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Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 81, no, 2090: April 4, 1908

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6o8 RECORD AND GUIDE April 4, 1908 BUILDING OPERATIONS. Particulars of Battery Park Realty Co. Building. Plans were completed this week by Messrs. Clinton & Russell, 32 Nassau st, for the 31 and 3S-sty office and tow^er building, to be built connecting with the Whitehall buiiding by a wide court, front¬ ing 206.3 feet on West st and 107.5^^ ft. on Washington st. Taking in the present Whitehall building, the new structure will measure 264.31^ ft. on Washington st, SOe.llVa ft. on West st, and rear di¬ mensions of 179,11^ ft. The materials will be light brick, with trim of granite and terra cotta with tile roofs. The cen¬ tral tower connecting with the Whitehall ' building will contain 36 stories, rising to a height of 44G,9 ft- The west wing on West st will have 31 stories, and the east wing on Washington st It! stories. The tower roof will have a low peaked dome, with an ornamental balustrade arched in the centre of the spah. The specifica¬ tions will call for a group of thirty elec¬ tric elevators, four express to the 36th story, seven to the SOth story, and the balance local to the 16th floor. Floors, Roebling filling, terra cotta cornices and coping,, copper and iron wire glass sky¬ lights, and the foundations wili be of caissons on rock, with brick above. Seventeen old buildings on the site will be demolished- The estimated cost is placed at $4,000,000. The Battery Place Realty Co. and the Century Investing Co, are the owners. W, H. Chesebrough is president of both companies; Oakleigh Thorne is treasurer Battery Place Realty Co.; John M. Stoddard, 135 Broadway, secretary; R. G. Babbage. Ill Broadway, is secretary and director of the Century Investing Co- HamiiiersteiD Starts Pliiladelpliia Opera House. Under orders from Mr. Oscar Hammer¬ stein the work of demolishing the old buildings al the southw-est corner of Broad and Poplar sts, Philadelphia. Pa., began this week. On tbis site he is to begin at once the erection of a new opera house. As announced in the Record and Guide of Sept. 2S, 1907, the dimensions of the plot are 240x160 ft,, and it is con¬ sidered an admirable site for a large theatre, having a frontage on three streets, being one square south of Girard av and the Hotel Majestic. The new building will contain a seating capacity that will equal in size and magniflcenee of its appointments any similar structure in the world. It is planned to b;ive tbe structure ready to open by next Novem¬ ber or December, Wm, H. McElfatrick, of No. 1402 Broadway, Manhattan, is the architect. Mr. Hammerstein is also con- temp'atlng the erection of an opera house in Chicago, to cost nearly -^1,000,000. A site on the south side of Michigan av. near 12th st, as a suitable location, is under consideration, but it ia not thought probable that this project will be under¬ taken, until after the completion of the Philadelphia structure. New Factory for J. F. Blanchard Company, LONG ISLAND CITY.—Work is to start immediately for the new fireproof model factory building which the J. P. Blanch¬ ard Co., of Borden av, is to erect at Nos. 229 to 241 Borden av. Long Island City, about three blocks from the company's present factory. The George A, Puller Company has obtained the general con¬ tract, and is to complete the structure ready for occupancy by September 1, 190S, The construction is to be absolutely fire~ proof, not a foot of wood being used throughout the structure. In size it will measure about 175x185 feet, containing seven stories in height. Architect Paul C. Hunter, 17 Broadway, Manhattan, pre¬ pared the plans. Clias. T. Wills to Build Provident Loan Building. 4TH AV.—Chas. T. Wills, Inc., No. 156 5th av, bas received the general contract to erect the new Provident Loan Society Building on a plot 39,0x75 ft., at Nos, 314-340 4th av, to cost in the neighbor¬ hood of $100,000. The structure will con¬ tain four stories, stone and marble ex¬ terior, tar, tile and copper roof, steam heat, and two buildings will be demol¬ ished, James Speyer, 105 East 22d st, is president of the company. The society purchased the site in April last through L, J. Phillips & Co. Messrs- Renwick, Aspinw-all & Tucker, 320 5th av, are the architects. ■ Crow Constructiou Co. Get West Side Contract. RIVERSIDE DRIVE,—The contract for tile general construction M'ork in connec¬ tion with the additions and alterations to the residence of Mr. S. Schinasi, on the property, 100x125, at the southeast cor¬ ner of Riverside Drive ana SOth st, has been awarded to the W, L. Crow Con¬ struction Co., No 2S9 Fourth av. Work on the new building and the alterations to the present structure will be begun imme¬ diately. C. P. H. Gilbert. 1123 Broad¬ way, is architect. C- P- H. Gilbert to Plan Duke Residence 5TH AV.—Architect C. P, H. Gilbert. 1123 Broadway, has been commissioned to prepare plans for the handsome new residence which Benjamin N. Duke will erect at tbe southeast corner of 5th av and SSth st. on a plot 60x100 feet. The exterior facades will be of light stone, but nothing definite has yet been de¬ termined, with regard to equipment. Work wil! not be started for some time yet. Hale & Rogers Plan $1,200,000 Buildiug. Messrs, Hale & Rogers, architects, Nos- 11-15 East 24th st, Manhattan, have re¬ cently been appointed architects to de¬ sign plans and prepare speciflcations for a 3-sty limestone postofhce building to be erected by the United States Government at New Orleans. La., at a cost of .'pl,200,- (100. not including the site. James Knox Taylor, Treasury Dept.. Washington, D. C, is supervising architect. A 184th Street Project. Messrs. Neville & Bagge. 217 West 125th st, are preparing plans for a o-sty high-class apartment house to be erected on a plot fl.8xS6,ll ft., on the north side of 184th st, 100 ft. west of St, Nicholas av, to cost about $150,000. Wm. J, Ca¬ sey, 1953 7th av, is the owner. Aiiartuient House for 69th St. OOTH ST.^The Silvermann-Jones Con¬ struction Co., 17 West 17th st, will erect on the north side of 69th st, 205 ft. west of Amsterdam av, on a plot 80x87.5 ft,, a 6-sty high-class apartment house, to cost in the neighborhood of .fl75.O0O_. Messrs. Schwartz & Gross, 347 5th av, are preparing plans. To Make Record in AVrecking. "We intend to make a record job in the demolition of the Madison Square Theatre and the Pifth Avenue Hotel frora the standpoint of ]>Qt'ii ingenuity and speed," said Mr. John Rheinfrank. of the Rheinfrank House Wrecking Com-: pany. 620 East 14th st, when he was asKed about the conditions gt the con-. tract awarded to his company to tear down these two structures as the pre¬ paratory step for the erection of the Pifth Avenue Building. The contract has clauses tbat are very binding, emphasizing the necessity of speed to the extent of putting the wreck¬ ers under a penalty of $1,000 a day after the time that they are required to turn over the site to the building company. Work was started on the razing of the theatre last week, so that the United Engineering and Construction Company would be able to proceed with the exca¬ vating for the foundations and the con¬ struction of the same. This company has the contract for all of the construction work up to the under¬ side of the steel construction, including the caissons. Its special bucket trucks have been leased by the Rheinfrank Com¬ pany to be used under the supervision of the United Engineering Company in order to facilitate progress. These buckets take the material to be removed direct from tho structure and flt on the trucks. A sec¬ ond handling is not required, the buckets being hauled to the dump and returned to the scene of operations for another load. Speed was the principal demand of tbe promoters of the building to be erected, and to insure this they did not secure es¬ timates, but gave the contract direct to a large and reliable company that could guarantee the cleanest and most expe¬ ditious work. The wrecking company will not be per¬ mitted to start on the hotel until May 1, when the western part will be vacated and turned over to the workmen. This part of the structure will be razed while the other part, in which the stores are located, will still be used until the leases expire. The entire structure is to be demolished Aug. 1. Incidentally there ivill be little saved from the theatre. Mr. Walter G, Earl, superintendent for the Rheinfrank Company, said that prac¬ tically all that would be of any further use would be the floor beams and a few odds and ends. In the desire to hasten the completion of the work the brick will not be cleaned, but will go direct to the dump. It would impede progress to clean them on the site and at the present price of new brick it would not pay to haul them away to be cleaned. The flooring and other woodwork w-ill go to tho fire¬ wood pile. The gallery railing has been saved and it will probably be changed, the plush removed, repainted and sold to some property owner as part of a porch front. The erection of the new building on such a valuable lot involves so many millions of dollars and heavy loss through taxes while the work of demoli¬ tion is in progress that every available device to hasten the razing and cleaning to the street level will be requistioned by the Rheinfrank Company. Apartments, Flats and Tenements. MANHATTAN.—Pred Ebeiing, 420 East Oth st, is planning for alterations to the flat buildings Nos, 405-407 East 19th st, including new plumbing, MANHATTAN.—J-icob Simon, 72 East Broadway, will make .$4,000 worth of changes to the tenement building. 26x63.6 ft., 19 East Tth st. O. Reissmann. 30 1st st, architect. MANHATTAN,—W.' T. Walton 255 West S4th st, owner^ John H, Knubel, 318 West 42d st, architect, are planning for extensive alterations to the tenement building 803 Sth av. MANHATTAN.—W. . J. Conway, 400 Union st, Brookljm, iSf planning for $5,- 01)0 worth of alterations to the 5-sty ten¬ ement, 224-230 West 18th st, owned by P. R, Kgndal], 1 East 60th st,