Evening journal., 1917-02-01
PROPERTY owners TO
AID Street Widening
Wilmington Automobile Co.
Will Give Twenty Feet
of Its Garage
D. P. BUCKLEY ALSO
ACCEPTS CITY'S OFFER

Yesterday afternoon the initial step
for the condemnation of the property
necessary to enable the city to carry out
its announced plan Of widening West
Eleventh street from Orange to Wash
inpton street was taken when the con-
demnation commission, appointed by
Judge Rice, held its first meeting in the
board room of the Street and Sewer De-
partment.
The commission organized by electing
A. /. johnson as chairman, and Joseph
S. Hamilton, as secretary. The other
members Of the commission are John H..
Dandy Philip Burnett and Edgar l.,
Haynes.
The city, represented by Assistant
City SOLICITOR John F. Lynn, called Col.
W. E. Stover, president Of the Board Of
Assessment, to give the assessed valua-
tions of the twelve properties involved.
Colonel Stover testified that the prop
erty of the Central Realty Company. at
No. 1888 Orange street, was assessed at
35O25 land value, and 1926 for the frame
building. The proposed Improvement
will take about four feet from this
property. and will leave lot 10 feet S
inches remaining He stated that the
assessment of the Wilmington AutOmo-
bile Company's Eleventh street building
was Sl4 400, and the land value 50 l25.
The properties at No. 1922 Iatnall
street and No. 1927 Tatnall street, are
assessed at $500 and $1,000 respectively
William II. Bramble a real estate
CITY. stated that i'm his opinion the
property of the Central Realty Company
was valued at from $3.50 to S400 a front
foot, and that the property OF the auto
mobile company was worth approx
mately $500 per front foot. This prop
erty has frontage on Eleventh street
Of Il feet. He said that the value OF tho
property of Daniel p Buckley, at No
1922 Tatnall street, was, in his opinion
$4,000. or about $50 per front foot HIS
estimate of the value Of the property
at No. 1927 Tatnall street, owned by
Emma G.. Simon. was 5000.
Auto Company to Aid.
Harry r. Graham of the Whining
ton Automobile Company. stated to
the company that his company was
I'm nowise disposed TO retard any pub
lic Improvement and would donate to
The CITY the twenty feet OF their land
required for this purpose. requesting
that the city replace the front OF the
garage building which il would have
TO tear down. and 10 replace the
pavement. It Is probable that the
city will accept this offer. At any
rate. it had the effect of eliminating
further consideration Of this property
by the commission
When the Improvement is made, II
will take the corner properties at
Eleventh and Tatnal streets. and
two feet from the properties which
now adioin those on the corners. The
CITY will take title 10 these two feet
in each case, after paying the damages
assessed by the commission I'm eacf
case. but will agree not TO disturb
the present buildings until the owners
decide to make changes in them. The
CITY will agree, It was brought out In
a statement by Assistant City Solici
tor Lynn, to build the gable wall on
each property-the new line to be
used cutting through the present
marty walls-and make such repairs
i'm the way of plastering. papering
painting. etc. on the inside due tC
the erection of such walls at munici
pal expense. These corner proper
ties are eighteen feet frontage on
Tatnall street, and the Improvement
calls for the use of twenty feet.
A. S. Reed, a witness for Mr.. Buck
lev. testified that, in company will
John r. Healy. he had inspected the
Buckley property at No. 1922 Tatnal
street. and estimated it's value at S14.
900 giving the replacement value o.
the building as S9.5t9 and the lo
value as S5.3S1. He said that it woulC
cost approximately $500 to make thu
repairs to the present partition wall
and approximately $1,000 in case o
stripping inside He said that, il
his opinion, as far as he could keel
track Of these overnight boosts II
land values" the land Of the Buck