The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-15
Plans Maturing to Pave Tenth
Avenue West.
Nearly All Property Owners
Favor the Improvement.
FOR WIDE PARKINGS.
Space For Each Property Own
er to Beautify.
Will Make a ThOrOughfare to
Christ Hospital.

Inc paving DOOM IS STOWAiS SNOAS
day. A movement has been started and
with every show Of success, to pave
Tenth avenue west from Tyler street to
Lane street, a distance of seven blocks.
Tenth avenue should be one of the
finest streets in Topeka but for years
it has been hampered by the fact that
during wet weather it is choked with
mud. People who owned vacant lots
along the street have found it difficult
to dispose of them and while several
handsome residences have been built
many more would have been construct
ed long ago if the avenue had been
paved.
The plan proposed is to pave Tenth
avenue from Tyler street to Clay street
with a so foot brick pavement. From
that point west the plan is to make the
pavement 50 or 40 feet wide. This will
make 40 foot parkings between Tyler
street and Clay street, which will be the
same as Topeka avenue south of Tenth.
The wide parkings will afford every op-
portunity for street Improvement and
there will be nothing to hinder West
Tenth street from being just as fine
drive as Topeka avenue
So well have the promoters of the
pavement succeeded that a sufficient
number of names have been secured to
insure the pavement from Western av
enue to Lane streets. There is no OBJ
lection to the pavement in the block be-
tween Tyler and Polk streets so that
the only blocks that there is any pOSSi-
BILE doubt about are those between Polk
street and Western aVneue; and Beth
any college holds the key to the Sltua
ton in these blocks. The board of trus
tees of the college are among the public
spirited people of Topeka and there is
little doubt that the college will consent
to the pavement.
One of the arguments used by those
who are pushing the pavement is that 1t
will afford a means for the fire depart
ment to reach Christ hospital. Under
the present conditions this institution is
now practically without fire protection
for it would be next to impossible, es-
pecially in muddy weather, for the fire
department to reach the hospital in time
to be of service. The original building
is entirely of wood. Another argument
in this connection is that there should
be a thoroughfare by which ambulances
and physicians may reach the hospital
without Inconvenience. The proposed
pavement will bring the hospital into
easy communication with the business
portions of the city.
The ladies who are largely responsible
for the care and maintenance of the
hospital Will be greatly interested in the
proposed pavement as well as every
other citizen who knows anything about
the great work that is being done by
that institution. 1t should receive the
protection from the city which it de-
serves.
Mr. c. S Bowman and Mr. VIM. Mac
ferran have both taken an active inter-
est in the pavement and both own prop
erty along the proposed route and will
have to pay their share. They realize
the benefit the pavement will be to the
property owners along the street and
the other people who own the property
take n position of the same advanced
nature.
Among the trustees of Bethany COL
Iege who will decide whether the two
blocks between Polk street and West
ern avenue will be paved or not are
Bishop Millspaugh, J. W. FarnswOrth,
c. ]. Brown and Avery Turner. Nearly
all of the trustees are among the Oldest
citizens of Topeka and they are inter-
ested in the future development of the
city. For this reason it is believed that
when a formal request is made the pc
titions will be signed on behalf of Beth
any college. thus insuring an unbrOken
line Of pavement from Quincy street to
Lane street on Tenth avenue.
There is one block, between Harrison
street and Topeka avenue on Tenth ave
nue., which is not paved, and which has
been a disgrace to the city for years on
this account, which will also be paved
resolution ordering this block paved
has been prepared and will be presented
to the city council at the next meeting.
This will also be paved with brick.
An accurate estimate of the cost of
the pavement has not yet been made,
but it will probably be in the neighbor-
ment and between $50 and $50 for the
other, which will be 35 to 40 feet. The
taxpayers will have ten years in which
to pay for the pavement.
There is a slight variation in the
width of Tenth avenue, but there will
be room for beautiful parking all along
the route of the pavement. The avenue
is $50 feet in width to Buchanan street.
From Buchanan to Lincoln it is 115 feet
in width and west of that street 100
feet. If a 100-foot street is paved with
a 30-foot roadway, it will still leave 80
feet on either side for parkings.
The petitions which are now being cir
cuIated contain the names of 45 prop
erty owners. There are ten who have
not signed, including Bethany college.
This is a step toward the Improvement
of Tenth avenue which is of Importance
to the entire city It is especially i'm
portant to the people who own prop
erty along that avenue, for it will make
Tenth street one of the most desirable
of fine residence streets of Topeka