The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-12
ROWTH and development of large
citins is Interesting to note and

ROWTH and development of large
cities is interesting to note and
~ analyze, as well as the changes,
and rearrangements of different locall-
ties in those cities. A close observer
car easily discover in any city With
whose conditions he is familiar, Ger
tain natural advantages which underle.
the changes and which are sure to affect
favorablv OF unfavorably, the. city,
growth in any direction rs, :. : !. s.
7. u. Barnes president OF the Minnie
sofa Title Insurance & Trust company,
made certain predictions nearly three
years ago in the columns Of 4 re y Q Y r
II al, regarding tie future prominence, tent.
i'm business way, of that section OF
Fourth avenues S, and inside5of Eighth
street. The unfolding Of events tends
to Justify the foresight Of Mr.. Barnes.
Any citizen who comes downtown can
not fail to see marry building improve
ments in the district described, where
a few years ago the prospects did not
seem bright for any change in the dis
NAL outlook.
Fifteen Years Ago.
When the Minnesota Title Insurance
& Trust company located in the Oneida
building at Fourth and First avenue, fiji
teen years ago, the officers were ire
quently rallied on the fact that they
had chosen a positien quite one SIDE
answer to such observations was that
while the company's: location might be
at the time somewhat aside from the
center, it was certainly in the line OF
prospective growth. He stated that
Fourth street was a coming street, and
that within ten years property on
Fourth street would be worth quite as
much as that upon Third. This was
thought hardly possible, and yet within
caught up with those Of Thirds street,
and are now considerably higher. In
fact. some say SO per cent higher. Later
on Mr.. Barnes predicted that not only
was First avenue S to be good street
but also Second avenue S, and that the
financial center would eventually be
at Second avenue. S and Fifth street
He also stated that Fifth street prop
ertv would soon be worth quite as much
as Fourth street, and many persons are
already acknowledging that Fifth street
is probably quite as good as Fourth
street, and in some respects even better
Predictions Come True.
'It must be admitted,N said Mr.
\ Barnes Yesterday; "that not only are
First and Second avenues and lowe1
Fifth street coming to the front very
rapidly, but that even Third avenue
is to be good business street., ant
that Seventh street, from Hennepll
to Third avenue is to be one OF tht
very best retail streets, in the city,,
# Mr.. Barnes made an observation will
Preference to one Of the Influences work
q ing in favor Of the locality mentioned
. which has, Perhaps escaped the notic'
of most business men! He calls 'atten
tion to the fact that nearly all tn
frontage upon First, Second and Thir'
avenues S, and also upon Fifth, Sixth
Seventh and Eighth, streets, betWee1
those avenues, is made UP of large hold
ings. He states that, by actual refer
ence to the records, he finds the aver
, age number of front feet to each holde
upon these avenues is 1872 feet, and tina
. upon the cross streets the average holo
; ing per owner is also unusually large
He argues that this means that muc
n better class of buildings will be col
=" structed than if the holdings were small
d Holdings Are Marrow. ,z. -
"It might be noted in this conne'
d ton, added Mr.. Barnes, ".that tn
). holdings on lower Hennepin, lower MI
= ollet and on Washington avenue, al
). usually narrow, many of the fr6Htage
. being only 20 feet. This, doubtles
d had much to do with the fact that th
Il first buildings erected in these local
ties have remained, and the result ha
3 been that business has moved farthe
= up town to newer localities, where larg
frontages were owned, and newer an
larger buildings erected.'
Inasmuch as many deals affecting re;
estate and mortgages are closed in tn
office of Mr.. Barnes, and he is himse]
chairman of the - valuation con
mittee Of : the Minneapolis Res
Estate board, he is in
position to have unusual facilitie
for observation and to make well-foun(
ed predictions. II feel certain,' say
he of the future, "tbat such men 8
w. L. Harris, CIV Johnson and ot]
ers, who have predicted that the reta
business center will eventually be {
Second avenue and Seventh stree