The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-10-08
BENJAMIN ALTMAN
DIES AT HOME HERE
Fifth Avenue Merchant aud Art
Collector III for
a Month.
BEGAN WITH SMALL SHOP
His Collection Of Old Masters
one Of the Finest in
World.

World.
Renjanin Altman. president Of u. At
man 4 60. whose store in Fifth Avenue
betw-eu Thirty fourth and Thirty.hfth
streets ~ one of the show places of the
city. died Yesterday afternoon al his resi-
d.nc. go Fifth avenue. He was in his
seventy third year lis death was
ascribed to kidney trouble and heart
failure.
As soon as word Of his death reached
tn. management Of the store shortly after
2 "'clock the. clerks wer" told 90 stop
ma>ing sales and all tn" doors w"r"
lock.d Thc sto~" will remain closed
until saturday.
Funeral services will be held a, III"
Temple Emanuel Finn av"nu. and
Forty-.hird s'te.t on Friday morning at
$50 o'ciock The intcrment will he pri.
Vate
Nj Altman spent the summer AZ Mar
raganset Pier and cam. back in poor
hcalth ~. was unahl" to go to his office
in the store after his return.
MIR Altman was one of the mos' sue
cessfuI merchants in the city, developing
tn. buSln"ss Of u very small shop into on"
Of IN. finest stores in the world. As
relaxation from the pressure OF business
Mi Altman INDUCED his passion for world
famous paintings and his art gallery Al
his Fifth avenue home contains. accord
ing t. competent authorities. one "f IN"
finest private collections in the world
New Yorker by Birth.
~. was born in New York on luis -.
ls40 lie attended Ia" public schools. ANA
with his brother Morris tended store FOR
his father in the afternoons He iett
school at tn. age Of |. and after TN"
death of his father in 1868 the brothers
concluded 20 contnu. his business under
the name of Altman Brothers They had
y small stot. at Third avenue ana Tenth
street
Morris Altman died about do7en
years after the partnership when zen
tamin was 80 wears old. The business
was not considered prosperous at III"
time even for small store. bu' beh-
iamin believed tina, it had n future Of his
making and started out on a larger scal".
The nrm OF - Altman Co. started
business ~ II S'lill Dii'f VI '7'N''
nu.. between twentieth aud Twcnty-trst
streets about thirty-tr" Nenrs az" flN"
wears later. long before the uptown move
m.nt began. the company moved 7" S'Nth
av.nu. and Nineteenth street
Ru.in~ss Grew Rapidly.
It's business grew rapidly and the firm
found II necessary To- make frequent ""-
IA. land being ICunlrtI
until tn. store hrcame one "' IN" most
inposine ones "f it's dav
In lso, the company erected its hand
.ou. ,.partment store on IN" east side OF
Fifth a,enu. between Thirty-four's and
'rhirtv- ncth streets. The frst par'ri OF
land for tn. site ,corn-r 81 Fifth aNenn"
and Thirty frh street, was purchaser
hv Mr.. Altman back in 1885. In 1901 Mr..
Altman acquired another lot in the mid
dl. of III. block and continued his pnr-
chnses from widely separated owners "''"
no had what he wanted for what he be-
li.y.d an ideal site for an idra' store III
an ideal shopping district
Two wears ago an addition was mah"
TO IN. third Altman store on the site of
the old Kno"dler Art galleries. al 'hr
rur,h.,s, corner Of Fifth avenue and
Thirty fourth stft"t. ~ p''''"' " ''''"
,ddition. twelve stories nigh, ia being
bull, ON the Madison avenue end OF the
block. and when the work is completed
III. store will cover the entire block
bounded by Fifth and Madison avenues
and Thirty fourth and Thirty-hfth streets
Th. addition will cost sl,SOo.Ooo. II
will he OF Italian Renaissance ana VIII
correspdnd with the old building in every
thing but height. The total cost or the
enlarged Altman store. together with tho
land. 1t IL said, will be In the he'ghoor'
hood OF sl2,oo0.o0o.
Devoted to Rssiness.
Mr.. Altman was a bachelor. but did not
bslong to clubs. He was most reserved
but war said by his intimate friends to
he one OF the most soc!able OF men.
The first thought Of his mind and heart
was his business, and 1t was his long
wears OF devotion to II that broke down
his health more than once
He disliked publicity Of any kind and
IL has been said that he turned away
hundreds OF representatives or trade
papers apd magazines anxious to get In
terviews and sketches OF his successful
life.
Mr.. Altman round hM Rrea'est neIgnt
In his hours away from business in the
enjoyment Of a large and very remark
able collection OF old masters which
adorned the walls Of his residence. He
also had many Chinese porcelains, rugs
and crystals OF surpassns beauty.
Mr.. Altmans collection OF Rembrandts,
fourteen in number. II believed to be the
largest in the country, 1t Includes por-
traits OF Rcmbrandts mother. his son
Titus. his wife and himself. For two OF
hs Rcmhrandts Mr., Altman is said to
hav. paid 100000 each,
In 1912 MIR, Altman purchased Nelas-
ouez's portraits Of King Philip ". Of
Spain and his Minister Oivares. II was
said on excellent authority AZ the time
tha. they cost him nearly $1,000, 900,
In the same year Mr.. Altman added
Fra Filippo Lippis Madonna and Child
to his collection.
In 1905 Mr.. Altman acquired valu-
able Rembrandt in the portrait OF an
old woman wearing n white run and Il
half moon cap. lie got three more Rem
hrandts the next year. one portrait of
Oscar flarinr. another picture called
MAN with MaguifNing ';lass' ani its
pendent. "rhc Woman with Red Book"
Al TIE same lme he purchased Ruys-
/