New-York tribune., 1902-05-17
THE UPTOWN MOVEMENT.
HOW TT HAS AFFECTED THE PUB
LISHERS.
6HEIR STEADY MIGRATION NoRTHwARD-A MAI
URAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WITH
LEADING FIRMS.

The publishing houses Of New-Yorlk have fig
ured conspicuously in the northward drift OF
business interests. One after another they have
steadily followed the movement uptown, until
now their offices and stores are among the most
Characteristic features of the district. Still an
other transition has been announced, that OF
D. Appleton & Co.. which is to take place within
a month. Their offices have for some time been
at No 72 Fifth-ave., fairly close TO the later
centre but their new quarters are considerably
further north at Nos. 436 and 43S Fifth-ave.
To representative of The Tribune investigat-
ing this question OF the uptown march OF pub
fishers, H. n. Cary. of the Appletons. said:
This change will put us further uptown than
any of the other houses and far beyond any
except Dodd, Mead & Co. at Thirty-sixth-st
and F1fth-ave. 1t will also put us close to the
new library, which will probably make centre
for the book trade.
1--WE are the pioneers in this matter OF moving
uptown. From our old establishment down IN
Exchange Place we have come up step by step
TO Bond-st then up Broadway TO No. 200. and
later 10 several other places on the way north
In 1894 we came here to Fifth-aVe. and Inlr-
teenth-st and were then in advance OF all
other publishers in the matter OF changing site
20 meet altering conditions of trade. And now
we are to go to Thirty -ninth-st, which VIII
again put US in that position. That is our rec
ord for seventy-five years"
Henry L. Smith, in charge Of the retail de-
pertment of Charles Scribners Sons, No lo3
Fafth-ave., said there was natural tendency
on the part Of all retail business generally to
move uptown, although the Appletons, of course.
We're not a retail house. The firm Of Charles
Scribner's Sons originally in Park Row
where "The Times" Building now stands, over
half a century ago. Later the firm moved to
No. 654 Broadway, then TO No. 745 Broadway
where they remained about twenty years Eight
years ago they moved to their present home
I'VE own our building here" Mr.. Smith went
on to say, "and that is pretty strong anchor.
My personal belief is that the most prominent
retail centre will be around Twenty-thrd-st
and Broadway for many years TO come. Where
a house does a purely publishing business it
doesn't matter much if il is not in the
centres although 1t has TO be within reach.
The Harpers, for instance. who are publishers
only still remain downtown.
ut does not seem to me that this move of the
Appletons has any marked significance beyond
the general tendency 10 move uptown. Forty
second-st. is, of course, looming up In greater
proportions as a retail centre. 1t is a question
how much the new Public Library there will
affect the publishing business. AS I remem-
ber the British Museum has no large publishing
houses around it; neither. I think, has the Bib
lotheque Nationale any publishing houses near
it. The Boston Public Library has book
houses OF the first importance in its neighbor-
hood to my knowledge. AS to the public library
in Astor Place, the bookstores have practically
moved away from it.
THE whole question of the trend of the
tres is a very difficult in New-York on ac-
count OF the conformation Of the city and the
general geographical problem, but the tendency
is unquestionably TO go uptown This tendency
Is largely due to people moving their residences
uptown. and the encroachments Of the large
drygoods and other wholesale interests, not only
on the residential districts, but in forcing the
retail stores north 1 sometimes wonder II this
city will not be much like London, which seems
to have many centres all of which appear to
be pretty distinct in character. 1t may be that
Twenty-third-st. will be one centre, Thirty
fourth and Forty-second sts. Others and there
may be centres further uptown. Herald Square
is certainly going to be a centre"
J. Bishop Putnam, of G. P Putnam's Sons.
No. % West Twenty-third-st-, said:
I'VE came up from No. 661 Broadway in 1870
20 the Young Mems Christian Association Build
ing at Twenty-third-st. and FOurth-ave. People
thought that were going into the woods
and would be scalped, but we've kept in Twenty
third-st ever since. We here TO stay. We
highly approve of collecting the trade together
as nearly as possible. My father thought the
cheek by jowl
''I think the future should make the library
at Forty-second-st the centre of the publishing
trade. That ought to be the tendency When
I look back on thirty-odd years the change in
Twenty-third-st is marvellous. When came
uptown the centre of the drygoods trade was
Stewards. at Tenth-st. You will be perfectly
safe in saying that the library is the place
where the publishers should congregate. 1t
In 1Tr,d ba
John Macrae, vice-president Of E. P. Dutton
& Co., No. 81 West Twenty third-st-, said that
by degrees one publishing house after another
had moved uptown. THE Putnams and
selves were the first to come here in Twenty
third-st," he continued. I'VE at No. 713
Broadway about twenty years ago, then went
10 No. 80 West Twenty-third-st, and moved here
sixteen y--rs ago. Stokes. and then Henry
Holt mov>d in this neighborhood, and Dodd.
Mead & Co. are now up in Fifth-ave above the
waldorf-Astoria- The Macmillans are still down
on Fifth-ave, but they are uptown in comparison
with where they used to be- in Fourth-ave..
in the neighborhood Of sixth-st. James Pott &
Co. used to be in Astor Place, and are now in
Twenty -third-st., between Sixth and Seventh
aves. For twenty years the tendency has been
TO go uptown.
I'VE have no intention Of moving We
came here when Twenty-third-st. not much
of a retail street, and have seen IL grow, be-
tween Fifth and Sixth aves., to be the most
valuable retail block in the city. It will. in my
Judgment, remain so for many years TO come.
by reason Of the Twenty -third-st. ferry bring
ing over people from every direction. and the
Long Island Railroad, which will run a tunnel
in Thirty-third-st, transferring passengers in
any direction The crucial point of the whole
thing is that the publishers have seen from
fhas 4 iS wis md for