The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-04


Avenue VIII BE Added to St.
PauPs AttractiOns-Hous Line
to Be Set Back and Trees Planted.
The board of public works held an in
formal meeting yesterday in conjunc-
ton with the park board The propertv
owners of Lexington avenue had been
invited In to give expression of their
views in reference to the proposed i'm
provement Of Lexington avenue from
Summit avenue to Como park About
hfty responded in person and many
were by letter. On behalf Of the park
board President j. A. Wheelock. in ex-
planning the boards position. said:
The object of our proposed improve
ments of Lexington avenue is to pro-
vide suitable approach to Como park
from uptown districts The avenue is
so few feet wide and the street railway
company has consented to remove It's
tracks and will do so this spring. The
city council has turned over to the
park board jurisdiction over the street
limited to the boulevarding, planting
trees and making a good roadway to
Como. If our proposed improvements
are carried out they will increase the
value of the property along the street
and attract residences to 1t. What we
want is the cooperation of the prop
erty owners. AS it now is many of the
lots face the side streets and we would
like to have the owners consent to a
replat, so the lots will face Lexington
avenue.
"a special benefit accrueing to own
ers from replat will be that when in
time, paving and sewers are ordered
they will be assessed only for fifty feet
front, whereas now many single lots
have $50 feet on this street.
Having thus consented the property
owners should also consent to a house
line at least thirty feet from the street
line which would greatly beautify the
avenue.
Il hope, in view of the many mani
fest advantages. that the property
owners will consent, for unless they do
consent to a replat and house line it
will be impossible to beautify the
street; with the consent. 1t will be one
of the most beautiful in the city"
The names of the owners were then
called, and an opportunity was given
them to be heard.
George Cole objected strongly, as he
thought it would be impossible to get
the owners to consent, and much of
the property was so encountered with
mortgages that it would be 1mpossi-
BILE to replat
What you want to do" he said, lis
to put the expense on US for the bene-
fit of some people who don't live on
the street."
Judge Hickmon. on behalf of him
self, ]. S. Knapp and several others,
protested that, their lots being but 100
feet deep, to have a house line of thir-
ty feet would mean placing their houses
on the back end of the lots and left no
room for barns. Among other DIRECTORS
were Thomas Slater, F. w. fairfield,
Ida E.. Piper and Hans P. Anderson.
F. w. Anderson said he believed that
all residence streets should have a
house line. In many Eastern cities he
had visited it was so arranged, and
he for one would welcome the proposed
improvements.
There seemed to be a great deal of
misrepresentation arising from the fact
that the notices had contained a refer
ence to proposed widening of the
street, but when Mr.. Wheelock explain
ed that such was not the intention and
that no assessments would follow the
proposed improvements but the cost Of
boulevarding and tree planting would
come out of the park fund, most of the
objections were withdrawn, and before
the meeting adjourned it was ascer-
tanned that the consent Of seven
eighths of the property owners had
been obtained from Marshall avenue to
Como park and about three-fourths
from Marshall to Summit avenues.
1t is believed that but little difficulty
will be experienced in obtaining the
consent of all the rest, and Lexington
avenue improved and beautified is a
possibility of the near future.