, 1874-07-19
OBJ Chicago Gribbuan,
Sunday Morning, July 10. 1874.


1dE buAN4 nAo4A1I4.
The following suggestions are offered in re-
gard to the burnt district:
Nrst-Dearborn street should be opened 80feet
vide to Fourteenth street, as in fact the late
condemnation proceedings provide. A wide cen
trail thoroughfare west Of State. and without
horse-car tracks, has long been needed in the
South Division. The lots on both edes of this
street will DO about 70 feet deep.
Sccond-Fourth avenue, which ia only 40 feet
wide ut Jackson street, should be widcned By tax
ing2o feet off the west side. thus making it GO feet
wide to Fourteenth street, and leaving the lots
90 feet deep. 4 large portion of this line is
now entirely free from buildings. Nearly all
the buildings that are lett are small frame
houses, whose owners should be compelled to
move them back, it needed, the expense of which
would not be great. The few BRICK and stone
buildings that are now upon the proposed line,
and which 1t would cost too much to tear down
at present, could be left cs they now are until
the city has less work on its hands, and feels
richer.-the main thing now being to establish
the line upon which all new buildings should be
built.
7hird-Ihird avenue, from Jackson to Har1i-
son street, is now TO feet wide, but gradually
narrows as it goes south until it reaches Four
teenth street, where it is only 20 feet wide.
Enough should be taken off the east side OF
Third avenue to make = uniform width OF 10
feet, which would leave the lots about 80 feet
deep. Most OF the buildings hare been burned
Of: along the proposed line, and the framehouses
left could be moved back, and the few stone and
brick houses left standing where they n1o for
the present,-th main thing here also being to
establish line for the new buildings. It has
been proposed to close up Third and Fourth av-
enues entirely, but this would be a mistake, for
in all thickly-populated portions OF the city the
more streets We have for light, ventilation,
better. To close up any Of those We
now have because OF their narrowness
would only be making bad matter
worse. The true policy 1s to widen those We al
ready have. There is the further consideration,
thai to close Third and Fourth avenues would
deatroy the lots On the east side of Third and
the west side OF Fourth avenues, and array in
combined opposition all the owners along the
entire Inc. On the other hand, by widening
these avenues, and bringing them up to tiret-
class standard, their property is benefited, and
thua the sympathy and aid of the owners occur
Cd The amount of land taken being only few
feet from the Sfront of tho lots, so few build
ings being touched, and the superior advantage
Of q wide street being so evident, and the need
OF it in these two 30 plain, it would Ger
tain1y seem that every owner would gladly giyo
the ground taken. It is actually far cheaper to
widen the avenues than to close them up-be-
canae Of the endless litigation in which the CITY
gould be involved in attempting the latter.
Fourtt-congress street should, if possible, be
extended west to the Michigan Southern Depot.
Ftfh-Polk and Taylor streets should each be
widened to IS feet from the lake to the river.
sfrth--state street should be videned to
Twelfth street.
Such system Of improvements would stirnu-
late the erection ct good buildings and in COM
parative!y short time double the value of the
land in the entire district. The miserable old
buildings which have kept down the value of
these lots, the FIRE has swept away. Now let the
city authorities havo little courage and sweep
away the narrow streets.
--A