The herald., 1893-09-13
A JIMMY POWERS NEEDED HERE,
An Object Lesson Located at
Rochester.
Why Should the Plan Not Be Carried
Out Here.
The Result That shrswdness In Art
Matters and Certain Ainonnt
OF Public Spirit Accomplished
In an Eastern City. ~

The stranger who visits Los Angeles
sees no ssigns but those OF prosperity
until he reaches the intersection OF
Tenth and Main streets where the
: abandoned foundation OF coloaSal
hotel meets his eye. 1t has lain there,
] as it is now, since the collapse OF the
great boom of 1886, when every man
who owned corner lot imagined him
, nelf millionaire. What ia to be done
with 1t? Don't know-go and ask the
Main Street Improvement association,
says each and every man whom you ask
nabout it. Allow me to recite O bit OF
history OF what tranepired in the city OF
Rochester, which is situated Just about
as far from Niagara Falls as Los Angeles
is from the Pacific ocean.
The old Eagle tavern, situated on
Monroe street in Rochester, was hotel
that had been built in 1922, and had
political history. For upwards of 40
years it had been the headquarters of
the Wings OF western New York, just as
the Mansion House in the neighboring
city OF Buffalo had been the rallying
point OF the Democracy. William Kidd,
!, q wealthy machinist and mill owner,
was the leader Of the Wings nest OF AL
bany at that time, and it was in the
: parlor OF the Eagle tavern that the cele-
p brated interview took place between
Kidd. William H. Seward and Thurlow
Weed during the famous anti-Masonic
campaign OF 1880. A body had been
found below Niagara Falls, said to be
that OF William Morgan, who had been
sssasHinated for exporing the secrets OF
Masonry. Mr.. Kidd said:
81 am afraid that we won't be able to
make this thing stick. have seen
Morgan and have seen that body, and
1t is no more like Morgan than am like
Shylock in the Merchant of Venice"
''Never mind, William" said Thurlow
Weed, "He will be good
enough Morgan until after the election"
Out of this grew the expression of
"Good Enough Morgan" which is now
fast becoming obuolete; and as the aaw
lapsed into obscurity, 80 did the old and
tered. From the downfall OF the Whig
party in 1852 the Eagle" began to run
down and became the headquarters of
sporting men and negro minstrels. In
1864 James Powers, who began life
there in an humble corner grocery, ac-
quired foreclosure of mortgage on the
property and found that the rents were
daily falling off. After two or three
years of vexatione and worriments over
the matter. he decided to make total
demolition Of the old historical tavern
and erect something that would be q
credit to the city. He therefore pro-
jected building which, for actual bene-
fit to the city in which it was erected,
has not it's parallel in all America. 1t is
now known as the Powers Block and ia
the winter headquarters Of over 500
artistic.
.fTo sbuild iseyen-stery building and
devote one-eighth OF its entire. area to
an exhibition of art work, meant Esn
outlay that WAS not susceptible Of an
immediate return upon The money go
invested. Mr.. Powers therefore called
upon the citizens to mid him in the en-
terprise and made stock 6company of
it. The proximity OF Rochester TO- nj, !
ngara Falls, the Great Lakes, the pic
turesque mountains OF Pennsylvania
and the Adirondaeks, all considered.
made those places the sketching grounds
OF the summer days and Rochester the
place to finish off the pictures. The
stock WAS all taken, Mr.. Powers cub
ecribing 80 per cent of the capital and
everybody signing with the understand
ing that Mr.. Powers was to be made a
preferred purchaser whenever their
stock was for sale.
The building is seven stories in
height, the great rotunda occupying the
center OF the sixth and seventh stories.
No room that | have seen, either in
America or Australia, has any such
light for the display OF pictures. Across
the hall from the rotunda (Which has a
blank wall on one eide OF the hall in the
two upper etoriee) are studio rooms
varying from 14xl4 to 20xl4, and gradu-
ated in price according to the purse OF
the tenant. They range from sic to s25 |
per month, and are lighted with plate
glass windowe. OF late years the rush
to Rochester for winter. quarters has
been unparalleled, and not only are the
sixth and seventh floors tenanted, but
the fourth end fifth as we'll. Most of
the stock taken by his fellow citizens
was subsequently bought by MrAPow-
ere. and in no instance at less than 80
per cent. 4t
Now, would ask, what is the reason
the same thing cannot be done in Los
Angeles? We have the great Sierra
Madre and Its extensions reaching away
up into Alaska; the picturesque Pacific
coastiine, unequslled for romantic out.
lines and boldness of scenery; and the
long chain of islandss extending from
the head OF Santa Barbara channel to
the Cerros group on the south. Here
are 16O0 miles of sketching grounds far
an advance OF the Atlantic seaboard !:
and where is there place for finishing
PIP the sketches. in the winter days.
like Los Angeles? II
The. site of the mammoth hotel at |
Main and Tenth streets is much larger
than the Powers block above described.
For this reason q six-story building
would cost quite as much here as did
the Powers block in Rochester, which ia
seven stories. But building such as
| describe would be credit to the
city and the art gallery in the rotunda
would be something for everybody TO
visit before leaving this place. The
Powers gallery was free on two days of
the week and rs cents on the other four.
with five coupons OF admission for$l
Numerous stories are told OF Mr..
Powers aid and encouragement to young
artists. He seems to have been singu-
lar combination OF shrewdness and gen
erosity. On one occasion young man
came and hired a studio room ofhinlsI
apd placed two of his pictures on exhihi-s
tion In the rotunda. About three 4
months later, he went to Mr.. Powers