Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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January 7, 1905 RECORD AND GUIDE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST SIDE A Review of Past and Present Phases By MR. WALTER STABLER MR WALTER STAB'LER delivered an address on "The De¬ velopment of the West Side" before the Real Estate Class of the Y. M. C. A., at its meeting held last Tuesday even¬ ing. Mr. Stabler took the section bounded by Fifty-ninth street. One Hundred and Twenty-flfth street. Central Park West and the Harlem River for his study. He said in part: It is probably witliin the memory of some of the members of this class when the West Side was one vast stretch of farm land, with practically one artery, which was the old Bloomingdale Road. It was not until the flfties that charters were granted for the running of horse cars. In 1855 the Eighth avenue line received its charter, and four years later that for the Tenth avenue line was granted. During the period 1868-1872, the Boulevard and Riverside Drive were proposed, and in 1S78 permission for the running of horse cars in the former thoroughfare was granted. At tills time there was great speculation in avenue lots, which collapsed with the panic of 1873, which was probably brought about by the inadequate means of transportation. The East Side, besides having several car lines also had steamboat service which plied on the East River and was largely patronized and v>-as an.important factor in the development of that section. A glance at the map of 1879 showed but little of importance in the way of buildings. There were the St. Paul's R. C. Church at Ninth avenue, Fifty-ninth and Sixtieth streets; a brewery at the northeast cor¬ ner of Ninth avenue and Sixtieth street; the N. T. Infant Asy¬ lum at the northeast corner of Tenth avenue and Sixty-first street; flfteen three-story dwellings on the north side of Seventy- first street, between Ninth and Tenth avenues; on Eighth ave¬ nue, between 'Seventy-flrst and Seventy-second streets, where the Majestic now stands, were a row of two-story dwellings, and .the same on the streets to the rear of the present hotel; on the east side of Ninth avenue, between Seventy-flrst and Sev¬ enty-second streets, was the Bloomingdale Reformed Church, 'which is now at Broadway and Sixty-eighth street; a row of detached dwellings on Sixty-ninth street, between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, many of which are now standing; two rows 'of dwellings on the north side of Seventy-third street, east and west of Ninth avenue, owned by the Clark estate; In Eiighty- third and Eighty-fourth streets, between Eighth and Ninth ave¬ nues, rows of dwellings; small dwellings in Eighty-third street, west of Ninth avenue; on the west side of Ninth avenue, be¬ tween Eighty-second and Eighty-third streets, stood the Bethany Episcopal Chapel, which is now St. Matthew's Church in Eighty- fourth street. The only public schools were No. 9, at West End "avenue and Eighty-second street, and No. 54, at Tenth avenue and One Hundred and Fourth street. There was a row of twenty-one three-story brownsfone houses on the north side of Ninety-second street, 'between E'lghth and Ninth avenues; the R. C. Church of the Holy Name, now at Tenth avenue and Ninety-sixth street, was a frame structure at the northwest corner of Tenth avenue and Ninety-seventh street; en the west side of Ninth avenue, between One Hundred and One Hundred and First streets, were six houses, set 'back 'from the avenue, which were destroyed about six years ago, when the present Colonial building was erected. Old St. Michael's Episco¬ pal Church was on the site of the present fine structure on Am¬ sterdam avenue. Ninety-ninth and One Hundred streets; on the north side of One Hundred and Fourth street, between Ninth and Tenth avenues, were the Bloomingdale hot houses and nur¬ series. There were also old Elm Park, which occupied the block bounded by Ninth and Tenth avenues. Ninetieth and Ninety-flrst streets, and the old Apthorpe house. To show how little the West Side was built at this time, a certain resident of Seventy- third street, between Ninth and Tenth avenues, in 1884, could see from his house the elevated trains on the One Hundred and Tenth street curve. At this time Ninth avenue, between Ninety-fifth and Ninety- sixth streets, was used by the Elevated railroad as an ash dump, and the ashes were piled up almost to the tracks of the structure. It is presumably these same ashes which were used by the com¬ pany for the filling up of its former properties at One Hundred and Tenth street. The West End Association was organized about this time in the office ot Hudon Powell, a one-story frame building at the southwest corner of Ninth avenue and Seventy- 'second street, the present site of Park & Tilford's store and the Hotel Hargrave. The association took an important part in all m_atters which added to the buiiding-up and improvement of-the section. . - , ' " ' An amusing incident is set forth in the association's minutes which stated that in 1883 Cornelius J. Duyster, a prominent builder, had stationed a man at Ninth avenue and' Setenfy- second street to signal when an elevated train was approaching, so as to prevent horses from running away. WHEN THE BUILDERS GOT TO WORK. Regardless of the fact that the Elevated railroad was finished to Harlem in the late seventies and the early eighties, there was very little building until 1884 or 1SS5. About this time the building loan operators took hold and began to sell lots with loans. As a rule, the building was started around the "L" sta¬ tions, but there were several building operations carried on ih Seventy-third and 'Seventy-fourth streets, west of the Boulevard, and on West End avenue, and on Seventy-first, Seventy-second, Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth streets, from Eighth to Tenth avenues. On Manhattan Square, north and south, large expen¬ sive dwellings were erected, and D. W. James and J. G. Prague built considerably at Eighty-fifth, Eighty-sixth and Eighty-sev¬ enth streets. Ninth and Tenth avenues, and the Clark estate erected the Dakota in Eighth avenue. In 1883 Colonel Aueh- mutty bought the plot, lOOxlOO, at the southwest corner of Ninth avenue and Ninty-third street, paying $18,500 for it, and two years later he erected the present structure. In December. 1885, Ottinger Brothers bought the block front on the east side of Ninth avenue, between Ninety-eighth and Ninety-ninth streets, 200x100, for $48,100. The property was sold to builders with loans and the finished product sold readily. In 18S3 eight lots on the south side of Ninety-fifth street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues, sold for about $3,000 per lot. I sold these in 1892 for about 1)112,250 each. On both sides of Ninth avenue at Eighty-flrst street, on Eighty-first street, west of Ninth avenue, on Seventy-ninth and Eighty-second streets, be¬ tween Ninth and Tenth avenues, and on Eighty-third .and Eighty- fourth streets, between Eighth and Ninth avenues, were many buildings erected about this period. There are several reasons why the West Side did not develop faster than it did. Large slices of the property were in the hands of the Astors, Higglnses and Marshes, who wouldn't sell. The Bloomingdale road, which runs between Amsterdam avenue and the present Broadway, cut off the depth of many of the avenue lots and in many cases clear titles could not be given. About the time when Riverside Drive and the Boulevard were projected came the wild specula¬ tion in lots in which inside lots brought as much as $25,000 each. Those who managed to hold their property during the subse¬ quent panic demanded prices which would pay them for carry¬ ing it, and which at that time were exorbitant. As an example, about ten years ago the owner of the southeast corner of Broad¬ way and Eighty-first street, a plot 100x100, wanted $500,000 for his property. OHARACTER OF THE BUILDING. 'The great majority of flats built on Ninth avenue, between Seventy-fifth and Eightieth streets, were chiefiy of the low-grade double type. There were some four-family houses in the lower Sixties and ^Ninth and Tenth avenues and in the upper Ninties and lower One Hundreds, the former type prevailed. There were very few elevator houses at this time, the Dakota at Seventy- second street, the Beresford at Eighty-first street and Eighth avenue, three corners at Ninth avenue and Seventy-second street, and the corner of Eighth avenue and Eighty-third street, being about all. Most of the streets between Eighth and Ninth ave¬ nues, from Sixty-eighth to Ninety-second streets, were either restricted or improved with dwellings, as were also the blocks to the west. The section north of Seventy-fourth street, between Tenth avenue and Broadway, was either improved with stables or remained vacant. Streets between West End avenue and Riverside Drive were well developed, and their only drawback was the distance from the Elevated road and the miserable ser¬ vice of the surface lines. In the early nineties began the erection of the better class of five-story flats, the single type occupying lots of twenty to twen¬ ty-five feet wide and the double ones, lots of thirty to forty feet, wide containing steam heat, open plumbing, etc. These proved very good paying investments until about 1895, when over-building caused a generai j-eduction of rents. But they were salable and with few exceptions were sold by their builders. About 1896 the electric light companies began to run their lines for light and power and then began the development of elevator houses, which has reached such large proportions. There were many houses built fifty feet wide, of six and seven stories, with elevators. These caused active competition with the high-grade five-story houses, and the latter suffered still more. In 1901 there was passed by the State Legislature the law known as the Tenement House Law, under which, with some ■modifications, we are now working. This caused the great success which the old type of structure i? now enjoying. With the advent of the trol-