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MAY 18, 1912.
VARYING PHASES OF EIGHTH AVENUE, BROOKLYN
Its Northern Part is a Section of Fine Homes and Apartments, While Its Southern
Half is of Mixed Structural Character—Recent Improvements in the Street.
EIGHTH avenue, Brooklyn, which, a
decade ago gave promise of becoming a
street of fine private houses as far south
as Ninth street—to which point its char-
ajcter was undetermined—haa instead been
captured hy apartment houses to a
marked degi'ee; and il is probable that the
vacant plots remaining between Second
and Ninth streets will also be improved
with apartment houses. Already ground
has heen broken at the northeast corner
of Eighth avenue and Eighth street for a
large four-story apartment house, to oc¬
cupy a plot 100x100 feet.
The flnest part of Eighth avenue extends
from its beginning at Flatbush avenue
ings comprise both sides of the next block,
from Lincoln place to Berkeley place. No.
34, a three-storj' and basement brown¬
stone front is on the market at $18,000,
while No. 43, opposite, a similar sized
dwelling was recently sold at the reported
price of J20,000. Private dwellings make
up the block from Berkeley place to Union
street. The west side of the block from
Union to President street is improved
only with two fine mansions, one at each
corner, with a large grass plot interven¬
ing. The one at Union street is the home
of J. Rogers Maxwell, while the one at
President street was for many years the
home of Timothy L. Woodruff and before
It so as to insure privacy. A vacant cor¬
ner plot opposite the Weber home is
held at $500 a front foot. Fine dwellings
are on the block from President to Car¬
roll street. Adjoining the costly home
at the norlhwe.st corner of Carroll
street is a vacant plot, 40x100 feet,
which is held at $18,000. A block farther
south, on the west side of Eighth avenue,
extending through to Piske place, is a
large vacant plot which is held at about
$11,000 a lot. The Eighth avenue front¬
age is opposite the interseoHon of Mont¬
gomery place and the price quoted applies
to the Eighth avenue front. At the south¬
east corner of Eighth avenue and Mont-
EIGHTH AVENUE, AT FIRST STREET.
EIGHTH AVENUB, AT NINTH STREET.
south to Second street. Here private
dwellings of costly types form the major
part of the improvements. Extending
from St. Johns place to Lincoln place, on
the west side of Eighth avenue, is a block
front of four-story and basement brown¬
stone front dwellings of a handsome
type that made Eighth avenue famous
at the time they were built, tM'enty
years ago. Erected by the late William
Flanagan, a prominent builder of the Park
Slope, they were sold for the most part
to men of prominence, among them Mayor
Gaynor, who resides in No. 20. and Philip
and Peter Dwyer the HoTsemen. On the
opposite side of the block is the liome of
the Montauk Club, at the northeast corner
of Lincoln place; while the remainder of
the block front comprises the back yards
to costly private homes fronting in Plaza
street which closely parallels Eighth av¬
enue. When the houses in Plaza street
were built by Charles G. Peterson, a
builder, about ten years ago. property
owners on the side of the Eighth avenue
block opposite to the back yards men¬
tioned made a strong protest against the
erection of the houses because their yards
would back up on Eighth avenue. Mayor
Gaynor was among the protestanls. They
sought to buy the plot from the builder,
but their offer was not tempting enough
"for him to abandon his project. It was
tiLen sought to have him erect the houses
so as to front on Eighth avenue, but he
would not do so for tbe reason that their
desirability would be gi'eater if they
fronted in Plaza street, inasmuch as the
west side of it overlooks a lengthy tree-
clad knoll at the main entrance to Pros¬
pect Park and commands an unobstructed
view of the park plaza. However, the
yards to these houses, on Eighth av¬
enue, were enclosed with bigh ornamental
iron fences, nicely plotted with grass and
curbed and sidewalked with the result that
the rear view of the structures is not so un¬
pleasant as was to he expected. It is
not believed that the selling value of the
flne houses opposite is impaired.
'Substantial three and four-story dwell-
that time it was the home of the late
General C. T. Christensen. who built it.
Diagonally opposite to this house, on ihe
southeast corner of President street, is
the flne new mansion of John W, Weber,
president of the Ulmer Brewing Company,
which was completed last year Mr.
Weber has reserved a vacant plot ad¬
joining his home and enclosed and plotted
gomei-y place, George E. Lovett has erect¬
ed a large four-story apartment house
without elevators that rent ior from $1,000
to $1,200 a year each.
Numerous churciies have come Into
Eighth avenue in recent years. At the
northeast corner of Garfield place is tho
new Temple of the Congregation Beth
Elohim; al the southwest corner of See-
EIGHTH AVENUE AT PRESIDENT STREET,