In re City of New York

159 Misc. 741, 289 N.Y.S. 433, 1936 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1356
New York Supreme Court·Decided May 29, 1936·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

McLaughlin (Charles B.), J.

This is a condemnation proceeding for the acquiring of property along the Harlem river from East Ninety-second street to East One Hundred and Twenty-second street. The property taken includes land and land under water. The proceeding is somewhat unusual, as many of the parcels involve serious questions of title which must be determined before any quantum figures are arrived at.

[746]*746The city of New York is or was the owner of the land under water between high- and low-water mark throughout the length of this proceeding. It derived title to this tideway by the Dongan Charter of 1686, confirmed by the Montgomerie Charter of 1730. This title has been preserved by the various Constitutions of the State-of New York. (Mayor v. Hart, 95 N. Y. 443; Sage v. Mayor, 154 id. 61; Jarvis v. Lynch, 157 id. 445; Consolidated Ice Co. v. Mayor, 166 id. 92; Burns Bros. v. City of New York, 178 App. Div. 615; affd., 232 N. Y. 523.) The courts have held time and again that the title such as the city holds is in its sovereign capacity, and not in any proprietary capacity. (Coxe v. State, 144 N. Y. 396, 405, 406; De Lancey v. Piepgras, 138 id. 26; Tiffany v. Town of Oyster Bay, 234 id. 15; People ex rel. Squires v. Hand, 158 App. Div. 510, 516, 517; People ex rel. Howell v. Jessup, 160 N. Y. 249.) It is true that the case of Appleby v. City of New York (271 U. S. 364, at p. 397) seems to infer that the State had granted the tideway to the city in fee, and not in trust for the public. However, the decision of the case does not depend upon how the city held the property, but rather upon what the city granted. The case distinctly holds that the city “ intended to part both with the jus publicum and jus privatum.” It would appear that the city could only be revested with them by a condemnation of the rights granted. It is apparent that the question of whether the city held the land in its sovereign capacity or merely as proprietor was not passed upon by the court. It is too well settled now for this court to question the title of the city of New York to the tideway in its sovereign capacity.

Prior to 1852 the city of New York did not own any of the land under water outshore from the mean low-water line. By chapter 285 of the Laws of 1852, the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the city of New York were authorized to lay out and fix a permanent exterior street along the shore of the Harlem river, and to prepare and file a map showing such street. This act also provided that the streets and avenues as laid out on the street commissioner’s map of 1811, made pursuant to chapter 115 of the Laws of 1807, or as subsequently fixed by law, should be continued and extended along their present lines to the said exterior street. By the provisions of this act the city of New York became vested with all the right and title of the State of New York to the lands under water lying between the low-water line and easterly line of Exterior street. The city obtained this land in trust for the public and in its sovereign corporate capacity. (Burns Bros. v. City of New York, supra, at p. 620.) This case also holds that the city took title to these lands subject to the riparian rights of the upland owners.

[747]*747By chapter 121 of the Laws of 1855 the Legislature authorized the appointment of harbor commissioners, who prepared a map showing the bulkhead and pierhead lines, which was approved by the Legislature by chapter 763 of the Laws of 1857. From 1852 to 1859 the common council of the city of New York passed various resolutions concerning the proposed map, as required by chapter 285 of the Laws of 1852. As a result thereof, the “ Southard Map ” of 1859 was adopted.

On September 28, 1871, the Commissioners of the Land Office executed and delivered to the city of New York a water grant for lands outshore of the easterly line of Exterior street at varying distances between Eighty-ninth street and One Hundred and Thirtieth street. Pursuant to the authority contained in several acts (Laws of 1882, chap. 410; Laws of 1884, chap. 517), the department of docks in 1887 established a new and different bulkhead line from that of 1857. This action was approved by the Secretary of War, and is now known as the United States bulkhead Une of 1890.

It appears that between January 16, 1866, and March 16, 1871, the city of New York made a series of grants to certain individuals for portions of the lands under water in this proceeding. All these grants ran to the easterly line of Exterior street, as shown on the Southard map of 1859. Every such grant contained an exception in substantially the following language: “ Saving and reserving out of the hereby granted premises, so much thereof as may form part of any street or streets, avenue or avenues, road or roads, bridge or bridges, that may now or hereafter be assigned, designated or laid out through said premises according to law for the uses and purposes of pubhc streets, avenues and highways, as hereinafter mentioned, or which are now in use as such.” There is a further covenant that the streets and avenues mentioned shall forever remain public streets.

It has been settled that the title to the land formerly under water and embraced in the confines of Avenue A and Exterior street, as shown on the Southard map of 1859, is still in the city of New York. This land was not included in the grants and no title to it passed to the grantees. (Consolidated Ice Co. v. Mayor, 53 App. Div. 260; affd., 166 N. Y. 92; Burns Bros. v. City of New York, supra; Mayor v. Law, 125 N. Y. 380.) The grantee never obtained any title to the bed of these streets and it is immaterial whether the city ever opened the streets on the map. (Matter of Commissioner of Public Works, 135 App. Div. 561, 573, 574; Las-Daub Realty Corp. v. Fain, 214 id. 8, 13.)

The land in these streets always remained in the city of New York, unaffected in any way by the grants referred to. No title [748]*748ever passed to any of the successors of the original grantees. Their title is limited by the terms of the grant. When the Legislature closed Avenue A between East One Hundredth street and East One Hundred and Sixth street (Laws of 1875, chap. 494), the effect thereof was to keep this property in the city of New York in its sovereign capacity. The fee of Avenue A was never obtained by the owners of the water grants, and even if we had a complete closing by reason of this act, no title to the street could pass to the abutting owners under such circumstances. The claimants rely for title upon the decision in Matter of City of New York (Willard Parker Hospital) (217 N. Y. 1). There title was held to be in a claimant by adverse possession. The case involved ambiguous statutes and also a change of the location of an exterior street by the discontinuing of Tompkins street and the erecting of East street as an exterior street, which was further outshore. Without passing upon anything else at this time, it is sufficient to say that the adverse possession in that case started at the latest period in 1855, while in this proceeding the earliest that any adverse possession commenced was in 1883. Since 1873 the lands such as these are inalienable either by deed or by adverse possession.

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In re City of New York, 159 Misc. 741, 289 N.Y.S. 433, 1936 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1356 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1936).

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