New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-09
BUJLDING IMPROVEMENTS

During the Winter whlch Is ho" IaP'u! u""e "
close but little has been done in building operations
except on work contracted for last Fall or summer
and even this which should have been ready Tor the
Snr;n trade has dragged sowly along in consequence
Of the perturbed condition of national affairs. The
weather has been most proptious for builders, and
although there are by no means 30 many trst.class
stores and residences in progress Of erection as In more
favorable times, yet the structures now approaching
competion are of superior class and are taking the
Mace of forlorn and shabby buildings, which, however
usefu in their day and way were anything but orna-
mentato the city, In prosperous times nearly all
of the buildings now in of erection would have
been hurried forward and occupied before the walls
were farly dry; whereas now, in consequence OF the
tehness in the money market and the nonrequipement
Of such palaal stores owing TO the embarrassment OF
our merchants, much care has been bestowed upon
their construction. With the advent Of Spring for sew
era wears past operations have been noted in almost
every section Of the city, and the greatest &C
t;yitv has prevailed among the builders; bat
/, ia probable that there will be less building COM
menced this Spring than there fourteen or fifteen
wears ago. So rapid has been the march at improve
ment during tue past or eight years tbat bioau
way and the southwestern portion OF our CITY has been
completely metamorphoved. Old established and iami-
liar landmarks have been razed and on their ses nave
been erected costly and magnificent warehooses Inc
Third Ward, bounded by Reade street. broao"ay'
Courlandt street and the North RIVER, winch ni'eeh
wears AGO was eschewed by merchants and de-
voted TO private dwellings, boarding-houfes ana
hotels has since the Spring OF 1870 been taken
nossession of by the mercantile community
and now in vesey street, Barclay street, Park
place Murray, Warren and Chambers street, the
ouaint.looking, peaked-roofed, doimerwindowet
bouses'have been supplanted by lines of marble and
brown-stonefront cdifoes, high, wide and deep. In
many of the streets of the Fifth Ward, which'sdjoins
the Third on the south side, valuable Improvements
have been made within the past three years,
and numerous dilapidated and crazy rookeries
have given way to elegant warehouses. The
migratory movement in the mercantile COM
mupi,y has ceased at Canal street, far whole
sale establishments are concerned; but for the accom-
mediation of the retail trade, numerous stately stores
have been erected on Broadway above that pout ard
Il movement is still upward The opening and widen.
ipp Of Reade street Duane street. Canal street. and
the New-Bowery, a few years since, gave fresh
impetus to building operations, and, though
number Of fine stores were erected upon
these streets, still they lay heavy in the market,
and were eventually only taken at rents far below
those on the other side of Broadway. The work OF
opening Chambers street, from Chatham street east.
ward to the New. Bowery, drags slowly along, and
MANY Of the halfdemolshed houses still remain IN
touched. Early last FAIL the widening of this street
was commenced, but appearances for the past few
months Indicate that the work bas been almost if not
entirely suspended.
I,sIJ;, 10
erected for business purposes in this city none Is more
noticeable for conspcuOusnes or convenience than the
new store of ClaAin Meen Co. 1t is said to be the
largest building used n store in the world The 81.
ifee has fronts-one of 80 feet Church street
and the same on West Broadway, aud front Of 81
feet on Worth street
It's of the modern Italian styl Of architecture, and
the material is drabcolored stone from the Dorchester
Nova cota) quarries The building ia suimoun;ed
by stone cornce and iron balustrade, and inside
there are two series Of iron columns, sevenytwo on
floor extending from front 10 rear on every story Inc
structure has cellar basement, and five stories on
Church street and, owing to>the descent Of Worth
street. six stories on West Broadway. The premises
also has the advantage Of o convenient alley on the
sou,b side with ingress at either Church street or
West Broadway which affords ample light end yoni-
lation, and facilities for receiving and delivering gcods
Beneath this alley are the vaults containing the steam
boilers used for heating the building and for hosting
purreses Brick vaults with iron beams and granite
platforms with patent lights arc constructed around the
entire building. The cost Of the structure ID about
$500 OOO and with the ground, the entire investmen
will foot up $4,000. 1t covers fifteen lots which,
previous to purchase for this store were occupied by
dirtv and wretched tenement houses. The ground
hereabout was formerly swampy, and adjOined
the Liepcnard Meadows. The work of construct
ing this gigantic warehouse was commenced in
July last, and the workmen in digging trenches for
the foundation removed great number Of stumps the
remains probably Of the primeval forest.
The erection Of such an edce as thia in thorough
fare Ike West Broadway which is lined almost from
one end to the other with miserable rookcres, and in
habited by an exceedingly low class of people, ID
bold step in the march Of improvement but there ia
no doubt that as the times prosper, other merchants
will follow, and ere three years eapse the aspect of
the tborouehfare will be completely changed Two
years have scarce elapsed since the erection of the
many MAGNIFICENT warehouses devoted to the dry
goods trade in Church and Worth streets, and there is
hardly New-Yorker who remember the character OF
the buildings, and inhabitants formerly occupying
this locality but reoces heartily at the Improvement
Directly opposite the store Of Clafin Mellen q Co.,
]. p. Nesmilh and j. II. Sherwood have recently
erected two fine warehouses in Worth street, each fifty
feet front by ninety>hve feet in depth. Both have
white marble fronts, cellar basement, and flvo Stories
and are in the modern Italian or Roman style, They
cost $4,000 EACH and the lots worth $50 900 each.
The owners design them for the dry goods business.
Worth street. from Broadway to Church street, has
been already built up and but few lots remain
cupied between Church and West Broadway. The
Hospital grounds formerly occupied the greater part Of