Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1884-08-26
GREAT OLD HOUSES.
Many Of Which Are but a Memory
Of Departed Greatness
New York Cor. Troy Times. ]

New York Cor. Troy Times.l
The history of great city L. TO q large
degree made up OF its commercial houses.
and some Of those established in this city
reached such dignity and wealth that Their
proprietors were termed merchant princes
They have passed away. however. leaving
but a sad memory Of departed greatness
Among the important New York business
men after tue revolution was Robert
Bovine who gave John Jacob Aston his
first employment. but he Is now forgotten
There was also time when John Mason
was the dry goods king Of this city, "A dis
tinction which he held for many years,
and yet he, too, is forgotten except in the
Chemical bank, of which he was the
founder. The next magnate of the dry
goods trade was A. T. Stewart, who was
one Of John Masons best customers. Stew
art reached a far greater attainment of
wealth than Mason, and hs,i two immense
establishments one for wholesale and an
other for retail. Hardly decade, how
ever, has elapsed since his death, and he,
too. is fast sinking INTO oblivion. How
strange it seems to US, who remember Stew
art in all his grandeur. to think that in
few years the inquiry may be made, . no
was STEWART" and echo will answer,
who?
During my early days the leading dry
goods jobbers were Emo IL Phelps, Bowen
d McNamee and Green, Henry 81 Co.,
which last house afterward became Henry
Smith. This house did an extensive south
ern trade, while Bowen 81 McNamee's
businessr was nothern and western. Both
Of these houses were at one time very rich,
but they afterward suffered from the newt
able risks and reverses of trade. The lead
ing house on Che North river side was r.
l.. 81 A. Stuart, which held grand posi-
ton for many years, but like other
cf
now fast fading out of memory. Ex-Gov-
ernor Morgan was just winning position
by his energy, and enterprise, and he, too,
Is past and gone. In the shipping business.
Grinnell. Minturn IL Co. were leading
names, but both Grinnell and Minturn have
long since gone to the grave and the bust
ness is conducted by William Ii. Swan,
who formerly was their clerk. In the
book trade such names as Colman, Carvill,
Collins, Redfield, ETC., were of note, but
they have all passed away, while the
Harpers and Appletons, who were then
building up their trade, have since then
reached distinction
A small number of the old houses be-
came identified with real estate, and in
= that matter their names have become more
permanent. Robert Lenox, for instance,
purchased q twenty acre farm five miles
. out of town, which became the Grand
Lenox estate. He paid $4,000 for this
property in 1920, and afterwards was very
sick of his bargain. but the price of one
acre at present is more than the cost of the
whole farm, adding compound interest on
purchase money and on all outlay for
taxes and assessments. Old John
jacob Astor's commercial business
passed away. but his Immense
real estafe continues to increase in
value. and has given the family an exta-
ordinary prominence in the ranks Of
wealth. The original Goelets also were
merchants. and old Peter Goelet opened
small hardware store in Hanover square
soon after the revolution. He invested
his profits in an out of town farm, which
Is now worth q DOZEN million or more.
The grandchildren q the present OgdeL
and Robert Geelet. mo can easily build
palaces on Fifth avekle and at Newport
when they have such basis.
Il There are three old houses which still
hold their way with marked success.
These are the Hendricks metal establish
ment, the Lorillard tobacco factory and
the Roosevelt glass importation house,
each of which has seen full century.
The Hsndrickses made large investments
in real estate when prices were low, and
are now landlords to the extent of several
millions The Roosevelts are also eXten-
sive landed proprietors, while the Lori
lards are men of pleasure as well as men OF
business, and have become noted for their
yachts and their fast horses as well as for
palaces in Newport and on Fifth ave
nue. Among the oldest commercial houses
in this city is one whose little sign is
seldom noticed by the Broadway crowd
and yet Peter Harmony Il Co " have
long been noted for the extent of their
i foreign trade They are of quaint turn
and make but little show. but their trans
actions are immense. Another old con
Germ is Rowland d Aspinwall. which at
one time was the greatest shipping-house
in America. They sprang from the old
firm of G.. G. & s, Howland, and it seems
strange TO notice the changes in occupation
8 and employment Gardner q. Rowland,
descendant of the above-named shipping
house, is now in Benefits service as pub
lsher of The Herald ts