zio6





Kecord and Uuide





June 25, i8g8.





street to Kingsbridge Village, which avenues form part of the
route of the proposed extension of the Third Avenue Railroad
Company's system. The legality of the franchise covering the
route in question was then opposed before the courts, pre¬
sumably at the instance of the iVletropolitan Traction Company,
now the Metropolitan Street Railway Company, with the result
that both the speculative builder and, to a less extent, the pro-
fesslonai operator In vacant property were holding themselvea
aloof from the Boulevard and Kingsbridge road, although some
building activity was noted in the side streets. This activity,
however, was no doubt fully explained by the existing transit
facilities in Amsterdam avenue. The Third Avenue Company's
franchise has since been declared invalid. But, on the other
hand, an agreement has been reached with the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company which leaves the Third Avenue Com¬
pany free to obtain a new franchise without fear of competition
from its powerful rival. At the present time the work on the
extension, including the construction of a power house, begun
under the old franchise, has come to a complete standstill. Presi¬
dent Elias, of the Third Avenue Company, states that it is the
intention to apply for a new franchise as soon as the Common
Council has determined on a form of procedure in cases of this
description, and that the charter being obtained, the
construction of the extension will be pushed with the
utmost vigor. In the meantime the essential matter of
interest to property-owners is the agreement between
the two companies. Inquiry among real estate men discloses the
fact that the agreement has had no appreciable affect of values.
In fact, one well-known expert on Washington Height values
intimated to our representative that values are already so
high—have, indeed, been so since the extension was flrst
heralded—that no room for proflt is left to the speculative
builder and the building loan operator in the present conditioii
of transit facilities. The effect of the agreement Is further offset
by the general conviction that, as the Third Avenue Company is
now pretty sure of the franchise, it will be in no hurry to build
the extension, which is expected to prove unprofitable, until the
territory which it commands is more thickly settled. It is gen¬
erally agreed that the actual construction of the extension would
cause values, though high for present conditions, to rise, and
to inaugurate an extensive building movement, particularly on
the Dyckman Flats, which lie beyond the flre limits. A syndicate
who have been extensive purchasers in the past year have an¬
nounced their readiness to improve some 200 lots in this tract
with frame houses as soon as improved transit facilities are
provided. Both chambers of the Municipal Assembly have now
under consideration a draft ordinance providing a form under
which applications can be made for franchises for street rail¬
roads, and as soon as this is discussed and put into satisfactory
shape It will be passed and the Third Avenue Railroad Company
given an opportunity to make good their word. But it will be
seen that the conditions render it very unlikely that work on
the extension could be begun this year, let the company be ever
so willing to begin It.





of the present magniflcent structure in which they are housed.
The location of the stand is on the north side of the rotunda. It
is handsomely finished in mahogany and presents a very attrac¬
tive appearance. Messrs. McBride & Son will undoubtedly con¬
tinue to meet with the well-deserved success that has fallen to
their share in the past.





WHILE there is a difference of opinion as to the con¬
venience and value to architects and builders in the
Bronx of the Department of Buildings' branch office at Third
and Courtlandt avenues, the preponderance of the affirmative
view is so great that it ought to rule. The Department proposes
to abolish this branch office, and the announcement of that fact
has brought forth a protest and petition that it be retained,
signed by some hundreds of architects and builders and others
interested. A moment's thought will show that a hundred or
more signatures on a document relating to a matter of this kind
makes a strong representation; and, if as we are informed, it has
appended to it between flve and six hundred, it contains practi¬
cally the unanimous views of building interests beyond the Har¬
lem, and ought to be respected. It is claimed and charged that
the branch office only needs to be in charge of competent help to
be a success and if It is not a success it is because it is in the
hands of incompetent people. Whatever the practical aspects
of the question may be, though architects and builders are ac¬
quainted with these as well as any people can be, sympathy will
be extended to any body of men who have to contemplate the
necessity of spending half a day in traveling to and fro, es¬
pecially in the busy season, whenever they have business with
the Department, instead of doing it as they now can do near
the scenes of their labors.





OBITUARY.

S. VAN RENSSELAER CRUGBR.

The death of Col. Stephen Van Rensselaer Cruger removes a
prominent figure from the realty business of this city, with which
he has been connected since 1867. He founded the flrm of S. V.
R. Cruger & Co., which comparatively recently hecame S. V. R.
Cruger & McVickar. He was a member of the first Board of Di¬
rectors of the Real Estate Exchange, elected in 18S3, and one of
the Committee of Seven, appointed to choose a site and arrange
for the building which was opened in 1SS5. As controller of the
Trinity corporation, he managed the immense estate of that body
with great success. By all with whom he came in contact he waa
respected and liked for his dignity, courtesy and kindliness of dis¬
position, and his death will he widely and sincerely regretted.
Col, Cruger was born in this city in 1844, and came from an old
New York family. He received his education In Europe, where
he remained until the breaking out of the Civil War. He then
hastened home to enter the service of his country, and, although
but seventeen years old, was commissioned a lieutenant in the
150th New Tork Volunteers. At the close of the war he was bre-
vetted lieutenant-colonel for gallant service. Mayor Strong ap¬
pointed him a member of the Park Board, of which he was Pres¬
ident for a year, but resigned, owing to the pressure of other du¬
ties, remaining, however, a member of the board until the change
occurred in the administration. He was also a director in sev¬
eral great corporations. Preparations are being made for formal
action to testify to the respect of his business associates for his
person and abilities.





THE   ARCADE   NEWS   ROOMS.

Thomas J. McBride & Sons opened the Arcade News Rooms, Its
new quarters. In the Empire Building, No. 71 Broadway, on Wed¬
nesday. June 22d. Messrs. McBride & Son, have been well known
to New Yorkers for twenty years, during which they had the
news stand in the arcade of the building that stood upon the site





BUILDING   STATISTICS.

The Department of Buildings has issued its first quarterly re¬
port under the new charter, and, as the figures it contains relate
in details to Lhe enlarged city, no comparison can be made with
previous quarters. It need not be staled ihat this deprives the
report of its chief value to the public. It is, of course, interesting
lo know how much work lhe Department had to do, but it would
be much more interesting to know—and useful, also—how the
volume of work in the Department compared with what had been
done in other periods similar to the one treated. It is a common
fault of departmental reports that their object is to make a show¬
ing for lhe department, and that they overlook their proper
purpose of conveying as much practical information as possible
to the public. It will be an advantage If in lhe future the De¬
partment will give their flgures in the principal tables for the
several boroughs separately, and, where possible, accompanied
by the figures for the corresponding periods of the previous year.
The publication of the report nearer the date of preparation
would be another advantage. The sooner these reports are pub¬
lished the greater their practical value to realty interests and the
building trade. For instance, the report under review appears
only when nearly three months have elapsed since the close of the
period of which it treats; as a consequence of the loss of time, the
information it contains has only a small practical value. The flg¬
ures worthy of attention and consideration will be found in the fol¬
lowing tables:

PLANS   AND   SPECIFICATIONS   FOR   NEW    BUILDINGS   PILED   AND

ACTED UPON DURING THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 31, 1898.

]-----No. of-----1

Classification.                                             Build-     Estimated

Plans.     ings.           cost.
Estimated cosl:

Dwelling houses, over $50,000...............          1           1          $100,000

Dwelling houses, between *20,00l>lo 350,000..        11         34           82S,00O

Dwelling houses, less than $20.000...........        67        270        1,793.,^00

Flat houses, over $15.000...................      201        377       11.528,900

Tenement houses, less than $15,000.........        77        171        l,194,9t;0

Stores, over $30,000........................        14          18        l,270,5ti0

Stores,  between $15,000 and $30.000.........         7           7           lti4,000

Stores, less than $lo,000....................        25          31           128,100

Hotels and boarding houses...................         6           7           867,000

Office buildings   ..............................        12         15        1,100,800

Manufactories and workshops..................        48         52           887,868

School houses................................         4           4           8iiT,000

Churches  ...................................          6           6             TT,000

Public buildings—municipal  ...................         5           5        1,■196,000

Public buildings—places of amusement, etc.....         8           8           354,000

Stables .....................................        25         28           245.675

Frame dwellings.............................      356        504         1.628,350

Frame lenemenls and other frame structures-----      262        311           615,833

Totals ...................................   1,135     1,909     $25,414,486

Location.

Boroughs of Manhattan and The Sronx.........      n56        946     $21,495,430

Borough of Brooklyn  .........................      533        911        3-™'9™

Borough ot Richmond.........................        34         36             "S'g

Borough ol Queena.......,..................        12          16             45,600

Totals ...................................   1.135     1,909     $25,414,486

COMPARATIVE SUMMARY FOR FIRST THREE MONTHS, 1897 AND 1898.

Plans              I-------Buildlngst-------1

Boroughs                            I—filed,'—,      Commenced.     CompIeieS,

1897.   1898.       1897.   1S98.     1897. 1898.

.Manhattan and The Bronx '........2.004   2,ffil        651       586         565      624

Brooklyn........................1.623   1.740          ..       811         514      678

Queens and  Richmond...............         '8          ,.          ..            -•         ••

•Include plans for alterations.   jDo not Include aiteraiions.