Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-02-01
GEN. WEST TELLS
HOW CITY GREW
789 PeaChtree Street, Where
His Home Now Stands, Was
Wilderness in 1865.

Only handful Of Atlanta real es-
! tate men can remember the Battle Of
Atlanta in 1866, and the geography Of
, this section in those stirring times. One
of these is General A. J. West Of the A.
j. West e II. +. West Agency whose
home at present, 789 Peachtree street,
once was considered in the wilder
ness" General West always has had
great faith in Atlanta real estate and
he declared in an interview today that
the past was a fair index to tho future.
| MANY men with brains and money
have chosen more wisely than they
knew by trading in Atlanta real estate"
said General West.
'"To illustrate, a few years ago one of
our firm stepped into the office OF Colo
mel George w. Scott, to whom this
section is indebted for Agness Scott
college, and offered him a central cor
ner, where as many people pass as any
other place in Georgia Colonel Scott
asked the price. 1t was given. 1t was
! then - o'clock noon. He requested
| that full particulars be given him at
o'clock.
| AT that hour, without parley or de-
| lay, the trade was closed for the prop
erty at about $4,000 per front foot. This
corner is now the home and property OF
| the Atlanta National bank and is worth
$40 900 per front foot without the build
ing
| $4,000 Gain In Three Years.
1.-TWO or three years ago we sold to
Colonel Albert Howell, Jr., a lot at the
corner Of Peachtree and Ponce De-
Leon avenue for $20, 1000 In twelve
months we carried him an offer of $780,
| 900, which he declined. A little later
an offer OF $4,000 was made, and he
also refused to entertain 100000
"As long as Atlanta grows you have
the same opportunities. Here is what
President William Mckinley said in a
letter to our firm in 1898 about Allan
| ia: Its strategic importance in time of
war foreshadowed it's commercial i'm
portance In time OF peace; Atlanta will
have 100000 population, and grown men
Of today should live to see it,
Don't wait until everything is finish
ed to buy; for instance, some fifteen
| or sixteen years ago Thomas II. Nor
gan and A. j. West selected lots on
Peachtree street and built homes. On
| the corner in front of them, where the
Sid Phelan residence now stands, was
a negro blacksmith shop. Had they
waited till that shop was moved it
would have cost them thousands Of dol
lars more.
soon after the war Captain James
| w English acquired 90 acres Of land on
| Peachtree street for $1,000 Some six
teen or seventeen years ago A. ]. & H.
+, West, o. A. Copelan. OF Greensboro,
and Mr.. Demorest. of New York, paid
Captain English $50, 900 for this land
and named II English View
"On this land are now located some
OF the most costly homes in the city,
amongst them Colonel w. l.. PeeTs, w.
A. Speers, II. c. Clouds, W. L. Trayn-
hams, Henry w. Grady's. F. J. Cool
edges and others The land is now
worth hundreds of thousands of dollars
without the improvements win this
happen again?
Colonel Maddox's Investment.
Here is what Congressman Sunset
Cox said about Atlanta: The star of
Empire is turning southwark; Atlanta
will be one of the six imperial trade
| centers
ION March :, 1890, Colonel Robert f.
Maddox, who was in New York, wired
the West firm as follows: Close deal
with Colonel u. d. Harrison for corner
Alabama and Forsyth, $3.50 cash.
| This central corner with it's large
frontage on Forsyth street, ia, now a
big fortune for Colonel Maddox's chill
dren If they should have nothing else.
Many years ago the grandfather of
! II. f. West bought from the estate of
Colonel Thomas f. Cooper, who was
killed in the war. the property on
Peachtree street known as the Ben Hill
place. or the Bell house, for $500. In
one year he sold 1t for s12,5O0, consid-
| cred big profit then. The same prop
erty now extending through to Spring
! street. as II did then, is worth $200, 600.
Real estate has an intrinsic value.
1t Is real property, the safest thing in
the world for which to exchange good
dollars. Stocks and bonds go up. down
and often out Not so with real estate
| it is always something real, it's there.
it's worth so many real dollars every
/ day. And the best of all. real estate is
( Atlanta real estate"