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Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 25, no. 639: June 12, 1880

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EAL Estate Record AND BUILDERS' GUIDE. Vol. XXV. NEW YOEK, SATUEDAY, JUNE 12, 1880. No. 639 Published Weekly by €l^s: Seal €Bhk %mx^ %BBomixan. TERMS. ONE YEAR, in advance.. ..SIO.OO. Communications should be addressed to C. MV. SWEET, No. 137 Broadway Governor Cornell has signed the bill relating to assessments, printed exclusively in the Real Es¬ tate Recohd of the .5th instant. The act, there¬ fore, creating the new commission for revision of assessments is now the lavr of the State, and those not having mastered its various provisions can obtain additional copies of the same by calling at this office. IMBECILITY OP THE PUBLIC DEPART¬ MENTS OR WHAT? Property owners, especially on the West Side, must have reflected ere this on the reasons that underlie the pall which hangs over their invest¬ ments. It is time, indaed, that they should speak out and begin to call a spade a spade. It i& of no use saying that generations yet unborn will in¬ habit a certain portion of Manhattan Island, for all of it, every inch of it, is wanted for the 1,250,000 inhabitants who now reside within its borders. The generation of our own day will re¬ quire and in fact does require the improvement of every lot on this island, but the supineness of pi-operty-owners, as a class, their unwillingness to be aggressive, has been and still is to-day the main cause of this tardiness iu developing the West Side. True, speeches have been made, paper resolutions have been adopted by this or that association, all referring to matters that ought to have been done, and yet that most beau¬ tiful section of our island virtually continues to be a barr.en waste of uncultivated land. For this state of affairs, owners themselves are to blame, a priori, simply owing to their lack of public spirit and the notable absence of aggressiveness on their part. They underrate—in fact, they seem to have entirely forgotten—their own iui- portant status in this community, as taxpayers not only, but as owners of the soil. Granted even that we live in a community where all men are born " free and equal," human nature, even in a republican cou itry like this, pays homage to capital, and that homage has always stood ready to fawn upon the owners of realty. Why, why we ask again, have they not combined to take ad¬ vantage of their exalted position in civic society to make their influence and importance felt upon the body politic, that dare riot resist them, if prop¬ erly organized. Their inaction, their lethargy has led to the accursed red tape which has turned the Department of Parks and the Department of Public Works into veritable labyrinths, out of which no public improvement, once conceived, can find its exit. These departments, composed even though they may be of politicians, will listen, heed and obey if they only hear the indig¬ nant voice of the mass of property-owners; but so long as the latter remain silent and refuse tu declaim in a voice loud enough to be heard all over the island that improvements must and shall be made, just so long will these men act and do only what benefits either their own political cliques or their own personal pockets. They never will stir in the good work that ought to be done by them until property-owners, as a mass combine, make the influence they possess felt over the departments and virtually shame the commissioners into doing their duty. We speak thus earnestly in regard to this matter, as every day's experience shows us that the neglect of the West Side by investors is due not to this cause or that cause, but owing to the tardy public improvements that must necessarily precede private improvements. When, the other day, an auction sale of Riverside avenue lots had to be indefinitely postponed, a prominent owner of adjacent property exclaimed, "how can you expect peopla to buy there, when not only the Drive but the entire surrounding section is neglected by the Park Department. Strangers and capitalists from other cities when going along that boasted Drive soon get out of it, instead of being anxious to proceed up to its terminus. Had the department gone to work and caused it to be rolled nicely, watered adequately and placed it generally in acceptable condition, you would have found any number of people anxious to locate there." This is but a mere reflex of private opinion generally entertained by West Side property owners. Instead, however, of making these opinions felt through the aid of a demonstration agreed upon by all, a growl and a shrug of the shoulders constitute the sum total of their activity in the matter. It is ludicrous to say thafc only our grand¬ children wUl benefit by this West Side, and that, fchei-efore, we are too much ahead of time in urg¬ ing its improvemenfc. We know fche contrary to be the case, where capitalists stand ready to build if only certain streefcs are graded, regu¬ lated, curbed and guttered. How can they build without these preliminary improvements ? Take Wesfc Eighty-eighth streefc, for instance, be¬ tween Riverside avenue and fche Boulevard. Ever since 1873 privafce.efforts have been made fco have this streefc placed in condition for improve¬ ment. The entire work mighfc have been done in six months if there was only energy in the De¬ partment of Public Works, or rather if Commis¬ sioner Allan Campbell ha.d been made fco under¬ stand his dufcies fco the owners of property, and yet here we are in 1880, and it is only now that we see fainfc glimpses of prospective public improve¬ menfcs in that street. In the meantime Mr. Wilcox, Presidenfc of fche Meriden Britfcannia Compauj, and his friend Mr. Russell, owning together fcwelve lofcs, are awaiting an opportunity to put up firsfc class houses fchere. If now prompt and immediafce aefcion be taken in the regulafcing of fchis sfcreet, these.gentlemen may still build, bufc if fchey see no prospecfc of fche sulky deparfcment doing anything, can anybody blame them if they lose hearfe and show a disposi¬ tion fco sell their lofcs? Individuals are nofc to blame for this neglecfc on fche Wesfc Side. The cifcy and ifcs useless public deparfcments are. To make the lafcfcer understand fcheir dufcies and act up to them, to keep up a consfcanfc agifcationin regard to these matters, is the bounden dufcy of properfcy owners acfcing in a corporafce capacity wifch energy and efficiency. Unless they do so in the summer months as well as under fche gaslight of fche winfcer season they will ulfcimately recognize fche necessity of surrounding the Wesfc Side, indeed, wifch a grand fence and fche words'' Legacy for our posterifcy " inscribed thereon. So many sfcrucfcures known as " markets " have been condemned of late in this city, thafc archi¬ tects now have a firsfc class opporfcunifcy fco presenfc something unique, useful, and afc fche same fcime ornamental in fche number of new designs they will shortly be called upon fco make for fche recon- sfcrucfcionof Fulfcon, Clinfcon and perhaps Jefferson markefcs. For a purpose like-this fche ornamental should be secondary fco fche useful, and the arcbi¬ tecfc, who, while comprehending the mefcropolifcan fcaste of our people, neverfcheless, can remember thafc in fchis cifcy a markefc sfcrucfcure accommodates only a particular section of the city, will carry off the prize. It is a subjecfc worfch thinking of in a cifcy where markefc sfcrucfcures have been a shame and. disgrace fco us these many years past. In this connection, also, we call the attention of those interested to the public notice in our advertising columns, by which ifc will be seen fchat Hoboken is ready to expend $50,000 in fche consfcrucfcion of a new city hall and armory. The Herald, in commenting upon the apparent failure of fche recenfc auction sale of Riverside lots, appears fco be under fche impression fchafc property on fche Wesfc End plafceau can still Oe had by fche acre, and afcfcributes the low prices to the fact thafc fchose in charge of fche sale endeavored fco dispose of fche properfcy in lots of 25x100. How could fchey have done otherwise? The entire section has been surveyed and divided in blocks and lots. The aucfcioneer mighfc have put up the enfcire block between Riverside, Eighty-eighth and Eighty- ninth sfcreefcs and Eleventh avenue as a whole, but would he have had any bid at all, then '? If cap¬ italists desired more lots fchan one they could have had any number they desired. We have a sus¬ picion, however, that the Herald man when writ¬ ing aboufc Riverside avenue lots was permitting his thoughts to roam along tbe vicinity of Fort Washingfcon, about a hundred blocks more norfch- ward, where properfcy cau yet be had by the acre. ARREARS OF TAXES. The Comptroller gives ofBcial notice to owners of real estate that, as provided by chapter 123 of the laws of 1880. they may now pay any arrears of taxes and Croton water rents levied prior to the year 1S77, with iiiterest thereon at the rate of 7 per cent, per annum. If, however, such taxes and Croton water rents are not paid before the first day of October next, the property on which they are due will be sold for taxes immediately thereafter, with the additions of accrued interest thereon at the rate of 12 per cent, per annum from the respective dates on which they were levied. Lists for such tax sale are now being prepared by the Clerk of Arrears. The time of payment of taxes for the vears 1877, 1878 and 1879, with interest thereon at the rate of 7 per cent, per annum, is extended to the flrst day of April, 1881, and if not paid before that date, interest will be payable at the rate of 12 per cent, per annum.