| Mather applauded the BPC for overcoming the "neglect and indifference" that had led to the scenic region’s "despoliation," invoking his own father’s recollections of the Bronx River Valley’s former beauty. Mather commended the BPC for demonstrating that tide of "wanton waste" that had decimated many eastern scenic areas could be reversed through concerted and intelligent action. Mather paid a personal tribute to Madison Grant, who had worked closely with the National Park Service and other organizations in helping to promote scenic preservation in California and other western states. Mather proclaimed that the Bronx River Parkway had already become a nationwide symbol of landscape restoration and preservation. Grant’s presentations on the Bronx River Parkway, he noted, had inspired groups such as the National Parks Association to increase the efforts to save precious remaining natural scenic areas. Mather expressed confidence that the Bronx River Parkway example would encourage the residents of western states to redouble their efforts to preserve areas of existing natural beauty so that they would not have to reclaim what had been lost, as the BPC had been forced to do. Emphasizing the Bronx River Valley historic role as a natural outlet for the people of New York, he expressed great satisfaction that "the children that are coming will see it grow more and more back to its original, natural beauty."(260) In his own remarks, Grant credited Downer for his contributions to the project. Grant paid tribute to Downer’s high character, noting that he had rapidly gained the trust of the local and municipal authorities though his integrity, skill and tact. Grant also emphasized that Downer’s technical knowledge and organizational abilities were vital to the project’s success. "[Downer’s] talent and artistic taste," Grant continued, were "in no small way responsible for the parkway as it now is." He praised Holleran for keeping the project going during the war, commended Merkel for his extraordinary knowledge and "magic touch" with landscaping, and thanked Theodosius Stevens for securing the court victories that allowed the BPC to continue its mission. Grant also praised his fellow commissioners for their commitment and dedication. He maintained that the parkway was worth every penny spent and it offered a lesson for every community in America. "If we would only learn to preserve and not wait to restore," he proclaimed, "much of the beauty of America could be retained."(261) Niles’s remarks recalled the river’s noxious condition and summarized the project’s history. Reminding his audience of the political and economic obstacles the commission had overcome, he outlined in considerable detail the ways in which the commissioners had carefully stretched the taxpayers’ dollars while ensuring that the parkway embodied the highest levels of artistic and engineering achievement. Niles credited Downer and Merkel with laying out the initial drive alignment for the commissioner’s study and approval. He noted that the commission had been intimately evolved in the design process, emphasizing that: "Not one single foot of parkway drive was built without this careful study and the acquiescence by each member of the Commission in the proposed location of the drive." Niles praised the contributing architects for endowing the parkway with an appealing array of attractive bridge designs, observing that the BPC was determined to "avoid the stencil plate regularity of professional bridge builders." He also applauded the artistic efforts of the BPC staff, especially Clarke and Hayden. Niles asserted that the taxpayers had received full value for their money, insisting that parkway provided New York City with an approach "worthy of the leading city of the world and which no American, and probably no foreign, city," could equal. Like Mather and Grant, he cast the Bronx River Parkway as "an object lesson to other communities" and expressed confidence that it would lead to "a widespread effort throughout the United States to save our rivers from pollution and preserve their beauty and charm."(262) |
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Parkway Commission, Final Report, 1925, 82-85. |
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