Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-09
THE CITY HALL.
$. o. Noodle Gives Some Solid Facts and
Figures on the Subject.

l
| Figures on the Subject.
Knowing that Mr. Noodle had submitted
q proposition to the council for city hall
| site and recognizing that he was well in
| formed as to values, GAZETTE reporter
| sought the gentlemen yesterday and put the
| old reliable question. what about the city
| halle"
| The city hall question has created some
| feeling and has brought out some unpleas-
| ant statements from men who ought to
| take things more coolly. As one who is in
| terested as q taxpayer, and also as COM
| petitor in sale OF site, am willing to offer
! a suggestion or two in regard to the matter
| through THE GAZETTE. My reasons for
| Offering the Overton block opposite the
| Mansion hotel were two-fold. First, want to
| sell because ] need the proceeds: secondly,
| because l thought something ought to be
| done to remind the countil that Mr.. Bailey's
| proposition heretofore, viz: $4,000 for
nine lots was unreasonable. Has my
| offer of our block had that eff
fecta 1 leave your readers to decide.
1t had the effect to induce other offers. and
Mr.. Bailey has come down to s32 600 There
is another point that this discussion has de-
veloped, and that is that some of the coun-
Gil are bent on purchasing Mr.. Bailey's
property. l do not impute undue influence,
but it appears to me that much good can be
done by further consideration. We offer to
sell the whole of block ST to the city for
SO, 600 and take pay in per cent city bonds
for the whole, or part bonds and part city
property at fair price. | suspected that
in case the council wanted to accept the
proposition, it would wish to put in the
Jennings avenue property as part pay, and
while | did not want the property at the
price, as an inducement stated to members
of the council that l would give $4,000 for
that property. At the time made my offer
l was not expecting the very liberal offer of
Casey s. Swasey in competition, for l
should have expected its acceptance with
out hesitation, and was very much sur
prised to see majority vote against it, and
am fully of the opinion that a careful con-
sideration of the offer will change the minds
of some members at least.
Now a careful examination of the city
map will reveal the fact that some day the
city will be calls on to open Tenth street,
and when it is done it will cost Mt least
S15, 600 for each block the street crosses.
Now the city h; the chance 70 buy the
block at what it IS worth and get that part
of the street OF ened free. AS stated by
Mr. Hurley, the offer of Casey & Swasey
was most liberal, and, while would like to
sell our block, l think the city would do
well to accept the offer OF 200x200 for S53, 600.
One member of the council has opposed our
offer because fifteen months ago block Sc,
less 40X100 on the corner of Rush and Fifth
streets, was offered for 81, 900, in fact ST.
600 cash. That is certainly no reason for
objections, since a much more rapid adj
vance has been made in many parts of the
city. Property bought on the North Side
two years ago Tor $lGo per acre now sells at
$500. Property on the South Side, Noodle
Il Evans addition, cost US in April, 1889,
$1,000 per acre; in less than one year we
sold for $500 per acre, and to-day, as Mr..
Jarncr Ryan will testify, the same property
is selling at the rate Of $4,000 per acre. In
fact, most of it has changed hands at that
figure. And what are the facts in regard to
Rusk street property2 Two years ago l
appealed TO Mr. Harrison of the State ma
tional bank to furnish me money and l
would buy lots at $4,000 per lot on which a
heavy profit could be made. Not being q
land speculator, he declined, and others
bought the property and realized fine
profit. Now look ct the action of Zeno c.
Ross. S. o. Noodle, John 4. Evans, e. w.
Taylor, E. E Chase, John Tierney and E.
E. Powell. Just before the money squeeze
we, as a syndicate, looking for rapid
changes, which would certainly have oc-
Cured but for the New York panic bought
options on Rusk and Calhoun as follows:
Four lots just north of Huffman implement
house, SIS, 900: four lots just south of The
GAZETTE building, SIS, 900; three lots
Episcopal church property, $50, 200: eight
ss5ss from Frank Ball east of Episcopal