The San Francisco call., 1906-12-31
Business Properties in Big Demand and Advanced
Prices Are Offered for Many Choice Locations

under the park programme If the bonds
shall carry
Building operations for the year have
been on large scale. Hundreds upon
hundreds of residences have been erect
ed, and this activity has been confined
to no single section of the city. Many
business blocks have been built and
many are in course of construction.
Two noteworthy additions to downtown
structures will be the First National
Bank and the Oakland Bank OF Savings
edifices, both of which are under con-
struction. Work of clearing the block
between Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Har-
rison and Alice streets for the Oakland
Hotel Companys hostelry, on which
s2,250, ,o00<will be expended, is going
forward. Kahn Bros. will add two
stories to their building, Washington
and Twelfth streets. The Merritt Ware
house Company Is erecting block OF
buildings on First street, between Clay
and Washington. Z. M. Derby Co
are the lessees. The Sunset Lumber
Companys extensive plan of harbor inn
provement at the foot of F'allon street
where wharves and docks are to be
constructed. is proceeding. Nearly hall
a million dollars will be expended. II
is said the Western Pacific Railroad
has bought large block of marsh land
facing the west side of the north arm
of the estuary between First and
Eighth streets. Building permits ag-
gregating s130o0 were issued Christ
mas week.
BRANCH Of ITALIAN BANK
The italian Bank of San francisco
has procured ten years lease through
Koenig & Kroll of the premises south
east corner Eighth street and Broad
MI N n U Ui1 h<
established.
Realty brokers aver that the grea,
drawback at present to the business
district is the lack of buildings to ac-
commodate the immense demand and
the heavy increase in tho volume o1
trade. Commercial structures are de-
sired and investors in this class o,
acceptable tenants on profitable terms
say the agents, who are securing the
field for their patrons
]. w. Macdonald & Co. have sold the
old Methodist Church (South) property
at the northeast corner Of Clay ani
Fifteenth streets for $115,000. Prepa-
rations are being made by Taft & Pen.
noyer to build on their Clay-street
holdings nearby.
Among recent noteworthy transac-
tions was the purchase by George w
Austin of the Helmke and Champion
block at Twentieth street and Broad.
way. Austin paid about 100000 for
the property.
Austin is boosting" the proposed
park bond issue hard. His views fol.
low:
Il hope there is not voter in Oak.
land who intends to oppose the issu.
ance of bonds for public parks at ar
election to be held two weeks hence
So far as | can learn, the propertie.
have been carefully selected, are of
fered to the city at very reasonable
prices, are conveniently located for thu
benefit of the public-and we neet
them.
TT is a lamentable fact that IL tht
city of Oakland had bought park sites
offered her eighteen months ago. sht
could sell them today for $4,000, ,O0(
more than we were then asked to pa,
for them. These are not fancies, the,
are facts. and II we do not buy thes,
beautiful properties now we certainl,
shall never have another opportunity
Any real estate operator knows tha,
the magnificent De Tremery propertS
in West Oakland, already covered witt
beautiful trees, and one OF Nature.
own parks. is worth more for com
mercial purposes than the city Is askeS
| to pay.