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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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Avenue at night. Have you noticed that?

Q:

Yes, I have.

Lasker:

Well, I hoped this demonstration of how attractive it could be would influence rich apartment owners on Fifth Avenue to go and do the rest of the Park, but no one single person has come forward about this matter. There it is. Isn't it something? The example is not enough. Exhortation and selling is needed, and education.

So, while we still go on and have these festivals and give prizes to people who do large or small things, some things have been done. For instance, some companies have taken care of the malls across from their own buildings on Park Avenue, and some people have done some relatively nice plantings.

Now, one person who is sympathetic to doing more and beautifying New York to make it more attractive to people is my sister-in-law, Mrs. Samuel Rosenson, Etta. She, as the executor of my sister-in-law Lulu Lasker's estate, offered, through me, to the City, to the Mayor, $600,000 if the Mayor would add funds and build a swimming pool and skating rink. I suggested a combined swimming pool and skating rink at 110th Street in the Park. Now, you would not believe that it has takes four years to get the plans ready and to get the City to appropriate the remainder of the money. I will say the City has had to appropriate another approximately one million four hundred thousand dollars to do what they wanted to do, but they've done it at last. And it is underway, except that as the fence was put up to confine the work, bad children from





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