Septembe^i





RECORD AND   GUIDE.





349





CONTRACTS AWARDED.

D. C. Weeks & Son. No. 289 4th av, have been awarded the gen¬
eral contract for the new Babies' Hospital building, at the north¬
east corner of 55th st and Lexington av; Tork &. Sawyer, No, 156
5th av. architects; they also have the general contracts for a
4-sty telephone building at Nos, 123 to 127 East 124th st, one at
Nos. 220 to 224 West 124th st, and one at 150th St. in the Bronx,
all from plans by C. L. W. Eidlitz, No. 1123 Broadway; they also
have the general contract, which includes everything but heat¬
ing, lighting and plumbing, for the 12-sty hotel to be erected
at Nos, 12 and 14 West 44th st, for F. B. Jennings and J. G.
McCullough, from plans by Renwick. Aspinwall & Owen, No,
367 5th av.

M. Eidlitz & Son, No, 489 5th av, have the general contract for
the erection of the new dwelling which John S. Phipps will
erect at the northeast corner of Sth av and 87th st, from plans by
Trasvbridge & Livingston. Mr. Phipps recently purchased the
plot,  100,8x165,  at  this location for $425,000.

The following contracts have been awarded by the Board of
Education for work in Public Schools In the Bronx: For con¬
structing sewer in No. 182, to Jere J. Deady at $2,354; for fur¬
niture for No, 178, to Narragansett Machine Co. at $1,265; In
Manhattan, for heating and ventilating apparatus in No, 184,
to Frank Dobson at $34,968; for sanitary work in No. 22, to Jere
J. Deady at $7,837; for furniture in No. 79, Queens, to American
School Furniture Co,, $2,990; Joseph N. Early, $297; and C. H,
Browne, $1,749; in Brooklyn, for furniture in No. 136, to A, G.
Spalding & Bros., $1,150; The Manhattan Supply Co.. $2,075.81;
and American School Furniture Co,, $5,520; in No. 136, for in¬
stalling heating and ventilating apparatus, to Frank Dobson at
$18,543; and for electric light wiring fixtures and bell system, to
The United Engineering Co, at $4,211; in No, 137, for installing
heating and ventilating apparatus, to Frank Dobson at $18,568;
and installing electric light wiring fixtures and bell system, to
The United Engineering and Contracting Co. at $4,211,

MISCELL.\NEOUS,
St, Nicholas av, west side. 314.9 north of 141st st; John F.
Cockeriii, the well-known mason and builder of No. 147 Colum¬
bus av, who has just purchased the lot, 56.5x53.3x54.11x63.7. at
this location, will erect thereon a stable for his own use, as soon
as he disposes of his property on 68th st.

BROOKLTN.
Clinton  av, near Lafayette; Frank Freeman, No. 132 Nassau
st, N. T. City, has drawn plans for a 5-sty. 30x85, addition  to
studio  building,  and  is  taking estimates  on  the  work;  Pouch
estate. No. 68 Broad st, N. T, City, owner.

METROPOLITAN  DISTRICT,

Bay Shore, L. I.—George L. Morse. Eagle Building, Brooklyn,
is drawing plans for a frame dwelling for a Mr. Blum, with
Abraham & Strauss. No. 424 Fulton st, Brooklyn,

Bellport, L. I,—The Trustees of School Board have been voted
$15,000 with which to erect a new public school. B, R. Shaw,
Charles Wood and Eugene Davis, trustees. No architect has
been selected.

New Brighton, S. I.—James Whitford, Port Richmond, S, I., is
drawing plans for a 4-sty brick and stone fiat with store, on
lot 50x60.

West Brighton. S. I.—Thomas G. Perkins. Port Richmond. S, I.,
is ready for estimates for a 2-sty frame dwelling, 21x52. cost,
$3,000,  to be erected for Mrs,  Abraham Scott.

Stapleton. S. I.—Richmond road; Nicholas & Larson have been
awarded the general contract for a 3-sty frame dwelling and
store to be erected for W. B, Morrell, from plans by Otto Loeffler.

East Hampton, L. 1,-1. H. Greene. Jr., Sayville, L. I., is draw¬
ing plans for a 2%-sty frame club-house to cost $25,000; Maid¬
stone Club, owner.

Southampton. D. I.—W. E. Brady is drawing plans for a frame
dwelling to be erected for Capt. Seldon Halsey. to cost $5,000.





Of Interest to the Building Trades.

Owen M. McManus has been appointed private secretary to
Commissioner Wallace at a salary of $2,500 per annum, in the
place of Prank W.  Geraty, resigned.

Trade still continues brisk among the majority of the plumbers,
and few capable journeymen are on the street. Material is
scarce in some lines, and this is causing delay on many jobs.

Thomas A. Barry, plumber, formerly of 217 West Broadway,
and who for the past two years has been in New Mexico for his
health, died at his late residence, 896 East 156th st. The funeral
services were attended by many members of the Master Plum¬
bers' Association, of which Mr. Barry was a member.

The A. E. See electric elevator company, whose worlts are lo¬
cated at Front and Pearl sts. Brooklyn, with main office at No.
220 Broadway, this city, have established branch offices In the
Real Estate and Trust Building, corner of Chestnut and Broad
sts, Philadelphia, for the sale of their electric elevators in that
city and vicinity.

The Hartig Gas Engine Co., No. 39 Dey st, have Issued their
yearly illustrated catalogue of 28 pages, with many testimonials
showing their new improved gas and gasoline engines. These
machines are made from 1 to 10 horse-power, and can be used for





all purposes where power is required. Copies of the catalogue
will be sent to architects and builders and others interested on
application.

The Building Trades" Association have renewed the lease of
their quarters in the Townsend Building, No, 1123 Broadway, for
a period of'five years from May 1st next. Some alterations in
the rooms are now being made under the direction of Messrs.
King, Fertig and Kessing.





" New Standard "   Electric  tilevators.

The Marine Engine and Machine Co,, whose offices are located
at No. 1123 Broadway, this city, have been awarded the con¬
tract for the installation of two of their "New Standard" electric
passenger elevators in the studio and loft building. No. 35 West
21st St. of which James A. Campbell is the owner.





Legal  Decisions.

Action Against Copartners for Rent.—A release under seal of
one of them, while the copartnership exists, releases all. Where
the plaintiff in an action brought against one Cobin and others,
the members of a copartnership which had never been dissolved,
to recover rent of premises hired by them, executes and delivers
to one of the copartners, in consideration of his appearing at the
trial, a release under seal "of and from all claims against Cobin,
individually as a copartner," upon the obligation in suit, such re¬
lease operates to discharge the other copartners.—(Finch vs.
Simon, 01 App. Div.    139.)





Principal and agent—real estate brokers' commissions. Where
brokers employed to lease real estate fail to make the minds
of the owners and that of the proposed tenant meet upon the
question of rental, and a third party subsequently succeeds in
persuading the owners to lower the rent and lease the premises
to the proposed tenant, the brokers are entitled to no commis¬
sions from the owners, as they have not been the procuring
cause of making the lease.    (Tyng v. Constable.    Misc, 35, 283,)





The Bowery and Grand Street

"I was very much interested in the article on Grand street
in the Record and Guide of last ^veek," said George J. Kenny,
the well-known East Houston street agent and broker, to a rep¬
resentative of this journal, "and I think the subject was very
ably handled. I recall that eighteen or nineteen years ago that
the south side of Grand street and the ivest side of the Bowery,
within certain limits, were retail shopping sections much sought
by merchants, so much so that anyone who wanted to obtain a
lease of premises in either of them had to pay a premium. The
decline in both selling and rental values was, however, very
rapid. For instance, a Bowery store, 35x100, with basement, that
rented at $4,500 in the good times, dropped to about $2,000 in
the course of four or five years, and the rental of a 2-sty
Grand street building declined from $3,200 to $2,200 between
1894 and 1897. The history of one piece of property in these
two stretches of thoroughfare is, generally speaking, that of all
rental values decreased so much, in fact, that only land values
remained, and at that the property on Grand street became de¬
sirable for 6-sty flats with stores. On the west side of the Bow¬
ery lots declined from about $44,000 in the early ■80's, to from
$25,000 to $27,000; this low-water mark was reached in '96 or
'97, I should say. Since then they have advanced to from $30,000
to $32,000, On Elizabeth street, I may say, as a curious example
of different results on different streets, values have meantime
advanced, A parcel on the west side of the Bowery, running
through to Elizabeth street, sold for $64,000; the value of the
Elizabeth street lot was placed at $16,000; it is now .'};20,000 to
$21,000; meantime the value of the Bowery lot declined from
$48,000 to about $38,000, and is now about $42,000. During the
period of depression values on the Bowery were sustained by
the fact that one-half of the property from Chatham square to
Sth street is owned by estates in whose possession it has been
for a very long time. These facts go to show that there has
been a heavy decline of values in this section, and that a period
of recovery has set in; I do not think they will regain all they
have lost, but there is every reason to believe that the process of
recovery is still going on. To illustrate the income effects ot
these movements, I would cite the case of a parcel 25x100, on the
west side of the Bowery, between Spring and Prince streets,
which, with an old building, was bought for $44,000 in '84 or
'S5. The rental value declined until the operation did not pay.
In the early '90's the owner put up a new 5-sty loft building
at a cost of $30,000, making the total investment $74,000, The
building has now a rental value of $4,500. or about 6% gross
and 4Va7a net on the investment, which, though not equal to the
first return, shows the possibility that exists for the redemption
of property that has run do%vn and getting at least a fair income
out of it. The way in which either Bowery or Grand street prop¬
erty can be redeemed is Indicated by the improvements that are
now  going up upon  those several  thoroughfares."