December 21, 1881
The Record and Guide.
1613
yearly average of 33,882, an increase of 65 per cent, over the advauce
in population of the previous five years We will presume that tbe
population has increased in a similar ratio since 1S80; the increase eacb
year since then would be 54,255, or 15,466 annually more than the estimate
of the Health Department. Taking our plan as a basis for calculation, the
population in the 7}^ years since the last census was taken would have
increased to 1,613,511 up to about January 1, 1888, and by the time the
census of 1890 is taken, to 1,748,849. Nous verrons.
Riverside Drive this Year.
The activity in the sale of property and in the construction, contempla¬
ted aud in progress, of fine residences on this splendid avenue, has not been
as great thia year as was anticipated. As a matter of interest to our readers
we subjoin a list of the transfers of property on the Drive for this year,
wbich are as follows:
Riverside Drive, n e cor Slst st, runs north along av to centre line of
block, X east to point 200 w of lltb av, x soutb 102.2 to st, x west
abt 85 to beginniug, one-story frame building and vacant. Richard
8. Newcombe, ret., to Harvey Kennedy. Correction deed. Octo¬
ber .30..........................................................$45,600
R. av, 8 e cor 84th st, 112.3x80.3x103.2x126.9, vacant. Terence J. Duffy
to John C. R. Eckerson. Mort. $18,000, May 5.................47,000
R. Drive, necor 102d8t, 100.11x100, vacant.........................{
102d st, n 8,100 e Riverside Drive, lUOxlOO. 11, vacant.................S
Sophia R. C. Furniss, Margaret E. Zimmerman and Clementina
Furniss to Wm. F. Foster........................................75,000
R, av, e s, 1,025 n 122d st, 50x100, vacant. Foreclos. Ambrose
Monell to Frederick A. Post. Dec. 30............................8,000
R. av, n e cor 122d st, 25x100, vacant. Marshal 8. Beebe to Cornelia
F. wife of John G. Coster. Mort. $10,50J. Jan. 8...............18.000
R. av, e s, 225 a 122d st, 50x100, vacant. George Owen to Stephen
Lovejoy. Mort. $6,580. May 25................................19,200
West End (lltb) av, n w cor OOth st, runs north to 9lstst, x west to e s
Riverside av, x south to 9(Jth st, x east to point 300 w of llth av, x
north 100.8 X east 100 X south 100.8 to 90th st, x east 200 to begin¬
ning, vacant. Christopher R. Robert, Oakdale, L. I., and Ira
Bursley to John 0. Baker. Sept. 8.............................260,000
Sameproperty. John O. Baker, Newark, N. J., to Chas. T. Barney.
Mort. $140,000. Sept. 16.......................................260,000
R. Drive or av, e s, 75 s 88th st, 25.8x100, vacant. Anu M. 8. Holland
to William Knight. All liens. Sept. 14.........................':i,]CO
R, av, e s, 27 n 116th st, 53.8x75.6 to w s old Bloomingdale road, x bu.4x
47.10, vacant. Wilfred L. White to Peter J. McCoy. Mort. $7,OoO,
taxes, &c., 1887. Sept. 23.......................................16,250
R. av, e 8, 102.2 s 78th st, 50.8x123.3x50x113.11. James R. Smitb to Isa¬
bella Hawkins. Nov. 29........................................30,000
R. av, s e cor 83d st, 1( 9 3x122.4x102 2x161.1, vacant. John L. Brew¬
ster, Brooklyn, to Egbert C. Simonson. July 2i............val. consid
Same property. Egbert C. Simonson to Jobn L. Brewster, Brooklyn.
Mort. $20,000. J uly 23...........................................nom
Clar<>mont av, w s, 4oO n 123d st, runs west 100 x north 25 x west 100 to
Riverside av, x north 50 x east 200 to Claremont av, x south 75,
vacant. Arthur Mitchell and ano., exrs. Alfred C. Post, to George
W. Vultee. Nov. 21............................................17,500
Same property. George W, Vultee to James McMahon. Mort. $12,500.
Nov. 33..........................................................25.000
The amount of money involved in tbe above transfers is $842,650, inclu¬
sive of two parcels conveyed for nominal ccusiderations and including a
retransfer of $260,000. This does not make a very large showing; but it
is the commencement of what will, no doubt, be a larger movement later
ou. Tbe placing of the Cathedral on the west side, very near that avenue,
has settled beyond peradventure on what side of the city the future *' high-
toned " quarter is to be, and Riverside Drive will gain the advantage, as
will other parts of the west side.
The building movement on the Drive has been larger during the past few
years than for the previous decade; but it is still comparatively small. The
reason is quite clear. The time has not yet come for its " boom." It will
have to wait just a little longer; but it will come eventually, and when it
does the same building activity will be seen as was witnessed on 5th and
Madison avenues iu years gone by when those thoroughfares became defi¬
nitely established as aristocratic residence avenues.
The buildings for which plaus werelfiled this year are as follows:
R, Drive, e s, 75 s 122d st, one four-story and basement stone dwell'g, for
Joim J. Gibbons, to cost $30,000. Plan flled in January.
R Drive, n e cor i08tb St., one four-and-a-half-story brick and stone
dweU'g, 43.4x55.4, for Emily Bayne, to cost $65,000. Plan flled in
April.
R. Drive, s e cor 90th st, one four-story and basement stone dwell'g, 48x
60, for Julia A. Clark, to cost $60,000. Filed in July.
R, Drive, n e cor 100th st, a handsome residence for Peter Doelger.
Contemplated.
Takiug a run along the Drive it will be seen that the number of build¬
ings under way at present are to be numbered on one's flngers. South
of 90th street there is nothing doing. On the southeast comer of that
street one comes upon the residence of Cyrus Clark, which is inclosed.
It is of limestone, rock-faced, and its maiu features are a tower and an
oriel window. This front is restricted to three houses. The Doelger man¬
sion is up to the first story, and is expected to cost $130,000. The Foster
residence on 102d street is up to the second story. It is a detached villa,
and will have an iron front all around with the exception of the easterly
side. Mr. Dearing'a house has recently been coi^siderably enlarged at a
cost of $15,000, and the new home of Prof. Bacon, of the Columbia Gram¬
mar School, is beiug plastered. It haa a front of native stone taken from
7th avenue and 150th street. It is situate ou 104th street. Mrs. Bayne's
house on 108th street is up two stories, and Mr. Gibbon's house, south of
133d street, is having the plaster put on. Other housea are understood to be
contemplated next season.
"The New Parks Bevond the Harlem."
A volume bearing the above title, recently published by The Record
and Guide, should be in the bands of every dealer and investor in prop¬
erty north of the Harlem River. The book ia edited by Mr, John Mullaly
and contains 172 pages of letter press, including 30 pages of illustrations
and a map of the city showing the new parks in colors, with mile distances,
from the Grand Central depot The cost is 50 cenU in paper and $1.00
in cloth,
Notes and Items.
We are informed ou reliable authority that certain gentlemen once con¬
nected with tbe New York Elevated Road, who proved such a tiorn to
Jay Gould fora long time, have plans, speciflcations and contract^-'i ady
to be signed for an elevated road to run along West street, 10th ave u , up
the Boulevard, along Kingsbridge road, and so on to Spuyten Duyvil. It
is estimated tnat it will cost between $700,000 and $800,000 a mile to build,
and would be flfteen miles in length. It is whispered that some of the
speakers at the Murray Hill meeting the other night were cognizant of
these facts when they advocated thia route. Of course property-owners
on upper 10th avenue, the Boulevard, Washington Heights and Spuyteu
Duyvil will be only too delighted to have any road up their way, no
matter whether it is built by the Manhattan Road or other parties. Go
ahead, gentlemen!
The elevated roads have practically abandoned the idea of adopting the
electric motor, and are now seriously considering the advisability of
adopting the cable. Tbis would save coal, reduce wages, avoid the possi¬
bility of engineers' strikes, cinders and smoke would be abolished, and the
noise reduced to a minimum. The Third Avenue Railroad Company is
going to commence operations as soon as they get into shipshape order*
and a gentleman who knows some of the directors says that they are buy¬
ing stock in the belief that it will sell hundreds of dollars per ehare higher
in a few years. The cable is coming in for a " boom."
Tbe City Council has passed a resolution, by a vote of 19 to 4, to build
two new passenger elevators in the new Court House, to cost not more than
$6,000. The contract will not be advertised.
Tbe bill which will be presented to tbe Legislature to create a 35th Ward
will be viewed with mixed feelings by different people. Tbe region to be
included in tbis proposed ward takes iu Westcbester, Pelham and City
Island. Well, these places are practicaUy part of New York as it is, the
only difference being tbat of administration. The men wbo are interested
in property up this way are C. P. Huntington, Jacob Lorillard, F. C. Have¬
meyer, J. M. Waterbury and others, and they are going to lend their best
assistance to the biU. Of course, should it be passed it will greatly benefit
tbe large tract of vacant property embraced iu this region, though it is not
known how tbe addition of tbis new ward will be looked upon by the
taxpayers south of the Harlem. If it cau be shown that the city is not
going to lose by the annexation there will not be much opposition to the
biU, except from local politicians in these little suburbs, who would prefer
continuing to have tbeir fingers in the pie rather tban have a change that
would send them into obscurity.
Judge Andrews has decided the case of Valentine Diefenthaler against
the Mayor, Aldermen, etc., of the City of New York in favor of the city.
The suit was to recover money paid many years ago in satisfaction of
assessments made on real estate for local improvements. The contention
was that such assessments were illegal, the contract for work not having
been made with the lowest bidder by public letticg as statutes require
The suit was dismissed by Judge Andrews under the Statute of Limita¬
tions, six years having elapsed since the assessment was paid. It is said
that more than two hundred similar cases depend upon this decision.
It is a great pity that pro perty-own ers on Central Park West have not
long since joined hands together to restrict that valuable avenue. Tbis is
the great drawback to its being lined witb handsome residences. The
property-owners should at once organize with this object. The entire
avenue should be buUt over with residences like those between 81th and
85 th streets.
The Fourth Avenue Surface road is going to run teu of Julien's electric
cars on their line as an experiment.
The rumor published in a daily paper that tbe New York Yacht Club
had purchased the property on the southeast corner of 5th avenue and 35th
street, is denied by|an officer of the club, who was seen by a reporter of The
Record AND Guide. He said : " We have all the room we need in our
Madison avenue building, on which we have a lease of ten years, which
does not expire tiU May, 1894. We have, however, appointed a committee
to select a summer site, which will probably be on the Sound somewhere.
We are considering a piece of property ou City Island, but have decided
on nothing as yet." The reporter of the daily paper evidently got mixed
up with the New York Club, which is rapidly completing the alteration of
the old University Club on the southwest corner of 5th avenue and S5th
street, and which they expect to occupy by May 1 next.
.---------•---------.
Real Estate Exchange.
The new directors met on Monday last, at S p. m., to elect oflicers and
committees of the Exchange for the ensuing year. E. A. Cruikshank was
elected president; Myer S. Isaacs, first vice-president; Chas. A. Schermer¬
horn, second vice-president; Leonard J. Carpenter, treasurer, and Edward
Hirsh, secretary. The voting was very close, beiug 0 to 5. On the
motion of Geo. H. Scott, the retiring secretary, the election of President
Cruikshank was made unanimous.
The committees appointed were as follows: On Finance—Myer 8. Isaacs
Ed. Hirsh and J. Romaine Brown; on Exchange and Auction Room—C. A
Schermerhorn, H. H. Cammann, Wm. Cruikshank and G. H. Scott; and
on Membership—Wm. Cruikshank, Ira D. Warren, L. J. Carpenter, Isaac
Fromme and J. R. Brown.
Wm. Cruikshank offered a resolution to donate a week's ^salary to the
employtls of the Exchange as a Christmas and New Year's present, but the
motion was opposed by Mr. Warren on the ground that tbe directors had
no authority to vote away money belonging to the stockholders in this way,
suggesting that if any gratuity were given it should come out of the pockets
of the directors themselves. Tha resolution was withdrawn, and Mr.
Warren's suggestion carried out.
That the present income of the Exchange Auction Room is not aa large