New-York tribune., 1915-03-14
GRAND BOULEVARD
OPPORTUNITIES

Marcy and Sheridan avenues and the
Concourse. The estate also owns the
block bounded by the Concourse. Elliot
Place. Walton Avenue and l7Oth Street.
Other owners in the southerly part
of the Concourse section are Gouver-
neur Morris. the well known writer;
Juliet VI. Livingston, William II. Birk-
mire. Jamesc McCaffray. Lorenzo
Weiher and Albert L. Lowenstein, most
of whom have owned property IN this
section for many years. The transfers
show that Il large number took ttle
to their properties in the late SOS and
early 90's.
On the easterly side of the Concourse,
from 164th to Tooth Street, are a num-
Der Of box shaped mansions atop OF an
unbroken ridge of rock. This ridge
rises many feet above the level of the
street, and was caused by the cutting
away Of the easterly side Of the ave
nue. in the laying out of the Concourse.
This part of the Concourse has many
rocky ridges of similar character. At
Mcclellan Street and the COncourse,
the southeast and the northeast cor
ners. are towering rocky promontories.
TIE block front on the easterly side OF
the Concourse from l64th Street TO
165th Street was once owned and oc-
cupied by several we'll known men.
The spacious house on the northeast
corner of 164th Street was once the
home of Henry McAleenan, the pawn
broker. He lived there in the early
9O's. His property in those days was
like a vast country estate in the heart
Of a city. II had frontage of about
l06 feet on the Boulevard and 2S2 feet
along 164th Street. and he also owned
the southeast corner of 16ith Street
and the Concourse. the two properties
in question originally forming one
holding. George W. McAdam, the well
known lawyer, resided for many years
in the large frame building at the south
east corner of 164th Street and the
Concourse. which is now owned and oc-
cupied by the Ursuline Convent. The
home Of Henry Mailard, the candy
maker, was. up to a few years ago, IN
the centre of a large plot near the
northwest corner of 166th Street, on the
westerly side of the Concourse. The
house was destroyed by fire, and ever
since the property has been vacant. IL
is this property which has just changed
hands and whose future possibilities
have directed attention in a forceful
manner 10 the Concourse section.
On the easterly side OF the Con
course, from 165th Street to 166th
Street, there is row of two-familv
houses which were built some years
ago. This block front is owned by many
persons. among the owners being Abra
ham Rapp, Alexander W. Melvin,
Thomas W. Smith, julius Maxwell and
+. p Finland.
Compared with the southerly section
there arc few block fronts in the north
erly district under one ownership. This
is due to the fact that property there
mas been constantly changing hands
in the last decade or two.
The book Of ownership reveals that
one of the largest northerly properties
under single ownership is the block
front on the COncOurse, bounded by
1S7th Street, Fordham Road and Nalen-
tine Avenue. Hannah O'Callahan Is
the owner of record.
The triangular parcel az Mount Hope
Place, fremont Avenue and the Con-
course, on which stands the imposing
Mount Hope Court apartment house,
was formerly owned by +. c. Feurner
and Sarah F.. Flagg. They transferred
their title 10 the site TO Louis Lach-
man, according to the records.
In the early part of the last CEN
tury the William II. Morris farm was
at 15Sth Street and Walton Avenue,
the Anderson farm at l65th Street and
Jerome Avenue and the Frederick De-
Voc farm at 161st Street and Jerome
Avenue. At 169th Street and Jerome
Avenue was the Stebbns farm.
Long ago those farms were cut up
into blocks and the titles 10 most of
the properties have passed from the
heirs to various individuals.
The Concourse is built on the top OF
a wide ridge of land, and thus the sites
IN the east and west are much lower
than the level Of the highway. In
some places the decline is so sharp that
a retaining wall has been built for
MANY feet along the roadway. Where
such n retaining wall has been built
owners of property contiguous TO the
wall will probably experience consider
able difficulty in improving their sites
Al Mcclellan Place the Concourse ls
1O1 3 feet above sea level. To the west
is Walton Avenue, and at this point
Walton Avenue is II feet above sea
level. Gerard Avenue is 52.4 feet, River
Avenue S7.5 feet and Cromwell Avenue
Is feet. ,os
At 169th Street the Concourse is loo
feet above sea level, Walton Avenue
so feet and Jerome Avenue 3S.o. Al
Fordham Road the COncourse IL ia
feet. Creston Avenue 1925 feet, Morris
Avenue l23 feet and Jerome Avenue
III feet. ,o-
At 10th Street the Concourse IS 100
feet Morris Avenue s8 fee:, walton
Avenue 61.5 feet, Townsend Avenue Al
feet and Jerome Avenue 3I6 feet:: AZ
burnside Avenue the Concourse IS "a
feet. Creston Avenue 70 feet, Morris
Avenue 6s.5. Walton Avenue 59 ana
Ierome Avenue 80. At Kingsbridge
Poad the Concourse is 140 feet above
sea level. Creston Avenue 1870 feet and
Morris Avenue 12S.5 feet and Jerome
Avenue l26 feet At 20Oth Street the
Concourse is $50 feet above sea lever
and Jerome Avenue 1898.
II is no simple task 10 measure the
number Of real estate opportunities
along the Concourse and in adjoining
territory. In the southerly part OF the
HIGHWAY interior lots can be had ~
about $4,000 each and corners VII
average between $4,000 and sl2,ooo.
About $500 will purchase a lot on
,re Of the nearby side streets. NO one
Who has good view OF the Concourse
situation can see any other future 'or
the thoroughfare except the hlgnes'
residential one. The great business
artery Of the section is going. TO De-