The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-19
HISTORIC ASTOR
HOUSE To STAND
MuItimillionaire Owners Sacri-
flee Huge Revenue for Sake
of Fond Memories.
MANY HISTORIC NAMES
APPEAR ON REGISTERS
statesmen, Poets, Warriors,
Actors Associated With
American Greatness.
BY RALPH JOHNSON.

BY Leased Wire 10 The Tribune.
NEW YORK, March 1S.-Let 1T not
be said that New York's multimilllon-
eires are not moved by other sentiment
Vhan the chase of the almighty dollar.
An instance Of the falsity Of this
charge has just come to notice. And
New York is to profit by it.
For some little time circumstantlal
rumors have been current that the old
Astor house was to be pulled down
and on its site great Office building
was to be erected. The Astors have
definitely decided now that the famous
old hostelry, one of the most noted
landmarks in New York, shall not be
torn down but shall be held as mon
ument to the Astor family.
In coming to this conclusion they
make a heavy sacrifice of money Tor
the sake of sentiment. The block on
which tho Astor house stands, Broad
way between Barclay and Nesey
streets, is enormously valuable, and
the income from great skyscraper
erected there would be many times
greater than now received from the
property but the present building Will
remain improved somewhat, but prac-
tically the same old Astor house which
for two generations was the heart OF
New York Leases have been renewed
aud the matter is settled.
1t is no exaggeration to speak Of tins
famous hotel as having been the heart
uf New York. The very site on which
Hcre lived Napoleon 3 famous lieuten-
ant. Jean Victor Moreau. John Jacob
l,tor the founder of the family, and
Nexander l.. Stewart, for years called
nc richest man in New York, have also
.lSided there.
rEe hotel was opened in 1886. 1t
had cost $310,00o, an enormous sum
N those days, and was for many years
one of the show places of New York.
1t has never lost its place as one of the
solid, substantial obstetrics of the city.
Associated With History.
History has been made in the Astor
house. IT was here that Henry Clay
received the notification of his nomina-
tion fos' the presidency in 1914. And 1t
was here eight years later that Webster
Whig nomination and retired broken
hearted TO his home In Marshfeld-
Black Hawk, the famous Indian war
rior watched the crowds from the AS
tor house steps, and thus had 1t borne
in on him that the pale face could not
be conquered.
The old registers Of the Astor house
read like a roster of the great ones of
America. Presidents, statesmen, war
riors, princes, men and women Of world
fame In letters and of the stage have
made this house their home while in
New York.
Andrew Jackson, who was president
when the hotel was opened, was
guest. So were Presidents Pierce,
Fillmore, Taylor, Van Buren,, Buchan
ar, Lincoln and Garfield Jefferson
Davis. head OF the Confederacy, made
it his headquarters when In New York,
and every president since the civil war
has "partaken Of the hospitality of
the Astor.'
Host Of Royalty, Too.
Tt was here that King Edward of
England, then Prince of Wales, was a
guest and he was not the only royalty
entertained.
The names of the Prince de. Join,
Vile and of Grand Duke Alexis of
Russia also appear on the register.
Among America g great statesmen
beside Clay and Webster who have
been entertained at the Astor may be
mentioned Choate, Douglas, Seward,
Weed, Greeley, Sam Houston, John C.
Calhoun.
Literature is represented by such
names as Dickens, Thackeray, Irving,
Hallick, Willis, Hawthorne, Bryant,
Whitman, Cooper, Poe, John Bur,
roughs and host of others
Such shining names Of the stage ap.
pear as those of Lester Wallach, Dion
Boucicault, Edward Forrest, McCready,
Fanny Ellsler, Jenny Lind, Rachel,
Louisa Pyne.
War is represented by the names of