Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-19
GIFT FROM MRS.. SAGE
Fifteen Acres Presented to New
York University.
ESTIMATED VALUE 100000
Chancellor MacCracken Makes An
nouncement Of Donation.
COLLEGE BUILDING GROUP
schwab Estate, Adjoining the Uni
versity Grounds on the South,
Added to Them.
ESTIMATED VALUE 100000
GROUP
COLLEGE BUILDING G

NEW YORK, December 19.-Chancellor
Henry NJ MacCracken Of the New YORK
University announced yesterday at the clos
ing ceremonies before the Christmas recess
Of the university graduate school and the
school of pedagogy, in Washington square,
that the university had acquired title only
a few hours before to the Schwab farm, Of
fifteen acres, which adjoins the south line
of the university grounds and carries that
line to 1SOth street. While the chancellor
concealed the identity of the donor by say
ing that the farm had been bought by
friends of the university and presented to
the institution free Of encumbrance as a
Christmas gift, it was learned elsewhere
that the gift came from Mrs. Russell Sage.
Mrs. Sage is a great friend of Miss Helen
NJ. Gould, who is a graduate of the New
York University Law School and who gave
the university the Hall of Fame and the
library building. Mrs. Sage and Miss Gould
have long been intimate friends of Chancel-
lor and Mrs. MacCracken.
That the gift was not expected by Chan-
celor MacCracken just at this time Is the
idea of the members of the class IN phllos-
ophy which DR.. MacCracken was teaching
yesterday morning in Library Hall on the
heights. The class had barely opened
when he received a telegram When he
read it he changed color, dismissed the
class and left the building. He missed
chapel during the next hour for the frst
time since the fall term opened, and dldn
return until IL O'Clock.
IT'S City Lots.
In his announcement yesterday Chan
cellor MacCracken said that the gift of the
estate, which comprises 175 city lots is the
largest single present to the university.
with the exception of the library edifice
which Miss Helen Gould gave twelve years
fD~
the Gustav Schwab estate. which owned
the farm. said last night that the purchase
price was 100000 He said that the Schwab
heirs had frequently received as good offers
for the property, but that they had held on
to it with the idea that the university ought
to have It,
Chancellor MacCracken has frequently
made it plain that he has great plans for
the future New York University which Will
be greatly advanced by the increasing of
the area of the college campus to thirty
seven acres. In his address at the open
ing of the school year this fall he said that
he hoped that the university would some
day be modelled on the plan of the great
English universities, in that he would be
able to group a number of colleges at Uni
versity Heights, each with separate FAC
uty. 1t is expected that one of the early
changes will be the moving of the Washing
ton square branches of the university to
University Heights.
Enlarge Summer School.
In his talk to the students yesterday
the chancellor said that the acquiring
of the new property would make it possible
to enlarge the summer school next year,
and that the vacation work of the institu-
ton would be the first department to bene-
fit by it. The summer school will be held
in the three-story brick mansion of thirty
seven rooms which was built and occupied
by the late Gustav Schwab, father of Gus
tav II. Schwab. Last year the summer
school had an attendance of 800 and was
greatly crowded for room. Next year, the
chancellor said, he expected 800 out or the
LOCO students in the Washington square
schools to enroll at the summer school on
account of the improved facilities for the
session
History of School Farm.
In the negotiations which resulted in
the turning over of the property to the
school yesterday Mrs. Sage was represent
ed by Henry w. DeForest
The Schwab farm has been in the pos
session OF only three or four families since
the original Dutch purchase go years ago.
At the time of the revolutionary war it
was owned by a family named Archer
and formed a part of the line of defense
of the colonial forces along the Harlem
river. On the spot where the late Gustav
Schwab built his residence in 1853 was Fort
No. s. When the ground was eXcavated
for the Schwab residence a lot of relics
of the old, fort in the shape of cannon
balls, old muskets, pieces of uniform and
uniform buttons were dug up.
Gustav Schwab. who later became
member of the firm of Oerichs & Co,
agents for the North German Lloyd line,
lived in the house he built until his death
in 1883, and his widow continued to reside
there until her death in 1904.
Since that time the big house has been
occupied only by caretaker. Some years
ago the late Herman Schwab, son of
Gustav Schwab and brother of Gustav H.
Schwab the present agent of the North
German Lloyd line, built a small brick
house on the farm a few yards away from
his fathers residence. and these two brick
structures are the only buildings except
few outbudings. The smaller house is