View source for Berkeley Green



[[File:Berkeley%20Green.jpg|right|thumb||Berkeley Green ]] [[File:Main%20Street.jpg|left|thumb||Looking down Main Street from Berkeley Green ]] [[File:Berkeley%20Square.jpg|right|thumb||Berkeley Square, c. 1920 ]] The '''Berkeley Green''' is a small village park on the site of the former [[Berkeley%20House|Berkeley House]], which burned January 10, 1981. Use of the name "Berkeley Green" began after the Berkeley Hotel burned, as the site was fully built up until that time. The park contains a gazebo that is used for public performances.

'''Berkeley Square''' is commonly used as the name of the triangular intersection of Main Street and Broadway in the center of the village, where Broadway begins.

On February 26, 2000, [[Phil%20Wolff|Phil Wolff]] wrote a letter to the Enterprise from San Diego, California, about the history of the '''Berkeley Square Christmas Tree''': "I have enjoyed the articles on the return of the Christmas Tree to Berkeley Square. So far no one has mentioned the reason for its demise. Remember up until this year Main Street was the state's [[New%20York%20Route%2086|Route 86]] designation and consequently most of the truck traffic went down Main to Broadway. With a Christmas Tree in the Square it presented many problems to large trucks getting through or around the tree. Now that Church Street has been named the state's official Route 86 and the reconstruction of Church Street the large trucks can easily avoid the difficult travel on Main and Broadway. Consequently it is feasible for the Christmas Tree to return there. It was about 1935 that I first saw it there. To me that is where it belongs. Congratulations to those that changed it this year. We have enjoyed your excellent coverage of the Winter Carnival and especially the Ice Palace. An excellent job and it created a bit of home sickness for us snow birds I think. Keep up the good work.

In a letter of November 3, 1996, [[137%20Bloomingdale%20Avenue|William F. Lytle]] wrote, "I am a native Saranac Laker born there in 1908. . . I can still picture that big spruce tree that was place[d] each year on berkley [sic] square. What a sight! It was all decked up with lights and decorations. But one had to kinda duck around it to get from broadway onto main street."

[[File:Berkeley%20House%20-%201909.jpg|left|thumb||Berkeley Square, c. 1909. [[Broadway|Broadway]]| runs down to the left of the old [[Berkeley|Berkeley]]|; [[Main%20Street|Main Street]]| curves off to the right. At far right is the [[C.%20J.%20Carey%20Company|C. J. Carey Company]]| in the [[Coulter%20Block|Coulter Block]]|; to its left is [[Leonard%27s|Leonard's]]|. A small brass band is playing in the middle of [[Main%20Street|Main Street]]| in front of the Berkeley. ]]

## Comments