Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-30
ROAD JURY AWARDS
IN THE NORTHEAST
DISTRICT OF CITY
Kensington and Lehigh Ave
nue. Changes of Grade Due
to Abolition of Railroad
Crossings.

h~oS'a' g.
In a report filed this month Horace
Yardley, William II. Dougherty and James
Johnson, viewers, awarded damages
caused by the change of grade in the
abolition of grade crossings on line of
the Philadelphia and Reading Railway
Company, Richmond Branch, as affecting
the following streets:
Kensington avenue, between Harold and
Boudinot streets; Lehigh avenue, between
Jasper and A streets, Oakdale and AL
bert streets, between Kensington avenue
and Jasper street; Tuscuum street, be-
tween Kensngton avenue and Ruth
street, and Potter street, between Lehigh
avenue and Huntington street
| The change of grade of Kensington ave-
| nue. at Lehigh avenue was approximately
| eight feet six inches on the south side
| and ten feet on the north side the grades
| of all intersectng streets being adjusted
| to conform to this grade 1t ran out at
| 2608 Kensington avenue to the south and
at 2745 kensington avenue to the north.
! DAMAGES CAREFULLY CONSID-
Erred.
| The viewers in making awards took
into consideration that the physical work
was begun during the years 1912 and 1918,
and the delay incident thereto, also that
| in making excavations rock was found
in many instances and had not been pro-
vided for in owners testimony. This of
| course, doubled the cost of eXcavating in
| adjusting the properties to new cond-
| tions.
AWARDS ON KENsINGToN AVENUE
20 properties s20i, 052 90
do tenants claim.
| LEHIGH AVENUE
| 81 properties Observation-Disclosures. 5O,49s. 90
ALBERT STREET
property NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 5000
OAKDALE STREET
| g properties Observation-Disclosures. 2.O33.O0
| no damage
TUscULUM STREET
| is properties Observation-Disclosures. 11r1l5.0O
POTTER STREET
II properties ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 4.o26o0
one hundred and ffty-sx properties
We're considered. and the total award
was S271, ,674.5O. Taken as a whole, the
award seems as fair to both sides as
may be. when it is considered that loss
of rental and loss of business cannot
| be regarded as such.
In the cases where no damage was
given six properties showed only a range
in change Of grade from one-eighth of
an inch on one line to zero on the other
to one and seven-eighths inches on one
line to zero on the other. One claim
was that of a tenant who had a yearly
lease, and the case of the Episcopal Hos
pital, where only the adjustment of the
stone wall and iron fence on same, to-
gether with relaying pavements and re-
setting curb, was asked. This has been
done in the best way possible by the
city.
DAMAGE IN SMALL GRADES
In regard to the properties mentioned
with less than two inches of grade, the
viewers have usually given something
and it would seem that owners should
recover. Real estate men, except in 2
few instances. are united in the belief
that there are damages even beyond the
grade to a point fixed by a weii-known
broker, who testihes in a large proper
ton of cases "a point where, standing
on the front steps, the grade is plainly
visible" In Tioga and other sections
heavy loss of rental, both during the work
and a long time after, and the fact that
old rents do not rs rule come back
within a short time as alleged by eX-
perts called for the city, clearly goes to
sustain the position that owners are en-
titled to damage.
CONDITIONS BETTER.
Where a row of properties are in one
ownership and are adjusted together. a
decidedly better condition is Immediately
manifest. as can be seen in properties
covered by this award, 26OS to 263O, in
elusive, Kensington avenue These prop
critics have been adjusted at one time
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