New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-06

echoed through the silent corridors and cham
bers of the shattered brick house at the corner
of Fifth av and goth st. No jangle of tele-
phones called the dumb servitors" from be-
hind their high desks at the barnlike Office at
us Broadway. In his lexicon there was no
such word as telephone.
Everything about his Office building shouted
its antiquity. The building itself is a survival
OF the architectural school whose works are
so abundantly illustrated in Valentines Man.
ual. The first floor is shoe shop, the second
"toggery" shop for women, the third Mr..
Wendels Office" according to the sign on the
door; the fourth bazaar of diamonds and
watches.
WITHOUT AN ELEVATOR.
1t is that unique structure, a downtown
Broadway building without an elevator. If you
owe Mr.. Wendell rent you must go up to Mr..
Wendel's Office" on foot if you would pay it.
The steps are wide and of iron marbled. The
Office looks like junk shop filled with second
hand safes. There is only one partition be-
tween the front windows and those in the rear
of the loft. One hardly feels that this is a par
stands wide open and any one may enter. 1t
surrounds high desks at which gray whiskered
stand doing something or other; it is diff
cult to see what. The only objects in the Office
which do not seem to be behind the times are
the young women who manipulate the keys of
the typewriters of Anticipated model OF the
score or more safes lining the walls on either
side, hardly one has a modern appearance
Many of them look as if they were at least half
century old. One surrlises that they contain
all the leases and deeds having to do with the
innumerable parcels scattered all over the
lower part of Manhattan that contribute to the
estate of the curious old gentleman whose
Office this was. 1t would take a Dickens to
adequately describe this curiosity shop and the
family whose business headquarters it is.
NONE OF HIS TENDERLOIN PROP
ERTY DEVOTED TO ADJUSTMENTS.
One could sit by the door on rent day and
doubtless find many characters for delineation
for Mr.. Wendels notions about tenants were
old-fashioned, too. He did not believe in tear
ing down and building anew He was particu-
lar about the kind Of tenants he had and the
rentals. Any one who takes the trouble to
walk up Broadway from Herald Square to the
Metropolitan Opera House will discover the
effect Of a policy of non-improvement on a
street. But, though he owned much property
in the Tenderloin district, none of it was used
for purposes of amusement, such as theatres
and moving picture houses, or as a resort OF
questionable character. He did not wish any
real estate sins Of omission or commission laid
at his door. He wanted clear conscience and
freedom from accident damage suits. Perhaps
this was the reason he owned comparatively
little tenement property. So far as he could,
his investments were property available for
business purposes. When he acquired piece
OF property he set rental value on 1t. From
that moment it never changed. 1t was what
he thought it was worth, regardless of whether
il proved to be low CT high for the location.
1t was to be rented at the figure he set or re-