The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-06

iilc escapes. lack of proper sanitation
or the like. and the departments have
come down on him. Still the OLD man
would not sell II he could not patch
up the violations he would let the ten
ants move and hold the building vacant
until some one rented 1t who would
make the required changes.
Next To the Astors, Mr., Wendel prob
ably was the largest land owner in New
YOrk He owned property in Hoboken,
Irviugt n-ou-the- Hudson. his country
place, and "a place at Quugue, l.. |. He
never married; his life was devoted t.
) the Management of the vast estate
which had come down 10 him and hia
sisters from generations reaching back
two centuries,
The Wendels are one Of the oldest
cent mood. Mr.. Wendell often said that
his people were tenants In New York
two centuries ago. The Wendels started
to accumulate real estate long before
John Jacob Aston had arrived in this
country.
J strange to say. the foundation OF both
the Aston ana the Wendels fortunes came
out of furs. MIR. Wendell. who has just
a
4 Wendell. who as early as 1901 was one
/ OF the leading furriers Of the town. He
| followed the business ~ his father and
! his fathers father Aston and he were
| the leaders in the business in the early
days Of the nineteenth century.
Mr.. Wendell. though SO years old, was
an active man. lie walked every day
/ to his office ~ rs Broadway from his
! house. the three story rel brick build
ing at the northwest corner of Fifth
avenue and Thlrty-ninth street. across
from the Union League Club, AT 10
{ o'clock, as sure rs the sun, Mr.. Wendell
would be at his office ready To transact
business and match his wits and
shrewdness with real estate men. law
yers and all who came his way for the
rest OF the day. His office was on the
second floor OF the old building which
adjoins the northwest corner of Broad
way and Cortlandt street, II has no ele-
vators. Mr., Wendell did not believe
much in new tangled affairs.
on frosted glass of tho door wa
painted "Mr Wendel's office" Insido
along the wall was a row Of old fashioned
safes that gave the place the atmos
phere OF an old trading house In the
DAYS or the revolution, Inere was
nothing about the office to indicate II
was the headquarters Of an estate con-
trolling 100000 worth of Manhattan
real estate. The slogan of the Wen
dels is, Never sell real estate" 1t has
been the slogan not Only Of the presen
generation but all those before. "Thc
: Wendels never give "A deed" Mr. Wen
del often told real estate brokers wht
tried to get him to part with his prop
erty At other times he would point {,
the sign, yellow from age. on the wal
, where every one who entered the OFFICE
might see it, mo property for sale
, The only property taken from th
Wendels was condemned and usual!
, for civic purposes, How closely Nh
, Wendell followed the slogan Of his fam
lily may he seen by the stand he tool
a against the Manhattan Hudson Ter
minal Company, which eight years ag'
, condemned his property AT 40 De
street, part OF the site Of ono Of the hi
terminal buildings, William g. McAdoo
now Secretary OF the Treasury, went Il
! Mr., Wendell and told him that his com
i pany wanted to buy the property as
= site for station for the new system o
= transit and explained his plans, But MI
v Wendell pointed to the sign and said;