Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 89, no. 2307]: June 1, 1912

Text version:

JUNE 1, 1912/ WHY THE BRONX IS DEVELOPIKG SO RAPIDLY. BREATHING PLACES LIKE THIS ABOU.ND EVERYWHERE. RECENT TENDENCIES OF GROWTH IN THE BRONX. The Borough Is Developing Independent Shopping, Amusement and Industrial Centers—A Better Class of Houses, too, in the Residence Neighborhoods. ■yHB Borough of the Bronx is progress- ■•■ ing with rapid strides in community feeling aJid importance in the Greater City. The old lines of demarcation which once marked its division into the olSo great has been the exodus that in the past ten years the population of the Bronx has more than douibled and now new balld- ings are rented as fast as they can be completed. It cannot 'be said that any single section of the Bronx will have a monopoly of the growth of population and business. There are many reasons why these should spread in various directions froni different centers now in the borough so as to de¬ velop the borough harmoniously. Effort will be made to develop each section ac¬ cording to its natural advantages^sec- tions near the parks for dwellings, and sections near the water and railroads for business. The history of the borough shows that the most rapid growth in pop¬ ulation and influstries has been along the lines of rapid transit, and especially where there has been a five-cent fare. Plans for rapid transit now mat-wring will result in a complete system of transit from south to north through the borough in parallel lines, like the bars of a grid¬ iron. Kaitid TrauMit l.ines. Taken in order from 'West to east, they are as follows: On the extreme west side of the Bronx, along the Hudson River, is the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, recently electrified for local, trafRc as far north as Croton. East of that along Broadway, is the extension of the 'present Broadway subway. East ot Ihat is the Putnam Division of the NeW Tork Cenirall and Hudson River Railroad. East of that will be the extensions of the Lexington avenue subway and the Sixth and Ninth avenue elevated roads up Jeronie avenue. Next comes the Harlem Rail¬ road, running up Park avenue. This road with fares reduced, will compete for local trafflc when the terminals at Grand Cenlral Depot are finished, so as to handle the traffic easily. Next comes the Third avenue elevated railroad, which will be third tracked and extended to the northern limits of the borough. Next comes the present subway to West Parms. wmch will be extended up White Plains avenue to Williamsbridge, where it will meTthe extension of the Third avenue elevated road and continue with it to the vicinity of Mt. Vernon. Next wUI como the New York. Westchester and BoTon, connecting with the Second ave¬ nue elevated road, crossing the West- chlster avenue subway and oonnect.ng with the West Farms subway at Yan By BOROUGH PRESIDENT CYRUS C. MILLER. Nest and running north through Mt. Ver¬ non. Next will come the eastern exten¬ sion of the Lexington avenue subwav up Southern Boulevard to Westchester "ave¬ nue and running along "Westchester ave¬ nue to Pelham Bay Park. Next comes the Westchester .Branch of the Nev.^ York, New Haven and 'Hartford Railroad, con¬ necting with the iSecond avenue elevated road and running northeast through Pel¬ ham Bay Park and joining the main line at New Rochelle. All of these lines, avith the exception of the New York Central on the extreme west of the borough, the Harlem Road in the center, the New York, Westcliester and Boston, and the New Tork, New Haven and Hartford on the extreme east, wil! charge a five-cent fare from Man¬ hattan to anywhere in the Bronx. Prob¬ ably the Harlem. Railroad will follow suit when it bids for loeal traffic. CYRUS C. MILLER. Thougfi keeping pace with this devel¬ opment of north and south rapid transit lines, the surface trolley lines have failed until recently to realize the necessity of adequate crosstown lines to serve as feed¬ ers for the rapid transit lines and fur¬ nish the necessary mobility for passenger trafflc among the various .sections of the borough. During the past two years much has heen done to remedy this de¬ ficiency and the policy of the surface roads shows that soon we shall have crosstown lines sufficient to meet the de¬ mands- The great increase in population has made more demands on the school sys¬ tem of the borough than it could meet and plans for increased equipment have been pushed as fast as possHble. Three and a half millions of dollars have 'been appropriated for new schools in the Bronx since January J, 1910, and the incre-ased accommodations will provide approxi¬ mately 23.000 sittings. Our only high Hchool^but one of whicli we arc justly proud—the Mon-is High School, has grown until it has a ipopulation of over four thousand—'as large as that of a small town. It has been necessary- to hold morning and afternoon sessions and to occupy space in two annexes to accommo¬ date all who attend. In the year 1910- 1911 forty-one per cent, of our elementary school graduates entered high school, and it is the opinion of many school teachers and school authorities that a mucli larger percentage would go to high school if there were one or two more buildings in those parts of the borough from whicii the present buildings are not easily ac¬ cessible. Land has been acquired for a high school at 184th street and Creston avenue, and it is hoped that the con¬ struction of a building there will be has¬ tened, as a high school in that location will serve a large and constantly i/n- creasing population. Dwellius- HouNo Coiistriiftioii, The most active building of dwellings in the Bronx in the past year has taken ■place in the section bounded roughly hy Webster avenue on the west. 149th street on the south. Southern Boulevard and West Farms road on the east, and Bronx Park on the north. In order to suggest the hest location for a new high school. I had a map prepared showing the location of dwellings erected since January 1, 1911. Accommodations for ten families were represented by a small red disc. The section mentioned was so dotted wllh red discs that It looked as if it had the measles. The borough administration is looking constantly ahead to the future needs of this rapidly developing part of the city. No opportunity is lost to awaken the people of the borough to a sense of their common interests and to make them have a pride in furthering the progress of the borough in material welfare and good government. The Local Board meetings are held at night, so that all interested in the public improvements to be made may come, assist in the discussion and get in touch with the borough authorities. The annual observance of Eorough Dav as a day of recreation in the parks for all the children of the borough is encouraged for the same end, and the borough flag haa been adopted to increase the feeling ot unity. Effort is made at every point to make the Bronx a good place to live in now and to provide for its future growth. The new streets that are opened are made wide, so that in future their appearance may induce high-class building. In addi¬ tion to the large parks, which comprise nearly four thousand acres, there are many small publio squares and open spaces—a total of 163 acres—which give the adjoining streets an attractive ap¬ pearance. The Bronx River Parkway also, to extend from Bronx Park nortii on both sides of the Bronx River up to the city's Kensico Reservation in West-