New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-19
ABOVE THE HARLEM.
r REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE NORTH SIDE.
--rprsr1NG CHAT WITH JAMES l. WELLS
~ THE SCHOOLS. PARKS. CLUBS PLAY
HOUSES. BUSINESS INTERESTS AND
IMPROVEMENTS OF THE
ANNEXED DISTRICT

por-SFS BUSINESS IN <'''
IMPROVEMENTS OF THE
ANNEXED DISTRICT.
.... acros, the Harlem River, or what
1"o xr.un as the North Side. has been growing
',,, for the last year, and had 1t NOT pee" 'o'
-svaiing hard times, It's oest-'hioii".
'"o oX u would have made greater s'''ue9 :"
ise .,as Of lots in the construction OF ou'u'"sS'
=. the opening and grading OF lie" s''e'''
.crease in business PAGES - int,
"Ns,.,york is compelled 10 grow nor'hwaru vi INV
Nv 1,,era has been great deal OF talk ABOUT
w ,nn,r Yves, Side. and now me resiuei' Vi 'e
".n side is having much to say AZ 10 wv WI
,l development of the Twenty-ihlro an" ~
". Uards-once known as the Annexed LIS
W. :, term now scorned by the North oloe prop
'n0" Within a year the newly added dis-
cry .a,d,ne from the Bronx River TO Long ISL
tnc' , hos also been bestirring itself Looking
s''' 40. largo area-larger indeed. now than Man
o'e 1eland-vith Its $50 900 inhabitants, one can
" 20. holm being impressed with It's reMarhao'o
~o,-,h within a period Of five years
r,srs Is no better recognized authority vi ''o
'. than lanes L. Wells, president or the
sa' s,de Board of Trade. and one OF the Tax
->o ,a,orars Of this city. Mr.. Wells went over
a.. IN a chatty way day or two ago ana
' ,ho following sketch Of the rapid growth or
the North sioe: ,so- 49,. o, =, tho North
s.sa u.ss about equal 10 that of Manhattan lsiahi
o. ho,,e rspresented bv the Twenty-thrd and
tns ,ou-,h wards This area lay between the
49,, and the Bronx rivers. At that time the
~. =, the LEGISLATURE OF 1895 went into effect
.,ob annexed to the city all Of West CHESTER part
=. tho town of Pelham. and part or East 'hes'ei
~. nov city line was thus made TO run eastward
., q nont just above Woodlawn Heights' 10 inc
IT. ..s, extremity Of Hunters Island; in other
-, all the territory between tho Bronx RIVER
.,a Long Island Sound was taken IN.
,1SroRy OF TWENTY TWO YEARS.
.rbs bulk Of the population in what Is now
a. the North Side OF the city. Is pet"ee" 'ne
,,,,so and the Bronx rivers FROM 1914 "hen
a.. rxentv-third and Twenty-four'h wards We're
ue mill 1891 the public Improvements on the
90, sda were in charge OF the Department OF
public Parks of the city, but there was coipai"
,s,v ,ittle development Of the district curing 'a'
s-,od The people became so dlssdtls"eu WIN
.,s NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF the PARK Depai'"
,an.orer that regardless OF party, they uhi'eu
80. f,r an investigation of the condition
.. efairs ny a special committee OF the senate
-, -. u,as that a bill introduced "H!cii
II 1901 became law. creating Depai 'in,"' 81
&C.. improvements for the lweh'! linn" an"
-roD,v-onrth wards. Since then the progress il
80. ,ro,ro,enents on the North Side mas peeh
ror.rkahle. and the growth in population mas hep'
,,.a with public Improvements ana 'he ueNe'op-
70 =. o,ber facilities To give some ILLUSTRATIONS
-, IN IS. the number o. inhabitants IN inc
- -, -ds Was less than $1,000. In IL" the popu'd
,,nr .a. 73n0 The registry of last year s"o"eO
= ,onulation O, more than 1000" me assessor
valuation Of the TWO wards IN I''t wee" 'eao .oo.
600 1900 This Increased slowly until lsso. wheh
ao,aa e.. 10000 For 1886 the assessment was
&C. no There were $50 plans for new oulidinss
e,d IN 1879 the estimated cost being s4'SVV,V" Ia
,sa;a dull year owing to the pIeNallhs i'"a"0'
d.nrass,on-there las plans hed' me e'u-
mated cost being $4,000. The increase rom ioo'
~ 1901 was at about the same rate as from 1914
10 1889
SOME CAUSES OF DEVELOPMENT
..r,s cau.e, o, the rapid growth for the last
I'VE years are several in number The prime cause
has been the formation o. a separate department
to- The Improvement OF the district, which has
FASTENED the completion Of our final map. Inc I'M
ortance Of this final map cannot well be over-est-
mated Under the old management the people OF 'he
North Side could get map OF the district COM
peted and the street system OF the district was
subject 10 continual change. AS many as $50
changes were made In the district in street lines
and grades IN one month ms, % oo"''e' ""''
THE act creating the new department wisely pro-
vded that the final maps OF the district should De
and rrades OF the streets This work has been done
and now work is in progress on The final maps FOR
me man has given STABILITY 10 affairs the North
side builders now know that they can work on
me average number Of houses erected each year Is
greater but also the average cost FOR each mouse Is
Increasing.
RAILROADS BUILT AND PROJECTED.
Another element in the progress Of the district
has bsen tho increased railroad facilities The ee
vat>3 system now extends 10 One-hundred-and-
ssvsntv-seyenth-st OF Tremont-ave. and passen-
eers are conveyed from the Battery 10 that point for
five cents The bill requiring single fare also pro
Ndes for continuous passage. me haaItGao ON
hox-a
feasibility OF this and the Manhattan Company has
begun work to effect the c9snse ,S
Central the New-York and Putnam ana me New
Haven branch road. The much-aouseaa tr2ey Sy5
rsrt ~ me district 1t affords 10 the people quick
convenient and msans good SI system and
Is now extending It's lines in other directions IL has
and rom Kinasbridge to Yonkers Tracks are being
laid connect the villages OF nonpG1I ana and
erneces that before winter sets in lines viii have
beer laid in Jerome and Webster AYES ana a cross
town line through One-hundred and ,seventy-sev-
Bronx River and on to West chester
INFLUENCE OF THE BOARD OF TRADE
One Of the causes Of the rapid development OF
the district is the energy and activity OF the peo-
pie as exemplifed in the North Side Board OF
Trade and its various taxpayers associations All
public matters pertaining to the North Sloe are
discussed by the Board in advance. and are thor
oushly investigated SO tildt Wien 90
casion 10 appear before city department or
the State Legislature regarding public imprY ,i,'o
we do so with a thorough understanding
Of the subject and thorough knowledge OF VIVA
We want based upon what we know from actual
experience to be for the benefit Of the district Tho
Board Of Trade organized in 1898 ana many
public improvements have resulted from its in
huence. Among them the Harlem River I'M
povement. and the act creating the grand bouie-
ward and concoursc which 10 extend from
Central Bridge 10 Mosholu Parkway The Board
has been exceedingly active in providing proper
sewerage. and owing to cooperation with Com
missioner Hanen. every outlet sewer in the dls,
trict is now either completed or In process OF
construction. Prior to 1891 there was very lIttie
sewerage in the district. and only a few or the
streets indifferently paved. Now Third-ave,
Is paved from the Harlem River TO One-hundred-
ana seventy seventh-st.. and the Boston Road from
Third-ave. TO One-hundred seventy -seventh-st.
and nearly every prominent cross street ana
avenue has been paved and severed TO the i'm
trovement Of the health Of the district. The North
sice lays claim to-day 10 being the healthies part
OF the city.