The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-06
%SANCTUARIES FOR SALE.
REAL EsTATE MAN OF CHICAGO HAS
4 LINE Of BARGAIN CHURCHES.

Artemus wards House, HAa n CupoIa
and q Mo~rtEaEe-Robcrt Collyer's OLE
Unity and Its LnnEuishinE Hosannas.
Chicago is the one town In this country
where churches are on the real estate market.
In every city where business overtakes the
church the old church buildings are aban-
doned for uptown sites, and then. OF course.
the old edinces are put on the market. But
that is not the story in Chicago" snid an In.
weston TO u New York real estate man.
II was in Chicago some weeks ago. looking
I'M bargains In suburban property. After I
had killed a half day in q Washington street
office the agent asked me IL l ever dabbled in
church property. The inquiry jolted me for
a moment. and / was compelled. in order to
satisfy my curiosity. 10 ask for a diagram.
1--WE have some churches for sale.' he exc
planned. L mean church buildings. all ready
for business II the purchaser wants to continue
the business
:" The property is not on the market. then.
simply because the growth OF Chicago is up to
it2' / said.
Not at ALL answered nv man Of the realty
line. Some Of this property Is 30 situated
that the purchaser could use 1t for no other
purpose. He might hold it for a rise. or he
might tear Town the building and sell the ma
terinl II he wanted to put up a different house
on the site
Il said. as delicately as 1 could. that the adj
vance in realty in Chicago was not OF the kind
which would Eav me to hold property there
, or bur IL on investment. l added that my
travels about the town showed me many
vacant acres everywhere. 80 that 1 could not
see why one should want to buy n house to
tear It down in order TO get an eligible site.
-" Not unless one got a bargain said my
willy friend. We might make IL to your in.
terest.' he added. TO make an Offer
Tell me- I said. why is this church prop
| erty on the market in the way you explainf
Is Rodliness in this city on the down grade or
what is it2'
=" Every man TO his business was tho an
swer. I cannot give you the quotations on
Rodliness. but IL you want to take a flyer on
churches ! can accommodate you
II thought it all over and the next day I
called again and was soon beside the indi-
\ vidual with n line OF bargain churches. who
drove wit. me behind n fleet team. to the
eligible sanctuary sites. 1 think l looked at .
dozen. On most OF them was the sign Fer
Sale A majority Of the ediflces did not even
look shopworn. One was bright and fresh
and when 1 asked the traficker in temples
why 1t was up he replied:
THE mortgage is long overdue. They bit
of more than they could chew. A section Of the
congregation deserted the main shop over on
the lake shore and flocked by themselves.
They put up this house under the belief that
an organ that cost as much as the tsf Building,
hired an opera singer to run the choir and a
p eosISnt fe Ta1 ana as E s sS one m oa pbe e dea sSmss soTS ne 70
me. the church would have made q better ice
plant than n temple
ment. As soon as l could thaw out, | asked
IL the church was now occupied on Sunday.
s are germ came sa,o along 10 MaS who eoHld do HIS Tse own
singing and who didn't haye to rely on the hat
that the edifce was somewhat remote from
residence clusters. and. also that I'would not
"H@'You people in the East said the advance
man of the devil. have lots OF money and you
fare Of this. Country. Just now YOU are talk
ing about investing in the new, aecessions.
Wow NoTid bow Say t nse ehu Pef's at our Ut T fiGaIe. s es # # You
take it his week for cash ash yill shade had tn the t fs.
heather at home. Tell them about this beau:
tifnl sanctuary standing here empty Kind o
y"ouffl knock on so much il they will save It.
and that you will furnish The preacher for the
II have met some cool people IN the Stock
against j, got axay from his PToposiiion
he stopped before a handsome stone edilce
facing q library and 2 park and one Of the rich re 3
derstood that the former. Minister to st.
s shnreS is, WAS inde e n bsnatifu IL s des sipG and r rs
lines are full Of that repose which one finds in
Old World sanetuaries.
Collyer. now Of New York, used to preach.
When he was its pastor it was always full. Chi
order to make him contented and to Keep him
from going back to the old country, the CON
was a blacksmith in his early days, and bopeht
the anvil on which he worked and brought it
But Mr. t.Collyer went away to New York. and
the PEOPLE q his church aeh her hersm nS A. Unity nifty. u d !.
a long time. and refused to &c, 70 church.
Then Mr.. ,Collyer, persuaded them to get .
SHf@an@EMRr.a P MINE lime n Geor gssH Mi fisSm& &s9Ss YOU q
have heard of him. He came from Brooklyn.
He was a great success as Hamlet. but 1 never
"H ny y en- to Interrupt the agent by asking
him what he meant by interfering Hamlet
PLAYED Hamtet the first night he ever played
""!Whoo was an actorP' I asked.
why. Milne. He came here. as pastor OF
this church. and lust about the time, he began
act better than he could preach, and the first
thing IN, 0ld ! Tnity kneg The he,t town Vas labelled sd
went at It right here in the town where he had
preached. Well. Of course. some people said
he couldn't act any more than he could preach.
But he went on the road with his show and
nsysT zane e b 3rIsd but ut 3 nDS on he played aSs n5 nsm:
said he never would make a good one unless
he got on a pair Of stills. or course tie church
webs grew over the door. Finally another
preacher came and he stayed a while and went
away; ! never end Xxi knew 9ysn why; ana nd 1de noS anosnfr
Old Unity is for sale at last, II cost originally
STass soiflpo at a rs cost ei e s ssG .5 }SSk \ ~ 1 The . Organ waa
cost Sl0.00O before 1t was painted.
They have waited all these years thinking
Mr.. Collyer might come back to Chicago and
they have tried to get him several times, hut
ne won't. Hc comes back once a year when
some member OF the old congregation dies.
but he will never come back here to live. The
building is in good repair there's q bell in the
tower: the pews are upholstered. And the
old anvil is there in the pastors study,
II expected to hear him say after all this.
Now. how much am / offered?' but he didn't.
He did say. however. that there was no church
in the market that had so interesting a his
tory and that there was money in IL.
IF 1 had the money he said, I would like
to buy that church and lock the doors and
throw the key In the lake and paint on the end