The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-09
Thc FIT Avenue.

The two great buildings TO be erected
on opposite corners OF the Fifth avenue ant
Forty-fourth street for the use OF two OF
the most noted caterers of the town, will
give further distinction to n neighhorhood
which already has become conspicuous as
q centre Of clubs and kindred institutions.
To some extent. these two establishments,
DELMoNICo's on the east and SHERRY's
on the west, will compete for public and
fashionable approval; but for that very
reason each is likely to contribute to the
prosperity of the other.
The transformation of this n~eighborhood,
which will be carried forward by the erection
OF these spacious buildings ms houses OF re-
lection and for social entertainments, began
with the purchase of II site by the Century
Club in Forty-third street, to the west Of
the Fifth avenue, only about six years ago.
At that time the block was disfgured by
stables. which gave it an inferior char
acter, though the high ground Of the
situation made 1t especially desirable
for architectural improvement. Accord
ingly, when the Century Club established
itself there and put up its tasteful building,
other institutions of the same general kind
speedily followed its example, and the I'M
slightly stables gave place to the important
and imposing structures Of the Academy
of Medicine, the Racquet Club, and the
Bar Association, while on the opposite
side Of the street the Renaissance Hotel was
erected. Thus the direction which the flu
ture development Of the region was to take
was determined and assured. 1t was to be-
come a great centre, about which would be
-.al-.~l .-.1;,-z .,&,. -
and kindred establishments, to which would
be attracted large numbers Of citizens and
visitors seeking to enjoy their advantages.
The erection of the two houses Of enter
tainment to which we have referred will
naturally assist powerfully in the transfer
nation of the neighborhood during the next
few years until it is made complete. The
stables in Forty-fourth street, between the
Fifth and Sixth avenues, will be replaced by
extensive structures, the private dwellings
in the adjacent fashionable t~horoughfare
will be torn down to provide sites fora sue
cession Of large and important buildings,
and the whole of that elevated district will
be utilized for the public purposes for which
It is so especially adapted. This transforma- |
ton is likely to go on until the Fifth
avenue from Forty-second street to
the Central Park is lined throughout
with business and other establishments of
the same general sort; before many years
they will drive out the occupants of even the
most imposing of the private residences
which have been erected there recently.
The change in the character Of the Fifth
avenue below Forty-second street which
has already occurred is not greater or more
than that which is likely to take place
even more rapidly above Murray Hill after
the building of the extensive establishments
of SHERRY's and DELMoNICo's at Forty
street. 1t will be a region of clubs,
restaurants, and houses Of enter
tainment, and of business structures invited
by their proximity. 1t will be an even
more notable ~thoroughfare than ever
th throughout its whole extent from Wash
sauare to the Central Park, both in
It's architectural display and its other at
for the public.