Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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t44^ :^r- RECORD AND GUIDB : September 15, 1906 $1,275,400. Plans filed for new buildings, frame, 116; estimated ■,cpst, $739,610. Plans filed for alterations, 46; estimated coat, "■$128,130., - . ■. We note M. G. Broadbent, 258 West 29th st, among the palnt- ■■Wig-tftid decorating contractors who have a number "'of-lar^e ;Contract3 on upper Broadway. Although but twelv-e years es¬ tablished in business in this city, Mr. Eroadbent has won suc¬ cess in all undertakings by bis determination to execute nothing hut creditable work and employing the best materials and labor He has decorated many fashionable residences and prominent buildings in Edinburgh (Scotland) and London (England), where he was in business for a, number of years before coming to this ^country. To this experience and to the more exclusive work ' accomplished here, we credit him to know "what is what" in -the painting and decorating trade. He recently completed the 'entire decorations in the Broadway Tabernacle, Gould's stables, 56th st and Lexington av, the Nui-sery and Child's Hospital, Slst st and Lexington av, besides a number of private resi¬ dences. Mr. Broadbent has over fifty men in his employ at the present time, and if tbe same rate of increase in business con¬ tinues he claims it will necessitate an increase in the force. The past season has been a record breaker for him. Callapse of a Concrete Building. "STA,TEMENT FROM GEORGE A. VARNEY & CO., THE CONTRACTORS. . Two men were killed and several injured owing to the col¬ lapse of a portion of the walls of a concrete garage being built ;fbr-'Robert A. Greaves, millionaire, on Searing av, near Willi-s av,' iri Mine'ola, L. I„ on Monday morning of this week. - The garage was being built between two bungalows and the entire property occupied a space of 157 ft. by 07 ft. The work 'of building the gi:-age was started a short time ago by Georgt A. Varney & Co., of I'SG Stb av, Manhattan. John Bader was .placed in charge of the work as superintendent. It was Mr. _Greaves' intention to comfortably accommodate his friends who went to Long Island to see the auto race on Oct. G, and in view of this he decided to erect the garage in which the auLom_obiles could be placed. The estimated cost was $G0,O00. The garage w^as to be two stories high and to be built of con¬ crete. At times ihere were nearly three hundred men engaged in tbe work, and Monday morning when the accident occurred -about fifteen were busy at the east wing. The wall collapsed -without tbe slightest warning. Charles Hannigan, the contractor for the brick work, the cliimni^-ys, etc., was at work with his men on the chimney on -the west wing. He heard the crash, and looking ahead, saw a mass of men, timbers and other material flying through Uie air, and tben the entire oast wing of the building disappear. Other .parts of the building trembled, and Hannigan and his men descended from their lofty perch as quickly as their legs could £arry them. • George .4. Varney & Co. made the following statement for the .Kccord and Guide: , ."At., the, commencement of this work -^i-e had arranged wilh the architect to give the owner $500 for the ui>e of the sand and gravel obtained in excavating for ths purpose of using same for the concrete ingredients. "Our visiting superintendent, Mr. John A. Bader. when he "arrived on the ground found that at least GG% of tbe material could not be used, as it contained about 20% of loam. The material was consequently removed to one side and much of it used finally in grading and filling. He then visited the gra\-el banks of Andrews Brothers, near Roslyn, in company with Mr. 'Varney, and after a careful examination of the gravel and ^sand, decided it was not fit to use on account of containing a jSmall portion of loam. He then visited the sand banks on the premises of Mr. Albertson, wbich were also rejected. '. ."About this time we received a letter from the Glenn Engi¬ neering & Construction Co. offering us sand and gravel at 45 cents per load from their excavations on the Mineola Court House, which they had used in making successful concrete foundation walls. As_Mr. Bader had_already visited the _site of this building and looked over the sand, he did not consider lit of~ the quality desired. He then had Mr. "Albertson submit isevei-al loadc of sand ■which were "carted from a pit near East "Williston, and which appeared, to the ey.e._ to_ be_of . a very superior quality as far as the grit and forniation of the in¬ gredients were concerned, although the sand seemed to have .a slightly blackish appearance, as though there was a certain amouni of iron m its composition. Mr. Bader bad the con- "creJ-e foreman, Mr. Wansor. take his men ahd mix a test of 'this, which was put in a kitchen hearth, making a large slab .at least 5 ft. square and nearly 3 ins. thick. ' This slab was put.in place a short while before noon, and before night was firm enough to. walk upon. The next morning it seemed lo be aa hard as stone, and Mr. Bader considered this a very satisfactori: test and imstructed Mr. Albertson to continue hauling the sand at a price of SO cents per yard, or $1.20 per load. Two days later Mr. Bader had another.test made, using McKIM, MEAD 6 WHITE The Work of this Famous Firm Described and Illustrated in the SEPTEMBER NUMBEK OF Arrl?ttHtural tonrxt Sljp National Arrljitpdural fHatitttly Order of any Newsdealer or al Mand 16 Vesey Street Twerity=five Cents ^ff^^r^ Twelve years ago a special number of the Archi- ^^"^ tectural Record was devoted to a consideration of the work of McKim, Mead & White at that date. Although the magazine was published at 25 cenb, copies subsequently commanded a premium of $10. it in the dining-room fireplace hearth, wbich also set up very liard and satisfactorily. "Mr. Albertson called at the works and said that the price of Ifl.20 per load did not pay him to cart the gravel any longer, upon which, after carefully considering the difference ben^-een the I>enton building sand and the sand we wei-e receiving, Mr. Bader agreed to pay him $1.50 per load for all further sand carted from the same pit—this in spite of the fact that the sand from the Denton building could be procured at this time for 33 cents per load, which with the carting brought the cost of same delivered at SO cents a load, or about 53 cents a yard. "Mr. Albertson finally discontinued carting smd without any explanation. Mr. Bader called upon him to eee why he did this, and was told that he had a lot of coal to cart, wbich paid him better, but as soon as the coal was carted he would continue hauling sand if we desired. In the meantime, Mr. Campbell, our stucco contractor, who had been doing a lot of cement work on the Denton building, had carted some uf the Denton sand to our premises for the purpose of doing h's stucco work. His use of the same showed Mr. Bader that the sand made a very good concrete mortar, and he thereupon hired Mr. Ryan's teams from Roslyn to cart sand from the Denton building. "From the above it is very evident that our superintendent did not attack the sand proposition in any careless or negligent manner; that it -was very evident all through this operation there was a determined effort to obtain the very best sand and gravel regardless of comparative cost. "The concrete used in the portion of the wall which fell was made of the sand furnished by Mr. Albertson, although higlier priced. In every detail of the building only the very best build¬ ing materials procurable were used, which can be verified by the architect. "Regarding the mixture itself, there was a hopper built to discharge the mixture directly into a steam mixer, of the most approved make, and was superintended by a highly paid man, whose only duty was to watch the mixer and see that it was properly handled. . ___ "Each five or six feet of the height, of the wall after being cast was allo\\"ed to stand until it was found to be of sufficient strength in the judgment of the superintendent, tbe stucco con¬ tractor, the genera! foreman of th^.wv"Orks and the carpenter foreman of tbe works to warrant a continuance of further con¬ creting. "The fact that our superintendent and others had perfect con-