The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-27
LEAVES IT UNSETTLED
MARKET COMMITTEE OF THE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. PUZ-
ZLES OVER SITES
RESULT OF ITS LABoRs
Directors Accept the Report, Except
That an Amendment Is Attached
Declaring for Purchase by the
City OutriEht-Detatls OF the
Various Sites Considered by the
Committee.


Exhaustive, at least, was the discussion
given the market problem by the special
| COMMITTEES Of the chamber OF commerce
| in its report presented yesterday. al
though indefinite in its recommendations.
The committee says I'm closing:
Your committee regret that they are
unable to makeoa recommendation of any
site that Is conveniently located. and of
sufficient size. and that will meet all the
| requirements, that Is available or prac-
| ticable. but they beg leave to give the
chamber and through them to the coun-
Gil and the public the facts that they have
gathered, and trust that some solution
to the difficult problem will be found, and
that a suitable site will be chosen, and
purchased or leased, and prepared for
use at the earliest date possible. How
ever, If no site is selected and purchased
by the city. they strongly recommend
that the council through the proper au-
thorities should make arrangements with
the owners of the property on Second
street, from Cedar to Wabasha, and on
Bridge square and on the bluff side of
Third street from Wabasha to Seven Cor
ners for the use of the frontage, If neces-
sary making an appropriation for the
payment to the owners for the right for
wagons to stand in front of their prop
erty, and If possible without charge to
| the market gardeners, but that in any
event their rights should be protected,
and they should not be driven about from
one place to another and left to make
settlement with the owners Of the prop
| erty as they best can.
THE chamber of commerce should not
6rNn hIrt f0II .
up vigorously and in some manner pro
| vide for the accommodation of this Inn
portant industry, and give greater ia
cilities for handling the products of the
surrounding country.
The commission merchants are now To-
Gated on Third street and are satisfied
with the accommodations that they have
| and do not desire to make any change
The committee think that it Is decidedly
| for the interests Of the city that Third
street should be a business thoroughfare
as 1t is now becoming and that the pres
| ent business should be retained there, for
! II the street should be abandoned by the
commission merchants 1t would probably
| not be occupied by any other line of bust
| ness to any great extent. Every effort
| should be made to concentrate this bust
| ness on that street and nothing done
| which would cause it to be removed or
scattered. Business of this kind should
be all done in one place and, owing to
the topography of the city and the build
| ings already erected, this Is the natural
and the best place for this class of bust
ness
This Is signed by the full committee
save that Gen. Sanborn dissents from ap-
proving any Of the sites on Third, Eagle
or Bench street
The committee makes detailed reports
on a number of sites investigated The
OrNaif tao u
values of any Of the sites. but gave the
| assessed valuation. 81,
| The site bounded by Broadway and
| Olive and Ninth and Tenth streets was
| found to contain 102520 square feet, in
Guiding Pine street, which could be va
Gated If necessary. The assessed valua.
| ton, including improvements is $40. 400.
| The committee thinks it would not cost
more than $1,000 to grade the lot The
| site, however, is inconVenient -sa#
| The site bounded by Jackson, Temper
ance and Tenth street contains 1920
| square feet, and the assessed valuation
of lot and buildings Is s37, $50. The COM
| mittee was not favorable to this site, on
account of its size, location and general
characteristics.
| Another site, bounded by Jackson, Rob-
| ert, Ninth and Tenth street, containing
| 100000 square feet. and assessed, with i'm
| provements. at $50, lis, not including the
relief society lot and building, would cost
| $4,000 to grade. 1t would be an expensive
site to acquire. One of the owners will
| fight condemnation proceedings.
The site opposite the Central high
| school, viz: Bounded by Minnesota, Rob-
ert, Ninth and Tenth streets, contains
| 114,S00 square feet, and has an appraised
value of $4,000. The improvements are
| of some value. 1t is on grade on two
| sides, but cannot be brought to grade on
| Tenth street and part Of Minnesota The
committee was not impressed fayorably
| with this location.
The site bounded by Robert and Mime
sofa, Eighth and Ninth streets has an
area of "a, 400 square feet. and has an as
| sessed valuation of 100000 It is rather
small.
In reference to the site bounded by
Fourth and Fifth streets, Franklin and
| Exchange, including Christ church.
which has an area Of 102, $50 square feet
and total assessed valuation of 1892 $50
| the committee says it would be favor
able site, but the improvements are of
| too much value, and surrounding prop
erty would deteriorate In value.
The site at Third, Fourth, Franklin
| and Exchange streets, containing 1880
| square feet, and assessed at $40, $50 is too
| small and too expensive.
A site located between Chestnut, Fla
| gle, Franklin and Exchange streets. has
a large area. 126,650 feet; has an assessed
valuation Of $4,000: Is nearly On grade.
| The block is sufficient In area, and i'm
| mediate surroundings would not be in
| jLred, but on the contrary would be i'm
proved. The property Immediately ad-
! joining it is not of bad character: but
! that within block and half Is very
! Objectionable, and probably always will
/ be- The site is large enough to con-
1 tain hay market. The site will answer
4 the purpose Of commission merchants.
and viii not withdraw any Of them from
| their present locations. 1t is convenient
to many Of the retail grocers, but is
| rather out of the way for grocers living
| in certain parts of the city Nearly all
| of the block could be acquired by pur-
chase and the rest acquired by condem-
| nation. There Is a proposition for
lease, but not on such terms as the city
could accept.
The site bounded by Third and Eagle,
| Exchange and Franklin streets by in
| Guiding the latter two streets, would con-
| tain $4,000 feet 1t has a frontage on
| Third street of BAT feet The assessed
value of buildings and lots is $37, $50 The
| plan involves the building of retaining
| walls, the erection of piers and q plat
form. which would increase the area to
| 108.S0O feet. The committee says In dis
1 cussing this site:
| Certain classes Of business would be-
| benefited by using the Eagle street side
| and having the protection of the platform
| above 1t.
This is an exceedingly desirable loca-
| ton, but the objection to it is the cost Of
| construction. 1t is very questionable
whether the city would have authority TO
| appropriate the money for the purpose of
| making this construction. The committee
has been unable to get any accurate fig
ures, as to the probable cost The esti-
j mates run all the way from $4,000 to
| $4,000 for erecting the platform and build