New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-01-22
TRINITY PLANS TO SELL
WAREHOUSE SITES OPEN.
Old Dzcelling Houses To BE Raced
and RepIaced by Business Structures.

and RepIaced by Business Structures.
Mode, tenement houses will not BE- built by Trim
stv Corporation its property in the lower Yves.
sE. II was stated yesterday thai Sne CLOSING "a
81 Johns is only one step in pursuance OF i0ns
MANNED policy for improving the property by the
er.c+ton of warehouses and Office buildings unth
great business district is built up.
This explanation for the closing OF 81 'olA
Va. made by a representative OF the corporation
ses,orinx the issuance Of the statement. puohsheo
YESTERDAY IN The Tribune. that the old cnapei "ou
not he torn down but would become the centre tor
q great evangelical movement TO oe conoUcteu "
the Rev William Wilkinson the "bsnop OF wan
Street
The section will some day be vast business
aistriet said the representative OF Trinity IL
has long been seen that the march OF peope uI
.oun will go on -obbing the neighoorhooo Oh clui'
r@onle until the number of those who can take an
sctive interest in parish work Will be reduced 10
nothing II would be foolish to attempt 10 stop
business interests by holding old tenement houses
that were built fifty ago and more ahc are h'
longer considered 1T for modern dwellings,
As a matter OF fact the people who nave oeeh
living in these old houses have enjoyed an easy
lot once these buildings were fashionable houses
occuried by moderately wealthy people To-Day
they rented TO several families. one moor 10
family and in most at 81 a MONTH
"A majority ot these houses had been let out on
sH-euty-one-year leases, with TWO renewals MAKING
81 sixty-three years before Trinity could lay any
rlas-1 70 he Many or these leases nave CA
rired recently, and now there are not more lhan one
or two long leases in existence. Trinity has been
giving only short leases of one or two years SO 'has
al any time proper purchaser presented himseit
1t would be possible dispose OF the properly anu
tear down the building.
Trinity has realized the urgency OF se'lihs iiu
of these old buildings and has made the very pest
Of the circumstances. but the corporation mas hao
P definite policy in view, and that has oeen 10 pre-
vent the section from degenerating into tenement
fslya she E-aSr
cred that New York has quite enough OF
that sort thing and. foreseeing the necessity Oh
q spread the business section. il has been 1ar>
sighted enough realize that the time is COM
ing when nc more office buildings or warehouses
can be built OF the lower edge of the island ana
that they will have to be built somewhere Ihey
cannot he built south of the Battery, and they must
go north of St Psuls.
There a long stretch Of territory Win 81
Johns at one end and St Lukes in the middle
There is & big foreign population. and there are
hordes of people il the neighborhood OF sIsLuke
who need a bigger plant than they have at present
That is the proper centre for building up the "orh
OF the parish. and not St John s.
The Church is not expected to run counter to
the business interest Of the community II 1t can
preserve itself and grow while furthering those
interests
Trinity has never turned out any OF her tenants
because they have not paid their rent. although it
is 70 the interests of the corporations policy OF
general house cleaning to have them move away TO
other sections One family mas HNeQ II d HOOSo
down there for 10 years; another Tor h1ty-fNe
years and several others for ftythree years 1here
are many whose term OF occupancy has been forty
gears At present 50 per cent Of the houses are
rented by Trinity directly and the other half rented
by lessees These lessees include many Germans
and Irish
Trinity has been a kind Of guardian to these
tenants They have at least had plenty OF hght
and fresh air, and the conditions have been no
worse than they are in many country districts
have haen could see. Inc
extremely los rents have made It possible for
them TO stay under Trinity's care. paying as
they could If they were driven out II "oulo De
very hard them
George NaccuIloch Miller 8 member of the stand
ing committee of the diocese, which. with the
Bishop mus. pass upon the disposition of all Church
property saio yesterday a Tribune reporter that
he believed Trinity had done "a noble thing in re-
spending generously 20 public opinion"
-.a9Ae splendid interest that the people Of New
York have taken in old 81. Johns said Mr. Miller
.proges what & deep interest still exists in things
spiritual Religion is not by any means dead. and
the way every has become stirred over the pos
sIbIe destruction Of St. Johns is wonderful
revelation to Of This is not less striking
because we know that Trinity never has con-
texnpIated the destruction OF the chapel
Perhaps the interest that has been shown Is
rather ssthetc in it's nature. but at the same time
it indicates reaction from materialsm
Il. most cordially commend Trinitys action. and
gratefully acknowledge what has been truly noble
response to public opinion, though 1t may not have
been their original intention. have deplored as
much as any the controversy over which the
entire Church threatened 60 become reused, and
think this satisfactory result OF agitation should
he thankfully recognized. 7 glad 1t came be-
fore the almost comic idea o: revoking Trinity's
charter and all this talk about the Legislature went
any further.
Trinity has met its responsibility handsomely.
and the entire community should be satisfied
snd show generous appreciation by ceasng to say
gnkind and untrue things about this great philan-
thropic institution