Auffusv 22. 1914





RECOHD  AND  GUIDE





303





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RENEWED  ACTIVITY   AT COLUMBUS   CIRCLE





Projected   Building for William R. Hearst    Should  Enliven                            §

Section—Public Square Now Restaurant and Theatre Centre.                            |

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WITH the filing of plans for another
WiUiam R. Hearst building on the
large triangular plot at the junction of
Broadway, Central Park West and Grand
Circle, another link in the up-building
of Columbus Circle soon will be com¬
plete. The same owner controls a large
frontage west of the Park Theatre on
the opposite side of the circle, and rumor
has it that as soon as the existing leases
expire there will be another improve¬
ment under way, namely, the erection
of a nlant for the printing machinery
for the various Hearst publications. Ac¬
cording to the report, the project will
result in a building to be occupied by
the editorial and mechanical staffs of
these papers. Up to the
present time there has
been very little building
activity on Columbus
Circle. Owners are evi¬
dently biding their time,
awaitinff future develop¬
ments.

George Ehret's n e w
building on the east side
of Broadway, from 58th
to 59th street, is occupied
principally liy automobile
concerns, and is two
stories in height. The
site of this structure was,
until a few years ago. va¬
cant, producing nothing
for the owner except an
income from the adver¬
tising sign privileges.
Values in the section in¬
creased so rapidly and
the demand for store
properties became so in¬
sistent, that it was con¬
sidered advisable to im¬
prove.

Old Virginia Hotel.

The present Hearst
Building, on the south
side of the Circle was
formerly the Old Virginia
Hotel, but several years
ago it was converted for
business purposes. The
plot now occupied by the
Pabst Grand Hotel and
restaurant was one of the
finest modern building
operations in the section.
When this project was started, many
men familiar with the section could fore¬
see nothing but disaster as the result of
the venture, which included the erec¬
tion of what then was one of the finest
theatres in the city. These men, how¬
ever, were false prophets, for at the
start the theatre was successful. Since
that time, however, its fortunes have
been varied. The operation was com¬
pleted in 1900. The southwest corner
of Columbus Circle and 59th street, ad¬
joining the Pabst property, is now oc¬
cupied by the Childs Company for res¬
taurant purposes. It was for several
years occupied as a branch of the Mer¬
chants'  Exchange  Bank.

In addition to the Park Theatre, at
the southwest corner of 68th street and
Broadway is the Circle Theatre, now
devoted to motion pictures. With its
theatres and high-class restaurants
Columbus Circle is a well patronized
amusement center. When the automo¬
bile trade invaded that section of the
city the interest in the Circle apparently
Ijcgan to wane. Persistent demands for
space, however, were so strong that
property values underwent remarkable
changes, and rentals reached such a
point that other kinds of business were
pr:;ctically   shut  out.

"As  far  as  this  neighborhood is  con¬





cerned," said Eugene Schleip, Eastern
Representative of the Pabst Brewing
Company, and manager of the Pabst
Grand Circle, "with a successful pro¬
duction in the Park Theatre, the Colum¬
bus Circle section may be re-established
as an amusement center. We cannot
deoend on the immediate neighborhood
for patronage for the theatres and res¬
taurants, and therefore must rely on peo¬
ple coming from other parts of the
city.

■   Splendid Transit Facilities.

"In order to liven up the district,
make   it   Hve   up   to   expectations,
necessary   to   attract   people   here.





and

it   is

We







COLUMBUS  CIRCLE  AND  ENVIRONS.

have every convenience from the traftic
standooint. as the subway has a station
on the Circle, and practically all surface
lines converge at this point. Our prin¬
cipal agencies for attracting people are
the theatres, which have clearly dem¬
onstrated that high-class productions
become money makers, while mediocre
ones are failures. In other words, our
patrons are very discriminating. This
was proven by the large crowds which
flocked to see such productions as the
'Wizard of Oz.' 'Babes in Toyland.' The
Quaker  Girl.'  and  many  others.

"What Columbus Circle needs is an
express stop. Another improvement
which would result beneficially is the
(construction of a bridge connecting
New Jersey and New York, having as
its Manhattan terminal either 57th or
59th street. When this structure is
completed a. new and large territory will
be opened."

New  York  American  Building.

The new structure to occupy the
trapazoid plot north of the Circle will
be known a*^ the "New York American
Building." This structure is being erect¬
ed for the Veronica Realty Company.
William R. Hearst, president. 258 West
58th street, from plans and specifications
prepared  by  James  C.  Green,  architect,





103 Park avenue. R. E. Moss is the
structural engineer. The Columbus Cir¬
cle Construction Co., organized for the
sole purpose of erecting this structure,
has the general contract.

A Tower Later On.

As planned at present the building
will be three stories in height with base¬
ment and sub-basement. The founda¬
tions, however, are being built to sus¬
tain the weight of three additional
stories to be surmounted by a tower
twenty-five stories high, which is pro¬
posed to be built at a later date.

In design the facades of this struc¬
ture will be strictly Gothic
in character. Limestone,
terra cotta and brick are
the materials to be used.
Floor construction will be
of an approved system of
reinforced concrete and
the building will be abso¬
lutely fireproof in every
respect.

There will be two ar-
cades in the structure,
one on the first floor and
the other in the basement,
which will provide direct
entrance to the subway
station at this point. The
building will have en¬
trances on four sides and
will no doubt become a
thoroughfare at 60 th
s^treet from Broadway to
(-entral Park West.

Permanent Light.

Permanent light on two
sides will be one of the
advantages enjoyed b y
occupants of this building
as the frontages on Cen"^
tral Park West and Co¬
lumbus Circle are protect¬
ed  permanently.

Part of the northern
half of the first floor of
this structure will be used
as a circulation and busi¬
ness oflice by the New
iork American. As plan¬
ned, this office will have
an    entrance    from    West

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rom   the   arcade   running   through   the

building   from    Central    Park   West   to

wdl   be   divided   into   stores   of   various

hath "^ n''' ^'^^ ^'^^^ ^1^«^ windows
both on the street and the arcades with¬
in, these stores are arranged in two
stories, basement and street" level, con¬
nected by a spiral stairway

The   basement   is   primarily   arranged

fir.nv "i'^^f fP^l^* '^"^ ^''l have artis-
ticaily lighted show windows on the
subway arcade. These stores may be
leased separately, however, if tenants
so desire, and when storage space in
the basement is not essential. The sec¬
ond and third floors will be subdivided
into offices and will include all the con-
vetuences and equipment of a first-class
ottice   building.

Many False Alarms.

Several times during the last decade
Columbus Circle has been on the eve
ot a big building movement, but each
time, for one reason or another, the ac¬
tivity was postponed. Announcement
was made several years ago that George
Ehret would erect a large building on
his property m the east side of Broad¬
way from 58th to 59th street, but he
compromised with the present two-story
taxpayer.