The sun., 1919-09-24
Joseph P. Day Gets Good Prices
for 481 Building Sets in
Fine Transit Area.
AVERAGE S1,223 PER LOT
Buvers From All Walks Of
Life Drawn by Great Boom
in Market.

strong light on the unprecedented con-
5lt,ons prevailing In the real estate mar
ket The list contained but very few
names known in real estate circles. In
other words the vast majority OF the
men and women who snatched up the
As1 lots in the University Heights sec
,,on of the West Bronx offered for sale
bv Joseph P. Day were brand new in
yestors, people drawn from every walk
and sphere Of life who could probably
ascribe their sudden interest in land in
vestment to the furore caused by the
housing shortage
In this respect yesterdays sale was
even moro significant than the Bennett
auction on June 10 last. when Mr.. Day
dlsposed of 472 choice lots on Washing
ton Heights, Then the general public
was Just beginning to perceive the new
avenue of investment that was opening
nm Even at the Bennett sale, however,
professional operators and builders were
well In the minority, but yesterday they
we're so few and far between as to con-
stitute negligible buying factor.
Real estate has certainly become a
popular commodity" was the way In
which Mr.. Day phrased his interpreta-
ton OF the message conveyed by the
results of the sale. New blood has been
infused into the buying market. There
has been tremendous broadening of the
publics interest in real estate"
Certainly there were few familiar faces
among the crowd of at least 1000 per-
sons who jammed the auction room when
Mr. Day banged the desk before him to
Indicate that the sale was on. Nor were
thera many old timers evident in the
stream Of bidders who kept filtering into
the salesroom all during the afternoon
to take the places OF those who had
bought and depart< All told It was a
business like crowd that had come out
In spite Of weather conditions to pick
up few good bargains.
Dripping hats, raincoats and umbrel-
las bore testimony to the fact that the
rain had done its futile best to offset
the effect Of the advertising campaign
waged by Mr.. Day for some time prior
to the sale. In this respect the auction
was repetition Of the two preceding
ones held by Mr.. Day at Long Beach,
where weather conditions also conspired
unsuccessfully to defeat the auctioneer's
efforts.
Highest Price for a Lot $4,000.
The total OF the sales brought s60A-
225, or about s1,223 a lot The lots on
Sedgwick avenue and Kingsbridge road,
the western and southern boundaries of
the estate, brought by far the highest
bids The top price was $4,000, which
Marer, a builder and operator. paid
for lot 366. at the centre Of the arc on
the northeast curved corner of these
horoughfares These half dozen fan
shaped lots were dubbed the Tiffany
setting' of the estate. Mr.. Marer also
took lots S65 and S64 for $1,000 each.
The Clafiin residence, at the north
end of the tract, between Clafiin and
Webb avenues, together with the ten
surrounding lots, was bid in by Fred T.
Burchell for $21.50 Mr.. Burchell has
leased the mansion for some time. The
remaining lots in. that block above West
l97th street. brought prices ranging
from $3.50 TO 500.
In order to protect the buyers by CIV
ing them an uninterrupted access to
Kingsbridge road, the business thorough
fare between Webb and University ave-
nues, Mr.. Day acquired twenty-four lots
from the H. U. Singh estate fronting on
.Ningsbridge road, Eames place and
Webb and University avenues, and sold
hem all yesterday at phenomenal prices.
The five lots at the southwest corner
Of this tract were taken by Jacob Som
mers, a Brooklyn builder. for an apart
ment house site. The corner lot went to
him for $4,000. and the other four, 'front.'
ing on Kingsbridge road. for SO, 900 each.
The lots fronting on Eames place brought
from $3.50 to $500.
Next TO the Tiffany setting" lot the
highest price was paid for the lot ad-
Joining on the east, which went for
$4,000, and next to that in price was the
lot at the corner of Kingsbridge road
and Webb avenue. fronting 81 feet and
running back 1918 feet. which brought
s425O
The southeast corner OF Sedgwick ave-
nue. and West 197th street, 25x103.0 06,
brought $3.50, while the opposite, or
northeast corner. with u depth of 1864,
brought only S2,400. The southeast
corner OF Webb avenue and 197th street
brought $4,000 The opposite or south
west corner was bid in at $500 by
Mark A. Luescher, general manager for
Charles Dillingham;. Mr.. Luescher also
TOOK the two lots adjoining on the south
for 81, 600 each.
Spirited Bidding for House.
Lot 2S6 at the northwest corner of
SlHAn avenue and West 196th street
brought s2,S5O. while the corner diagon-
any opposite went for 81 $50. The south
east corner Of Webb avenue and l95th
street went for $1,1OO.
opposite this corner. on lots 2s6 and
S9i' is two story frame dwelling pro-
!ectlhg into the newly surveyed street.
spirited bidding occurred when this. with
ehe three lots adjoining on the south,
VAS put up. House and lots were finally
,hhocked down for $4,000. The corner
Ot 70 the north brought s2.1O0.
me lowest prices were paid for the
ols al the east end of the triangle tract
ed .ormed by 197th street and Reservoir
avenue This apex brought $3.50. The
ehainder north OF 197th street ranged
~ prices from $1,000 on tbe northeast
sorhef or University avenu6 and 1s7th
street to $500 adjoining the northern
apex which went for $3.50.
toward the end OF the sale Deputy
blc uolc Service Commissioner Daniel L.
San appeared as a bidder. He took
He iot at the northeast corner of Uni
,,sly avenue and 18TH street for
u,iVV and the two lots adjoining on
e north fronting on University ave.
nue. for $500 apiece.
considerable interest centred on the
.os at the northeast corner OF the tract
near rear Reservoir avenue, including Nos
too, l0l and l02, because OF the FACT
S, ,ot hey border on that part OF the
tau h estate which marks the site OF
Fo,,. V o'd revolutionary fort "Number
a l..