Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-21

doubled his money To- Two years by selling
it 20 1857 TO Louis 4. Riley Of Philadelphia
for $1,000 The next July, Riley resped
his share Of the reward 90 a wise investor
by selling 90 90 the Commercial National
bank for 10000. and the bank built on g.
Slices from 30 have since been sold at In
creasing prices and IL is estimated the lot
Is now worth $4,000.
The growth OF tie retail business district
has favored the two lots just mentioned
and their rise in value has been more
marked than that OF almost any other
single piece Of real estate In the CITY.
But the records are fun OF stories alike.
except in degree of cases where fortunes
have been found merely by waiting.
Here is one for example. In the early
sos, J. /. Byers purchased a mud hole
at Fifteenth and Douglts streets for Ss25.
He acquired a lot 132xl32 feet in size and
figuratively sat down ard waited for IL
to make him rich. His dreams have been
realized and the lot now contains the
Berg Clothing company building. During
the boomiest of boom days. it was esti-
mated to be worth $4,000. Today conser-
vative estimaters say it would bring $3.50
600 on the market and it is still owned by
Mr.. Byers.
Here is another story Of a man made
rich almost against his will. This man
owned A feet on Douglas, between Fiji
teenth and Sixteenth. and in l-O he tried
to sell it for $500. because he thought he
needed the money worse tina he needed
the land. He couldn't find a taker at that
price. and rather than come down he de-
cided to keep it. If he wanted to sell il
today he could get $4,000 for it, and besides
it has been giving him a steady income.
Another instance of a man who was
lucky in spite of hsn self involves the north
east corner of sixteenth and Douglas
streets. In $50 this corner was offered
for sale at $1,000, but buyers turned up
their noses at it at that price and the
owner concluded to keep It. Afterwards
he made a twenty-year lease at 6 per cent
on a valuation Of so, 600, and in 1900, with
the lease still in effect he sold It for $50,
600, and now the present owners. ]. c.
Melvin and others Of Boston could get
S20oo coo for it if they chose to take It.
A more amiliar instance of the rapid
rise in values is the northwest corner OF
sixteenth and Douglas streets. In 1883 the
lot was used as a nursery end was COW
cred with small trees. 1t was then worth
from 5000 to $1,000. j. l.. Brandeis g.
Sons aftcrward leased It and then bought
1t, and today it is producing a rental in
come annually larger than the value of the
lot in 1883. Still more noted IS the his
tory of the property on the southwest cor
ner of the same intersection. In 1855 the
Young Mems Christian association pur-
chased It from John P. Black for $4,000
After building the old Young Mems Chris
tian Association building and using it for
almost twenty years the association sold
it In 1902 to j. L. Brandcis & Sons on a
basis Of Sl5O,0NO for the lot, and since thor
it is estimated to have increased in value
$4,000.
In the office of a local real estate mai
there hangs a framed copy of a little four
page newspaper known as The Daily Ne
braskan. dated December Ii, 1851. The shee
contains a little war news and a gooC
many advertisements. Among the latte
is a legal notice to the effect that thu
sheriff will sell on a certain date lot !
block IS, to satisfy a judgment of s475
Two years ago Herman Calm bought thii