The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-16
TAXPAYERS. BURDENS. ;
Over Quarter Of a Million annually E1-
pended BY the City for Rents
THE HALL AS Ii WAS AND Is.
Only Three Departments Where We're Formerly
More than Twenty Bureaus.


The Anal estimate of the cost Of running the city
government. as passed upon by the Board OF Appor
tionment has for some years past always contained
appropriation to pay rents for property
leased by the city for Corporation purposes
The amount appropriated for this purpose
in the budget of 1879 reached the sum of
100000. although no provision whatever made
for the payment of leases of property used by the
Fire Department. In order to accommodate the
engines and of the latter department a separate
sum of $175 900 gwen. portion of which, how
ever. to be applied to the liquidation Of debts
incurred in repairing buildings and for other pur
poses. That the city of New York. the owner Of
property valued at many millions Of dollars. should
expend almost 100000 in leasing the property
of its citizens. is anomaly that taxpayers
wonder at Why cannot the departments ana bureaus
Of the city government be afforded facilities within
the precincts of the City Hall and of the County
Court House? is question often asked by the owners
of estate obliged to bear the heavy burden Of
taxation. The query is answered thus:-Where
one two sufficient for
missioner few years since the head Of depart
ment now requires suit of from four to six rooms
besides q number OF small private offices. In expla
nation Of this state of affairs it may be said that
deal business is transacted by the city at
present than the ten or twenty years ago.
but this will be to be a lame when
it is stated that those branches of the municipal Cor
poration having the least work to perform generally
monopolize the greatest amount Of space.
ARaoRY PROPERTY LEASED CITY.
The city of New York pays $6225O year for the
| rent of the armories and drill rooms used by nine
regiments Of the National Guard. BY the terms of
lease executed May 49, 1876. Messrs. d. +. Edward
A. Manice receive the sum Of $4,000 year for the
second story Of the building Broadway, Sixth
| nue., Thirty-hfth and Thirty-sxth streets. The
premises used by the Seventy frst regiment The
| Twenty-second regiment is accommodated in Four,
teenth street. between Sixth and Seventh avenues,
at a cost Of $4,000 year. the rent being paid to
Valentine G.. Hall. who is named in the lease sole
| surviving executor, OF whom does not appear. A
| lease of FIVE years taken May 10. 1876. from
| Cassius H. Reed. of the halls and premises he
second story Of buildings Nos 1885, 141 and 143 West
Twenty-third street The property is at present
used as an armory by the officers and members of
is 81 500 year. Mr.. Charles W. Dickel will receive
until 1882 $500 for allowing the OF Nos. T. and
IL West Thirteenth street to the First troop Of
| airy. Companies A. and K of the Twenty seventh
regiment have quarters Oh the second floor of Nor
167th streets and the city pays $3.50 year for the
premises. Mr. L. l. Ford allows the city, for 80 600,
year the of the second floor of the building on
the south side Of Forty fifth street, Broadway,
and the second story OF the premises on the
east side of Broadway. between Forty fourth and
Forty fifth streets. These quarters are occupied
| spectively by the Washington Gray Troop and the
| Twelfth regiment. The executrix and executors of
the estate of Paran Stevens, Marietta r. Stevens.
John L. Melcher and Charles G. Stevens receive the
sum of $4,000 per annum for the use of premises in
| Twenty-sixth street, between Sixth and Seventh
| avenues occupied by the Ninth regiment. Battery
X costs the city $4,000 yesr for the rent of the
lower part of the premises Nos. 139, 14l and lab
| West Twenty third street.
All these rents very large. and their payment
annually adds goodly sum to the tax levy. Many
fhn lpnGp Ry II hann
proposed by some of the taxpayers associations to
build large brigade arniory to accommodate num-
Der of regiments and thus relieve the city of por
ton of its present heavy burden. large portion of
the National Guard quartered in New York occupy
said to be no reason whatever why portion of the
unproducve real estate belonging to this city should
rooms 1t interesting fact that the city author
tiles have to pay for leases double the amount OF
rents usually received for its own property.
| DEPARTMENTAL AND OTHER PREMIsEs
Beside the immense amount annually expended on
armory leases the city pays nearly s1oooo year for
the rent of premises in which to conduct the bust.
| ness OF various departments. The Department Of
Public Parks pays, $4,000 per annuln for lease of
The money is paid to the Mutual GaslGht Com
pany. and the lease will expire January l.
| 1880. The premises occupied by the Dock De-
partment on the second floor of Nos III and 1l9
Duane street cost the city $500 year. which
Association up May l. 1880. Since February 1876
city has annually expended the of $500 for
the lease of second third and fourth floors No.
Fourth avenue present occupied by the Building
| Department The owner off the property is Mr.
| Reuben smith, Oswald Ottendorfer receives the nice
little OF 81 800 year for the lease OF the third
floor the Stddis Zitung building The floor used
by the Counsel to the Corporation. The Excise Com
missioners pay $4,000 year to Jane De Zea for their
| office No. 40 East Houston street. The premises
| the northwest corner of Centre and White streets
| are leased until May l. 1850. from the New
| York Dispensary the annual rent being s9.5O0
| rhe property taken for the purposes of a
ception hospital. but it is said, was never used
| such. A large portion of the building is unoccu-
pied. and the city is virtually paying heavy rent
saasS mn MaH ESQ the second third and d Attn
floors of No. ~ Chambers street, agreeing to pay
$4,000 year rent The premises are now occupied
district and police courts have rooms III city prop
| erty.
In considering the facts given above it may be
dered how different branches of the city govern
| mcnt came to spread themselves the city. They
were all time. and that ut very remote date
confined within the limits of the City Hall Park, in
the centre OF which the City Hall stood them it
stands now There was no County Court House. and
there only. the Tax Oihce the Rotunda and the
| Repister's Office in which heads of bureaus could
be accommodated The City Hall is 216 feet long,
wide and 81 feet high 1t is two stories high above
the basement. with third or attic story in the CEN
| tire building, from which rises a cupola In the
| building there about forty rooms available for
public purposes nearly all of which are at present
the different attached to the Department of
Public Works. Mayor Cooper enjoys the lux
| ury OF elegant suit of hve large
rooms, not counting those occupied by his
first and second marshas and the clerks in the Per-
| nit Bureau. 1t is believed that His Honor could
easily dispense with more than one-half this space
without the slightest detriment to the public service
| The Aldermen. besides having control of the Corpo-
ration Library Room, monopolizc three rooms each
| of which is fully fifty feet square Their assem-
bly, chamber. ON the second floor; is very
that the city fathers should confinc themselves to
closer quarters. The Department of Public Works.
with its Bureau of Repairs and supplies. Bureau of
Water Register. Bureau of Lamps aud Gas, and Blu
reau Of Incumbrances. takes up large amount of
| yrau ft,rt han