St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-30
AVENUES.
Real Estate During the Week Has Been
Moderately Active, and is Firm
and Steady.
The Opening of Ducas Street and Eaton
Avenue, Making a Splendid
Thoroughfare.
Reasons Why They Should Be Opened
1.-The Project a Public Advantage
and Necessity.
The Weekly Record of Real Estate
Transfers and Building Permits
Property Briefs.
West ST, Pau1.

West ST. Paul.
West St. Paul has had within year or
two such marvellous growth that it has
been brought to the front in more ways
than one. The large population, the sud
den immense increase in business, and, in .
general, the unexpected and complete 1
change in the condition of that part of
town, have brought it to that point where .
there must necessarily be a change in the .
policy to be applied to it, In former years /
when it could be satisfied with a small,
precariOus retail trade, when the people |
were few and business small, rough, muddy |
and ungraded streets and twO-plank side
walks would answer the purposes of the |
people in that section of the town. With |
the increase in wealth, the largely in
creased business done, requiring the cree
ton Of large blocks, and the transaction of |
the general business in a wholly different |
manner. come new conditions that must be |
complied with. In its youth and when
country accommodations only were re-
quired, West st. Paul could get along on a
cheap scale. This is not so now. Some of the |
hills will have TO come down, either in
whole or in part, and some of the valleys |
must be filled up and long thoroughfares |
must be opened. The Sixth ward is very
hiIly and some of the public improvements
viii be expensive. but it matters not how
expensive they may be, they will have to
be made. simply because the eXigencies of |
business require that they shall be. Street |
cars cannot be run over the tops of the |
mountains, nor can steam fire engines be 4
run up and down the steep bluffs. Some /
thing has got to be cut down a good deal, /
and some Of the valleys must necessarily be |
filed up in order to render many of the /
streets fit for steam-engine and street-car
nvr-ia 4
fills will be expensive, but when completed |
they will add largely to the value of the |
property along the line Of the improvement |
West st. Paul has had a number of dis
turbing elements during the last year or |
two, one of which was the levee. This |
the people of that ward have not yet got /
rid of. On the contrary the probability is |
that the levee project will come forward |
again soon in a new form. when it will be |
more troublesome than it ever was before |
Dakota avenue was formerly a source of |
trouble but now that annoyance has been .
removed.
EATON AVENUE.
The improvement of this avenue is now
the source of contention, and parties are
divided in regard to it. a good deal in ac-
cOrdance witls their interests. DucaS street |
runs from the river southeast TO Channel |
street. 1t is proposed to open up Ducas
street through from its termination to Eaton
avenue, which runs due south and then
grade Eaton avenue to the city limits. so as
to make good, easy grade. The distance
from DucaS street to Eaton avenue is very
short. The trouble arises about the grad
ing Of the avenue. 1t is somewhat billy
and some pretty heavy cuts will have to be
made. For these reasons some people OBJ
ject to the project of grading it at all, as it
will be very expensive. If Just such i'm
provements all over this city had been
stopped because they were expensive, the
city of st. Paul would present very sorry
sight to-day. There is no improvement
that has ever been made in st. Paul,
whether it was expensive or inexpensive
that has not greatly improved the property
that was called On to pay the expense.
Some of these improvements have been
very expensive, and at the time they were
made they caused people to groan with the
weary load. but after the assessment was
made and the value of the property along
the line Of the improvement began to in
crease, and better rents could be obtained
for the same property after the improve
ment was made than before. people became
perfectly satisfied and rejoiced that the inn
prOvement was carried through. There are
many and strong reasons why the board of
public works should 90 ahead with this
work without hesitation andpress it through
TO completion just as speedily as possible
If this is done, the result will be magnili-
cent thOroughfare. not simply street that
goes nom one part Of a town to another
but fine, broad avenue from one end
Of the city almost or quite 10 the other. If
Ducas street is opened through to Eaton
avenue and the latter is opened eighty feet
wide to the southern city limits, we Will
have magnificent avenue from the
p 7 TNFr1 fr rrrr,,
to the bridge, across the bridge to
Robert street, up Robert street to
Hotel Ryan, and SO on out TO the northern
part of the city. 1t will be eQualed BY only
one other street in the city, and that is Sew
enth street. One of the greatest mistakes
that can be made is to block up at one end
or the other such an avenue as this would
make. The people have seen enough of
this in Jackson street. This is one of the
Oldest streets in st. Paul, and has had SUI
periOr advantages to become a business
street, and yet there is hardly business
block above Seventh street. WabaSha
street even surpasses it, and all because the
city has allowed jackson street to remain
blOckaded above Fifteenth street by high
hill that ought to have been cut down. as
all now admit, Years ago. Suppose it does
cost 500. 600, or even twice that sum- TO
make this improvement, it will enhance the
value OF the property along the line OF the
avenue three times that amount the moment
1t Is done. Besides the beneficial effects of
the improvement viii not be confined to the
avenue, but viii be extended to the side and
cross streets on both sides just as the Sew
enth street fill has improved the property on
both sides the street on Dayton's bluff. 1t
will be the making of that part of West ST.
Paul. If this improvement is made, it will
shorten up distances wonderfully. The
Former of George street and Eaton avenue
will then be half mile nearer the Merchants
hotel than is the corner of Maria avenue
and East Seventh street, where property to-
day is worth S125 per front foot. On the
corner Of Eaton and George it is worth from
S25 % $50 per front foot. For years
complaint has been made that Dakota ave-
nue. was not hit thoroughfare for trade
and travel generally, and the complaints
were well founded. This proposed i'm
provement is necessary. 1t must be made
some time and had better be made now
that by and by when property has become
more valuable. In addition it may be stated
that the peOple'outside the city limits are
ready to donate a street six miles long and
eighty feet wide for q continuation of
Eaton avenue. This would make one of
the mOstmagnifcent avenues to be found
anywhere, and the whole country would be
made tributary to it for miles.