Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/325

 BROOKLYN 319 spire, recently completed at a cost of $55,000, is the highest in Brooklyn, being 275 ft. high, and of great architectural beauty. St. Paul's (Episcopal), corner of Clinton and Carroll streets, is a Gothic structure of rough-hewn blue granite, handsomely relieved with sand- stone ; it has a front of 75 ft., a depth of 145 ft., and is 67 ft. high in the nave ; it has seats for 1,000, and cost $150,000. The church of the Pilgrims (of which the Rev. Dr. R. S. Storrs has been pastor since 1846), corner of Henry and Remsen streets, is of gray stone, its tall tower and spire forming a commanding object to those approaching the city from the hay. In- serted in the main tower, about 6 ft. from the ground, may be seen a piece of the " Pil- grim Rock," from Plymouth, Mass. Plymouth church (Congregational), in Orange street, be- tween Hicks and Henry streets, is a plain hrick structure with accommodations for 2,800 persons, and containing the largest church organ in America, which was built in Boston. The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher has been the pastor since 1847. The amount realized from the rental of pews for 1873 was $60,230. The Second Reformed church, in Pierrepont street near Monroe place, is of brown stone in the Roman Corinthian style, with a depth of 100 ft. and a front of 70 ft., having a portico supported by Corinthian pillars. A Roman Catbblic ca- thedral is in process of construction, which is to occupy the entire block bounded by Greene, Lafayette, Vanderbilt, and Clermont avenues ; when completed it will be one of the largest church edifices in the United States. Among other churches of marked appearance may be mentioned Grace (Episcopal), in Hicks street; Christ (Episcopal), corner of Clinton and Har- rison streets ; the Methodist church corner of Clermont and Willoughby avenues, erected in 1868 at a cost of $75,000 ; and the new edifice of St. Charles Borromeo (Roman Catholic), in Sidney place, which cost $75,000. One of the most important elements in the prosperity of the city is Prospect park, the construction of which was begun in 1866, from plans and under the superintendence of Olmsted, Vaux and co., who also laid out Central park, New York. The site chosen is a portion of an ele- vated ridge in the S. W. part of the city, ad- joining Flatbush, and commands a magnificent view of the cities of New York and Brooklyn, the inner and outer harbor, Long Island, the Jersey shore, and the Atlantic. This spot affords unusual natural advantages by its wooded hills and broad meadows. The park, with the adjoining parade ground, contains 550 acres. The ground was beautifully shaded by old woods, which have been skilfully improved. A great many large trees have been transplant- ed to the park, which already has the character- istics of an old pleasure ground, and is very at- tractive. The main entrance, at the junction of Park, Flatbush, and Vanderbilt avenues, is a large ellipse called the plaza, containing a foun- tain and a statue of Abraham Lincoln. A lake 124 VOL. m. 21 about 50 acres in extent, surrounded by a beau- tiful driveway, is in process of construction, and when completed will contain a large foun- tain. Among other prominent features inclu- ded in the design are zoological gardens to cover 25 acres, and a grand observatory on Lookout hill. Seven miles of driving and three miles of riding roads have been formed, besides 11 miles of walks. The cost of the land was about $5,000,000, and up to January, 1873, nearly $4,000,000 had been expended in its improvement. In 1872 there were about 6,000,000 visitors to the park. The increase in the value of real estate in its vicinity since the beginning of the enterprise is estimated at $33,- 000,000. In connection with the park a series of boulevards 200 ft. wide have been designed, leading to it from distant points. The Ocean parkway, one of the finest, is laid out from the S. W. corner of the park to the seashore at Coney island, a distance of 3 m. The Eastern parkway, also laid out, extends from the plaza along the line of Sackett street 2J m. to East New York. It is a part of the scheme to ex- tend this boulevard so as to cross the East river by the bridge to be constructed at Black- well's island, and connect with the Central Park boulevard. Others are designed to con- nect the park with Fort Hamilton and Bath, and with Sheepshead bay, all attractive sum- mer resorts. With the completion of these improvements it is asserted that Brooklyn will be the most attractive city in the United States for driving. Washington park (Fort Greene) is on an elevated plateau E. of the city hall, between Myrtle and De Kalb avenues and Canton and Cumberland streets; it contains 30 acres. During the war of the revolution it was the site of extensive earthworks. It com- mands an extensive view, and has been recently greatly improved and surrounded by a hand- some stone wall. Besides these two there are Tompkins square, containing 8 acres, bounded by Marcy, Greene, Tompkins, and Lafayette avenues ; the City park, 7 acres, near the navy yard ; Carroll park, 2 acres, bounded by Court, President, Smith, and Carroll streets ; and the City Hall park, containing about 1 acre. The parks are under the control of a board of 10 commissioners, of which the mayor is a member ex offlcio. Greenwood cemetery, widely noted for its natural and artificial beauties, is on Gowanns heights in the S. part of the city. It was opened for interments in 1842, and contains 413 acres, about one half of which is covered with wood of natural growth. The entire cost of the land was $281,684. At the main entrance, near 5th avenue and 23d street, is a highly ornamental structure of brown stone, monumental in form, in the middle pointed English Gothic style, 132. ft. long and 40 ft. deep, the central pinnacle being 106 ft. high. It is ornamented with figures representing scenes from the Gospels, chief of which are the entombment and the resurrection of the Sa- viour. The grounds have a varied surface of