New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-09
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
MIGRATION OF THE MERCANTILE COM
MUNITY.
WIDENING or sTREETs-EREcTIoN OF MARDiI

PALACES-RE OF BROADWAY.
Six or seven years ago. few of our Wholesale dry
goods merchants discovered in the widening of Liberty
and Dey streets on the west side increased facilities
for business, and without delay purchased the most
eligible property thoee streets selecting lots as near
Broadway as possible. While the widening was in
progress they commenced the erection Of warehouses
on more liberal scale than those they had long occu-
pied further down town, and ere The streets were
properly graded and paved, number OF elegantly
finished marble-front stores adorned the new thor
oughigfes.
Those who migrated were pronouncedby their friends
crazy and many predictions made aud specula-
tons INDUCED in their probable in their
locations yet little time elapsed before the bug'e
notes Of the March Of Improvement struck upon tie
ear Of numerous other denzens of the low, narrow,
and dngy downtown streets, when they too fell into
tic ranks. TIE easy Of communication with
the various transportation companies, which had their
Offices mainly on the west side, was now seen and
admitted generally, and no small proportion Of our
peIchsnls were seized with the migratory fever.
Before tie grading of the streets above men-
toned war completed, both sides of each
from Broadway to Greenwich street were lined with
elegant warehouses. For nearly three years there
business men, and the Third Ward, which, only eight
or ten years ago, was eschewed by merchants and
abandoned to private dwellings clearinghouse, and
hotels, was taken Possession Of completely by the
mercantile Community. The extension Of Park place,
through that venerable landmark, Columbia College
grounds offered eligible sites which were purchased at
almost fabulous prices and the Duchlooking peaked
rooted dormer- Endowed houses-memenios of half
= a.. Nrafr.Af
Park place, Murray, Warren, ard Chambers streets,
between Broadway Church street. College place, and
Greenwich street, have given place TO marble and
brown-stone-front ediiices. In days long past and
gone happy, smiling faces might have been seen peep
ing from the at,iced windows, and occasionally during
the Summer and Winter evenings, there might have
been heard the sounds of revtlry and mirth-
The music Of sweet lutes
And the murmur Of low fountains"
How changed The once West-End' of New
York. Now, all is hustle and confusion, and great
stacks of merchandise meet the eye in every direction
In lien Of smiling faces to be sober calculating
merchants and clerks in eager haste passing hithe and
thiiher; and in place of revelry and miTth, we now
hear TIE great swelling roar Of metropolitan traffic.
With the panic Of 1857 came a cessation in improve
ments generally throughout the city, but, during the
great encroachments have been made by our mercan-
tile community in the Fifth Ward All the eligible
sites afforded By the widening of Reade and Duane
streets have been purchased and many fine stores
have already been erected thereon Scattered through
Worth street Leonard street, Franklin stree' and
Walker street are several stately edfces, which con-
trast strangely with the old-fashoned peaked-rood
houses alopg side Of which they stand. Reade street.
on both sides of Broadway has been wdened % feet
the extra width having been taken from the property
On tie roth side. Numerous fine buildngs have been
erected in Chambers street. opposite the Park, and in
other streets on the east side but sites the west
side of Broadway to he the most sought after for
eligibility and property as high up Blocker street
hes been bought up by Of seeing merchants
On lots Nos Is and 20 Reade street have been
erected two stores with marble fronts six stories HIGH
81 feet 'front.' and IS feet deep. On Nos % "a and 70
in the same street. A. T. Stewart has erected an add
ton 10 his warehouse of Is feet wide and 10 feet deep
with marble front On Noe. 50, 30 80 a. 70, 10 go,
9S 100. and 100 fne stores, with marble fronts, have
recently been erected. On lots Nos 60 rs 1870, 1872
1874 1886 1873, 40, and l42 Duane street marble and
brick front stores have been put by various parties,
each building costing from 10000 to SEQ 900. very
handsome block Of buildings with white marble fronts
and Of the uniform hight of five stories are rapidly
approaching completion Worth and Church streets,
on the site of the old church. The block comprises six
stores commencing on Worth street at the Moifat
Building and terminating on Church street. Messrs.
Patton e. Co.. w. A. Ket;letsss, and Mes-rs. Walker
g. Penman have nearly completed three fine stores on
Leonard street. All of the buildings Oh these eide
streets are constructed in the most substantial and
workmanlike manner, and add greatly to the appear
ance Of the thoro, gbfare.
Several buildings on Walker street, east of Broad
way, which formerly formed portion of Florence
Hotel" are now being demolished bat the plans for
the stores to be erected their sites not yet COM
pleted.
Commencing at Canal street, both east and west OF
Broadway. numerous buildings which erected
between quarter and blf century ago. are in pro-
cess Of demolition On Canal street. Elm, the
site Of the old Catholic church, Mr.. Mathew Morgan
is about erecting store 100 feet square for Devn,
lie clother 1t will connect with another store on
Howard street so feet front by 100 feet deep The
frontage on both streets will be of marble and the
designs said 70 be very elegant The cost OF both
buildings viii reach about 100000
Negotiations are on foot believe, forthe purchase
Of nearly all the property on Howard street between
Broadway and Elm street, the sites being deemed
desirable for warehouses. As the purchase can
be effected the nserabe eens and groggciies on this
street which have long been pest TO the city will be
broken up.
On the lot corner Of Howard and Mercer streets, 80
by 60 feet, Mr. A. Il. Emo is about erecting marble
front store, which viii cost in the neighborhood OF
ga, 600.
Adjoining on either street. Mr. Spies IA about to put
up a store which will cost about $4,000. The building
will BE in the form of an L. with 40 feet Of frontage