Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

LANSING TOWNSHIP AND CITY, WITH HISTORY

455

city does not need a public square, a square already covered with
native forest trees, trees that would cost twenty to thirty thousand
dollars in time and money to grow to their present size and beauty;
does not need this open air space when in the future years Washington Avenue will be built up with stores and business blocks
from Franklin Avenue to Genesee street. When that time comes,
when both sides of Washington Avenue is lined with skyscrapers,
humming with commercial life, I can predict that the merchants
and other people in the congested district will criticize our shortsighted policy and our lack of business ability. They will ask
why we did not provide for them. We must acknowledge that
it-Cowles Square-would be a source of enjoyment now, would
aid to promote good health and would be an untold financial asset
to the city in the future.
The argument of those opposed to the purchase was that Lansing has plenty of parks and the cost of keeping them up was too
much of a burden on the taxpayers. This might be true, but
where are our parks located? Moores, Potters and Waverly
Parks are too far away to be of any benefit to our people on a
working day and can only be enjoyed on Sunday or holidays and
then the street car fares bar some of our extreme poor from enjoying them. East or Oak Park can be enjoyed by the workmen
and families living in the immediate vicinity. Third Ward Park
cannot be used, as it is too far away from the main business center, and Ferris has no shade, and for this reason it will be years
before it can be utilized for general park purposes. Our city
hasn't or never will have an open square, a breathing place, in her
congested business district. We call our city progressive and upto-date. Are we? In this one thing we are fifty years behind
Detroit, Grand Rapids and other cities in this State. We find in
most all of them a small open square or park in the congested
business district, and they regard them as a necessity as well as a
business asset.
Some years ago it was my good fortune to visit New York and
other eastern cities, and what attracted my attention, especially
in New York, was the three or four small open squares in the congested district along Broadway. Old St. Paul's church and its
shaded square; Trinity church and its yard; Mulberry Bend and
its sunlight space showed to me that this great city knew their