Seventy-fifth streets, and
Third avenue and the East River. There was a strong pressure brought to
bear upon the City Government to secure the purchase of this tract,
although the citizens as a rule ridiculed the idea of providing a park of
only 150 acres for a city whose population would soon be 1,000,000. Yet
the Jones's Wood tract came very near being decided upon, and the
purchase was only prevented by a quarrel between two members of the
Legislature from the City of New York, and the city was saved from a
mistake which would have been fatal to its hopes. On the 5th of August,
1851, a committee was appointed by the Legislature to examine whether a
more suitable location for a park could be found, and the result of the
inquiry was the selection and purchase of the site now known as the
Central Park, the bill for that purpose passing the Legislature on the
23d of July, 1853.

[Picture: VIEW FROM THE UPPER TERRACE.]

In November, 1853, Commissioners were appointed to assess the value of
the land taken for the park, and on the 5th of February, 1856, their
report was confirmed by the City Government. In May, 1856, the Common
Council appointed the first Board of Commissioners, with power to select
and carry out a definite plan for the construction of the park. This
Board consisted of the Mayor and Street Commissioner, who were _ex
officio_ members, Washington Irving, George Bancroft, James E. Cooley,
Charles F. Briggs, James Phalen, Charles A. Dana, Stewart Brown and
others. The designs submitted by Messrs. Frederick L. Olmstead and C.
Vaux were accepted, and have since been substantially carried out. The
surveys had previously been made by a corps of engineers, at the head of
which was Mr., now General Egbert L. Viele.

The task before the architects and Commissioners was an arduous one.
With the exception of making a few hollows, and throwing up a few rocks
and bluffs, nature had done nothing for this part of the island. It was
bleak, dreary and sickly. "The southern portion was already a part of
the straggling suburbs of the city, and a suburb more filthy, squalid and
disgusting can hardly be imagined. A considerable number of its
inhabitants were engaged in occupations which are nuisances in the eye of
the law; and were consequently followed at night in wretched hovels,
half-hidden among the rocks, where also heaps of cinders, brickbats,
potsherds, and other rubbish were deposited. The gr