Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 89, no. 2299]: April 6, 1912

Text version:

m^^ f.^-^^ APRIL 6, 1912 THE PROPOSED OPENING OF INWOOD HILL. The City's Street Opening Plan Offers Great Building Possibilities to This Historic Knoll—A Subway is Also Looked for Along Fort Washington Ave. I P the plans of certain property owners A in the extreme north end of Man¬ hattan do not miscarry, one of the most beautiful residential sections in the entire city will soon be made available for building purposes. The area known as Inwood Hill, comprising over 100 acres of land, lies along the Hudson River just north of Fort Washington Heights, and is bounded on the north by Spuyten Duyvil Creek and on the east hy the lower land of the Dyckman tract. It is really a natural continuation of Port Washington Heights, but is cut off from the latter by a narrow valley known as the Inwood Gap, through which Dyckman street runs to the river. This gap is on a level with the Dyckman tract and is the only point on Manhattan north of Manhattanville where direct access may be had to the river without a steep descent. Jnwood Hill has an elevation of about 22o feet at its highest point, is beautifully wooded, and affords a view from its crest in all directions that cannot be equalled at any other spot on Man¬ hattan Island, Owing to its lack of transit facilities, it has been very little improved, and the greater part of it remains virtually in the same condition as when inhabited by the Indians some 250 years ago. A few dwellings and three institutions are to be found on the hill and on a narrow plateau and that the intervening space be made into a plaza and parked. Meanwhile the American 'Scenic and Historical Society, with several other or¬ ganizations and civic bodies. Is actively engaged in endeavoring to prevent the adoption of this improvement. It is con¬ tended that as this hill is the most beau¬ tiful and picturesque spot on Manhattan Island and is possessed of so many his¬ toric associations, the City should own it, and a strong effort is being made to induce the Board of Aldermen to authorize the purchase of a large portion of it for park purposes. The purchase was flrst advocated in 19(>4, and received the ap¬ proval of Mayor Low and his successor. Mayor McClellan. At that time it was said that the desired portion could be ac¬ quired for about .$2,000,000, but at present it is very doubtful if it could he obtained for anything like that flgure. Scarcely . any property on the hill is for sale, and ' the last purchase was made about six years ago. It is difficult on this account to determine actual values at present, but it is known that a price of $5,000 a lot was recently offered and refused for a parcel on the summit of the hill. Last year Mrs. Julia Isham Taylor donat¬ ed a tract of about six acres on the eastern slope to the City, to be maintained as a park, and tiithin the last few weeks she has added several acres to the gift. The a subway plan was drawn some time ago, but nothing has yet been accomplished with it. Recently those interested have received an assurance from Mr. Shonts of the Interborough that, if the general subway plans for the City are approved, he wITl take under consideration the idea of a subway along the ridge above lOSth street. The proposed subway would run from a junction with the present subway at Broadway and lOSth street, west to Fort Washington avenue, and north under that thoroughfare to the Fulton viaduct. In constructing the viaduct, provision could be made for carrying the subway through the heads of the arches and immediately below the roadway of the bridge. The subway would continue across Inwood Hill just beiow the surface of the ground, coming out at the Hud¬ son Memorial Bridge, where it would again be carried under the \ia.duct road¬ way to Spuyten Duyvil Hill. From there it would be continued to the city line or even into the heart of Yonkers. If pro¬ vision is made in advance for carrying the subway under the roadwaj's of the two viaducts, very little would be addeij to the cost of the bridges, and over a mile of subway would be furnished at very little expense. The following estimate has been made by engineers on the cost of the subway and the bridges; HaDSOX MEMORIAL BRIDGE AT SPUA'TEN DUYVIL. a.long the Hudson River side several wealthy people have built flne residences. For some years the City has been plan¬ ning to make travel to the summit possi¬ ble by extending Riverside Drive from a point shortly south of the northern end of Port Washington ridge. The Inwood Gap is to he spanned by the Fulton via¬ duct, the drive extended over the top of the hill and then carried by means of the Hudson memorial bridge over the creek to the summit of Spuyten Duyvil hill. Frora there it will be continued to Yonkers, This work was authorized sev¬ eral years ago and a bond issue to cover the cost was provided. This issue, owing to other heavy drains on the City treasury, was afterward cancelled tem¬ porarily, but it is anticipated that the work will be carried out before many years. The summit of the hill is a fairly level plateau of considerable area, and for sev¬ eral years the City engineers have been working on a plan for opening streets and avenues through the entire area. The hill is in possession of about a dozen owners, and nearly all are heartily in favor of the plans as now prepared. The survey, which has cost some $.30,000, is now before the Local Board of Washing¬ ton Heights, and will probably be acted upon at the meeting on next Tuesday. The City Engineer's map showing the proposed layout of streets and avenues is printed elsewTiere in this issue. Some slight changes have been proposed hy several property holders, but the general plan has received the endorsement of nearly all the owners. One of the changes suggested is that the eastern and western approaches to the Hudson Memorial bridge be laid out on a curve tract reaches over the eastern slope of the hill, west of Broadway, between Isham and 214th streets, and, with the recent addition, runs through to Spuyten Duyvil Creek. It is to be known as Isham Park. The property owners on the hill contend that this park is all that is needed in this section of the city, as the entire Washington Heights district is already liberally supplied with parks. They say also that the hill has such potential value for residential purposes that it should be utilized in that way, and as it could only be acquired by condemna¬ tion, the price would be so high that the beneflt to be derived from the park would not warrant the cost. The City at present is deriving some revenue from taxes on the hill, and if the proposed improvements are carried out and additional transit facilities afforded, a very laJ'ge amount will be added to the City's income from increased assessments. In addition to IshaJTi Park, it is intended to reserve a strip on each side of the approaches to the two viaducts, and these will be used' for park purposes in a manner similar to that now employed on the strips imme¬ diately adjoining Riverside Drive further souths In conneetion with the construc¬ tion of the Fulton viaduct, it is proposed to gradually raise the grade of Dyckman street from Broadway to a point under the bridge, where it would be about 36 feet higher than at present. This would make property along each side of Dyck¬ man street more available for building purposes. Desirable as this section is, no exten¬ sive building movement can take place, either on Inwood Hill or on Fort Wash¬ ington Ridge, unless additional means of transit are furnished. With this in view. Subway from 16Sth to Fulton viaduct under Fort Washing¬ ton avenue .................$2,250,000 Fulton viaduct, with subway included, the road to have four tracks ...................... 2,000,000 Riverside Drive extension over Inwood Hill from the north end of the Fulton viaduct to the south end of Hudson Memorial Bridge ............ 450,000 Subway over Inwood Hill, if built at the same time as the Riverside Drive extension ... 550,000 Hudson Memorial Bridge with a four track subway .......... 4,000,000 Total......................$9,250,000 With this small expenditure of less than $10,000,000 it- is estimated that at least 50,000 city lots, at present very in¬ accessible, would be made available for improvement on Fort "Washington Ridge, Inwood Hill, Spuyten Duyvil Hill, and in Riverdale up to the city line. If these lots are estimated at the low figure of $3,000 each, $150,000,000 worth of taxable land would be added to the city's assessment rolls. Probably the average value of these lots would be much greater than $3,000. The territories in question are the highest and most healthful in the city, and could be used for the erection of private dwell¬ ings and high-class apartment houses, and the entire cost of all improvements would soon be repaid by the increased in¬ come which the City would derive by rea¬ son of the added assessments. It has also been suggested that the existing extension of the elevated roads at looth street could be carried under the Speedway to the hill on the west at about 162nd street, and that from there a sub-