AND   BUILDERS'   GUIDE.





Vol. yi.





NEW YOKK, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1870.





No. 136.





Published Weekly by

THE REAL ESTATE RECORD ASSOCIATION.

■               TERMS.

Ono year, in advance......................§6 00

All communications should be addressed to

106 BaoAmvAY, COB. OF Pine Street.





GENOA.

Mark Twain, in his no less instructive than
amusing book, " The Innocents Abroad," gives
an account of '"'^Genova la Supei'ba"—Genoa
the Proud—:-5vhich, with all the truthfulness
that generally underlies the genial humor of
the writer, is calculated to give a very wrong
impression of one of the foremost schools of
Architecture to be found in Contiuental Europe;
and for this reason alone we refer to the sub¬
ject.

Professor Cockerell, one of the most
distinguished of English architects, has dis¬
tinctly stated that a student can find more valu¬
able suggestions for the study of domestic and
civil architecture in Genoa than in any other
city of Italy,—not even excepting Rome ; and
our recollections of that quaint and interesting
old " City of Palaces " quite coincide with the
Professor's opinion. We fully endorse all the
rapture that Mark felt on first beholding the
renowned female beauties of Genoa, "robed in
a cloud of white from head to foot," and allow
that he has thereby given good proof of being a
most excellent judge in such matters ; but we
do not quite as readily agree with him when he
tells us that " the palaces are sumptuous inside,
but they are very rusty without, and make no
pretensions to architectural magnificence."

Accustomed as we are to look at our build¬
ings across broad rectangular streets, we can
understand how, to an untutored eye, the mas¬
sive and gigantic dwellings of Genoa, "ahun¬
dred feet front and a hundred high," with their
walls "asthick as an ordinary American door¬
way is high," would lose much of their gran¬
deur from being located in such narrow tor¬
tuous thoroughfares, "where the tops of the
tall houses on either side of the street bend
ahnost together." But if the -writer had pos¬
sessed an eye a little more accustomed to the
subtle beauties of architectural design, he would
have probably discovered, somewhere in the
fagade of each of those " frowning,' dingy,
monstrous houses," in spite of the rusty frescoes
with which they are defaced, some rich gem of
• beauty arid ingenious device, that he could not
possibly have avoided trying to carry away a
recollection of in his sketch-book.

Those who built the stately structures of
Genoa, Venice, and other renowned old Italian
cities, which, even in their ruin and decay, stiU
loom up as the grandest models to the student—





not for servile imitation, but for honest guid
ance and emulation—went to work in a differ¬
ent manner to what we moderns here are in the
habit of doing. They never seem to do any
work without stamping upon it, somewhere or
other, upon some individual feature, the noble
seal of high art. Here it may be some gorgeous
doorway, there some magnificent window, or
turret, or even chimney, but always something
somewhere denoting earnest thought and inven¬
tion. We, on the contraiy, are content with
the most dreary monotony in architecture, and
will deliberately cover whole acres with unmean¬
ing platitudes and commonplace "enrichments,"
quite as costly, in the end, as if some eminent
.sculptor had been called to aid the architect
with his sister art, in presenting some original
grand doorway, or other feature of engrossing
interest. Where, for instance, could one find
in all Genoa so large and conspicuous a build¬
ing as A. T. Stewart's immense iron store at
the comer of Tenth street and Broadway, or
the huge marble residence at the comer of
Thirty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, without
one single feature betraying even a scintillation
of original thought and invention ? In this
respect, if in no other, some of our architects
would do well to make a trip expressly to
Genoa,—vsdth aU due deference to Mr. Mark
Twain,—and there take a few hints from many
a '' dreary-looking den that looks dimgeon all
over."





REAL ESTATE.

The market, so far this season, for real estate
is characterized chiefly by an entire absence of
anything like a speculative activity, although
the amount of sales for the two months just
past (August. and September) compare very
favorably with either of the years 1869 or
1870. So far as building operations are con¬
cerned, the activity is fully as great, if it does
not surpass, that of the year 1869 ; and judging
from the number of houses now going up, the
prospect for stiU lower rents during the coming
year is decidedly cheering to tenants, and the re¬
verse to landlords. An important fact bearing
largely upoii the price of real estate for the
coming season, is the great number of fore¬
closure suits which are daily brought against
parties who are unable to procure money to pay
off mortgages falling due. As many as seven¬
teen suits were brought on Monday and Tuesday
last, and the number filed from week to week
is greater than ever before known since the
famous year of 1861. The same process
which periodically takes place in Wall street
when brokers sell out parties holding stocks
on narrow margins, is now a feature of
the real estate market; and thousands of
weak- speculators, who, during the fall of 1868





and the spring of 1869, bought property on 20
and 30 per cent margins, will be slaughtered
without mercy. As soon as the weak holders
are sold out, and their property becomes concen¬
trated in the hands of strong parties, an advance
wiU probably be asked; but whether moneyed
men are willing to unload weak speculators at
the present prices, is a question which "will be
solved at the auction-room during the coming
year. From the present dulness at the sales,
one would judge that capitalists, as yet, are not
very decided in their opinions. One of the most
important sales yet announced for this season
is that of fifty-four lots on Broadway, at Wash¬
ington Heights, which property is to be sold on
Tuesday next, and its result 'wiU no doubt influ¬
ence, to a great extent, the feelings of operators
in unimproved property. The leading question
with permanent investors in regard to this sale
will be that of quick transit.





KEPORTED

IMPORTANT BUSINESS CHANGES.

NEW YORK CITT.

Hyllested, Charles, cotton broker, changed to C

Hyllested & Co.              _    .

Leon, Arnold & Co., clotMng, dissolved.
Myers', James, Son & Co., dry goods, dissolved.
Rodrigues, M. C. & Co., commission, dissolved.
Settle, Wilham W., produce commission, deceased.
Story & Rich, commission, dissolved.





MECHANICS'   LIENS   AGAINST   BTOLDINGS
IN NEW YORK CITY.

Oct.

20 Boulevard, e. s., between Seyen-

ty-seventh and Seventy-eighth sts.

Joseph Altgeier agt. John Carlin..     $159 95
17 Chrtstie ST., e.  s.,  Nos.  172, 174,

and 176.    J. A. Candee et aL agt.

Anton Reichhardt et al...........    3,392 00

19  Chatham ST., w. s., Nos. 44 and 46.

Wm. Armstrong et al. agt. Leggett

& Storms........................       274 00

17 ElGHTT-EODRTH   ST.,    S.    S.,    100    E.

2d av.   Michael Murphy agt. Chas.

Mallay...........................         79 00

20  ElGHTT-THIKD ST., N. S., 13 HOUSES,

com. 350 w. Sth av. Joseph Alt¬
geier agt. John Carlin.............       552 00

14  EoRTiETH ST., s.  s., No. 202 East.

Treadwell Seaman agt. —.  Eller-

field.............................         58 08

15  Forty-second st., n. s., Nos. 425

to 431 inclusive, bet. 9th and 10th
avs. James Rose agt. J. R. Tay¬
lor...............................       983 55

15 Fiftt-fourthst., n. s.,. Nos. 529, "i
531, and 533 West.............![

15 Fifty-fifth st., s. s., between f

10th and nth avs............... J

Philip Doerrschuk agt. Woodworth

«fc Young.........................       284 25

15 Same property.    John NAGLEagfc.

Woodworth & Young.........___    2,002 85

20 Fifty-first ST. and Ninth av., n.
e. cor., 100 on st., 25.5 on av. Bal-
thaser Lang agt. John Schmidt....    1,55800

17 Ludlow st., b. s., 2 Bousps, com!      " "'    '
about 100 n. Hester st.   J. A. Can¬
dee et- al.- agt. Metzger & Becker..    3,822 68

19 Same  property.   E. A. Bradley

& Currier agt.-same...........___    2,500 00