Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-29
the o,her s,de OF the uue.tion.


"Fair Play" which appeared in your
issue of yesterday relative to the pro-
posed grade for Buena Vista street,
makes direct attack on me, and con-
teins so much that is unfair and false
that feel it due to myself to answer 1T.
The protecting shelter OF nom de plume
is doubtless convenience in this sort
of attack it is also cowardly.
/ have lived in this city for thirty
eight years, and have been identified
with the hill portion of it at the expense of
being called "crazy, when but few others
would admit the possibility OF there ever
being any future for that beautiful sec.
ton. have worked hard and used my
capital for the upbuilding of this section,
and, in fact, made it possible to occupy
the west side of Buena Vista street for
residences or any other purpose.
In 1856 the city sold some land which
1 now own; it was described by metes
and bounds, the west line of which con-
flicts with the east line of Buena Vista
street, not as then or since laid out
legally, but as is shown on a map
adopted by the city ten or twelve years
after the date of the deed to my grantor.
As soon as 1 bought the land and be-
fore there was any thought of havi.g a
street over the hill, proceeded at my
ownexpense to grade a roadway from
Bellevue avenue up to the top along the
west line of my land, and this same road
without improvement of any kind, is to-
day as l graded it, and forms Buena
Vista street from Rock street north.
Prior to that time the hill was SO steep
that goat could scarcely climb it. l
believed that it would some day be a
street, and to prove my faith / built sew
eral houses. As the city grew l &C.
Quired more frontage on this street, be-
cause foresaw that at sometime it
would become an important thorough
fare. After Buena Vista street had,
largely through my efforts, become de-
sirable etreet, an effort was made to take
from me portion of the land above re-
ferred to as having been decided by the
city in 1856. The case was tried before
the Hon. A. Bronson, Superior Judge,
and the decision was clear one quieting
my title to the land in question. Subse-
quently condemnation proceedings we're
instituted by the city. The commission ap-
pointed awarded me about 81 800 as dam
ages. This l refused to take unless their
other Recommendation, viz to lower the
grade, should also be carried out.
have been and am now ready to deed
all the land l own that conflicts with
Buena Vista street to the city, for street
purposes, whenever traffic grade is
made on that street, and this without
the pay ment of dollar to me.
I don't know how to do more. The
grade as it now exists is thirty feet above
the floor of three large houses that l
have built, and the line of the street as
proposed would run very close to the
fronts-so close that with the present
grade they would be worthless So much
for my personal interest in the matter.
l am one of the considerable number,
which includes several of the members
of the City Council, that believe that the
time has come to open up another avenue
from the north to the south-the two
chat have been discussed are Fort street
and Buena Vista street. favor the lat
ter as being more practicable.
As to the amount of the cut required,
I thought at first that twenty-five feet
would answer, but the Board of Public
Works, when discussing the matter, de-
cided to adopt a cut OF twenty nine feet,
and if this gives a traffic grade l am in
favor of it.
As to frustrating the wishes of my
neighbors, as stated by Fair Play, he
KNOWS that no one OF these neighbors
have expended anything like the amount
Cd Buena Vista street that l have, and l
have made my expenditures not simply
to,make fine place of my own property,
but to do something towards making it a
street, and 80 that the public and these
same neighbors could pass back and
forth.
Fair Play does not hesitate to injure me
by suggesting that ''few feet be cut off
the top of the hill and put in front of Mr..
Besudry's houses" (slready twenty feet
below the roadway. And Fair Play
wholly disregards the property from Rock
street north. 1t would seem that Fair
Play would be content to let all the rest
of US suffer and see our property depreci'
ale, so long as he is not disturbed in get
ting to and from his own place. y
The effect of this improvement will be
to turn this street into good business
property, and it will be filled with stores
and Offices. The very parties who now
oppose it will reap great benefit. They
will within q short time grade down
their lots and build brick blocks, much
to their own profit, and then let us trust
they will have the grace to be thankful
" tuOoc WIZ pucucu Iulb IdttoI
l assert that the opening up of another
avenue such as this is inevitable, that if
it be not done now it will be done later,
and the longer it is delayed the more
radical it will be.
I have never been backward in matters
OF public improvement. am convinced
that this is matter of great Importance.
I am giving up more than any other in
dividual to further it. am no more in
terested than any other property owner,
and fail to see why Fair Play" or any
other anonymous coward should single
me out for vilifcaion. 1 deprecate
newspaper controversies about other
than public questions, and the great in
terest the public have in this improve
ment being contaminated, at least as
soon as the new Court House is done, is
my excuse for giving so much attention
TO this nameless individual.
P. BEAUDRY.