Omaha daily bee., 1911-09-17
TIMELY REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Scottish Rite Masons Will Soon
Decide Style Of Building.
TO COST 100000 TO $4,000
Need for Certain Number Of Vacant
Houses in City In Proportion 90
Population ts Told by
Harry Tukey.


we're submitted to the board Of directors
OF the Scottish Rite Thursday evening a.
a meeting at Masonic temple. No particular
design vas decided upon. though some Of
those present said the various members
Of the board are now pretty well agreed as
TO what they want and definite decision
probably VIII be made within the next ten
DAYS.
II IL pretty certain that the structure
will be three stories IN height and about
- feet long by ninety feet vide though the
interior arrangements and the architectural
design OF the exterior are yet 70 be deter
mined Offhand estimates by members
Of the board place the probable cost of the
building all the way from $4,000 70 Sl50.0oo-
The building will be erected by the Scot
tish Rite Masons alone, unless the Shrners
decide very soon 70 Join with them The
blue lodges own the present masonic tenn
pie al Sixteenth and Capitol avenue and
viii continue 70 make their home there
A certain proportion Of vacant houses
In city is necessary 70 the welfare OF the
city. according 70 local real estate men
who have studied the question At first
glance. this may appear ridiculous. but
when IL is argued the slack" prevents the
raise in rents which would ensue II TOO
few houses were available. anyone can
begin 70 see sense IN the statemnt.
Harry Tukey Of A P. Tukey q son, who
have noticed such an increasing demand
for houses to rent that they have decided
70 establish a rental department, said
II Is hard 70 tell just how many vacant
residences there are in Omaha but it seems
that for a number Of years there has been
Oh IL,
with the population. One man came into
my office few days ago. who said. Isn't
it awful? I actually believe there are 200
vacant houses in the city Next day an
other man came in and said. There are
200 vacant houses in Omaha. DO not
think there are l.000 vacant houses in the
city AT any one time. but supposlng there
were. ii would not be too large a number
in comparison with the size OF the city.
For several years our population has
been increasing a. the rate Of about $50
a year which means only loo to 10
families as a great many people who To-
cate here are unmarried For a number OF
years We have been building LOO new
houses a year, which Just about provides
for the new residents who are coming in.
And 1t is neceaeary TO maintain our
slack Of vacant houses; it would not do 20
follow the advice Of those who tell Us 70
stop building a while until the population
catches up with building operations. If
you don't have plenty Of vacant houses for
people 70 select from the real estate OWL
ers parurau Will boost boost. boost the
rentals all the time They would make
rents so high as 10 keep people from
locating here Denver Dragged few years
ago that the number OF vacant houses in
that city has been reduced 70 less than
LOO. That was a poor brag. as loo houses
is not enough slack for a city of Denver's
size and would mean high rents"
AS a general rule. II is the old houses
/ that stand vacant" said Mr. Tukey. II
seems that owners would rather lose a
years rent than spend the price OF two OF
three months rent in fixing up a house
4 To rent readily, houses must be somewhere
near modern An old house viii rent as
! quickly as a new one If the owner Will
put in hardwood floors. electric lights and
new plumbing Wide porohes and sleeping
porches will help, too. for the idea of
spending more tine out Of doors has be-
come the fashion. People also have gotten
over the idea that they need five OF six
rooms on the ground floor. In the major
lily Of new houses there are about three
or four rooms on the first floor-iving
room. dining room, kitchen and parlor."
Egbert c Mseners recent paper before
the Omaha Real Estate exchange on Com.
ulunity Advertising was published in the
August number Of the National Real Is
tate Journal. Mr.. Misener is with the
Tate-Ehrhardt company.
The Real Estate Title Trust company
owing TO long continued delay Of the Ne.
braska legislature in passing a law pro.
viding for such trust companies as have
developed in the east. has relinquished its
trust company plans and the Charles z
Williamson company has been organizsd
10 succeed TO the business. The company
is located now al lOl South Sixteenth street
How q dilapidatsd ana haIt-abandoneC
business district can be reluvenated wa,
told al the Real Estate exchange session
last week by Harry Wolf. In a description
OF the re1uvsnauon Of lower Market stree
n Philadelphia Mr.. Wolf knew that pa
Of Market street ten years ago when j
was on the down grads. Buildings wer,
! old ana firms we're moving away. Al in
provsrnenr club was organized and the IN
, terssts OF the majority Of property holder
enlisted in the movement 70 make in
provements along every possible line. New
paving was laid ana an ornamental lKhtinl
/ system installed. The section was KEEP
: clean These improvements were sufficien
70 induce many OF the property owners q
tear down their old shacks and erect nev
J buildings. With a little impetus the move
ment grew When Mr.. Wolf was in Phila
celphla this summer and ten-story build
buildings we're being erected in every direc
ton and old buildings were being puIle,
down 70 make room for new ones for whicl
plans were being drafted BY architects
George q. Wallace, in telling the Rsa
Estate exchange last Wednesday Of his i'm
presslons OF q number OF Pacific coas
cites, said he returned 70 Omaha irapresse,
with the IDEA that IL was I'd 70 this cir
/ 70 light its streets better.
one az the recently renewed leases in n,
central business district is thar Of N
AacCarthy-Wilson Tailoring company. %,
SO south Sixteenth street. whose new lsss