William H. Williams, Appellant v. Francis D. Gallatin, as Commissioner of Parks of the City of New York…

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals reversed the Appellate Division and held that the lease of the Arsenal Building in Central Park to the Safety Institute of America was illegal, null, and void because the institute's purposes are foreign to the park's purpose of recreation. The court reasoned that the park commissioner lacks authority to lease park property for non‑park purposes absent explicit legislative authorization.