Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-15
WOLF LEASES LOT
AND BUILDS fine
MODERN HOTEL
Harry A. Wolf Interests Control
Many Valuable Properties
Throughout the Gate
City.

The builder and owner Of the
Conant hotel, the Commercial Realty
company, composed of Fl. A. Wolf,
Henry Miller and associates. The
rental and management of the build
ing are in charge of the H. A. Wolf
company, realtors.
The lot on which the hotel stands
is a good example of the advance
in Omaha real estate values. The
Schlitz Brewing company interests
bought it l8 years ago for $4,000.
The First National bank interests
bought it four years ago for a price
said to be in the neighborhood OF
100000.
The First National bank intended
to BUILD there, because they couldn't
get the next corner north on Six
teenth and Farnam streets. At an OPP
perfume moment the Board of Trade
building burned and the First Nation
al obtained that property.
Secures Long Lease.
George Joslyn then bought the Six
teenth and Harvey streets properly.
And then Harry Wolf negotiated
99-year~lease on the condition that he
build on the lot a building costing
not less than 100000. He built one
costing much more than that.
Il am only sorry that Mr.. Joslyn
did not live to see the handsome
building erected on his lot" says Mr..
Wolf For | think he was more in
terested in seeing a fitting building
there than in the actual returns on
his investment"
Mr.. Wolf himself is one of the won
derful examples of opportunity in
Omaha. He came here from Philadel-
phia Ia years ago. He looked over
the city as he had over many others
and decided that here was where Op-
portunity lived.
II found that most of the valuable
downtown property was held by big
eastern concerns or-that they held
heavy mortgages on it,, he said. II
saw that the recent hard times had
caused many local investors to be-
come discouraged and let go of their
holdings to the eastern bankers who
held mortgages on them. | found
also that these fasteners cared moth
ing about developing the properties,
just so they got their 5 or 6 per cent
mortgage interest. And they were
even willing to sell at the amount of
the mortgages in many cases.
Forms xundicates.
There was very little building 60
ing on except small operations like
houses. | conceived the idea of form
ing syndicates so that a number OF
these small builders could get to-
gether and swing a big operation.
Thus we handled these deals and built
and kept on building. |
To-day believe that o5 per cent of
the property in Omaha's business dis
trict which was held by outside own
ers ID years ago is held by Omaha
owners"
Mr.. Wolf naturally believes in
Omaha. /
TN Philadelphia" he said, II had
just as good business judgment as
had here, but | couldn't get any
where. couldn't start anything. Back
there man is Judged too much by
his ancestors. They want to know
who was his grandfather. Out here
in the west every man is his own
grandfather" &,
Mr.. Wolf is actively on the job all
the time and projecting bigger things
for the future than even he has in
the past.
In the same real estate operation
by which they secured control of the
Conant hotel property, the CONNER
cial Realty Company secured control
of the property Immediately adjoin-
ing the hotel on the west and re-
modelled the building so as to make
what experts have called one Of the
finest markets in the west. The build
ing is now occupied by the Central
market |