The Washington times., 1904-05-22
BATTLE of the millionaires,

IA That is the way the nght now
L n waging between John Jacob
Astor and the property owners near the
corner Of Fifty-ffth Street and FIFTH
Avenue, New York city. is being de-
scribed. Mr.. Aston has erected SS.OO0.0Oo
hotel at the southeast corner. diagonal
~ opposite the fashionable Fifth Avenue
Presbyterian Church, and in the very
center Of a nest of plutocrats. and for
a year or more there has been trouble
in the air
The new hotel. the St Regis, Is now
nearing completion, and the plan was
that it should be opened in the fall X
has already been leased to r. NJ. Ham,
who has thus been drawn into the fight
AS the other contestants require the Use
of all their fingers-and IN most cases
their toes also-to count their millions.
Mr.. Ham must have felt somewhat out
of place.
The trouble is over a liquor license for
the hotel. Obviously the hotel cannos be
made to pay without having the privi-
lege Of ministering 10 the wants Of the
thirsty. but to secure this the consent
Of the church across the way, and that
OF two-thirds OF the property owners
must first be obtained
Within Forbidden Distance.
The Fifth Avenue entrance to the no
tel is less than the prescribed 200 feet of
the nearest entrance to the church. Up
to date, the church and the property
owners have refused their consent. The
residents. including William Rockefeller.
Henry S. Redmond, and James Ever
ard, are fighting the proposed license at
every step, because they believe that, II
the license is granted. the character Of
the whole district will be changed and
its residential attractions lost At pres
ent. therefore Mr.. Aston IS in the posi-
ton OF a man who has spent 50, 0OO. 900 or.
an improvement with practically no
chance of making 1t pay. The St Regis
cannot profitably be run as an apart
ment house or a family hotel
There IS unQuestionaDiy much bad
blood in the whole matter. Ever since
three years ago. Mr.. Astor purchased
the Thorne property, and made public
his new hotel enterprise, the surrounding
residents have been up in arms. Firth
Avenue and Fifty-fffth Street was one
Of the millionaire dwelling places. and
its residents hoped that II would in
definitely remain such. The extent to
which people OF wealth will go to pre-
vent such invasions was shown by the
Vanderbilts' purchases Of the northeast
and southeast corners OF Fifty-second
Street for the purpose Of stopping hotel
improvements. Such a course was i'm
possible in the Fffty-fifth Street corner,
for various reasons; and so the building
was begun.
Dynamo Annoyed Neighbors-
The popularity Of the hotel was not in
creased when huge piece OF granite fen
from a high elevation into the house Of
! - 4
noise Of the dynamo, too. proved such
a nuisance that Mr.. fEverard was obliged
70 move. The residents early got
together, therefore. and decided 70 fight
the license in every way POSSIBLE. IT
seemed a clear case al first because of
the presence of the Fifth Avenue Pres
byterian Church The law was perfect
/ " clear in this instance. as the Fifth
Avenue entrances Of church and hotel
were less than 200 feet apart About
year after the building was started.
however, Mr.. Aston purchased two lots
adjoining on Fifth-flfth Street, and fled
plans for an eighteen-story addition 20
hts hotel Everyone at once jumped
TO the conclusion that his main purpose
was to make the license secure.
If the cafe were placed in this addi-
ton, and the distance were 10 be meas
| Street, 1t would be more than 900 feet
| from the entrance to the Fifth Avenue
church. About this time the burned
/ Pulitzer dwelling. fifty feet adjoining
/ Mr.. Astor's new plot. came into the
market. In order TO prevent the exten-
sion Of the St Regis on this plot the
property owners combined and bought
it, Later they sold the plot 10 W. w
& T. NJ. Hall, builders. who began a
private dwelling on half Of IL, and sold
the other half 70 Mr.. Astor. with re-
stnctions. Mr.. Aston agreed to begin
/ the construction Of a private house on
! October 1, 1903. He has eXcavated to 4
great depth both this and the plot for
/ the st. Regis addition. Mr.. Halls
house was long since finished, and
stands on a precipice looking down into
| Mr.. Astor's deep excavation. A fine
legal point is whether. the digging OF
IsiXtv-foot hole Is the initial step in the
/ construction OF a five-story dwelling
That. however. is aside from the pres
ent subject.