New-York tribune., 1911-12-14
HOFFMAN HOUSE TO Be
PARTLY TORN DOWN
Business Building 10 Take Place
of 25th Street Part Of
Famous Hotel.
OTHER BIG REALTY DEALS
House of Dr.. Kip Brings Record
Price for Inside Property
James Speyer to Erect
100000 Home on
Fifth Ave.

Three transactions involved valuable
real estate in Fifth avenue and Broad
way YESTERDAY. one Of these was Tie
sale of the home OF the late Dr. isaac
/. Kip. at No. AS Fifth avenue for
100000. a record price for property not
on a corner. Another was the leasing OF
the old Hoffman House site. ~ the
southwest corner Of Broadway and 25th
street which will be torn down and re-
placed by a twelve story business build
ing. and the third the fling Of plans FOR
"a $4,000 dwelling house for James
Speyer. head of the banking firm oi
Spcver & Co. ct the southeast corner
of Fifth avenue and S7th street The
part of the Hoffman House IN the mid
dc OF the Broadway block. owned by
the Kinney estate, will be continued as
hotel under the present management
The Hoffman site was leased yester-
day by Louisa NJ. Gerry through the
Cruikshank company. for term of
wears. to Einstein. Wolf & Co, an en-
broidery. lace and handkerchief concern.
now nj Nos. 443 and 40 Broadway. 1t
is expected TO have the new building
ready for occupancy early next year
The plans are being prepared by John
b. Snook's Sons. architects.
The hotel has played no small part in
the affairs Of the Democratic party, for
a long time being the headquarters for
Democratic leaders of the nation. state
and city and their followers.
Chairman Jones, OF Arkansas. also
made 1t his headquarters when Bryan
was nominated I'm 1896. and it was the
centre for conferences in the Democratic
national and state campaigns again in
1900, when Bryan ran the second time.
famous Democratic leaders TO make il
his headquarters. When ED" Murphy
was state chairman he also made use of
the place for his headquarters. Even as
ocratic headquarters. for Tilden and
Horatio Seymour used to make the Hoff-
man House their stopping place.
The Hoffman House has been famous
also as a betting ring OF the nation for
layers of odds on election and all sorts
of things. Even betting Republicans
were wont 10 go over there from the
Fifth Avenue Hotel. az far back as
down. When Ned" Stokes, who killed
Jim" Fisk conducted the hotel he
spent fortune on paintings. which were
hung in the barroom, 10 which they at
tracted thousands Of persons. TO the
great profit of the management.
In the fall Of last year IT was an
rounced that the Hoffman House, for
the second time within a dozen years,
had gone into bankruptcy and would
close its doors. 1t was not until the
spring, however that the hotel was
closed. but il was only for a short while,
and IT opened again.
The plot upon which the site stands
contains about 1900 square feet, being
~ feet on Broadway and 217 feet in 10Th
street, and extending through 10 24ti
street The new building TO be erected
will have nine elevators and entrances
on Broadway a large part Of the
structure is TO be occupied by the les
sees. The remainder OF the building will
be rented in lofts.
Plans for Mr.. Speyer's house were filed
Yesterday by Horace l.. Trumbauer. who
drew the design and will supervise the
construction work. The site for ii was
acquired a year ago, in two sections. by
Mr.. Speyer. II will have a frontass ~
90 feet on the avenue and lOO feet IN
the street. The FACADE Is To be OF llihe-
stone. I'm the modern French style, or
namented with balconies and Cornthian
columns four of which will be on the
street side and six on the avenue. An
elevator will he installed in the build
ing. Entrances will be from Firth ave