The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-27
"The Social Centre.v

A rather notable discussion is going
on in newspapers Of Importance con-
corning the social future Of New York.
1t seems to have been provoked by a
remark in a real estate paper of this
town, by IAN authority who has made
a speciality al nigh priced residential
property in Manhattan, to the effect
that there now appears in New YORK "a
drift toward Washington" as the Amerl-
can social centre, and thar this ten
dency is growing steadily more notice
able Hdrpers Weekly is also quoted in
confirmation Of that opinion, and the
Boston Erening Transcript thinks 1T
we're folly for New Workers to pretend
indifference" to the subject.
Without any pretence, however, there
Is such indifference in New York, so far
as the matter has attracted any attention
at all. SO long az the salable values of
landed property in all the choicest dis
tricts of the town continue to increase
at the rate Of their advancement in
recent years, the question whether New
York is to remain the social centre of
America or is to lose that distinction ut
some future time does not cause any dis
turbance or awaken any misgivings
The transformation of the district Of
New York which has been for so long in
habited by its richer and more luxurious
people from centre OF wealth and
fashion into a region of trade strictly
is going on too obviously and too rapidly
for it's social consequences to have es-
capped consideration, especially by men
Interested in landed property. For ten
or fifteen years and more business has
been invading Fifth avenue, till now,
below Fourteenth street, that thorough
fare has ceased almost entirely 10 be
a place of private residences From
Twenty-third street upward the same
transformation has gone on, though
somewhat more slowly but now it has
become evident that the time is near at
hand when Fifth avenue will be a street
monopolized by business from Madison
Square and Central Park another Rue
de In PAX Already It's more important
corners are occupied by imposing struct-
ures for trade and as hotels, or have
been bought at great prices for the speedy
erection OF even more stately buildings
for the same purposes The Union Club
paid what seemed at the time high price
for the site OF its newly erected house at
Fifty-frst street, yet now IT could sell the
land at large profit.
As this change from residences to bust
the whole district known as Murray Hill
will be transformed The side streets
between Fourth and Sixth avenues will
gradually be transformed likewise, and
the district in New York most distin-
guished as a centre of wealth and fashion
viii be n centre of trade Of hotels and
apartment houses In the next twenty
five years practically all the private resi-
dences of the district will have given
place to wholly different structures
The region lying along Central Park to
the east, above SiXtieth street, was slow
in developing into the centre of stately
fashionable residences which it has now
become; but it is too limited in area to
accommodate more than small frac-
ton of the steadily increasing number
Of people Of wealth and luxury from all
parts Of America who are fixing their
residence in New York for at least a few
months OF the year Where this popu-
lation is to find house room in New York
Of the sort it desires is a problem which
real estate experts are at loss to solve.
With the Murray Hill district given over
10 trade large and small. and to hotels
and apartment houses, even its present
residential population will find il hard
TO get places for houses in another neigh
borhood Of the same relative fashionable
distinction. Where, then, are the rich
people who are coming to New York in
numbers so great and those Of our citi-
zens who are acquiring large fortunes to
find like sites for their residences?
As il is, the building of single private
residences on Manhattan Island has
almost ceased; only a very few Of the
most costly sort are put up. Tho great