St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-27
ST. PAUL REAL ESTATE.
Christmas Interferes to Some Extent With
the Real Estate Market and Causes
Falling Off.
Still Sales Keep Up Remarkably Well for
This Season of the Year and Sur
prise Everybody.
What the Syndfcates Are Doing for
the City in Bui1dingUp Subur-
ban Property.
A Remarkable Comparison of the
Prices of To-Day With Those of
Eight Years Ago.


The past week was broken one for real
estate in st. Paul. So much time and at
tention was devoted to preparing for and
enioving Christmas that people had not
sufficient time to attend to both, and so
they sacrificed the real estate. The week
shows a falling off in sales and general
Stacking up of business. Agents are en-
gagged in closing up old deals, getting their
deeds on record and, generally speaking,
fixing up the odds and ends. The continu-
ing of transactions in realty till the present
time has been a cause of great surprise to
all. The bulk of transactions should have
been concluded about the last of October.
Instead of that the heaviest business of the
wear was done in November and December.
The close of the year leaves the market in
very healthy condition, from which much is
expected in the spring. Prices are firm,
the inquiry for property is good, and there
is plenty of money for investment
THE sYNDICATEs.
The purchase of large tracts of land by
parties of influential gentlemen on the out
skirts of the city with a view of clearing
them up and grading them for settlement
has been somewhat of a feature of the past
year. The example was found in the sue
cess of Merriam and Union parks, and the
QutSIiOIl was lldUuldlly dShCo' w my 10 ~
that other parks cannot be made just as
successful as were these two, if properly
handled?" The result has been that a
number of plats of ground have been set
apart with a view of ultimately being
turned into parks or places for suburban
residences. These, of course. are located
on the lines of railroad and within reason
able distance of the city, so that business
men who do not wish to be away from their
business long at time can be satisfactorily
accommodated. One of the most notable
of these suburban resorts is what is known
as st. Anthony Park. This was started
by men of energy and judgment and it is
progressing rapidly and growing to be a
thriving and beautiful spot. Streets have
been graded and cuts made through hills
from forty to fifty feet in depth and large
part of the park laid out. In doing this the
proprietors have not followed straight lines
or relied on corners. and consequently the
streets or avenues are what would be termed
meandering.
A BRIEF COMPARISON.
Seven or eight years ago when FL. S.
Fairchild had his Office at AZ Jackson street,
between Third and Fourth streets. he issued
small printed pamphlet of fifteen pages,
in which he enumerated several hundred
pieces of real estate he had listed for sale,
with the price of each attached. This is a
curiosity now and specially interesting as it
gives person an opportunity to compare
the prices asked then, with those at which
the same property is now selling. The
document furnishes fair illustration of the
advance in the values of real estate in diff
ferent parts of the city during the interval,
consequent upon our wonderful growth
A few examples of property taken from
this pamphlet will show very sharply when
compared with present sales. What is now
known as the Bryant Nursery, tract of
twenty acres located some distance out ON
st. Anthony hill, was at the time referred
to for sale at $500 per acre, and is now sell
ing at from $500 to 5000 per lot. One hun
dred and sixty acres in Dakota county,
near st. Paul. were offered at SIS
now worth 1925 per acre. Fourteen acres
near Brainard'S two miles from the heart of
the CITY, offered at $50 per acre, is now
selling at $500 and $1,000 per acre in lots;
twenty acres near Merriam Park, offered at
$50 per acre, now worth $500 per acre;
twentY-Seven acres one mile west of Ham
line university, offered at $50 per acre, is
now selling at $500 to $500 per acre, and a
good portion of the tract is covered with
houses, elevators, stores, etc.; eighty acres
near McCarron's lake, offered at S25 per
acre, now worth 5000 per acre: acres in
Dawson'S out lots to West st. Paul held
then at $50 per acre, now worth 81, 900 per
acre; the lot on Fourth street, next
Schutte's block, offered at S., O0O worth
now, if vacant, $50, 900; one hundred and
twenty feet on the corner of Summit and
Nina avenue sold at S35 per front foot,
worth now S175 per front foot, and prob
ably could not be bought for that; four lots
on Summit avenue, next west of Gilbert's
present residence, held at 81, 500 for the
whole, are now worth S12, 900, two lots op-
posite the above on Summit avenue, 40X250
feet each, offered at $500, now worth S.
600; a lot on Bluff street, 110x354 feet, west
of Mr.. Lamprey's residence, where John
Klein now lives, was held for So, 900, is
worth now, vacant, $12, 900; four lots on
the corner of Park and Aurora avenues held
for 50, 500, worth now S12. 600; forty-seven
lots in Stinson, Brown & Ramsey's addition
near Stahlman's brewery, offered at S25,
$40, $50 and 500, according to location,
are worth now from $500 to 81, 200;
lots on st. Anthony hill ranging
from S75 to 800, 1925, $3.50 and 5000,
and lots on Dayton's bluff ranging from 500
to S125 each are worth to-day from 81, 900
to $4,000 each. Twenty-seven lots in
Holcomb'S addition, offered at SIS to 5000
each, covered now with houses, are worth
from 81, 200 to 1000 each. Lots on Uni
versity avenue, on Wabasha street hill, of
Tered at S700, are worth now from So. 900
to 81, 600. Lots in Brewster's addition,
held at 5000 to $500, are worth now 81. 500
to $4,000. Ten lots ON Rice and Harriet
streets, offered at 5000 to $500, are worth
now from 81, 500 to $4,000. Lots on Green
and Lincoln avenues, offered at 5000 each,
are worth now from 81, 200 to 81, 500. Five
lots in Nininger & Donnellys addition,
sold for SO each, are now worth 81, 200
each. The Dayton farm. $40 acres, sold at
$40 per acre, is now worth $500 per acre.
House and two lots on Grand avenue. Of
Tered at $1,000, worth now $4,000. A
business lot on Minnesota street. be-
tween Sixth and Seventh streets, 5Ox1OO
offered at $500, worth $1,000. A lot on
the corner of Shelby avenue sold for $3.50 to
Policeman John Mitchell is worth now
$4,000. These are only some of the figures
contained in that little pamphlet, compared
with what the same property is now worth.
These figures are well distributed over the
city. In some localities the advances have
been a great deal more Take for example
some portions of Seventh street, where
property that was worth at the time
spoken of. from Sc, 900 to IS. 600; now it is
worth between $40, 900 and $50, 900. The
same may be said of large quantity OF
real estate on lower Fourth and Fifth streets,
Robert, Jackson and Wabasha on this side
OF the river, and almost anywhere in West
St Paul on the flat.