Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 11, no. 259: March 1, 1873

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ND BUILDERS' GUIDE Vol. XL NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1873. No. 259. Published Weeklu bu TIfE REIL ESFATE RECORD ASSOCIATION. TE mes. 5 Ona year, in. advance......................gl6 00 Aîl comuiunications should be addressed to C. ~W. SVi^ISElT. 7 AND S WAHHEN STRKET. No receipt for rooney due the RKA.Ii Est.\te RKCORO will be acknowledged unie?'' signed hy one of our regular collectors. Hbniiy D, S.v or TilOM.iS F. GUMMl.VGS. AU bills for collection will lie sent from the otliue on a regu- larly printed form. Spécial Notices. Mb. Willis H. WABNÉii, whose steam-heiiting appara¬ tus ha.*! been naed so frequently of late year.s with gênerai satisfaction, is now applying it to some of the finest struc¬ tures recently erected. The Nation.al Stove Works, whose foundries at PeekskiU were established in 18-10, are, with their customary enter¬ prise, perfecting some designs of ranges, which those building this season are invited to inspect at their ware¬ houses, 2:19 and 241 Water street.- Mr. William J. Coles, real estate and insurance agent, 1267 Broadway, pays particular attention to renting houses and collecting rents, and makes up-town properly a speci¬ ally. The Tribune ought to be asîiamed of itself in helping manipulators of the Gilbert road to deceive the public. There is not a tittle of évi¬ dence that this company has taken the first step towards the construction of the line. The out¬ side roads represented in the Gilbert scheme are practically banlcrupt, and, so far as our ob¬ servation goes, not a doUar has been subscribed nor a contract given out. The daily press hâve so often led the public astray respecting rapid transit t " at they should be cautions. The only practicable road is one built by the people for the people, and it is to kill this enterprise that the Gilbert people are engaged in humbugging the public by means of an over-credulous press. One would think, judging from the daily reports put into circulation, that the same par¬ ties who so successfuUy managed the little joker in connection with the Central Under¬ ground Railroad, succeeding for two years in so befogging this great big public, which takés so much delight in being fooled up to a cer¬ tain point, are in this scheme. We hâve the same story of English capital, $5,000,000 almost in the treasury; and this story sic- ceeded by another that a delay of ninety days jhas occurred, after which everything is to be ail right (the Législature will be adjoumed by that time), and so on, tothe end of the chapter. If there is anything really désirable ir' Rapid Transit as an investment, we hâve men of brains and capital in this country who can take hold of it, and thus the city wiU be saved from the mortification of having its streets controlled by foreign capitalists. So long as there seemed any prospect that the Gilbert people were really in earnest we encouraged them. But at this late stage in the Rapid Transit movement the citizens want ac¬ tion and not talk. As far as real progress is concerned, the Underground Railroad was much further along a year ago than the Gilbert affair is now. It had six millions of hona fide capital sub¬ scribed as a basis for English money ; whereas, the Gilbert combination can show nothing but a lot of used-up railroads. AVe repeat, that itis évident to capitalists that the undertaldng would be a risky one for a private company. Therefore, let ail sincerely interested in the movement aid the Rapid Transit Company and the Beach Pneumatie Tunnel Company, which never yet had a fair chance, but which will now be heard from, un¬ less the Governor interposes his veto, and let the verdict be unanimous that the city should do this work itself. DOWN TOWN IMPSOVEMENTS WANTED. Too much cannot be said about the necessity of keeping the circulation free in the roots of the Metropolitan life, by opening and widening streets. Far-seeing property-owners should be willing to endure almost any assessments that will produce wider streets for the transporta¬ tion of goods. At présent the area of down town wards is not half utilized because of the bungling arrangement of streets. In the ap¬ parently busiest quarters there are great blocks, the centres of which are given over to old use¬ less lookeries and perennial inertia and silence : insomuch tliat property-holders could afford to donate the ' ' right of way " for a street through the middle of each block, so greatly would the improvement increase the value of adjacent property. Again there are narrow streets— mère lanes in fact—lined by dingy old shops and factories, the widening of which would malic them thoroughfnres and cause them to be occupied by fine stores. Unless such im¬ provements are made e.xtensively, the best pay¬ ing business wUl move up town, leaving the narrow down-town streets to be used as similar ones are in London. , Among needed street openings may be men¬ tioned the following : A diagonal cut from Church street at the corner of Fulton across to Collège place. This would not destroy many fine buildings, and would form the needed completion of a grand thoroughfare, of which the widening of Church below Fulton, and the construction of South Fifth av. are the pre¬ liminary steps. Another, and miich cheaper diagonal could be made from the end of Col¬ lège Place across into Greemvich street at Vesey street. Again, SuUivan street should be opened from Amity to Fourth, thus givii^ another outlet into Fifth ave. This would only take out four house lots to make a street ot) feet wide. The rear of thèse lots is not occupied except by a stable, though there are good houses on the front. AH the streets mentioned should be paved in the best manner. On the east side, beside the Ann street im¬ provement, there should be openings higher up. Centre street should be paved thoroughly, and then Marion widened the whole length, and either cut through to Lafayette Place, or di¬ rectly from Prince- to Fourth ave. or Astor Place. Before any more fine buildings are put up at Fourth ave. and Pourteenth street, the outlet of old Bowery should be opened there by a widening on the west side, where there are as yet lio valuable buildings. The street is now only 69 feet wide. ALBANY LETTEE. Albany, Fébiiiary 27. TiiE New Republican Charter for the City of New York, has passed in the Assembly by a strictly party vote. The entire bill of 140 large pages was read by the Clerk on Wednesday, oc- cupying over two hours, after which the friends and opponents of the New Charter closed for the final struggle. Ail day long and far into the night the contest continued. The Democrats were aided by a few inde¬ pendent Republicans who did not hke the biil, and were thus enabled to make a very good fight. The minority achieved one very impor¬ tant victory, which was in the adoption of the amendment to increase the number of Alder¬ men to 21, and secure minority représentation in their élection. The principal features of the proposed charter, as it stands, are aa follows. The Board of Aldermen nomtnate the heads of departments, and the Mayor confirms or rejects as he sees fit. In case the Mayor and--Alder¬ men cannot agrée the nomination can be made over again in the Board of Aldermen, by the s me vote (a simple majority), and the person nominated is eonsidered appointed, the same as if the Mayor had confirmed. The Mayor, as an offset, holds the power to remove any officer by consent of the Governor. The next Board of Aldermen is to be composed of 31 mem¬ bers, three from eàch sénatorial district, and six at large. No elector is to be allowed to vote for more than two candidates from any district, or more than four among the candi¬ dates nominated at large. The municipal élec¬ tion is to be held on the same day as the gêne¬ rai élection, as now. The Board of Assistant Aldermen is extinct. The most important lég¬ islative powers are still withheld from the Alder¬ men and distributed among the departments, as under'the présent charter. The " secta- rian" clause is adopted. This prohibits the appropriation of any of the city funds or real