Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 89, no. 2305]: May 18, 1912

Text version:

MAY 18, 1912. VARYING PHASES OF EIGHTH AVENUE, BROOKLYN Its Northern Part is a Section of Fine Homes and Apartments, While Its Southern Half is of Mixed Structural Character—Recent Improvements in the Street. EIGHTH avenue, Brooklyn, which, a decade ago gave promise of becoming a street of fine private houses as far south as Ninth street—to which point its char- ajcter was undetermined—haa instead been captured hy apartment houses to a marked degi'ee; and il is probable that the vacant plots remaining between Second and Ninth streets will also be improved with apartment houses. Already ground has heen broken at the northeast corner of Eighth avenue and Eighth street for a large four-story apartment house, to oc¬ cupy a plot 100x100 feet. The flnest part of Eighth avenue extends from its beginning at Flatbush avenue ings comprise both sides of the next block, from Lincoln place to Berkeley place. No. 34, a three-storj' and basement brown¬ stone front is on the market at $18,000, while No. 43, opposite, a similar sized dwelling was recently sold at the reported price of J20,000. Private dwellings make up the block from Berkeley place to Union street. The west side of the block from Union to President street is improved only with two fine mansions, one at each corner, with a large grass plot interven¬ ing. The one at Union street is the home of J. Rogers Maxwell, while the one at President street was for many years the home of Timothy L. Woodruff and before It so as to insure privacy. A vacant cor¬ ner plot opposite the Weber home is held at $500 a front foot. Fine dwellings are on the block from President to Car¬ roll street. Adjoining the costly home at the norlhwe.st corner of Carroll street is a vacant plot, 40x100 feet, which is held at $18,000. A block farther south, on the west side of Eighth avenue, extending through to Piske place, is a large vacant plot which is held at about $11,000 a lot. The Eighth avenue front¬ age is opposite the interseoHon of Mont¬ gomery place and the price quoted applies to the Eighth avenue front. At the south¬ east corner of Eighth avenue and Mont- EIGHTH AVENUE, AT FIRST STREET. EIGHTH AVENUB, AT NINTH STREET. south to Second street. Here private dwellings of costly types form the major part of the improvements. Extending from St. Johns place to Lincoln place, on the west side of Eighth avenue, is a block front of four-story and basement brown¬ stone front dwellings of a handsome type that made Eighth avenue famous at the time they were built, tM'enty years ago. Erected by the late William Flanagan, a prominent builder of the Park Slope, they were sold for the most part to men of prominence, among them Mayor Gaynor, who resides in No. 20. and Philip and Peter Dwyer the HoTsemen. On the opposite side of the block is the liome of the Montauk Club, at the northeast corner of Lincoln place; while the remainder of the block front comprises the back yards to costly private homes fronting in Plaza street which closely parallels Eighth av¬ enue. When the houses in Plaza street were built by Charles G. Peterson, a builder, about ten years ago. property owners on the side of the Eighth avenue block opposite to the back yards men¬ tioned made a strong protest against the erection of the houses because their yards would back up on Eighth avenue. Mayor Gaynor was among the protestanls. They sought to buy the plot from the builder, but their offer was not tempting enough "for him to abandon his project. It was tiLen sought to have him erect the houses so as to front on Eighth avenue, but he would not do so for tbe reason that their desirability would be gi'eater if they fronted in Plaza street, inasmuch as the west side of it overlooks a lengthy tree- clad knoll at the main entrance to Pros¬ pect Park and commands an unobstructed view of the park plaza. However, the yards to these houses, on Eighth av¬ enue, were enclosed with bigh ornamental iron fences, nicely plotted with grass and curbed and sidewalked with the result that the rear view of the structures is not so un¬ pleasant as was to he expected. It is not believed that the selling value of the flne houses opposite is impaired. 'Substantial three and four-story dwell- that time it was the home of the late General C. T. Christensen. who built it. Diagonally opposite to this house, on ihe southeast corner of President street, is the flne new mansion of John W, Weber, president of the Ulmer Brewing Company, which was completed last year Mr. Weber has reserved a vacant plot ad¬ joining his home and enclosed and plotted gomei-y place, George E. Lovett has erect¬ ed a large four-story apartment house without elevators that rent ior from $1,000 to $1,200 a year each. Numerous churciies have come Into Eighth avenue in recent years. At the northeast corner of Garfield place is tho new Temple of the Congregation Beth Elohim; al the southwest corner of See- EIGHTH AVENUE AT PRESIDENT STREET,