, 1881-04-17

|
and that speculative builders, who ruiz
streets by crowtlinG them with undesirable
houses, have been excluded.
| REFORAI-SCuOOL GROUNDS.
The proposals for the old Reforln-Schoo
grounds, between Forty-second aud Forty
third streets, Cottage Grove ayenhe and tlt
Illinois Central Railroad track, embracing
lots OH Drexel boulevard, Ellis avenue, ant
! Hyde Park or Lake avenue, were rejected By
the County Commissioners as Inadequate in
| price. Why better bids were not received is
| easily explained in the fact that they were
! subject to the approval Of tue Commissioners
1t is now pretty well known that they would
not accept prices acceptable to spectators.
| If these lots were thrown open to people out
side Of large capitalists, they would meet with
| Il very rapid sale. The whole vicinity from
Forty-thrd Street Station to Drexel boule-
| yard is paralyzed, owing to the dead weight
oftllis Reforn-School property. This county
owes it to the public to put it into
| market as early us possible, SO this
waste tract between the city and
Kenwood can be improved. The county
will realize much more III immediate i'll
crease Of taxable property by having hand
some. improvements going ZIP OH the lots
than by holding IN for all advance. 1t is
very doubtful policy for i County Govern
incnt to hold land on speculation. It is en-
land will ll|why should not it be sold,-and
So sold that every one who has means cali
purchase it =? Let it be put up at public
competition, and it will create rs much
furore rs when the John Wentworth tract
was sold, years ago, near Thirty-fourtll
street, That good prices can be obtained is
evidenced by the fact that the Bayaru estate
has just sold a large frontage adjoining the
Reforll-School grounds OIL the north. OIL
boulevard, for 500. COO to il. II: Ferry, John
?. Farwell, Jr., and Turner i Bond. An
examination of the map will show that the
consideration was at the rate of $40 front
foot OH Ellis avenue and $50 on DreXel
boulevard, and these are wholesale prices.
BUILDING.
Building is becoming more active. Two Of
fee buildings are noW in the architects
hands which will involve the dis
bursal Of nearly half 4 million
dollars. Some stores to be begun soon in the
new wholesale district near the river, and on
Wabash avenue, will cost ut least Sl50,000
Several houses, palatial in size and cost, are
to be put up this summer OH the leading ave
nues. Loans already exhibit an increase,
due to a multitude Ut smaller building enter
prises, which added up will cost great deal
Of money.
Capitalists have been hesItating about max
ing contracts OIL account Of the uncertainty
Of prices rather than because they were so
eXtravagantly high. Old brick are not to bo
spoken OF, but contracts can be made fornew
brick at 81 to $50 u thousand; but builders
hope the new yards to be established will
make them still cheaper. The product this
season will be 25O00O 900 brick. The year
after tbe fire Yoo nm nm wore ipodo in.iLa
t1a c;t,. 1;n,its an, tro ,,ar1.at uae .x,ntta.,
The new Pullman yards will make I'LL the
brick needed ut Pullman, South Chicago, and
the ncichborinc towns. It will he FIVE or six.
weeks before ;,ny new brick viii rome an
tae MARKET IhreatS 1 OF strikes havG also in,
terIereu with ne plans j. or capitalists: and
eontrac!ors. l bit tnls dllllcalty IS settling IT.
seit, atu cutstalt !ninlsIatioh OF new lapor
alld Masons nave agreed upon S3.N per day;
IVY lne carpenters. WHO nave no UNION or
o1uer OH iI;ue ors;1iizailoA, are an mlASd up
anu VIII probably ask S3 per day. The ad-
"a vance on lsSo wil probably not be more than
~ per cent, but u margin OF ; per cent must
oe allowed Tor tile prevailing uncertainty:
Among tne plumbers wages Will range ~
PER cent a1a nateral .1 lo Per cent HIGHER than
lass year: ,,i1a IN ioso plumbers received $40
Rer dav, While this spring they command 81.
Drainage work will cost. about the same as
last year. During the winter, the drail-pipe
men got together and showed up the prices
Of ttrain-p;pe ) per cent. Laborers who re-
celved SLID per day In 1850 will get 81 this |
year. Dralltlayers, who in 1880 had $3.50 |
per day, will command S2.75. Contractors
are now paying $3.50 to S1l for brick, 10 to IS |
cents per barrel for lime S1.25 for Utica and |
Louisville cement, $3.50 per day for brick
layers and naso1ls, s.. IS for carpenters and |
S1,'5 for laborers. In the spring uf 1850 |
brick cost 81 to 81. Is per thousand and in the |
fall 81. Last year they paid masons and |
brlcllayers So and laborers Sl.50 per day;
lime cost 70 cents and cement 81 Us per barrel
AlesSrs. Whcelock Il Clay are preparing
plans for y fonr-story store oil Wabash av-
enue and JAckson street, for l.. l.. Coburl, |
EsG: ALSO for iirst-cllss apartment house,
40XS0 feet, upon the ''duplex' or s'oyer]ap-
ping" principle, which has been recently in
troducel in New York City with great sue
cess. The plan is very ingenious, bringing
the dlElng-roonl (which Is usually u waste
room) en suite with the parlor and library,
and gives larger and more desirable cham
Ders than III the ordinary arrangement, Civ
ing at the same time two eight-room flats on
each floor.
. Archttect Hansen has completed contract
for handsome house for X. S. Burger, of E.
5. Dreyer q Co. 1t will be a double house, !