The San Francisco call., 1907-03-09

In signing UP number OF leases
I will not listen TO real estate
agents any longer ] tell them when
they can get the owners OF downtown
property to a sensible basis, then
will entertain a proposition TO move
downtown"
The above statements. gathered from
& number OF sources, merchants, real
estate men and professional men, are
expressive OF the general feeling In the
city over the attitude OF the downtown
property owners. The demands for high
rents are holding back the town.
With few exceptions al the mer-
chants are IN favor OF coming back 10
the old retail district, but they abso-
lutely refuse TO leave their present To-
cations IN Van Ness avenue and Fill
more street until the downtown prop
! erty owners reach 8 business basis.
They say II is the plain duty OF the
! property owners 10 ask REASONABLY
low rent for the first two years, and
after business is well established to
raise the rents. To this they have no
objection, but they do object emphatic
ally 70 being asked exorbitant rentals
before the downtown district is com
nerciaily "habitable."
SHOULD BE REASONABLE
II is said By the merchant that dur
ing the next year or two the old retail
district Will be g place OF debris ano OF
obstructions necessary TO the Work OF
rebuilding, and that during this time
there must be strong inducement Tor
business houses to come down town
Women constitute the shopping ele-
rnent OF any city. and II is not likely
they will come down town when the
streets and sidewalks are Uttered with
bricks and mortar. After that period,
they say there viii be a material
change. The old retail district VIII be
r1a gN0DneTS
begin TO come down town. but the In
tervening time will be one OF trial for
storekeepers They say that business
conducted with such high rents ap-
proaches q gamble, and they DO not
care to make the experiment
Argument seems to make small I'M
preston upon the property owners.
They turn deaf ears to pleadings and
retort that the merchant has no choice
but TO come down town, and that he
viii be forced 10 seek a location IN the
old retail district.
Unfortunately this spirit is general
among the property owners, but the
case OF Mrs NJ J. E. Cryan IS particu-
larly noticeable. and II is alleged by
real estate men that the LADY has
stopped more big leases being made
than any two persons in the city.
Mrs Cryan, il is charged, prevented
the lease of the White House. on the
asking an exorbitant lease Tor
frontage in Post street. She is also
accused Of having blocked other leases
IN Market street Mrs. Cryan- as an
absentee landlord. She lived for many
years IN Oakland. but now makes her
home in Ireland. and though she has
been appealed TO by cable TO be more
modest IN her demands she has so hrm
a belief in the future of the city that
she increases her rents each time she
has been informed Of any one wishing
TO take any OF her properties.
COMPLAINTS ARE LODGED
Another owner, II is said, with whom
It is Impossible to DO business is P.
Marsicano. He asks $1,000 a front foot
when the property adjoining Is nateo
at $4,000. Complaints are also regis
tered against S. Clayburgh and Sanford
Sachs. who are imbued with the idea
that their properties have increased
greatly IN value since the fire, and viii
not listen to what the merchant and
the real estate operator has 10 say
regarding g fair consideration. The
stanton Estate Company has also a
good opinion OF values and is asking q
rental OF $4,000 g month for stx-story
class c building, 62x50, when on the
opposite corner /. Meyerstein. with a
similar building, S3s6o, is asking for
the first five years rental OF $500
In pleasing contrast is the example
Furnished by Hilda Nuttal and Sarah
Rosenstock, who are asking $4,000 a
month for six-story class A building
in Geary street, near Kearny. 60xl22
Charles Gebhardt, who owns in
Geary street, half block from Market,
q four-story brick basement building.
zoxeO, IS also modest in his demands
and asks a rental OF 500 month. and
merchants say what these people can
DO can be done by others.
MERCHANTS ARE INDIGNANT
Clark Wise, the well known rner-
chant, in discussing rentals said: Il
see no sense in these people asking
more for the bare land than they did
before the fire. ] am anxious to return
70 my old location in Geary street, but
1t is Impossible to entertain the idea
even OF paying such enormous rents.
Values, according 10 these people, have
gone soaring in Geary street and as
long as they insist on asking high
prices ] will remain in Van Ness ave
nue."
J. w. Raphael said: Il assure you
that our present location IS better than
paying q rental OF $4,000 a year which
we did on Kearny street. l. for my
mart. do not intend TO be led into hy-
pothecating my posterity. which I
would have to DO II i signed a lease
for downtown property under the pres
en& exorbftant terms"
SEEN TO BE BLIND
Achille Roos observed that the down
town property owners should offer in
ducements TO the merchants TO go
down town. You see ne said. 'tho
big merchants are a drawing card for
the smaller fellows. and the owners
should know that. But they seem 10
be blind to their own good. The leases
that now are asked are really Enwar-
rantable under the circumstance no
merchant expects an enormous business
for the first two Years afNar he moves
down town The merchant is wiiling
10 pay a reasonable rent. but he does
not care 10 be regarded as a g5ol
thing Nor does the owner realize that
we have TO expend big sums in store
fittings. AS the way IT Is now. IL looks
70 me as II the big retail men VIII
stay right where they are"
SAN FRANCISCO SAVINGS VNI1N
Another bank will move toward Mar
l0et street, the San Francisco Savings
Union, which has acquired the property
-f u