New-York tribune., 1875-09-18
GROWTH or PHILADELPHIA.

LARGE NUMBER OF HOUSES BUTLDTNG-ArD AZ
FORD. ID TO WORKINGMEN b. THE BUILDING
AssocIArloNs-INrLCENCE OF TIE CENTENNIAL.
IFRou THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TIE rRiEuNE.i
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 17.-En spite of the
hard times-let here with peculiar severity Oh account
OF the depression of the manufacturing interests that are
the chief source Of the ctys wcalth-P'Iade!pha Is
growing almost rapidly any eriOd OF heF sIofy
All her suburbs are musical with the sound OF the brick
layers trOve and the carpenter- saw sod h0cKS OF
dwellings cover hundreds Of acres that open fields
year ago In the northern part Of the city and also at
the extreme south end, in the vicinity of scLuylill
Arsenal and the Naval Asylum the growth Is chiefly
shown by whole squares with rows Of buildings OF nearly
uni form construction while i'll West Philadelphia tHey
have been ng up the open spaces in what was before
vace-kc suburb. East Of the scAuy!ki! the Old Phllp
e!pia traditions Of house architecture still prevail, and
the new blocks present the wearied eye monoOnous
vstas OF rcdbrc with marble steps and basement
walls and glarng white shutters Il il said that
TO this style OF building attributable the fact that there
arc more blind people here in proportion To the popula
ton than any city in the country Inc giare OF ishG
reflected from Tie marble is ruinous to the eyesght On
the western side OF the the detached and semi
detached usually OF painted brick granite or
the handsome green serpentine introduced few years
ago. and OF the stereOtyped DIck ana marble pat
tern are not so numerous.
Building is very active in the vicinity OF the
Centennial grounds. In the whole city. from the
st Of January the 3lst Of July, permits were
issued for the erection OF 4260 new structures August
will add over thousand to the list, and before the bud-
ing season closes the total number for tile year viii prob
ably exceed 1000 About fourhfths Of these buildings
are rec-tory dwellings Ia rows, with small stores at tie
street corners.
This remarkable growth Of Philadelphia, in time
when trade is lethargic and nearly all her countless
manufacturing interests have been forced heavily TO
crta production. is owing, in the main, 10 tire" causes
Tic first and principal is the operation of the hud-
reds OF building associations which encourage men of
moderate means and men without means, to buy homes
bv paying monthly small sum in addition to theamount
they would otherwise pay rent For instance, man
who pays 50 @ m1n,a rem Sh & ~ b ioo he in Less 81
Than years. In this way stead! market Is crcattd
for new houses The system has lts disadvantages 10
multipes cheap structures. covers large areas win
orybit dwellings, and prevents me replacing OF oi'
hOuscs the central districts with LOFTY ana substantial
ed fees by the centrifugal movement OF population To-
ward the suburbs which IL rrcates DuJ IL mas us cot-
sar IN rIfivatne bits OF economy and love home
among the poor The second il the conservatism
OF PHILADELPHIA capitalists who prefer 10 put thcr
oy i'm rli pstac undrr their own eyes a Of
our or Ave per cent making prOttal lc anu as
they think hazardous Investments finLlly, tnTc
is the Centennial, which begins 10 be powerful sn'l-
liant To buid enterprises This last infuc nee would have
felt full year sooner III more active ana 9lrci-
tive community. Up to last May there rs scareey any
movcnrnt in real estate the Centennial grounds.
The most eligible lots went begging for purchasers at
very moderate prices Even now tnee ispeny oi vacant
ground the market that lies wiihn nye minutes walk
~ the Exhibition gates and IL at the time admir-
ably sitnatd for residences The best O these lots VIII,
however. covered before the Winter puts stop 70
building enterprise. -
The rental OF threestorv dwellings such are now
ing uD by hundreds in tile outskirts OF the city
from $50 20 $40 a month. Readers " TIE IuBUN IN
ofncr crs may he Interested 10 know what a tenant
gets here tOr t.at money | viii take for an illustration
house in the northern part Of the city. 30 minutes y
street ear from the center Of business. " Is one or mi
form row stretching from street 10 street. mas naIDc
stcps and undcrpnning," ccmcnt-ncd cellar, and
small back yard It, trontage = about i ice, on tle
first floor there il "A saloon parOr with two windows front
and one back and hall extending pas the stars 10 the
Gniuc-rooIn which, with the kitchen. IL IN the back
tension Upstairs the second nOUr there are TWO bed
rooms "A bathroom. and a large room with bay win
dow over the dining-rOOm and Kitchen designed for the
family sltting-rOOm In the third story there are two
bedrooms furnace in the cellar heats The front part
s.iccs for that apartment and the above house
in West Philadelphia with about the same room as the
above. but with side yard and large back yard, rents
FOR 10. Time from Independence Han 80 n.lLhtes-
street cars half square of. One more example VIII
suffice. II n house in "A narrow but clean and
respectable street. Rent .22 time "a Independence
Hall 40 minutes. On first floor, parlOr, dingrOO, ald
s,airs: on the second floor two bedrooms and bath
room the third floor bedrooms; back yard small,
cellar large but no heater; good range marble mateis
In paror and dinng-room.
Rents il anything rather lower than they were last
year but the fl In price has been in larger houses
than those above described. Small houses are always
in demand and hard 10 lind uncccupied. From present
indications there VIII be no Increase o rates no year ON
account OF the Exhibition unless II be for houses In the
Immediate vicinity OF the Centennial grounds, which
Will doubt be in demand for state and foreign CoGls