The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-02
MANY DOWN TOWN CHANGES
SEVERAL LARGE BUsTNESs BLOCKS
 BEING ERECTED.

New Hall on the Site of old Court Street
 Synagogue-John F. Healy Thinks it
 Win FIn Great Want in It's Way-Pit-
 kin Street Begins to Looks Quite Differ
 ent-Gen. Peck Building Extensively.
 What will be one of the handsomest and best equipped public halls in the state is now being erected on the site of the old Jewish synagogue on Court street. John E. Healy and Harry w.. Asher are the owners, and they expect to fill a long-felt want that is becom- ing more and more pressing as the city grows bigger and it's fame as a conVen- tion center increases.
 The feature of the new structure that will distinguish 1t is the great hail. which will be second only in size to the armory drill room. 1t will be 70 rect wide and l60 feet deep, and 30 feet from floor to ceiling. It will be on the ground floor, with an entrance in the form of foyer. In that respect it is unique among the halls of New Haven, as al
 
 story from the street. There will be a large gallery in the hall, and in the basement there will be a banqueting hall that will accommodate comforta- ply two hundred people. The hall will be let for political conventions and pub- lie meetings, balls of high order and other large social affairs.
 In front of the large hall there will be another section of the great build ing, the first floor of which will be di- vided off into four ground floor stores and the foyer of the hall. Each of the stores will be 15 feet by 36, overhead there will be three small halls, each 26 feet by 77 feet. They will be let for G. A. R. meetings, singing societies and social clubs. The owners will fit them up to suit tenants
 The entire building will be lighted by electricity, heated by steam and con- tain all modern improvements. The elevators, too, will be of electric motive power. The front of the building will be of Charter Oak pressed brick, which is manufactured by the company of which MT. Healy is president. The ap- proXimate cost of the structure is $60,- 000 and it is to be ready for use by January 1, 1898, though it will probably be opened on Christmas night.
 The undertaking has been big one, eighteen teams having been used for three weeks in excavating for the foun- dations. The work is now being rush ed right along, as may be inferred from the fact that 3S,0C0 bricks are being laid per day.
 The improvements on Pitkin street, which lies between Chapel and Court streets, extending from State street to Orange, are noticeable among the downtown changes. The improve ments include the building now being erected on the corner of Pitkin and Or ange streets, which will be compan- ion building to the one alongside the savings bank on Orange street. It will be three stories in height and will con- tain a large store and offices overhead. The building is being erected by the Pitkin family. In the rear of this build- ing foundations are being laid for an- other quite large structure to front on Pitkin street.
 The Pitkin family will shortly begin the erection of still another building nearer State street, on the north side of the street. It will be a brick struc- ture of about the same size as the oth- CT. These new buildings, together with the new Moses building, the rear of which abuts on Pitkin street, will make quite a notable change along that street, which will soon be transformed from neglected back way into quite an attractive street. The amount expended now and recently on the buildings erected on Pitkin street will amount to $30,000 to $40,000.
 General Henry s. Peck has been quite busily engaged this summer in erecting several new brick houses. One of them is a three-story structure on Grove street, adjoining the Hooker carriage factory It contains three flats with all modern improvements and conven- fences. and is practically completed. General Peck recently purchased the two houses adjoining the lot now being built upon. Out on West Chapel street. near Park street, he is also building g. handsome three-story brick flat house, which is nearly completed General Peck has quite recently bought, at fore- closure sale, four brick houses on Law renee street, near Nicoll street. The houses were the property of Felix O'Brien, the builder With that pur- chase was a sixty-foot unoccupied lot, which General Peck sold to MT. Shan ley of Eagle street, who proposes to erect a residence thereon.
 The large double wooden dwelling on Bishop street, adjoining 8 lane running into Hine place, is being moved back and another lane will be opened on the west side leading to it. The vacated lot in front will be utilized for the cree ton of a handsome dwelling.
 
 RECEIVING TAX LISTS.
 The taxpayers began to swear to the lists of propertY owned by them on the