St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-06
Property Owners at Sea Over
the Deeadenee OF Third
Street.
Car Line Suggested From
Seven Corners to Union
Depot.
Merchants Think That Own
ers Might Improve Their
Property.
A Parsimonious Policy the
Ruin Of This Popular Dis
trict.

The property owners on Third street
do not intend to relinguish their efforts
to resusctate the prestige OF that
thoroughfare without one more effort.
The latest scheme includes an extern
sion of the street railway from Seven
corners down Third to the union depot.
| 1t is thought that this will bring m ore
people Oh the street, especially if. as
proposed, the extension is made to con-
meet with the loop line. How this is to
he done the promoters do not say. but
are certain that in the course of events
way will present itself.
Whether an extension of the street
railway will restore the business pres
tige of Third street is a matter to be
hereafter decided. A line to the union
depot will, however, be an undoubted
improvement. and one which has long
been called tor by the public. A pas
seuger coming from the union depot. to
get car. is compelled to walk three or
four blocks. There have been several
schemes. for remedying this, but Mr..
Lowry has had some objection against
them. One scheme was to abolish
H'he present Loop Alnc
and renew it with one from Fifth street
TO Sibley, to Second, to Broadway and
Fifth. Such line would bring every
system of the city railway within touch
of the union depot, but it would not
be of material advantage to the Third
street merchants. Ii Mr.. Lowry refused
least, questionable whether he will ac-
cede to the request about to be made.
In the first place, there does not seem
to be anything to be gained by the pro-
posed line OH Third street, beyond, OF
course. the increased value of the prop
erty. Mr.. Lowry is not in the habit of
building lines because certain interest
ed individuals want them. There has
to be money in it for him..
There is then another difficulty: Will
the city council allow railway to be
built on Third street? The ordinance
on the street railway company Spe-
cially designates that no line will he
allowed on Third street. When this
ordinance passed it was argued That it
would hurt the business in that thor
oughfare If a line was allowed, and
there was some sort of rejoicing that
Third street Was eliminated. The ar
gument was that the ladies could use
and that il could be given over entirely
to vehicular traffic.
A Change Has Now Come.
The business on the street has been
dropping for many months, and first ne
and then another merchant has been
moving to other and more popular To-
cations. Property owners have become
alarmed. If they are to retain the ten
Loft n
association was formed and meetings
galore have been held. Up to the pres
ent the only improvement accomplished
is the whitewashing of a few buildings.
But this is fan from satisfactory to the
tenants. Yheys complains, and their !
complaint seems to. be well grounded, |
that the buildings are very incOnVen- |
lent and lacking all modern improve !
mentS. The present stores were all |
right to meet the needs of the city in its
embryotic state, but now, in its full !
fiedged metz opolitan clothes, something !
more is needed for the thoroughfare |
claiming to be the leading business cen !,
ter. !
Here Is the whole difficulty in nut
shell the stores do not meet the needs
of the time, and it is impossible for the
merchants to make proper display OF |
not deny this, but,
Instead Of Graphing |
with the matter in determined man.
ner, they have been simply playing !
around in the vain hope that somebody !
will do the work for them, or that some !
thing will happen and relieve them of |
doing anything. The attempt to secure |
a street car line is on a par with their |
do nf ic OF mt IN
get Mr.. Lowry to do the work which !
devolves upon the property |
owners. How they succeed will be !
watched with interest.
A merchant on Third street said: 81
do not place much stock in the pro- !
posed street line extension. l don't i
think Mr.. Lowry will agree to do it,
and if he did, | question very much
whether it would accomplish the end
aimed at. The street. to begin with. is
entirely too narrow to accommodate
car line. In my opinion, it would be
the last straw to the cameIs back, and
be the entire ruin of the street."
Other merchants were seen. and none
expressed themselves in a jubilant
strain Oh street car line.
There are probably more empty stores
on Third street than on any other street
Ill tuG CITY, 1uC DcSdll
little over year ago, and since then the
exodus has been very steady. 1t gives
evidence of continuing if the owners do
not do something quickly to re-establiSh
the high standing of this one time
Popular Business Section.
Several weeks ago Mr. Myers ex-
hibited very elaborate drawing of pro-
posed improvements of Third street.
There is little doubt that if the improve
ments were carried out as therein sug-
gested, Third street would become not
only the admiration of St. Paul, OF the
Northwest, but of the world. In this |
drawing the south side of the street was
entirely denuded of buildings. The 7
stores on the north side were mag
hificent edifices, aad there were not two
stores alike. They were of the most
elaborate character, and each store was
detached. From the sidewalk could be
seen the sweeping waters OF the MissiS-
sippi. Altogether, the suggested" i'm
were i'll line which could
not fail to command admiration. I'm
they were on such a lavish
scale as to be prohibitory. The business
of the city would have to increase a
thousand fold before any set OF capital
ist would be warranted to incur such an
as would he entallod