New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-02
EVOLUTION OF sIXTH-AvE.
THE CHANGE FROM A RESIDENTIAL
TO MERCANTILE DISTRICT

The women shopgoers who have diverted their
attention for several sumner weeks TO golf or
yachting 70 peasants balls are now beginning
return 10 the bustling scenes OF city drysO0ds
stores and millinery shops There are. OF course.
thousand and one things 10 buy The children have
and torn their clothes from journeys over
rocks after softshen crabs. their shoes have had
a daily soaking in salt water for the last month.
and before the little ones cesn again go out for 3
walk with papa and mamma next Sunday after
they must be reclothed. RELATED and reshod-
The older folk. too cannot escape the requisitiOn
There are theatre parties and dinners and an Oc-
casiOnal Sunday sermon in the course OF the com
ing winter. and the father mother cannot vel
evade the demands OF fashion
There are accordingly now appearing IN ever IN
creastng numbers among the sdOpg0ing crowds
brown skinned and bright eyed women, zho
have just returned 70 the city and are out IN
quest Of bargains Others have returned only for
week or two preparatory 10 a final outing IN the
mountains. and they have great deal buy and
buy quickly
It was in anticipation OF this tide OF fall trade
that some OF the great stores IN Sixth-ave. that
are making additions to their establishments have
planned 70 have their new quarters ready for re-
turning patrons II Is also for this reason that
those firms which intend entirely 70 replace their
old stores with and larger buildings are erect
ing the new structures IN sections and completing
the buildings one section a time As Illus
trarlon. both Simpson. Crawford & Simpson. In
Sixth-ave-. between Nineteenth and Twentieth Sta,
and Adams & Co. between Twsnry-hrst and
Twenty-second SITS, are rapidly pushing for
ward TO completion large rear sections into which
they expect 70 move BY the middle OF this month
and thus permit the tearing down the old fronts
in sixth-ave. without any check 70 their business
As has been published in The Tribune. the new
store OF Simpson, Crawford & Simpson . 70 have
a ground area Of $1,000 square feet, frontage OF
200 feet in the avenue and a depth OF 2S3 feet in
the street II is 70 be eight stories high. and VIII
GosI ABOUT s1,2Oo0o0 The hrst section which has
syructed OF White stone with ornate cornice
The new store Of Adams & Co is Of white pressed
orlck, and Will be seven stories high Its ground
CoTdes the architec1s say that the rear Section
which IS 75x2O feet. viii be ready for occupancy
Another Improvement. which shows how ruthless
district On either side Of me Avenue is the reno
walton OF the southeast corner Of Sevenreen-h-st-
into stores, all Of which are 10 be Joined Lpon one
great floor with the sixth-ave- store The ground
square feet F. W Woolworth & Co are 70 occupy
From these improvements and stin others which
a. osei1PaIed - GLAeI nlercnanls r Is seen
opment Of sxth-ave a great retail centre IS
gone on apace ever since ms 9ne 81 business Va
diverted hiIher from lower Broadway
inevitable within the next few years IS the en-
I4ISeIeIlI O ELrlch SEOlherS n y cNel- q Co. and
altman & Co TIE latter built IN 1895 large add
ton their store in the rear which was built OF
snort time when the front part which Is lower
and built OF brick. viii be replaced by a building
in more complete harmony with the rear part
Thus the development OF SiXth-ave. between
Fourteenth and TWenty-eighIh SITS has been. first
dwelling houses, with small retail stores On the
first dOOr. then. mercantile houses where the upper
floors were used for commercial purposes third.
the big store which resulted from many smaller
stores being thrown into one, in the case OF
Mays, and, finally, the tearing down OF all The
old and smaller buildings and the erection Of one
great structure occupying the whole block 'front.'
has been done in the Big Store occupied
by the SiegeI-CoCper Company
a z n
district has been greatly accelerated by the ele-
waited railroad. whichr has enabled the residents
OF upper Harlem by means OF late morning express
trains TO reach this part OF the city IN q COM
paraCfvely short time.
Thirty years ago." said one merchant who has
been Identified with the drygoO6s business for
the last half century-'-why, thirty years ago all
these stores were down in Broadway below Tenth
[ St When Stewards big store was built between
Ninth and Tenth srs- now occupied BY Wana-
Z maker, everybody said the move altogether
100 bold and the store TOO far north But
great deVelODueur wholesale mercantile
trade has pushed the retail stores far 20 the
I norrhward Of this district These stores also
attracted uptown by the uptown tendency OF resi-
Dental Improvement