The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-10
Brooklyn, Too, Has
Automobile Cen
tre---Su b urb an
Area Extended
Many Miles,
ThousandsofMfen
Employed Make
Home Demand

ago store rs by 96 in this building
could have been had for $4,000 a year.
which Is at the rate of about so cents a
square foot. At tho southeast corner
Of Broadway and Flfty-eighth street "
the home Of the United States Rubber
Company, twenty story building
erected a few years ago at a cost OF
$3.50. 900. 1t is the tallest building in
automobile row and the tallest CONNER.
cial building north Of Fifty-seventh
street.
II was the automobile that brought
about the development of the southeast
corner of Broadway and Fifty-ninth
street. For years and years this prop
erty remained vacant. George Ehret
bought It many years ago. Near the en-
trance TO tho park. he reasoned, 1t might
he valuable corner for him to have
some time. I'll, idea was when the Sec .
tion developed to erect a hotel or cafe.
But the automobile came. and when II
showed signs Of remaining Ehret put up
the two story building on the plot. Here
is the home of the Maxwell car. and
Harry :. Houpt and the Mitchell car are
there
North Of the circle are the largest au-
/ tomohlc buildings with the exception OF
]
automobile row Most Of them are on
SiNty-first street between Central Park
W ST and Columbus avenue. The former
United States Motor Company building
is NJ 3 to T. at the northwest corner Of
Broadway and SiNty-frst street is the
Packard Company building and n little
further west on the south side Of the
street Is the LoC0mobie Building. the tall
est commercial building north of Fifty
ninth street. The latter building runB
through 10 SiNtieth street and is twelve
. stories high. The site was sold last year
/ by the LOCOmohilc Company to Amos r.
T.. PinChOt. who erected the building,
which the company leased for twenty
one years at rental Of 100000. The
company received about 5000, 900 for the
property. Tho Locomobile Company was
further up Broadway. In the beginning
II was thought that the automobile
trade would go beyond Lincoln Square,
SO the company, not wishing to pay boom
prices, got in. as they thought, ahead OF
the others. But few Of the others came
up that far and tho Locomobile Com
pany came back The building that has
been erected for the company cost
$500 coo
Tho northeast corner Of Broadway and
SiTty-first street and for that matter
the east side II that block and the one
10 tho north are covered with buildings
erected for the automobile trade. The
same Is true of the west side of these
Broadway blocks.
The White Automobile Company at
SiNty-second street probably has under
lease in this city more space than any
other automobile concern. 1t is esti-
mated that this company pays about
100000 year rent. The Packard COM
pany establishment is worth $3.50 900.
according To one real estate man.
The development of .his section was
the means of bringing the automobile
10 Long Island city. Competition was
So keen ana rentals for Bsoadway space
We're climbing So that automobile makers
were AT their wits ends To know what TO
do They had TO have local factories or
service stations, but could not nav
/ Broadway prices and meet the cuts of
rivals with less expensive establish
ments. So Long Island City doomed up.
For the price Of one foot in Manhattan
several could be had in Long Island
city, This meant that the price OF cars
could be cut just little more
The development Of Long Island Is
just one 81 the offshnots OF the automo-
bile development. The growth of the
factory colony near the Greensboro
Bridge is as wonderful as that OF Man
haitian. In fact it is more 80. since Il
has come all within a few years The
site Of the Long Island city colony was
swamps and garbage Uttered stretches
few years ago.
/ The first two service plants to locate
in Long Island city We're brewster a
Co. and the Packard Motor Car Com
pany The Brewster company. which
imports both the Delaney Bellvil!e and
the Rolls Royce chassis and manufac-
lures bodies, erected six story brick.
concrete and steel building goo feet
front and $40 feet deep facing the plaza
and employs 500 men. The Packard
Motor Car Company which Is on Queens
Boulevard, erected an eight story con-
cretc building 2OOXlOO feet and employs
$50 hands.
The Ford Motor Car Company, at
Jackson avenue, about a quarter Of a
mic from the Nr.dg erected originally
|a Nv, story service plant, which II
enlarged hy adding four additional
stories and now Is building "A nine
story addition. The total floor space in
the completed building will be over