New-York tribune., 1908-04-12

purposes is along the Harlem River and ship canal
north of 2Olst ST Further south the island is SO
much wider that all the waterfront is situated
quite d long distance from centres and means OF
communication. here all this valuable business
property lies within few hundred feet OF the
rapid transit road and the main arteries of travel
The approaches good. no cheap tenement sec
ton to pass through to get 10 it. bad grades
for hauling and two modern bridges connecting 1t
-yith The Bronx TO the north and east
Above all this whole section is practically viz
gin soil nothing having been built there to spoil
hold hack its proper Improvement
This is the only part Of Manhattan Island where
there is any extended area remaining for compre-
hensive development large scale and most
important OF all. with The Bronx and Brooklyn
crying for new subways and better transit. this
section has all the communication. both local and
through that it needs for many years TO come.
The Broadway main line of the present Inter
borough rapid transit road runs through the heart
of IT with express stations at Dyckman 201th ana
2l5th streets; the Kingsbrdge branch Of the Third
avenue trolley system is in operation Broadway,
and the University Heights and Kingsbridge sta
tions Of the New York Central and New York q
Putnam railroads. affording connection with the
Grand Central Station and the west side elevated
roads respectively. are within easy reach In addi-
ton to this. freight traffic can be handled by the
Hudson River Railroad from its station At Dycl-
man street and the Hudson River and by water
along the Harlem River front and ship canal
In the week in which tho exhibit Of the conges-
tion OF population in this city was held at the
American Museum Of Natural History much inter
est was manifested by the public newspapers ana
many charitable persons in the work being done
70 improve conditions in those districts The great
stumbling block the Chinese wall. the apparently
irsurnountable obstacle that seemed TO shut of
all hope Of immediate betterment. was The lnao'HN
Of working men and women. the toilers in the fac
tory mill and svveatshop to i've elsewhere ana
yet be within easy and cheap commYnication with
their daily work.
Nearly all tic speakers at the congress urged
that more subways. more tunnels and more bridges
he built 10 make easy for those persons to live
outside Of Manhattan Island and stil be able 70
work here Governor Hughes however, said in
his speech al the opening Of the congress that
the two ways 10 get any considerable number OF
people 10 leave the crowded tenement districts
we're first. to build factories i'm tho outlying
neighborhoods where land cheap and houses
for those working there could be built to rent at
moderate prices, and. second 10 build more
rapid transit roads. At the northerly end OF the
island in the Dyckman section. these two condi-
tons he met at once to-day without waiting
for years for subways or bridges to he built
even we're the money forthcoming from the city
treasury for this purpose.
There is room to-day IN that section for up
ward Of hundred and fifty thousand persons
10 live leaving ample space for factories along
the waterfront. and all within thirty-mnute
ride of the City Hall for cents and without a
change Of cars. What ideal place, too, for the
and Hudson rivers, the Fort George amusement
places Van Cortlandt Park, and within a few
minutes ride Of the entire Bronx Park system.
with linitless opportunities for recreation free
the air.
These facts should convince any one that the
southerly and central parts of Washington Heights
have had and from present indications will
tinue have, a sane, healthy and reasonable
amount of good building operations, Of the kind
that is wanted and needed.
That this kind Of improvement. including both
walk up" hathouse and elevator apartment
houses. which have been 10y far the chief feature
Of the building movement in the last three years,
las been what is needed is proved by the
ner in which the finished product has been rented
and sold.
Nanv inst ances can be cited Of whole blocks Of
stores rented on leases At more than satisfactory
rents without To Let sign put up the
premises. as well as apartments occupied before
the decorative work Of the buildings was done.
Never before were renting conditions so good
in this district. As for selling, while in no sense
OF the word is there anything approaching
boom Vet not a week goes by without the record
finding their way out Of the builders hands. not
into those Of the specUiator or middleman hut
direct 10 the bona fde investor. Similar condi-.
tons prevail in regard 10 the smaller and lower
priced houses. and certainly this is a condition
that makes the conservative and thinking real
estate man regard the situation with much salts
faction and compiaisance.