New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-19
NEW BUILDINGS GOING UP.
APARTMENT HOUSES AND PRIVATE RESI-
DENCES.


ran hardly 90 block in any direction, either IN me
business or the residence part of the CITY, without
6rdir .he street or the sidewalk unpeded by Oulid-
inc operations New-Iorkers have become accuS-
,,",.d 20 the ANNOYANCE which they treat with tho
philosophical Indifference born of daily contact with
,be inevitable Never in the history of the city has
there been so general or so extensive building
activity as during the present spring The archl-
tects are too busy to tax, except 10
those who want designs and specifications Prices
for labor have kept up as before IN the usu-
ally ouict interval between the late fall and early
srr,ng. Taking this fact as an excuse one or two
large enterprises notably the new Opera House,
have come TO halt it being claimed that the pres
emf rates charged by artisans and mechanics are so
high that to 20 on would be to exceed original estl-
mates of cost 10 an unwarTAnted degree. On the
other hand, it is stated that the rates fol- labor,
which ordinarily fall OF in cold weather OWING 20 a
largely diminished demand. have simply been main
tanned ut summer figures because OF the
advantages offered by an unusually open
winter. The large amount of work accomplished
during the months of December, January and Feb
ruary and the eagerness of capitalists to put money
uto new buildings plainly show that this sort OF
inv estmcnt is regarded as one of the most prohta-
bic. Despite the efforts of investors and builders
the supply is still inadequate to satisfy the demand
tend strongly upward
The growth of the city in a single direction, which
thc shape of Manhattan Island made inevitable as
long rs old methods of building We're adhered to, is
now being circumvcntcd by the skyward tendencies
of more recent structures. At the business
end of the island, TIE TRIBUNE Building was an
architectural pioneer to prove tho simple proposition
that by doubling the height of business blocks tho
width of the city was practically doabied. The OBJ
feet lesson so plainly tanght has been well learned;
and revolution in the treatment of downtown
structures is now going on as result. Inc prohtS
Of landlords have been coTrespondingly increased,
willie tenants have remained In chosen locahtl9s'
instead of being put to the expense In time and car
fares to say nothing of the added annoyance OF be-
ins obliged to have their Offices at a distance from
clients and customers.
One of the most hopeful signs in the
city's development is the building of large
numbers Of costly and attractive residences for
after a man has put half a million dollars into a
house with the amount of thought and care that
would naturally accompany the expenditure OF
that amount of money the chances are all in favor
Of his making that house his home for life, and OF
his children occupying il after him. Fifth ana
MadisOn-aves. are now pretty sohily built mp WIN
luxurious homes the former as far up as Seventy
second-st. and the latter six or seven blocks ne
yond. large proportion OF these residences are &C
cnpled by their owners, and not by tenants and
the few unoccupied plots of ground on these two
avenues below Seventy-ninth-st. are held by lead
ing CAPITALISTS who rightly consider this sort OF
real estate far better investment than almost any
security short of a Government bond. While Fifth
and Madison-aves. and iDtersecting streets are
N!ed with desirable residences owned by people OF
large means, the fact still remains that New-YoTk
is not a city Of homes.
THE HUBERT HOME CLUBS
Again the conformation Of Manhattan Island is
responsible for the fact that ground is so valuable
and rents so high that thousands of men
who earn small salaries OF possess
limited incomes cannot afford TO keep house
The problem. So often discussed, has reached no
satisfactory solution When the lofty apartment
houses, which are now beginning to punctuate the
architecture Of the residence section were first pro-
iected ii was the intention and hope Of Mr.. Hubert,
their originator to adapt these structures to the
needs of clerks and others of moderate means.
Instead Of coming 10 the rescue with homes for
those who had heretofore been unable to possess
them the Weather classes almost Immediately fell
into the idea OF Mr. Hubert for cooperative build
iugs and have thus far mOnopoizet 1t to their own
advantage. Instead OF working from the bottom
up. as was the design Mr. Hubert
now finds as he expresses it, that he will have to
Al
building enterprises either in progress or projected
the great number OF apartment houses, mainly of
the better class and In choice localities, Is the pre-
dominant feature.
While the Hubert Home Clubs would, in gem
eral classification, be considered as apartment
houses they are in point Of fact centralized homes.
The general scheme of the gentleman whose name
is given to these several associations has hereto
fore been described in THE TRIBUNE, and the
progress of the individual buildings has
leen noted from time TO time; hut the
magnitude and extent Of the operations
involved I'm the system of Home Clubs already in
operation. or now fully organized, is not known TO
the general public. The parent club Is only two
wears old briefly summarized the work as accom-
plshed since January, 1850, is as follows:
o. The Rembrandt, In Fifty which is
finished AID occupied.
"a The Hubert in Fifty-ninth St. between
seveuth-ave and Broadway; it is nearly finished,
and will be ready for occupancy May |. The rooms
are all taken.
80 The Hawthorne in Fifty-ninth-st., between
Sixth and Sevcnth-aves; the walls half way up
and the entire building will be finished in the fall
az No so Madison-ave. at Twenty-eghth.st.
This is the central club, and here are the main
Offices Of Hubert Prison Il Co. architects of all
The Home Club buildings The exterior is finished;
some of the rooms will be ready in July, and all of
them in The fall All the rooms are taken.
% The Central Park Apartments, in seventh
ave-, extending from Ffty-eiehth to Fifty-ninth-
ss. facing the Park. These are really combina-
ton of eight distinct clubs I'm O1e mammoth stfuc-
ture; the excavation for one-balf the building Is
now In progress. Four of the clubs are nearly
filed.
(6J Ground has been purchased, 100 by 10 feet
az the northeast corner of MadiSon-ave. and Thir
tieth-st Possession win be obtained May /, when
work will be begun. Tho building Will contain
twcntv-six sets of apartments and will be COM
pleted in about a year and half.
"a At Fifth-ave. and Fifty-fourth.st. adjoining