The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-01


that run to and fro in all direc-
lions through Salt Lake make d
study of real estate movements one of
deep interest to those who watch the
upward progress of the city. Although
the situation was never more cOn1pli-
Gated because OF conflicting interests it
was never more clear than during the
year just closed that practically all
the movements that influence the
values of real estate in the business
district swing around the corner of
Main and Second South as around a
common pivot Different parts of the
city show marked advance and many
improvements, but the combined ad-
vance of the city during the year just
closed seems to have established more
securely than ever before the corner
ment oned as the heart of Salt Lake.
The effort throughout the year to
pull the business of Main street north
in the direction of the Temple corner
was more than offset by the energetic
and persistent movement down Main
street in the direction Of the new
federal building. This is but con-
tnuatiOn of the fight for supremacy
that involved the entire city at the
time the federal building was located
by the government five years ago. The
stubborn determination to pun bust
ness west to West Temple and in the
direction of the railway depots was Off
set by the equally stubborn pull east
TO State street, in the direction of the
city and county building and the resi-
dence district of the city. To a great
extent these antagoniStic movements
have established an equilibrium that
holds the business center of the city
just where it has been for many years.
Where Street Cars Loop the Loop.
Nothing is having a greater influence
IN establishing permanently the retail
business district Of the city than the
street car system, and in no other year
of the city's history was so much done
along this particular line as i'm the
year just closed. The main artery of
the entire system of the Utah Light
q Railway company extends up and
down Main street from the Brigham
Young statue to Fourth South street
From this great artery feeders run ont
in all directions, but it is we'll known
fact that there is not a street car line
in the city of any Importance whatever
that does not traverse or cross Main
street within the limits mentioned.
Within the year just ended the i'm
portance of Main street in this respect
has been emphasized by the policy of
the street car company to make a
number of the lines previously more or
less independent to loop to Main street
This policy has been worked out gradu-
ally since the absorption of the Rapid
Transit property. Now it is thoroughly
established and the indications are that
II Will be adhered to tenaciOusly in the
future. Every State street line now
loops one or more blocks and lands its
human freight in the best part of the
business district So far as the street
car lines operate to establish the bust
ness district of the city, it is clear at
this time that retail stores TO do
large general business must be 10
Gated between South Temple and
Fourth South, and between West Tenn
pie and State streets.
Good Location For Trade.
shrewd business men of long expert
ehce When inspecting a city for the
purpose of securing a business location
are guided b. the rule that the best
business location in any city is be-
tween the large retail dry goods stores
OF that city They argue that BUYERS
In any city, especially women shon-
pers, graVitate back and forth be-
tween the large dry goods stores and in
this way make valuable every foot of
ground between the points of attraction
at the different ends Of the line Ac-
ceptmg TINS rule as a good one and
applying IL to Salt Lake it would seem
that the best business district in this
city is between the u. c. NJ. I. on the
north and Walker Brothers store on
the south. Every person posted on
conditions In the city Will accept this
cepted fact that the west side of Main
street is better for most lines of bust
ness than is the east side. This is due
TO the fact that as a rule women do their
shopping in the afternoons. In the
afternoons it is shady on the west side
of the street, and in the summer this
Is factor that cannot be ignored. Co.
operating with this is the fact that
merchants are enabled to make a bet
ter display in the show windows on the
shady side Of the street of goods that
might be injured by a strong sun. The
a. G NJ. /. is the only large Institution
In the city that runs counter to the rule
outlined here; but in Salt Lake the Il.
G M l. Is in a position to defy all
ordinary rules.
Where High Prices Rule.
The figures at which real estate is
held in the business district and the
record of rentals will fortify the state
ment already made. Stores on the west
side or Main street between First and
Third South are in the greatest de-
mand. For this reason here is where
the highest priced property is located.
and here is where the highest rentals
are paid. Very little property has
changed hands on Main street during
the year just closed, and that trans
ferred went for practically double what
IL was held at five years ago.
One OF the significant moves during
the year was in the direction of State
street. Little was done in the way of
making OF this thoroughfare a retail
district; but the erection OF the Enery--
Holmes fiat, the Packard library build