The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-07
STRADDLES yam NESS,
The Dolphin Club Spending
$4,000 on a House
There.
MAY SOON HAVE TO MOVE
Progressive Residents Expect to
Grade the Avenue to
the Bay.
WILL URGE THE SUPERVISORS.
The Settlement of the Fair Will Con.
test to Help Complete the
Great Driveway.
WILL URGE THE SUPERVISORS.

A house. real $1,000 modern house. is
being built in the middle of Van Ness ave-
nue. as fast as five carpenters can put it to-
gether. What is more, the Board of
Supervisors gave the builders the privilege
of erecting the building where it is to
stand, and, for time, the property-own-
ers of the neighborhood, mbitious as thew
are TO have their boulevard the most beau
tiful driveway of the City, will enter no
protest.
In fact very few of them know the house
IS being built, for it is in the water at the
foot Of the steep bluff where the avenue
stops abruptly at the bay. Besides the
house is in the water, and, unless the pro-
gressive people of the avenue get their
street graded to the bay, the building can
hardly be considered an obstruction.
The building is the house of the Dolphin
Boat Club. Since 1873 the clubs quarters
have been in the line of Leavenworth
street. The Dolphins increased in wealth
and mem bership and accumulated more
boats than any other club on the bay.
They have not made any extensive i'm
provements on their old house, though,
because they were continually oppressed
by the fear that Leavenworth street would
be extended and graded and they would
then be forced to move.
The house was too small, but it was not
deemed advisable to add story. Instead
1t was decided to build new clubhouse
with accommodations for all members. OF
course. spot not likely to be molested by
the Street Superin tendent was wanted
This they thought they had found in the
little cove under the bluff on Van Ness
avenue.
1t is an ideal place for a boathouse
North Point IutS out into the BAY and
breaks the northern and western winds by
Its heights. A bluff so steep as to discour
age all but the most venturesome from de-
scending Is on the south. The open bay is
on the north and west, with broad reach
OF clean white sand for a beach toward the
west. The view is very beautiful
Thinking the bluff behind them would
never be cut down they obtained permits
sion from the Board of Supervisors to build
their house in the middle of Van Ness ave-
nue.. About month ago they drove the
. piles on which the house Is to stand.
In the meantime they had joiners at
work putting together windows, Iattices,
banisters, steps and the like. The work
men have the frame of the house almost
completed As the finer work has been
Finished at the mill, they hope to have the
building finished and ready for its house
Warming in about three weeks.
l he club has very strong and influen-
tial membership. Its officers are: A. p.
Rothkopf, president; T. J. Sullivan, vice
president; a. L. SCHUBERT, treasurer; A
Y. Vandewater, recording secretary: f. c..
Sthaib, financial secretary, and J. G. At
fridge, captain. Captain Attridge, I. Ken
nedy and c. NJ. Farrell comprise the execu-
tive committee.
The present site for the clubhouse was
chosen because it was supposed that it
could be occupied for many wears without
disturbance. The house is being built so
that it can be moved. The club mem
bers, however, did not anticipate any up
set for many years.
They figured without the men who have
inst got the Board of Supervisors to order
Van Ness avenue bitumenized TO Rav
street, only two blocks away. These men
want the remaining two blocks graded,
the high bluff that obstructs the glorious
view of the bay, the Marin hills and Alca-
traz Island, cut away and tumbled into the
bay in order to extend Van Ness avenue to
the water, and thus make the site on which
the $1,000 boathOuse is being built very
important part OF what is to be the grand
est driveway in the United States.
There was great rejoicing among the
men anxious for the proper grading and
completion of Van Ness avenue yesterday.
1t was because Of the announcements which
appeared exclusively IN THE CALL, that
the Fair will contest had been compro-
missed.
1.-THE settlement of the trouble over Mr.
Fairs will means speedy accom- plishment
of our Wishes" said Herbert E. Law the
president of an interested corporation. yes
terday. THE death of James G. Fair was
more OF a setback to the advancement of
this portion of San Francisco than would
have been the death of any other ten men.
He didn't say much. He just shoveled
sand.
HE thought good deal, too, ana every
movement he made enhanced the value of
property in this neighborhood and showed
the necessity OF improving the streets here.
Since his death the work of filing in his
lots has been progressing little, but now
that the estate is free again | have no
doubt that it will be pushed to conclu-
sion. Tons of rock are being dumped
along the outside line of his property every
day, and will form a protection for the sand
which will fill the lots
I'VE are very thankful for the fact that
the contracts for putting a bituminous
pavement on Van Ness avenue from Green
to Bay street has been let. This will COM
plete one portion of the great driveway
through the Preside reservation and the
park. THE CALL has helped US before, and
now we know it will assist US IN our next
move.
"You see, the Federal Government
graded and macadamized Lombard street
from Van Ness avenue to the Preside
some years ago. This was on a contract
with the City that the latter was to keep
the street in repairs after it was completed.
But the street ended in a piece of waste
where Van Ness avenues bituminous pave
ment VIII soon be, and the City has done
nothing.
Now, we think the City ought to attend
to that street. The Street Superintendent
has done absolutely nothing for it, and it
is all out of repair. If it has not been ac-
cepted it should be at once. and then it
should be fixed up.
THE Importance OF this street is that it
is quite level and connects Van Ness ave-
nue. with Mcdowell avenue, the main
driveway of the Preside. BY Mcdowell
avenue one can drive around Fort Point
and on to Twenty fourth avenue, which is
a boulevard. This avenue leads to Golden
Gate Park and the park is connected with
Van Ness avenue by Golden Gate avenue,
another boulevard. In this way would
be completed, what San Francisco has
never had, good driveway.
No city IN this country or Europe has
so. many opportunities for picturesque
drives as this City. Yet it is the only city
that Is absolutely without a single one. In
Chicago you can drive for forty miles
along nice roads lined with grass and