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DECEMBER 21, 1912'





KEEPING   WITHIN   THE   BUILDING   LINES





City's Crusade Against Encroachments  Inspires  a General Alteration Movement—
Improved Appearance of Many Streets—General Alterations  Sometimes Wasteful.





PUBLIC acquiescence has very gen¬
erally succeeded the determined op¬
position Avhich the policy of removing
street encroachments encountered at the
outset, although a conviction still lingers
among property owners in some quarters
that they have certain ancient rights to
the streets in front of their homes Avhich
the courts Avill yet define. To reach this
stage of acquiescence has required a
long period of years, the trial of many
lawsuits and the hearing of mjny ap¬
peals. In Manhattan the legal steps
and the succeeding constructional oper¬
ations have been taken so gradually that
owners have had time to prepare, and
they have very generally come to the
conclusion that the times have indeed
changed since the colonial aldermen
gave their sanction to the Dutch-stoops
that over-reached the street line.

Fifth avenue has been made both a
shining example and an unanswerable
argument. If the Fifth avenue million¬
aires could not save their stoops and
■jorticos from the corporation axe men,
what is the use of others contesting the
Borough President's mandates? When
it was proposed to require the removal
of all encroachments from Fifth avenue,
the owners there recalled the unsuccess¬
ful legal efforts of the Knickerbocker
Trust Company to save its wide-spread¬
ing marble steps at the corner of 34th
street and gracefully yielded to the de¬
cision of the Court ot Appeals, that
never had property owners possessed
any real rights beyond the building line.

After the encroachments had been re¬
moved from that part of Fifth avenue be¬
tween 2Sth and 47th streets, the im-
pr(3ved appearance of the street and its
heightened advantage for business was
conceded. The hopelessness of longer
trying to save the avenue south of the
Plaza for a residential abiding place
dates from that time. Last year the
treatment of Fifth avenue was extended
northwardly to Central Park.

Profitable Changes,

A similar plan was next adopted by
Borough President McAneny for the
most important cross streets and for a
number of the do-wntOAvn business
streets. In some the sidewalks were very
narrow and instances occurred Avhere the
rental value of the basement was likely
to be reduced by the removal of steps
leading to them. In this crisis many
owners found it advantageous to make
more extensive alterations than were
actually demanded, in order to remove
encroachments. By so doing they not
only improved the desirability of their
premises but also in cases they A\cre
able to lease them to better advantage.

It is admitted by property owners.
Borough President McAneny has saiJ,
that houses and store fronts rent more
readily without stoops, railings and cel¬





lar steps. Mostly it has been business
property which has so far been treated
in Manhattan, and private dwellings 'jnly
in a few neighborhoods, as on Fifth ave¬
nue and in 34th street. Forty Manhat¬
tan streets have so far contributed to
■ the movement during the two or more
years it has been going on, and the
work will be continued next year. For
the most part the work has been done
under the direction of owners, but the
city workmen have not hesitated at times





before placing them on the market, for
the reason that the average New York
investor is not up to remodeling an old-
style house on his own account. He
would rather pay the price of not do¬
ing it.

Alterations Sometimes "Wasteful.

But an alteration is sometimes an ex¬
pensive and wasteful method of im¬
provement, as a new building Avould be
cheaper   from   every   standpoint.     Mr.







A FIFTH AVENUE SIDEWALK CLEAR OF ENCKOACHMENTS.





to detach projections where owners were
unheeding. In many instances the alter¬
ations were extensive and costly, as
great stone pillars and porticos, subway
kiosks and solid walls, all have had to
go, as well as the little stoops of made-
over dwellings.

A   Campaign   of  Alteration   'Work.

The removal of encroachments alone
has given rise to a great amount of
small work for mechanics and seems to
have inspired a voluntary campaign of
alterations in neighborhoods not affected
by the anti-encroachment crusade. All
told, over twelve million dollars' worth
of alterations were planned in 1911 and
ten million dollars' worth this year. The
cost of the Avork ordered last year on
account of encroachments was estimated
by the authorities at between four and
five million dollars.

Many owners have anticipated the
time when the city will require them to
clear their sidewalks and they have
either altered old dwellings for business
purposes, or else have remodeled dwell¬
ings into very artistic apartments from
whi(Ji a greatly increased rental is be-
ing derived. Far-sighted owners are
also realizing the wisdom of spending a
little money in improving old dwellings





Douglas Elliman of Pease & Elliman,
340 Madison avenue, recently related an
instance of this where two old private
dwellings occupying a fifty-foot plot
were leased by a company who thought
that they could be remodeled for busi¬
ness uses. Plans and specifications were
prepared accordingly but after the work
had been started it was found that the
alterations would exceed the cost of a
new building. The alterations were
therefore discontinued, the building de¬
molished altogether and a new building
is now in course of construction.

"Where a section is not fully develop¬
ed, however," added Mr. Elliman, "a
new building will often be erected ahead
of the demand and remain idle for a
considerable period; whereas an alter¬
ation of the existing old buildings might
act as a small income producer until the
neighborhood has developed. But gen¬
erally speaking, I am of the opinion that
a new building is mu'ch cheaper and more
satisfactory in the long run, from both
the owners' and tenants' standpoint."

Streets Which Have been Improved.

At the end of the year 1911 ordinances
had been adopted for the removal of
sidewalk encroachments from the fol¬
lowing named streets in the Borough ot