I have the honor to present a map of the Riverside territory belonging to the city, with the main outlines of a plan for its improvement.

What I have designated as the Riverside territory consists of two divisions: first, a strip uniformly 100 feet wide along its eastern side, named Riverside Avenue, and originally intended to be treated as other avenues of the city; second, a body of land of variable breadth named Riverside Park.

Nearly all of the ground on both of these parts of the territory slopes with a rapid inclination to the west, so much so that the originally proposed avenue would require to be supported on the lower side by a strong retaining wall, generally not less than twenty feet in height.

The avenue (as laid out in 1868) has a very crooked course, as is shown by the following line, representing a part of it equal in length to that part of Broadway south of Canal street.

Its variations of grade are also frequent, a change between ascent and descent occurring thirteen times, as represented by the following line (200 feet vertical; 4,000, horizontal, to one inch).

Many of the grades are severe, there being nine sharper than one in twenty, and on which trotting would be impracticable.

On each side of this avenue there is to be, at an average distance of less than two hundred yards, another avenue, straight in course, of better grades and equally wide. These others would amply provide for through and heavy travel, and the breadth of 100 feet on Riverside Avenue, as originally designed, is therefore only required on the presumption that it will be used for the same purpose as the Park—that is to say, as a pleasure resort.

The advantage of the Riverside territory for this purpose lies in its [109] command of views over the Hudson, which at several points are of great interest, and in its airiness.

This advantage is least, and will eventually be wholly lost, on its lower or westerly side, and is greatest, and will alone be of permanent value to the city, on its higher parts—that is to say: 1st, that part originally assigned to the avenue, and 2d, that part originally assigned to the park which, if the avenue should be built, would be close under its supporting wall (a, in the diagram).

This part of the park, inclined as it would be to the west, with a wall of masonry on the east, would, when it might otherwise be most agreeable, be found insupportably hot, unless planted with large trees.

Trees upon it would, however, completely intercept the view over it from the avenue as originally planned.

This view being cut off, the avenue, with its steep grades and frequent undulations, would be the least attractive of all the avenues of the city for pleasure driving.

For this reason the Department was advised, in 1873, that the imaginary line by which the site for the avenue was divided from the site for the park should be disregarded, and a plan prepared, with a view to utilize, in the greatest degree practicable, the advantages offered by the territory, as a whole, for the several purposes—first, of a means of access to the property on its east side; second, of a pleasure drive, commanding a fine view over the river, airy and shaded; third, of a foot promenade, commanding the same view, and also airy and shaded.

This proposition, after full consideration, received the unanimous approval of the Park Commissioners; it has since, also after cautious consideration, received that of all their successors; of the Commissioner of Public Works; of all citizens interested, who have accepted the invitation of the Commissioners to examine the matter; of the Legislature of 1873, which passed a bill based upon it; and of the Senate Committee on Cities, of 1874, which recommended a bill intended to provide for it, which failed to pass solely because of a question which arose under it as to the division of duties between the Departments of Parks and of Public Works.

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“Map of the Riverside District with the outline of a plan of a park extended over the ground originally appropriated to an avenue and designed to combine the advantages of park and avenue,” January 18, 1875

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The plan of which an outline is given in the accompanying map is prepared in accordance with the proposition which has been stated; that is to say, it is a plan for a combination of the avenue with the park. Comparing such a plan with one for a separate improvement of the two parts of the territory as originally intended, the general aim being as nearly as possible the same in both cases, the advantages which would be had under the combination plan, may be partly and moderately stated as follows:

1st. It would be less costly.

2d. The carriage way would, at all the more important points, command the view over the river, and would generally command better views; would be better shaded; would be breezier and cooler; would conveniently accommodate a much larger number of carriages, and would have much better grades. (See appended note, p. 9.)

3d. The accommodation for people on foot would be ampler; would have better views; would be better shaded; would have better grades, and would be more cheaply and efficiently policed.

In short the cost of the property under the new plan will be less than under the old, while its value to the city will be immeasurably greater.

There is a part of the Riverside territory to which the above observations do not apply, the park as originally arranged under the act of 1867, not being continuous from the north to the south end, but the whole breadth from Eighty-fifth to Eighty-eighth streets being assigned to the avenue, the west line of which was made to coincide with the east line of Twelfth avenue, but with a difference of elevation of 65 feet.

A plan for dealing with this district has been prepared, under instructions from the Department of Public Works, by Mr. Leopold Eidlitz, drawings of which, by favor of the designer, I am permitted herewith to present. It is proposed by this plan that instead of filling up with earth the great space over which the avenue would need to be constructed, it should be utilized as a building suitable for a market or other public purpose, the walls of which would thus have at this point the character of a terrace, commanding fine views of the river.

It is not necessary that this plan should be carried out at present, but it has been thought best in designing the adjoining ground to keep it in view, and the dotted lines on the map imperfectly show how by means of it, the two parts of the general walk and drive system which has been described would be connected.

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NOTE AS TO GRADES.

On the Central Park it is found that the majority of horses are walked wherever the grade of the drives is steeper than 1 in 26. On the new Riverside plan, from Seventy-second to One hundred and twenty-seventh Streets (3 miles), there is no grade steeper than 1 in 28. More than an eighth part of that distance, on the old plan of the avenue, is on grades steeper than 1 in 20. On the descent from One hundred and twenty-seventh Street to Twelfth Avenue, the new plan offers a road with a grade of 1 in 20; the only road in the old is steeper than 1 in 10. By the following diagrams the differences of grade between the points indicated will be evident, the full line showing the old, the dotted line, and the new grades.