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January 16, 1915 RECORD AND GUIDE 113 BRONX INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE Their Development the First Local Problem of the Day —The Advantages the Borough Holds Out to Them By ROBERT J. MOOREHEAD Superintendent of Buildings, Borough of the Bronx TH E development of industrial and commercial interests in the Borough of The Bronx is practically in its in¬ fancy, although many factories are locat¬ ed within its confines. This develop- tions in the Bronx are ample for all present needs. It can be reliably shown that 41 per cent, of the living apart¬ ments in tenement houses provided in New York City during the past five years, were built in the Bronx, as com¬ ment is a great problem, and is of vital pared with 30 per cent, in Manhattan, importance to all, as the progress of a 23 per cent, in Brooklyn and 6 per cent community is, to a certain extent, con- in Queens. tingent upon its industrial growth; and (d) Public Parks. There are over in order to interest manufacturers and 4,100 acres of park lands in the Bronx induce them to locate in the Borough of to attract homeseekers. Public parks the Bronx, its many industrial adyan- for recreation purposes are an impor- tages must be clearly and concisely tant consideration in the establishment demonstrated. of a manufacturing centre, and in this Many of the large manufacturers, who, respect the Bronx has a decided advan- for a number of years have been operat- tage over all other boroughs, ing in the Borough of Manhattan, are (e) Transit Facilities. Over 160 now finding it expedient to remove their miles of trolley lines criss-cross the plants to adjacent boroughs; and as the streets and avenues of the Bronx, mak- Bronx possesses many advantages oyer ing almost every section of the bor- the other boroughs, there is no logical ough accessible from any other point reason why it should not receive the In addition, nearly 50 miles of subways, first consideration. ^ elevated lines, steam and electric rail- This borough has great possibilities roads traverse the borough, insuring and is destined to become the largest quick transportation to and from Man- and most important manufacturing cen- hattan and Brooklyn. The New York tre in the Greater City. Among the Connecting Railroad Bridge over Hell exceptional inducements it can offer, the Gate, from Port Morris to Astoria, is following may be cited: rapidly nearing completion and will link (a) Land Values. The cost of land in the Bronx is moderate and many land owners are prepared to offer attractive inducements for the establishment of manufacturing plants. (b) Labor Supply. An adequate sup¬ ply of labor is imperative for a manu¬ facturing centre and the supply in the Bronx is ample to accommodate all. Most of the workers are at present em- the Bronx with Queens. (f) Waterfront. Over 45 miles of navi¬ gable waterfront expressly adapted for docking is immediately available. This should appeal strongly to manufactur¬ ers and particularly when one considers that the waterfront abuts upon land that is relatively inexpensive. Looking at the situation from an angle there is no logical reason why live and Dr. Paterno Selects Architect. Gaetan Ajello, of 1 West 34th street, was selected architect this week for the new thirteen-story apartment house which Dr. Charles V. Pater¬ no, president of the Paterno Construc¬ tion Company, is to erect, covering the vacant plot, 100.8x100 feet, at the south¬ west corner of West End avenue and 88th street. The project, including the cost of the land, will involve close to $1,200,000. The construction will be of the highest type and will contain every appointment customary in apartment houses of this class. Of course, plans have not been given out for estimates and will not be ready for some time yet. The thirteen-story apartment house now under course of construction at the northwest corner of Broadway and 84th street for the same owner is also from plans by Mr. Ajello, who also designed the twelve-story apartment house at the southwest corner of Seventh avenue and SSth street, which Dr. Paterno sold re¬ cently to Mr. Benjamin N. Duke, for $1,200,000. --------------♦------------- Latest Broadway Rumor. According to an announcement made on Tuesday, a tentative contract has been made by a syndicate headed by Leslie R. Palmer, from the Francis S. Kinney estate, for a twenty-story office and loft building to be erected on the site of the Hoffman House and Albe¬ marle Hotel on the west side of Broad¬ way, between 24th and 25th streets. The Broadway frontage is 159 feet,'and on 24th street 120 feet. It will be recalled that ^lans were prepared about a year agcr by Frank Hemstreet, architect, ol 44 West 44th street, for a twelve-story hotel and business building to be erect¬ ed on the Hotel Albemarle plot by the Kinney Estate, but operations were never started. See issue of April 25, 1914. ployed in Manhattan and would be im- progressive manufacturers should not mediately available for factories in the Bronx. (c) Housing Accommodations. This is another necessary adjunct to a man¬ ufacturing centre, and manufacturers may rest assured that the accommoda- iocate in the Bronx, the most rapidly developing borough in New York City, and I am confident that my expecta¬ tions of a great manufacturing centre therein will be realized in the very near future. The Engineering Foundation. The Engineering Foundation, inaugu¬ rated by the United Engineering So¬ ciety, is the name given to a fund to be devoted to the advancement of the en¬ gineering arts and sciences in all their branches, to the greatest good of the engin,eering profession and to the bene¬ fit of mankind. The administration of this fund will be entrusted to the Engineering Founda¬ tion Board, elected by the Trustees of the United Engineering Society and composed of eleven members, nine from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and the American In¬ stitute of Electrical Engineers, and two chosen at large. The initial gift for The Engineering Foundation is from a noted engineer whose name will be announced at the inauguration ceremonies, Wednesday, January 27, 1915, at 8.30 o'clock, in the auditorium of The Engineering Societies Building, 29 West 39th street, Manhat¬ tan. The speakers at this inauguration meeting will be: Mr. Gano Dunn, presi¬ dent of the United Engineering Society, past-president of the American Insti¬ tute of Electrical Engineers; Dr. Henry S. Pritchett, president of the Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Dr. Robert W. Hunt, past-president of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and Dr. Alexander C. Humphreys, past- president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. severed his connection with the firm. The Ritch-Hughes Comnany has been joined by the Gerard-Oliver Company, and the business will be continued at the above address. With its new organiza¬ tion, the Ritch-Hughes Company is pre¬ pared to give efficient service in all branches of insurance. The following is the list of officers of the concern: Walter A. Hughes, president; Charles H. Gerard, vice-president; Joseph Maude, treasurer, and T. C. Oliver, secretary. ------------------------«------------------------■ Insurance Firm Incorporated. William T. Ritch has severed his con¬ nection with the Ritch-Hughes Com¬ pany, and has opened new offices in the Builders' Exchange Building, 30-34 West 33d street, under the corporate name of William T. Ritch, Inc. The new concern is prepared to handle all forms of work¬ men's compensation and liability insur¬ ance, as well as all forms of contractors' bonds. Mr. Ritch was a pioneer as a specialist on contractors' bonds and lia¬ bility insurance, to all those allied with the building industry. He is one of the best-known men among the building trades. Mr. Ritch has been for a quar¬ ter of a century a member of the Build¬ ing Trades Employers' Association, the Mechanics and Traders' Exchange, and the Society of Mechanics and Trades¬ men, of the City of New York. The following are the officers of the new con¬ cern: William T. Ritch, president; Stan¬ ley R. Smith, vice-president; P. Russell Wilbur, secretary, and George Rome, treasurer. Insurance Firms Join. Announcement is made by the Ritch- Hughes Company. 101 Park avenue, that Mr. William T. Ritch has sold his in¬ terest in the concern and that he, to¬ gether with Mr. Stanley R. Smith, has New Brooklyn Factory. L. Schepp. Hudson and Duane streets, Manhattan, dealer in cocoanuts, contem¬ plates the erection of a fireproof fac¬ tory building at 191 to 205 Washington street, corner of Concord street, Brook¬ lyn, covering a plot 136x100 feet. De¬ tails have not been completed. Office Building on Astor Site. Charles A. Piatt, 11 East 24th street, has prepared sketches for an eight-story office building to be erected by Vincent Astor on the southerly half of the old Astor House site, at the northwest corner of Broadway and Vesey street. The plot to be improved measures 100.7 feet on Broadway and 157.6 feet in Vesey street. The northerly half of the hotel, still standing, is owned by William W^al- dorf Astor, and is not involved in the building plan. No definite date has been determined for starting the work. New Residence at Oyster Bay. Hoppin & Koen. architects, 224 Fifth avenue, Manhattan, are preparing plans and specifications for a country residence to be erected at Oyster Bay, L. I., for Sterling Postley, owner. 830 Park avenue. The house will be of terra cotta black construction, fireproof, with stuccoed ex¬ terior. It will be two and one-half stories in height and will cover a plot 40x100 feet. The general contract has been awarded to F. W. Maher, 320 Fifth ave¬ nue. The operation, which will later in¬ clude a garage and out buildings, will cost over $100,000. PubHc School No. 129 Being Demolished. Old Public School Building No. 129, situated at Nos. 431 to 437 East 19th street, is being demolished. The prop¬ erty was turned over some time ago by the Board of Education to the Sinking Fund Commission on the ground that the building was unsafe and undesirable for future occupancy of any kind. At the offices of the commissioners on Tuesday it was stated that the property had not been sold and that no arrangements liave been made by the city for other¬ wise improving it. Charles M. Clark to Build. Charles M. Clark, treasurer of the Bradstreet Company, New York Life Building, is having plans prepared by McKenzie, Voorhees &: Gmelin, 1123 Broadway, for a new residence of the American basement style, to be erected at 713 Park avenue. Contracts have not been issued.