The sun., 1915-05-30
Landmarks of For.
mer Times on
Madison Square,
Broadway. Fifth
andMadison Ave-
nues Claimed AS
Sites for I allCon.
mercial Buildings


through the middle section Of the city
will reveal the destruction OF six old
buildings, five OF which are OF more
than passing interest to New Workers.
They are coming down to make way
for buildings Of modern construction.
structures In keeping with the value
of the land on which they will
rest In many cases this was a busi-
ness necessity. the land being many
times more valuable than the buildings
from which was to come the where
withal to pay Father Knickerbocker his
yearly tribute in the way OF taxes, the
mortgage holders due and a little TO
the man who owned the property. the
Calumet Club at the northeast corner
of Fifth avenue and Twenty ninth street
was attacked last week by building
wreckers and by this time the wei
known old square brick building viii
have been removed TO second hand ma
ter!al yards. The corner, as was toio
in THE Sun several weeks ago. has been
bought By Burton Bros as the site Tor
m tall building which they will use for
their business, which is now carried on
IN the former textile district In Broad
way south OF Bond street. The Old
club building has stood on the Twenty
ninth street corner Tor many years. IL
was the home OF the Lawrence family
when business and clubs too were far
TO the south. No one at that time could
imagine that either would ever come as
far up town as Twenty-ninth street.
But clubs came.
Being the same class as dwellings.
II was natural that men should prefer
their clubs in residential sections. SO
up came clubs. one a; . time. and with
out any opposition from Fifth avenue
dyellers The Calumet came too
and took the Lawrence property
at Twenty-ninth street for It's home
on lease which has about three
years more to run. Several months
ago the Calumet moved to Fifty-Axth
street for the same reason that Drought
IL to Twenty ninth street-nearness OF
trade. The unexpred term OF the clubs
lease was given in part payment Tor
the club house in Fifty-sixth street to
II. Il. Hollins whose dwelling the club
purchased About three weeks before
the Burtons got interested in The
Twenty-ninth street property MT. fioi-
lins subleased 4. TO DIR. Beveridge and
DR.. Quimby. who planned to alter II
into offices for physicians. But they did
not get far with their plans, As profit
Of $4,000 was offered them for their
lease and they took II.
BY this time next year n tall business
building loaded down with millions OF
dollars worth of cotton goods will be in
the place OF the old clubhouse. the meet
ing place for years of leaders In every
lire o. endcavor.
PROGRESS has ella imed the Albemarie
and Hoffman House at the northwest
corner OF Broadway and Twenty-fourth
street the last of Madison Square $
hotels The two buildings were institu-
tlons OF former hospitality. buildings
which recall men and events OF local and
national Importance. The Albemarle is
the older of the two. having been erected
in 1868 The Hoffman House Is the new
addition to the old building, which was
wrecked a few years ago by loft builders,
who were urged on by the prevailing de-
mand for loft space in the section.
II is the same demand which Is soon "a
force from the block between Twenty
fifth and Twenty sixth streets on Madi-
son Square the last OF the many hotels
which have made the section known tbs
length and width Of the country. The
Albemarle was not as we'll known as t'
neighbors the old HOFFMAN and Its off
spring, which was sandwlched betwe-1
the parent Hoffman House and the Abe
marie. The Holman appealed to th'
sporting element politicians and publi'
men. while the Abemarle was more :
family institution The Albenarle los
nothing by its conse ervativeness. for II
the South, New England and the middle
West II was well known.
The HOFFMAN annex was built only
dozen years ago and at considerable ex
pense. II was put up to care Tor IN
increased business OF the old hotel. an
when opened vas heralded as the bes
in every respect ever erected In New
York But a decade changes matters
There Is no need for hotel there nov
What seems to be needed IN that sectio
is loft buildings, work shops for tn
manufacturers OF wearing apparel 10
men and women. Such prC perfies pro
duce greater income than hotels: at leas
this must be 10 or these ine building
with all the backing of tradition an
sentiment would still be throwing thei
shadows across the big square.
The Albemarle and Hoffman will so y
be a disconnected pile of stone and tim
ber. Louis Horowitz OF the Thompson
Starrett Company Is now owner OF tn
corner and some time within the mex
few months he will be ready TO star
operations which viii give the sauar
another commercial giant sixteen storie
high, fronting 1882 feet along Bsoadwa
and 1872 feet on Twenty-hfth street
will cost si.350.000. and with the sit
the operation will amount to &3,VvO.oO
undertakinE,
The old Herald Square Theatre, at tn
northwest corner Of Broadway an
Thirty-fifth street. and the row OF fran
DullU4tEt Win siBH FeHeas WI VI
roofs which shared with the theatr
the Broadway frontage 10 Thirty-siXt
street, Is another group OF old timers !
the care of building wreckers Anothe
week and nothing will be left TO remin
one of the old landmarks. The Heral
Suuare Theatre was one OF the mile
stones in he development OF the itrical
IN this city. The distinction now held b
the best in town for many years bt
logged TO the Herald Square. Actor
and ac resses OF fame paraded across /,
boards In the days when il WAS anon
New York's best. No theatre In III
town has furnished more variety
entertainment than the Herald Squar
II was built in 1873 as a place o sho
pictures OF the great battles OF the civ
war So in this respect il was n
first picture theatre in the city. Ne'
II was an aquarium, but fishes did N
amusc New York for long. Then IL b
came "A real theatre. Known previous
as the Colosseum. Hyde Behmln toe
Il over and after alteration 10 the ii
terror opened II as the New Park The!
tire. The seats were brought from Edw
Booths old theatre at Sixth avenue Al
Tven y-third street Harrigan and Ha
Snen took It and for three years II WI
the most popular theatre in the cit
IN time Harrigan and Hart amuseme
gave way 20 hurlosque.
In aDou' 1884 the place was moder
ized and opened anew as the Hera
Square by Richard Mansfield with Be