The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-18

Property dressing-up to help it's s. sale sale
or rental has received much theoretlcal
attention in Minneapolis. w. u, Har-
ris has put the plan to actual test. he
is satisfied with the results and rec
ommends the idea to owners OF proper
DresSinguP Of pro prGpe erGnert IN a nr1
epEep H rent hsp IN t the block between
First and Second avenues S on Seventh
street he has produced the effect OF a
! boulevard by night with the generous
use of gas lamps. Eighteen OF the nine
! teen stores which he has erected on
were finished Mr.. Harris considers the
! lighting effect in front Of these stores
/! to have been the biggest factor IN rent
/ ing them.
] So successful has been the effect of
4 property itself and in increasing travel
| in front of the stores, that Mr.. Harris
would like to see the plan enlarged to
! take in the whole business district, IN
connection with the Grand Army en-
! campment next August and Tor perma-
! nent effect. ,, -
Some months ago, after he had made
! long leases of the Seventh street prop
+! erty,eas part of future site Tor the
New England Furniture & Carpet com.
pany, Mr.. Harris determined to erecI
small store buildings to 1m mdPnGlno the the
.
expiration of the lease which the New
/ England still owns on it's present site.
Having put the construction OF the
buildings under way, he began to evolve
plan for "dressing them up Inc
lighting effect, which has attracted SO
!; much attention to Seventh and First
/ avenue S for the last few weeks was
/ the result. What an attraction. 1t mas
nroyed MIR. Harris tells in his own
words:
popularize property like lots of light:
stMy observation has been that one
OF. The most significant evidences or
METROPOLITAN growth is abundant light.
And. altho this manner Of dressing up
property was entirely my own, am
more than satisfied that made no mrs,
take and that the investment IS WISE
1.-THE evening travel on Seventh
street has already, by actual count,
more than trebled since the lights were
Naturally the question arises as to
the cost of this lighting. Anyone VINO
of the new stores marvels at It's
dazzling brilliancy, YET at the same
time the thought of the expense OF 1T
all.intmdes on the practical mind. AS
compared with the results this is mod
crate matter, as one estimate from MI.
:. Harris figures: ,r
hour. $50 per post a year. l have
placed twenty-five posts, eighteen feet
(, apart, in the block on Seventh street
between First and Second avenues, and
the annual cost for lighting will be
about $3.50. -- .... =" .'..
esEi ghteen of the nineteen stores are
rented, and the other would have. been,
except that I am DESTROYS Of getting in
certain line Of business. No two bus1-
nesses are alike in the block and every
store was rented before it was finished.
I consider the installation Of lights the
biggest factor in the renting:
b; Aside from the actual light fur
nished, the character of the posts IS
ornamental and artistic, and am stat
q ing that I will see, due solely to the
lights, as many people on what Is al
ready being called 'The New England
: prom, within year, OF a Saturday
night, as there are on Nicollet avenue.
7tIn Los Angeles there is an arrange
nnent whereby the whole downtown =; aus i;
vision of cost between the merchants
and the city"
Commenting on an extension Of the
lighting scheme, such as has been
worked out on Seventh street, Mr.: Har-
ris said that during the G. A.. R. en-
campment one Of the. most attractive
Features that could be worked out
would be a profuse lighting Of the
downtown streets. And while it is be-
ing carried out, if possible, he believes
a permanent installation should be
made, which shall remain after the en-
campment is over.
@: Some interesting figures are given by
Mr.sHarris which throw some light on
he4comparative cost Of maintenance OF
display lights to an owner of property
q These nineteen stores,'' said he