The San Francisco call., 1908-10-22
BUYS SITE
OF FAMOUS HOTEL
Old California House Lot Is Sold
for $4,000, or s40O a
Foot Frontage
in Third Street At
tracts Investors and Shows
Increasing Value

Alexis Erman has purchased the site
of the old California house in Cali
fornia street, which in more recent
years was renamed the Hotel de
France.
This was one of the old landmarks
of the city. The hotel bad the reputa-
tion of serving one of the cheapest
meals in town with jug of wine made
on the premises.
The new owner has bought the site
for speculative purposes. believing that
1t will be valuable for a hotel. 1t ad-
joins the church property on the east
and is 1877 feet from Dupont street.
The lot is 50x137:6 and the purchase
price was $4,000. being $500 front
foot. which is regarded as fair sum
for California street.
Property in Third street has been in
demand for the last few weeks by
those seeking investments, which Is a
good sign that holdings in this neigh
borhood are increasing in value.
herman Robson is the most recent
purchaser in this street, and he has
bought the holdings of the Watson
Brothers in the east line between Mis-
sion and Howard. 25xS0, with an l.
60xS0 and a frontage on Minna and
Sherwood streets. for about $4,000.
There is building on the lot which
has been partially completed, and it is
Robson's intention to finish and rent
the structure.
There was a mortgage of $50, 900 on
the premises, and the new owner had
to put up about $4,000 cash to secure
the property.
triangular battle has been waged
in Laguna street for the last week by a
Japanese express firm, a landlady of
foreign extraction and contractor. The
Japanese rented the lower floor of a
residence and the lease read that the
firm was to keep it in thorough repair.
After the Japanese were in the prem
ises the floor fell in and they were
unable to use the basement. The men,
bers of the firm applied to the landlady
and she pointed to the lease. They had
to make the repairs. A contract for
repairs was drawn up by the astute
Japanese which read that the work had
to be accepted by the board Of works.
The contractor did not read the terms
carefully and started in to Job the
Japs." as he explained to his friends.
The Japanese called upon the in
spector. who ordered the work done ac-
cording to the law, and now the land
lady wants the inspector to compel the
Japanese to build her a new basement
instead of merely putting in a floor.
The inspector refers her to the jap
anese and the Japanese send her to the
inspector, while the contractor relieves
his feelings with malsyolent wishes as
to the future abode of all parties con-
cerned.
That the Richmond district is fast
going ahead as a choice residence sec
tion is still further proved by the pur-
chase yesterday of two blocks from the
Joseph estate by Oscar Heyman, the
well known real estate man.
The blocks are numbered 410 and 412
and contain about 100 lots. The tract
is to be divided and placed on the mar
ket. The price was in the neighbor-
hood of $4,000. This property is on
Fulton street, between Thirtieth,
Thirty first, Thirty-second and Thirty
third avenues.
Emma l.. Merritt. for the Sutro es-
tate, applied yesterday for a permit to
erect a one story concrete structure
costing $4,000 on the site of the old
Cliff house