Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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Auguat 30, Î892 Record and Guide. 239 EUILIDIlSrG iq'E'WS. There has always beeu a feeling of insecurity among people who have reaided in flats whicb bave no elevators, leat, ín case of a conflagration, tbey M'ould have uo means of exit. The Building Law was, until a few years ago, somewbat lax in the provisions respecting the use of tbe fire- escape. The new Building Law, bowever, may be said to be very atrict in this matter. and in future tlie ingenuity of our architects will be taxed in designing fire-escopes tbat shall not be objectionable to the artistic eye. One architect has olready succassfuUy overcjms the diffl- culty o£ lending beauty to the fire-escapa, which has, even to this day, proved o sore spot to the builder and a defacement to his building. Tbe flre-escape iu the " Delmonte" flat is here referred to. Tbĩs buUding stands on the soutbwest corner of Columbus avenue and î.^th street, and is very nearĩy completed. Tbe flre-escape consists of a ssries of balconies runnĩng aeross each of tbe upper siî stories ou the avenue front. They are of artistic design, iu ironwork, and are supported by brackets o£ special moĩdiug. Ho for from btíing an effiacement, they aro most decidedly ornamental, Thiu, wiry stairs lead from balcony to balcony, but they are not sufficientiy heavy to spoil the appearance of ths flre-escape as a whole. The flre- escape business is evideutly destîned to be o very importanfc one in the future, ond raonufacturers and designers wjU be called upon to use their braius in turoing out ornamental and artistic work in tbese neces- sary aafeguards to life and limb. * * * * The conversion into business buildings of corner bouses, and houses adjoining comers, has been o marked feature in recent years. This has been so onnearly all themnin thoroughfares, such as Broadway, 3d, Gth and other avenues. But no ons espactad tbat ony house in a rsstricted locality on the West Sĩde would suecumb to buíioess influences for many years to come. Tet this has already come to pass in the houBe No. '103 West Slsí street, adJDÍning the soutbwest comer of Columbus avenue andfacingthe "Endicott." Thiaresidence, built by the late Mr, Hoopea some seven or eight years ago, bas beeu converted iuto a business building, and among tbose who havs offlces in it are an architect, o plumber, a plas- tersr, o painter, a morble dealer and au old-time reol sstate operator. :?; * * T Speoking of busínessstructoreson West Side streets it may be noted that what was once called " Colcord's FoIIy " is turning out to be a profit- able investment, Tbe building referred to is No. 103 West 8M street, and it bas now beeu leased to the Hamiltou lustilute, which wiU opeu Septem- ber ĩst. Samuel Colcord has proven to be more far-sighted than soms people supposed when be erected thís building, * :í * * Builders arecommencing to realize that avenue lots in choice locations are becoming very scarce. A walk ilong Columbus avenue, for instance, betweeu the north side of TZá street and tbe south side of 81st street, showed the writerthat there were ouly five plots vacaut, Theseoreas fol- lows: Four OQ the southeast corner of 74th street, eĩgbt on the east side, betweeu 75th and 76lh atreets, four on the southeast coruer of 77th street, eight on tbe west side, between 79th and 8Uth streets, and betweeu fifth and sisth on tbe nortbwest corner of 8Ũth street. Tbis gives a fcotal of less than 30 avsnue lots betwssn the streets named, out of a total o£ 113 available bullding lots. Of thess 83, over 73 per cent, are covered—witti two or three esceptiona—by bandsome modern apartment bouses and stores. * * * + Manbattan Squars Nortb is slowlj but surelybeing absorbed by ths srection of some of the costliest residences ou fche West Side. It is a matter for surprise that ricb New Yorkers have nofc long siuce boughfc up every avoilubie lotou the two bloelis fronting on Manhattan Porlr. In London or Paris the very bighest prices would have been paid for lots facing on oue park and overlooking aaotber. But we in New York are slow to take advantogeof an ever-opan space with a pleasant outlook. We seem to prsfer to build our flne houses squat ou the street, right up to the house line, to au iucb. * * * + Builders can learn a point from the Nebraska, Lyndhurst ond Colorado flats on the southeast coruer of 8id streefc and Columbus avenue. H. B. tJIaven, of Panama Canal fame, boughfc tbese buildiugs some timeagofrom Macdonald & Lozier, and placed them in even finer condition than he found them, " There is ooe thing wanting," said a tenant. " What is fcbat?" was fche response. " Well," replied ths tenant,'■ we gefc a strong BUn from the souih and west and it would be mucb apprecioted by your tenants i£ you had awuings put ou tbe windows that bave a south and west esposure." The owner coraplied and it haa helped to secure teuants. Tbere is uow only oue vaconey in tbe tbree biiUdings. It is intereating to note through what small espenditures ownera can sometimes heip to satiafy tenants and keep thelr apartments filied. + * * * Foster & Livingaton's six foui--story houses on tbe BOUth side of 82d street, near Central Park West, are now inclosed, but they wiU uot be quite completed in time for the early fall market. They are each of different design, the raain features of tbeir fronts being tbe uriole and hesagLn bays. Two of the bouses have tbese bays ,on thesecond story, twohavebays on tbesecondand tbirdstorĩes and two bave them on tue second story and basemeut. Mr. Livingston sajs tho houseB will not be ready till Jauuary. * * * * The addition to the Hotel Beresford, which is bemg built ou the soutb- west cornei o£ Central Fark Westand 82d strest is now about up to the tbird tier of beams. Tbe front is plam and unpretentious, being of brick, with brownstone trirammgs, and corresponds iu design to the main huild- ing, which was tbe pioueer apartraeut hotel buĩlt west of Central Park. Mr. Walker, tbe owuer, states that tbe addition wiU be completed by May 1 nest, Ic wiU contaiu sixty-four suites o£ apartments and wiU be con- uected with the present hotel. T * * + The nine lots owned by the Marsball 0. Roberta eafcate, on the northeast corner of Columbus aveuue aud Slst street, bave on more than ons occa- siou come within an ace o£ changing haods. Tbey would make amagnifl- cent site for an apartment botel, but as 12,5 feet of their S3,5 feet frontags on the street is restricted, private houses only can be erected on the major portion of tbe plot. The 100 feet ou the corner wUI some day be ũnproved witb a flat and stores and, kmwiug this, builders will not be likely to take fche risk o£ erecting a bigh-class residence plumb againsfc a flat. The rear wiudowsof anaparfcmenthousealwajsoveriook the rear wiudowa of tbo firsfc, second aud third houses adjoining, and builders wUI not easily over- comethe natural fear tbey entertain that houses may belefton their hands because buyers flght shy of dweUiugs built near flats. Biit for this reason the Marshall 0, Roberts estato would loug siuce have disposed o£ the above lots. * * * * Tbis brings to mind another plot of lots on fche West Side, well knowu to builders and brokers, tbat the owuers have not been able to aell owing to their adjoining an avenue corner. But in this caae a scbool is on the corner. It is a fact tbat an ex-miai'rter o£ tbe Gospel hos sold his lots oppjsite, ou the aame street, at close upon $2,000 each more tban the price at wbich those above referred to can be boughfc, because they were aeveral bundred feet further away from the corner. " Somebody must buiid on streetlotsati]oiningacorn6r,"saida builder to the writer, "but I døn want to be the man." * * * T Acker, Merrill & Condit ara said to be ín searcb of a good buiiding s ite on the WestSide. If so, ic isno doubt due to the erection of o braneh building on thafc side of the city by their competitors, Messrs Park & Tilford. + + + * Frank Falk, ths contractor, who is escavating two lots ou tbe south side of 77tb streat, between Central Park West and Colurabus avenue, baa had to go down aî feet below the eurb, owing to a stream wbich he struck at a depth of nearly 30 feet. In talking about the cost of excavations, he aaid: "Theltahan contractors bovea great advantage over us. They bire their countrymen to work for less than we can get them to work for. Besides, thejput off tbeir raen, i£ tbej are short o£ money, and tba men wait tUI the coutract is completed if necefisary. Bub the American or German con- tractor bas to pay his meu every two weeks. Tbe Italian contractor fcherefore, bas the two advantages of paying less for hislabor and requiring less capital to carry on bis operations." * * * íf The New York Historical Society is stUl sbort of fche necesaary funds witb whieh to erect its new buUdiog onthe blũck front on Ceutral Park Wesfc, 7eith and 7rth atreets. The lots bave a sigu on fcbem on which appear thefollowing words: "Tbis plot, 204x125, has been purcbased by the New York Historical Socíety for the erection of a new building." * * * « J. C. Umberfield'a eighfc houses on the north side of 75th street, between Central Park West and Columbua avenue, are nearing corapletion. The main featurea o£ their fronts are the massive bos stoops leadiug to the entrauce of each house. A Bit of Komance. N. C. Mellen, tbe jimior member of the weil-known firm ôf archifcecfcs Boring, Tilton & Mellen, saUs to-day on the Urania for Europe. The best wishes of personal friends wUI foliow Mr. Mellen like old shoes full of rice for on September Ist, in London, be is to wed Miss Ayres, daugbter of Normau T, Ayres, of Worth sfcreet, Valete et jilaudite. Special ĩĩotiũes. OPENING A CHICAGO OFFICK. Mr. O. D. Person, dealer iu roofiiig tile and ornamental fronfc bríck whoseofflcaĩs in the Mohawk Buildiug, corner of 5th avenueand 31st street, Bas, owiug to thelarge demand made by the Wsstern trade forgoods for which be bas the agency, opeoed a brancb offlce on La Salle street, Chi- cago, where his brother, Mr. Clarsuce Fersoo, who bas baeuconnected with the New York offlce for several years past bas been located as Western mauager. MR. AUGUST JACOB'S NEW FLATS. About September Ist, four flve-story brick flats will be fiuished atthe southwest corner of Ist avenue and 124th street. They are planned for two faa.ilíes per floor, and vary in depth, These bouses were built by Auguat Jacob, of No, 2(>0 East 78th streefc, the well-kuowu roofer aud cornice- maber. Mr Jacob has beeu watchful during the construction of the housef, and has secured good worb throughout, In the way of roofing, corníces and skyligbts it sbould be added that Mr, Jacob recently suppUed fiveflatson íiOtihstreet, near Park avenue, for BuilrierP. J. Schnugg and the extrasized flat on tbe soutbwest corner of Delancey ond Eldridge atreets for Peter Herter, of Herter Bros., besides other jubs for builders and architects equally weU koown and calling for good work. PerBoual. A. C. Tiedeman, of The Henry Huber Co., is taking a vacation in the CatskiUs. J. G. Evabt, raauagerfortbeBostonTerraCottftCo., wboseofficeisinthe