Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 73, no. 1892: June 18, 1904

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June i8, 1904. RECORD AND GUIDE 1561 sty brick flats to contain apartments for 12 fanftlies. They will be erected on Bleecker st and J. J. Mullin will be the owner. The front of the buildinga will be faced with pressed brick and will have blue and limestone trimmings. The estimaled cost is $35,000. (For Other Cities see page 1590.) Of Interest to the Building Trades. The new Bronx post oflice on 13Slh st. just west of Willis av, is now ready for occupancy, and has several fine offices to rent. Cluse Se O'Rourke, of 138lh st and 3d av, the general contractors, flnished the building this week. The Universal Safety Tread Co.. 45 Broadway, has just com¬ pleted a contract for safety treads for the stairs of the new engine house on 139lh sl, for the city. Alexander Stevens, the archiiect for the Fire Department, drew the plans. Foundations are being laid for the "Colonial Theatre," on the northwest corner of Broadway and 62d st, from the plans of George Keister, of 11 West 29th st. The plol adjoins the Holel Empire and has an "L" lo Columbus av. The building will be 3 stories, of brick and stone, 115x186.6 ft in size, and is esti¬ mated to cost $190,000. On the southwest corner of Broadway and Gist st excavating Is going on for a 12-sty brick and etone apartment house that the Jermyn Realty & Construction Co., of 1843 Broadway, will build from the plans of Mulliken & Moeller, 7 West 3Sth sl. Much of the site is in rock, plentiful in this section, that is used as fast as the pieces are laken out for the foundations of the outer walls. Mayor McClellan having approved of the ordinance to be known as 157a of the Building Code, giving the Borough Presi¬ dents and Building Superintendents power to order work stopped on buildings when the law is being violated in a manner to en¬ danger life and property, the public may expect even a more careful compliance wilh the requirements of good consti-uctlbn than has been characteristic in the past of the trade generally. In G7lh st, west of Central Park on the block made promi¬ nent by the erection of the successful Studio building, two raore similar structures have been started, and both by WUliam J. Taylor, of 5 East 4'2d st. who built the present structure. That at Nos. 29, 31, 33 is slightly in advance of the one at Nos. 11. 13, 15, as the caissons for pier footings are being sunk, while at the latter only the excavation has been dug. When completed the buildings will form a unique series. Simonson, Pollard & Steinam, of 3 Easl llth sl, are the architects. Adam Kropf, real estate agent of 92d st and Sth av. South Brooklyn, says that what is needed is more buildings. He says it is strange that in a place so beautiful as Fort Hamilton, with vacant lots by the score to he purchased at a reasonable flgure, lhal some enterprising builder does not go there and erect enough flats to accommodate the largely increasing population. Mr. Kropf says he has not one single house for sale or floor lo let in Port Hamilton. Lots for sale are plentiful, but most buy¬ ers prefer buildings to vacant lots. The Thos. Krekeler Co., dealers in second-hand building ma¬ terials, with oflices and yards at No, 22S0 Fulton sl. Brooklyn, have under contract the razing of Nos, 181-183 Montague sl, Brooltlyn. for the Peoples' Trust Co,, the large brick fire works factory at the head of Greene av, known as the Eagle Nest, and have recently demolished for the Long Island Railroad the old chemical works at Vernon av and Flushing st, Long Island City, which contained large quantities of yellow pine timber, machin¬ ery, and large tanks, which are now offered for sale at their yards. Por the work of improving the old Times building on Park Row, to consist of two stories to be added, partitions changed or strengthened, and new elevators installed, Robert Maynicke, the architect, of 298 Fifth av, has awarded contracts as follows: Masonry, George Vassar's Son & Co,, 5 East ISth sl; carpentry, James Elgar, Inc., 335 West 24th st; ironwork, Lewinson & Co.. 128 West 42d st; plumbing, T. J. Byrne, 377 4th av; steamheating, Gillis & Geoghegan, 537 West Broadway; elevators, Slandard Plunger Elevator Co., 1 Broad¬ way. On the south side of GOth st, west of Amsterdam av. on a sleep incline to the river, excavators are preparing the site for a new public balh to be erected by Geo, Hildebrand from the plans of Wemer & Windolph, of 27 West 33d st. The excava¬ tion, which is partly through solid rock, is deep, as the building is to have a sub-basement as well as a basement. The build¬ ing, in the heart of a tenement house district, will be appre¬ ciated. It will be 2 stories above the basemenl with a facade of Harvard brick, Indiana limestone and granite. It is to be pro¬ vided ■^'ith every desirable device and improvement. The arch¬ itecls before completing the plans studied those of other mod¬ ern public baths, and one of the firm traveled through fhe Ger¬ man cities with this object in view. That branch of the New Tork Public Library that is being erected on the w^est side of Amsterdam av, 25 fl. south of GOlh st, is now enclosed, but entrance doors and windows are not yet in place. The building is finished internally in hard white plas¬ ter and this, with the rear windows of prisms, gives a strong well-diffused light. The design of the front is simple and ap¬ propriate, the material being Indiana limestone. The slight pro¬ jection of the basement wall forms a base upon which the super¬ structure is built, and the 1st story, undecorated, consists of the three round-arched v/mdnws and entrance. From thi seco.id story level Dcric columns rise lo support an entablature that is surmounted by a balustrade extending across the entire front. Carrfire & Hastings, of 28 East 41st sl. are the architects. With impressive ceremonies, before a very large and attractive concourse, the corner stone of the Second Naval Battalion Armory was laid in Brooklyn at 4 o'clock in the afterno'on of June 14lh. Honorable Martin W, Littleton, President of the Borough of Brooklyn, delivered the address, speaking with elo¬ quence and force. The battalion, itself, from a soldier's point of view, was entirely fil, and proved itself a delightful host at the collation served to the guests on the barge at the end of the pier. The corner stone is an exceedingly handsome and massive piece of pink Medina sandstone, from the great quarries In Orleans County, New Tork. The contractors. Ryan & McFerran. have every reason lo be satisfied with the present progress of the structure. The architects for the building are the well known firm of Lord & Hewlett. We regret that an error was made in connection with the pic¬ ture of the apartment house printed on page 1468 of the Record and Guide of June 11. in designating the archilects and builder. Rightly, the picture shows the attractive apartment house on the northeast corner of Slsl street and West End avenue, of which Little & O'Connor, of 5 West 33d sireet, were the archi¬ tects, and William J. Merritt was the builder. The New Tork Belling & Packing Co., Ltd., makers of Inter-" locking Rubber Tiling, announce their removal to the spacious' stores, Nos. 91-93 Chambers sireet and 73-75 Reade street, be¬ tween Broadway and Church sireet. For some time they have felt the need of larger quarters in which to carry on their stead¬ ily increasing business, but until now have been unable to find a suitable and conveniently located building. In arranging their new offices and show rooms they have specially fitted up a room, equipping it with corresponding facilities, telephone service, etc., for the convenience of their friends, and those interested in high grade mechanical rubber goods, and extend to them a cordial in¬ vitation to make their headquarters with them when in this city. The naterial Harket. IRON. The firm of Riehey, Browne & Donald, manufacturers of orna¬ mental and architectural iron have clo.^ed the purchase of a large tract at Maspeth. L. I., on which they will erect a new and im¬ proved plant to replace the one occupied by them at Borden av and Newtown Creek in Long Island City, and which was damaged by fire last year. The property Is situated on the northerly side of Flushing av. Maspeth. between Metropolitan av and Grand st; being about 450 ft. in width and running north about 700 ft. to the Bushwick Branch of the Long Island Railroad, containing about six and one-quarter acres. It adjoins the new plant of the Gleason-Tiebout Glass Co. The work of construction on the new plant will go forward immediately, plans having been completed. The firm of Riehey, Browne & Donald have heretofore occupied leased property. Their business has increased to a remarkable degree during the comparatively short period since their organization and now they have decided to occupy a home of tbeir own. BRICK. The Peerless Brick Company, with offices in the Park Row- Building, has purchased from the Abendroth eslate the former foundry property at the foot of East llSth street and will there manufacture front brick, common brick and silicate of limestone, by the new sand-lime process. This will be the flrst factory of the sort in or near this cily, and its product the flrst of the new process to be offered in this market. Cannected with the new company are William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.. Olcott Payne, J. B. King, John Moody, George A. Blauvelt, James Stanley, M. O. Korff and A. C, Bwen, and the present investment Is about .$170.0no. From the fir.st installation of machinery a produit exceeding one hundred thousand bricks a day will be possible, and when circumstances warrant the capacity will be multiplied. In about three months the plant will be in working order. The subject of sand-lime brick manufacture has interested all de¬ partments of the brick trade for some time, but this is the flrst company to go beyond the talking stage and get down to actual business in connection ■?\'ilh the metropolitan market; up tbe Hudson several companies are being promoted, but none has yet commenced business. The Peerless company, judging from the names of its officers and principal stockholders, is In sub¬ stantial hands, and the situation of its plant in the midst of the market, is expected to give certain advantages over the brick yards and factories which, thougli depending on the same mar¬ ket, are situated al greater or less distances therefrom. That the Peerless people believe there is an advantage in this location is clear enough from the fact that it bas been chosen in pref¬ erence lo an inexpensive one in the suburbs,—on the Jersey mead¬ ows, up the Hudson or down the Bay somewhere. Clay brick manufacturers can mine their raw material on their own prop¬ erty, but must ship their product; the Peerless company must have its raw material brought from a distance, but will be on the spot with its product. I