
 
 The practical question comes to us now ; is such a park 
 attainable for Albany ? Is there any spot which will meet 
 all these requisites? A spot nearly enough central to the 
 city, and accessible, large enough for the wants of the 
 city — present and prospective — and which, from its diver- 
 sity of surface and general outline, is capable of being 
 transformed into a park. 
 
 Without wishing to disparage any other locality, or to 
 set up any claim to the discovery of the only spot suitable 
 for this purpose, I desire to submit one, as possessing all 
 requisite qualifications to such a degree as to make it wor- 
 thy of attentive consideration. 
 
 The annexed map will give a clear idea of the ground 
 which is proposed to be covered by this park. The bound- 
 ary line commences at the intersection of Elk street and 
 Swan, at the head of the high bank in the rear of the 
 residences of Messrs. Steele and King. Thence it follows 
 the line of Elk street, and would absorb this street. At 
 Lark street, it passes southward and takes in Sand street, 
 running westward along Sand to Robin street. At Clinton 
 avenue, it returns eastward to Judson street, along which 
 it runs to the bounds of the corporation, and in the same 
 line into the town of Watervliet, until it reaches a point 
 whence a line running parallel with Lumber street would 
 just touch the grounds of the Dudley Observatory. It runs 
 east on this line till it reaches Swan, and along Swan to 
 Colonic, along Colonic to Knox, along Knox to Third, down 
 Third to Lark, along Lark to First, down First to the line
 
 CITY OF AJLBAHT 
 
 BY
 
 11 
 
 of Dove, through Dove to Orange, down Orange to Swan 
 street, and finally along Swan until it reaches the point of 
 starting at Elk street. 
 
 The ground included within these bounds comes nearer 
 to perfection in its capabilities for easy transformation into 
 a magnificent park than any ground which I ever saw in 
 any city. It meets almost perfectly every one of the requi- 
 sites. 
 
 1. It is near to the central part of the city, and easily 
 accessible from every quarter. Clinton avenue, a wide and 
 beautiful and well graded street, leads directly from the 
 most populous and attractive portions of Broadway and 
 Pearl street, by a distance of only two or three blocks, into 
 the most beautiful part of it. The whole of Arbor Hill 
 can reach it, either by Clinton avenue, or by any of the 
 streets parallel to it. The portion of the city living on 
 Capitol Hill can reach it either by Clinton avenue or 
 directly from Swan street, Dove street, or any of the cross 
 streets above them. And furthermore, if the project of a 
 horse rail road to West Albany is carried out, as will no 
 doubt be the case in a few years, it must run directly 
 through or along side this ground. It is therefore central 
 and accessible. 
 
 2. A park can be obtained here of sufficient size. Without 
 cramping in any respects the growing business portions of 
 the city, without taking land which must become valuable 
 for any other purposes, a park of 250 acres can here be laid 
 out. More than this ; the ground thus occupied, and which 
 would thus be converted into a perpetual pleasure, is now 
 and must forever continue a most unwholsome and incon- 
 venient locality for residences. The Canal street valley is 
 proverbially filthy and unhealthy. It will always remain 
 so, unless its side hills are turned into pleasure grounds, 
 its putrid pools of water into beautiful ponds, and the na- 
 kedness of its clay banks covered with verdure and shade. 
 
 3. The surface has all the requisite qualifications. It is
 
 12 
 
 broken and uneven. The very qualities which have unfitted 
 it for being occupied with dwellings make it especially 
 adapted to this purpose. We have here the steep hillside ; 
 we have the broken surface ; we have water, both for 
 ponds and fountains. The declivity extending from Elk 
 street, in the rear of the residences of Messrs. Strong, Rath- 
 bone, Gansevoort, Parker and others, down to Canal street, 
 is utterly useless for building or cultivation j but for the 
 purposes of a park, nothing could be more admirable. 
 Sufficient water from that unused by the waterworks could 
 be obtained to supply the ponds that are already formed. 
 A large skating park could with little expense be con- 
 structed. The top of Arbor Hill is very level, and would 
 give ample accommodations for grounds for ball-playing, 
 cricketing, &c.; purposes for which in the Central Park of 
 New York, 50 acres have been devoted. 
 
 Already a large number of trees are growing in various 
 parts of the land — maple, and elm, and willow ; and with 
 prompt attention to this branch of the ornamentation, in a 
 very short time the whole might be covered. In the Van 
 Woert street gorge, a beautiful grove of natural pines is 
 already growing, and would add much to the facility with 
 which the park could be prepared. 
 
 The broken surface would give a fine opportunity for 
 winding drives and walks. For example, a driving road 
 might be commenced at Swan street, corner of Elk, at the 
 top of the hill ; and, winding down gradually, might cross 
 the gorge, and skirt around the ponds of water, be carried 
 westward to the west terminus, where it might be made to 
 pass over Arbor Hill, circuiting in its course the sporting 
 grounds, then descending into the beautiful gorge south of 
 the Observatory, wind along one side and return by the 
 other, and recrossing Arbor Hill, re-enter the city by Clin- 
 ton avenue. Such a drive, including all its windings, would 
 not be less than two miles. In addition to this chief drive,
 
 13 
 
 other branches and auxiliary roads could be constructed, 
 connecting with this and uniting by less circuitous routes 
 the different parts of the park. 
 
 An important consideration yet remains. It is, whether 
 the cost of a park such as has been described, and in the 
 locality indicated, is within the reasonable ability of the 
 city. I have taken some pains to ascertain the approxi- 
 mate value of the land to be covered by this improvement. 
 The city surveyor, Mr. Bingham, has, with great pains and 
 care, made accurate and extensive estimates. The results 
 are so much more favorable than I anticipated that I 
 was surprised. But it must be remembered that a great 
 part of the land to be used is almost utterly valueless 
 for streets and dwellings. The established grade of the 
 city is such that it is impossible, except at a ruinous 
 expense, to prepare the grounds for being built upon. The 
 city corporation has for years been ofi'ering three entire 
 blocks at a merely nominal price, on condition that they 
 shall be graded and improved. The steep hillside north of 
 Elk street, and sloping to Canal street, could never be 
 made available for building or cultivation. It would re- 
 quire twenty years, at the present rate of dumping, to fill 
 up the Canal street gorge to the level of the present city 
 grade. 
 
 From the best estimates that can be made, the land 
 included within the boundaries indicated, lying south of 
 Clinton avenue, amounts to 75 acres, and is valued at 
 $100,000. 
 
 That lying north of Clinton avenue amounts to 175 
 acres, and is valued at $75,000. 
 
 The total being 250 acres, valued at $175,000. 
 
 The valuation which the assessors have put on this same 
 ground is very much less than that above stated ; being 
 less than $150,000. 
 
 Even if these estimates shall be found too low, and the 
 land shall cost much more than this sum, still what is this,
 
 14 
 
 when we consider how great the improvement must be. 
 This much is certain, that the expense of this land is but 
 trifling compared with what cities are obliged to pay usu- 
 ally for ground for parks; and trifling compared with what 
 this city would be obliged to pay, if it shall put off much 
 longer the duty of providing such grounds. A large park 
 must be secured sooner or later. Shall it be deferred ? Is 
 it not better for the present generation to initiate this work, 
 which must be done sometime, and never can be done as 
 cheaply as now 1 
 
 The additional expenditures may be more or less, as may 
 be deemed advisable. Roads and trees are the chief things 
 to be attended to. Trees should be set out at once ; and at 
 least a part of the roads graded. But other embellish- 
 ments, such as would be desirable for the future, may very 
 safely be carried on slowly, and at small annual expense. 
 It would be neither wisdom nor economy to put such a 
 park in perfect order at once. Some parts of it, after 
 being secured, might even be left in the possession of their 
 present occupants for a time, until such time as they could 
 be improved. It would be a great mistake to burden such 
 an enterprise with an expensive and unattainable plan of 
 adornment. Expensive bridges and arcades, subterranean 
 archways, costly exotic plants and trees — such as are 
 making New York Central Park so expensive — should be 
 avoided, especially in the inception of the enterprise. 
 There is such a thing as making a park too finical, and 
 ornamental. It ought not to be too nice to be used. Have 
 no warnings to " keep off the grass," about it. Such a 
 park, with merely good roads to and through it, with plenty 
 of trees tasteful]}'- disposed, with sporting grounds, and 
 pleasant rambles laid out, would of itself be such a de- 
 light, such a glory to our city, that we would scarcely 
 wish for anything more. 
 
 The expense of such improvements it would be hard to 
 determine, without a systematic survey and computation.
 
 15 
 
 Roughly, perhaps, a sum amounting to as much more as 
 the cost of the land would be sufficient to lay out this park 
 and give it its first outfit. 
 
 Such a sum, surely, would not be deemed too great for 
 such an improvement, To meet this expenditure, the bonds 
 of the city might be issued ; the interest on which, together 
 with a small annual outlay for care and additional orna- 
 mentation, would constitute the whole burden to the city. 
 On the other hand, the increase in the value of real estate, 
 in the vicinity of the park, would go far towards over- 
 coming any addition to the taxes from this source. How 
 much the beautiful grounds on Washington avenue, from 
 Swan to Lark street, would be improved by bringing a park 
 up to the rear of them ! The whole of Arbor Hill would 
 be so improved by its proximity to such grounds that the 
 property must increase immensely in value. The Bowery, 
 which is now given up to rickety dwellings, and faded 
 stores, would for the same reasons be reclaimed for valuable 
 and beautiful residences. 
 
 Besides, West Albany is one of the great growing suburbs 
 of Albany. When the plans of the Central rail road man- 
 agement are carried out, we shall have here a great and 
 thriving community. Already the nucleus is made. Around 
 the shops that have been built residences are springing up, 
 streets are being laid out, and school-houses erected. Al- 
 ready, then, we see directly to the west of this park the 
 growing community which is to occupy and render valuable 
 the property on that side. In ten years this park would be 
 surrounded on all sides by beautiful houses, valuable to the 
 city as a part of its taxable real estate ; and forming at 
 least one suburb of Albany of which its inhabitants need 
 not be ashamed. 
 
 Such is this plan for a park for the city of Albany, rudely 
 and unskillfully presented ; and yet surely possessing in it a 
 sufficient importance, to entitle it to the consideration of men
 
 ^(^OO'Z.M? 
 
 16 
 
 of foresight and liberality. To such it is commended, with 
 the assurance that whoever shall have the wisdom and the 
 skill to provide such an improvement for this city, the 
 gratitude of the rich and the poor, the sick and the whole, 
 the children and the aged, shall be bestowed on them ; and 
 the lips of a hundred generations will call them blessed.