Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-06-07
4 RICH FAMILY.
The value of the Astor Property in New
York.

York.
Looking out of my window last eve
ming | saw the Astor brothers passing
down Twenty ixth street, writes a New
York correspondent of the Philadelphia
Times. They were coming from their
business office just below Broadway on
the street they were trayersing. Here
they have quite pretenhous brick
building which looks lil-c = banking
house. 1t is fitted up like one. On the
inside it has all the paraphernalia of
Screens, desks, big books, and clerks
which are so common ia financial estab-
lishments. On the outside of the door
there are two brass signs, one bearing
the name John j. Astor, the other Will
lam w. Astor. On the inside each of
the brothers have private office and
plenty of clerks to do the work This
place is a singular little institution 1t
wears an air of repose entirely foreign
to a business establishment, yet within
it's walls there are more transactions of
Importance yearly than in many preten-
tiouS financial institution. The score or
more of clerks with their big books are
kept busy looking after the real estate
which belongs to the Astors. 1t is said
that this establishment collects in rent
ais more than million of dollars u
year. 1t takes as much time and atten-
ton to keep track of the property be-
longing to this noted family as it would
TO conduct an extensive banking house.
The Astors are not spectators. They
do not 90 upon the street for business or
invest money in ordinary business
affairs. They eonfne their operations
to real estate. 1t was the foundation of
their great fortune which was left to
them by the shrewd and miserly old
parent who made it, John Jacob Astor,
the elder, was n singular old person.
He labored and saved; all the money he
accumulated went into land and its be-
longings. The most glowing business
venture could not coax money out of
his pocket. He believed in land and
invested his fortune in it. His life was
anything but happy one, and his fam
lily do not seem to have improved much
upon it. They live in good shape; that
is about all. They cut no figure in the
general life of the metropolis except as
large property owners and purchasers.
The two Astors are old men. William
w. is tall, robust citizen, near 60, |
should think. He has a round, full
face, little inclined to be red, and a
sandy complexion. His brother is fully
as tall, but not as stout nor as cheerful
looking. Both of them pass along the
street without attracting any attention
OF scarcely passing notice.
In dollars and cents | suppose they
are by far the largest real-estate owners
in the United States. They are adding
to their possessions every day. Their
present ventures | believe, are in the
direction of the new property about
Harlem that is just now attracting so
much attention. Next to the Wander
bits suppose this is the richest family
in America. How many millions they
have no one seems to know, yet in 1860
it was heralded over the United States
that John Jacob Astor was the richest
man in the country. He had a million
of dollars then. Just think of the great
fortunes that Aave been accumulated
since. The Vanderbilt estate is one of
these; while old Astor's investments,
once thought to be worth a million,
must by this time have grown to a
hundred million. The fortune he left
to his family is one of the very few in
New York that has been kept intact and
built upon by the increase of the value
of houses and lands.